Social Media Marketing – Only Part of Your Advertising & Marketing Mix

I’m Gloria Kreitzberg, Marketing Director at Archer Communications. Welcome to my first series of blogs about Social Media Marketing and the role it can play in your overall marketing mix. Recently, I was asked to present to a group of VisitRochester members and guests at one of their monthly meetings. My job was to shed some light on social media marketing and how it fits within a traditional and Internet marketing plan.

The basic message of my presentation was that social media marketing alone is not the be-all and end-all marketing solution for every business. Over my next few posts, I’ll be talking about the various marketing methods that are out there, and giving you a framework to build on for your own marketing campaign.

Now, let’s start to bust this myth!

The Myth:
Social Media Marketing is MAGIC. All you have to do is create a blog, do a few “tweets” on Twitter, and you’re on your way. It’s the answer to all of those high-cost marketing methods. And it’s all FREE!

Reality Check:
Although blogging, twitter marketing and other forms of social media are gaining momentum every day, other types of traditional and Internet marketing methods should be considered – branding and making sure that you have a unique identity that truly reflects your company’s values and offerings, search engine optimization (SEO), having a web design that is visually appealing and is up to speed with the latest technology, advertising, and much more. Have you tied in your social media with email marketing and public relations efforts? There’s a whole lot more to marketing your business than blogging and tweeting. Yes, social media is an important marketing “tool,” but should be viewed as a part of a marketing plan, which might include a mix of both traditional and Internet advertising and marketing solutions.

This is the first in a series of posts that will discuss how important an integrated marketing approach is for gaining new customers and helping your business grow. I’d love to hear about any successes you’ve had using social media and how you’ve integrated it into your marketing plan.