I think it’s safe to say social media is here to stay and it is now another solid tool in today’s online marketers’ toolbox. That being said, to help harness the real power and value of this new tool, integrating social media into your marketing mix is essential. (image credits: Laurel Papworth and Gary Hayes)
What do you mean by social media integration?
Online marketers have an arsenal of tools they use in their marketing campaigns. Savvy marketers already know how to integrate and cross promote with the traditional online tools they already use. For example, if you plan on hosting a webinar, what is the first way you get the word out? Most of you probably thought about sending an email to your existing list. That is one example of cross promotion and integrating various tools together in your marketing mix.
Another example could be if your company is launching a new product. You would devise a campaign and strategy using various tactics and tools. You might issue a press release with a link back to the new product page, send out an email to your existing clients and run some online advertising. Cross promoting each tool with one another.
Social media should be a part of this process.
What are some ways I can integrate social media into my marketing mix?
Creating a profile and managing a social media account is not enough. Experiment with different ways to integrate social media into your campaigns and into your overall marketing mix.
Let’s take the first example I mentioned of the webinar. You could keep the original strategy of sending out an email, but what if you incorporated social media into the email? You could have sharing options so that they could share the message of your upcoming webinar through Facebook and Twitter. Another option is to have links for them to connect with you on the various networks you’re on as well. This helps amplify your message past your existing email list and gives you other outlets to spread your message and gets others involved in promoting you. Your existing clients, subscribers etc. can act as individual marketing agents and help you spread your message throughout their network creating “buzz” around your company, message, and in this case, your webinar as well.
Cross promote your webinar through Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and your blog as well. Mentioning your webinar with details and registration information on your website, blog and social media platforms can help your message go viral, broadening your potential audience and communicating with people in various ways. After your webinar, post the slides to Slideshare, host an archive on your blog and notify everyone of the archives through email, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Some people prefer email, some Facebook or Twitter; the point is to cover as many relevant channels as you can so you can deliver your news through the channel that people prefer.
Integrating social media everywhere
Add your profiles to your website, blog and emails as well as on the various networks themselves. LinkedIn now offers Twitter integration. You can promote Facebook discussions and blog posts on Twitter. Don’t just stop at an individual campaign level, cross promote your social media and online marketing everywhere.
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