Don't Spray and Pray
Businesses are increasing their advertising year to year. Great news! Traditional media has always dominated, but no longer. Most companies have shifted their distribution between traditional (Television, radio, print…) and digital (social networks, online ads, video distribution….). The allocation is now 50/50. Companies are placing the highest priorities on mobile and social platforms.
As a business owner, if you have yet to venture into using social networks and with the obvious importance placed on digital media you are probably asking yourself…
where do you begin?
Which social network/s should I use?
How do I approaching that network?
What is the best content being created/collected to ensure engagement and response?
Should I spend some of the budget on paid engagement?
Perhaps you’ve “dabbled” in the social arena without any success. You may be thinking what’s the point?
I find it amusing that in this new media world; the basics of advertising and marketing get pushed aside until the dust settles. Yes, we are dealing with more diversified products than we ever have! And yes, they work in different ways. But there is one constant that has not change…the human brain.
Marketing at its core is to weave its message into the brain of a consumer so when the time comes to buy, they think of you! Once accomplished only through pushing a message out. Today, it’s a true conversation! In order to gauge and organize a marketing plan, I start by ask my clients 3 questions:
Who are you trying to reach?
How much is the budget ?
How will you gauge success?
Number 2 gives me the most insight. Once dollars have been decided I can then tie my shoelaces and begin stretching for the run. There is a right and a wrong way to use every marketing medium. It is imperative that the mediums chosen be utilized in the way they are designed for the most return on an investment. With SO many choices for a business and if a decent budget is designated to marketing I often see a detrimental pattern. A business owner chooses them all!
“Let’s be on Facebook, broadcast television, blogs, internet radio, Instagram, Twitter…. “
That’s what we call “spraying and praying”. A vintage term coined in the advertising world defined as placing a message in multiple media vehicles without function and hoping, praying it brings a return. For most local businesses the budget is conservative and it’s even more important to use the dollars wisely. So in this new digital and social media world, how do you begin? The same way you always should have with traditional media, DOMINATE!
Choose one social network and dominate it! Learn the ways and do it right!
Would you consider running one radio commercial per month a great way to brand your business? Then why would you create a Facebook page and post once a month?
Dominating the network of choice is the only way to gauge if that network engages with your customer and truly diagnose if it is a benefit to your business. Whether it is Twitter or Instagram, Facebook or LinkedIn…choose and dominate. Once you’ve chosen a platform:
Decide the purpose (Customer service, product/service testing, promotional, increase website engagement….)
Research and apply the roadmap experts suggest to succeed in that given network. (How many times a day to post, tools to increase responses, element to increase awareness…)
Set a schedule and stick to it! If the experts suggest to blog 3 times a week, then schedule it on your calendar!
Once you have gained impact from the one social platform you are ready to add another. Social Marketing is a vital part of your business, stop playing around. Choose and dominate!
