- [Instructor] Social media marketing is based
on four pillars, your customer, your resources,
your goals, and your budget.
It works best when you blend it
with your other marketing programs.
In this video, we're going to show you
how to start integrating social media
into your current marketing mix.
These days, you hear the term integrated marketing a lot,
but what does integration mean?
Integration is simply a way
to combine your various marketing activities
in a strategic way.
You've probably heard the expression,
"The whole is greater than the sum of its parts."
With integrated marketing,
all the parts of your marketing plan are designed
to build on each other and create a consistent story
that reaches your customers throughout the day.
Let's look at the integrated model.
Say your business advertises on radio
because you know your customers commute to work.
Maybe you're supplementing that
by using PR to reach media and bloggers.
And then one of your employees suggests moving everything
over to social media because it doesn't cost anything.
Rather than picking up and shifting all your eggs
into the social media basket,
this is where you'd want to consider an integrated approach.
But how do you know which parts
of your existing program you should scale back?
And what would your social media marketing look like?
Step one is asking questions.
What are your goals?
What's the best way to reach your customers?
Which social and traditional media channels do they use?
And where would they be most receptive
to getting a message from your company?
Put yourself in your customer's shoes
and map their day to understand the best times and channels
to reach and help them solve a problem.
And be sure your social media content is consistent
with your brand personality so customers get a clear picture
of your company wherever they are.
Next, consider your budget.
Social media isn't free.
Even if you're posting updates
and photos to a social network
or having a staff member produce and upload short video,
all of that takes away
from the time your employee could be doing something else
related to your business.
You've got to balance your resources.
And you'll need to put money aside to create social ads
and promote or boost your best-performing posts.
Social media, like other marketing initiatives,
requires energy, planning, and resources.
This is especially true when customers start to use it
as a customer service channel,
and you need to respond in real time
or risk a reputation issue or a crisis.
When it comes to adding social media to your marketing mix,
every business has to figure out the right mix
of social and traditional programs
that work best for your customer.
It takes time to grow your social network,
and you may not see the results overnight.
Social media marketing is a marathon.
You're in it for the long haul.