The good ol’ ‘word of mouth’ has gone digital. Customers today respond to holistic brand experiences. This is possible owing to the era of consolidation we live in — the answer to most effective servicing today is integration and digital marketing is no different. Brands instinctively respond better to agencies where all requirements are met under a single roof. While social media marketing strategies can work in isolation if need be, they are most likely to be one time wonders and fizzle out without creating a long lasting impact. Put your money where your mouth is Digital marketers are frequently questioned about the RoI digital marketing can bring to a brand. Social media channels are moving beyond playing the placid role of being a platform for HR postings, company updates and grievance redressals to meaningful mediums of engagement, conversations and knowledge. While RoI on digital marketing has been a long debated subject, marketers are opening up to the idea of social media marketing campaigns which actually help move the needle on the brand positioning front, instead of limiting themselves to the language of plain CTR, CPC and CPL. According to Social Media Marketing India Trends Study 2016, the number of brands spending 16% or more of their marketing budgets on social media has increased over the last few years. Furthermore, for the first time in three years some brands specify that they spent more than 31% on social media.
Social media has arrived like never before. Cut to 2016, where
life is measured by likes, comments and shares, with people living
lives 140 characters at a time.
The good ol’ ‘word of mouth’ has gone digital. Marketers need to
arm themselves, especially for the #YOLO generation that is busy
thriving on Snapchat, Pinterest and Vine. This, and more, is
precisely what social media brings to the table.
Replace nothing, complement everything
The idea of any social media strategy is never to substitute its
print or TV campaign; it is meant to play a complimentary role —
the mantra here is to co-exist. The nostalgic #WeMissYouToo
storytelling videos by Maggi marking its comeback to the market are
a befitting example. The icing on the cake is three-fold — firstly,
the almost instantaneous form of communication where it permits
users to provide and consume information in real time. Second is
the immense scope of meaningful engagement, far from the
push-notification syndrome. Lastly, consider the magical potential
of multiplying. The audience targeted through social media is never
really the ‘end’ user, purely owing to the viral nature of the
medium where people can share content in their circles and in fact
become further advocates of the brand, increasing reach. Having a
social media presence allows brands to leverage and amplify, yet
customise and re-target.
The one stop-shop solution
Gone are the days of hard-selling products and services.
Customers today respond to holistic brand experiences. This is
possible owing to the era of consolidation we live in — the answer
to most effective servicing today is integration and digital
marketing is no different. At the risk of blurring identities, it
is…
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