It's never all about one thing. That why you have to be careful with hype. So when you hear all the hype about "It's all about social media" or "it's all about community," be wary. A year ago it was "all about content." Really it's about the mix.
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| Photo credit: Raelene G |
The Marketing Mix
Research shows that marketing is more effective when you mix it up. A recent report from Group M showed that consumers exposed to a company's mix of influenced social media and paid search exposure were 2.8 times more likely to search for that brand's products than users who who saw only paid search. Adding ingredients to your marketing mix produces a compound effect. So what is this marketing mix?
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The three big funnels of marketing media are:
- Owned - Created by you
- Earned - unpaid conversation about you
- Paid - Exposure you pay for in other channels
In the online marketing world, that translates to:
- Your web presence
- Social media and online conversations about your business or brand
- Paid search ads, sponsorships and other forms of online advertising
In the offline world, the media mix translates to:
- Your store front, office or any physical location
- Word of mouth about your business
- Advertising and promotional efforts
Be Strong Somewhere
With all those choices, it would be tempting to try to be everywhere. But juggling too many spot can spread your resources too thin. Start with one thing and get good at that before you add another ingredient into the marketing mix. I recommend you start with the offline world. Once you have solidified your offline marketing mix, start sprinkling in the online ingredients.
Does your marketing have mix? How can you compound the effectiveness of your marketing by adding ingredients to your marketing mix?
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2 comments:
Jay,
For 80 percent of bloggers, content still is king. For marketers, it was never just about content.
I think the content model was pushed forward because so many social media experts were content driven, operating blogs as advertorial/editorial drivers. There still is room for that, but it sort of shifted when bloggers turned social media marketers had to concede that social media doesn't replace advertising. It augments it.
Of course, knowing this also places more burden on social media to deliver a return on investment.
Good post.
All my best,
Rich
Great points, Rich. I feel an awakening moving across the web. We are moving past the social media hype and beginning to ask the important questions about ROI and the time necessary to do social media. That's good for everyone.
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