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RISING WOMEN EXPERT
ADVICE...
With “Social Media” becoming so popular,
do I really need to continue using traditional means of advertising to
market my business?
The answer is a definite “yes” if you really look at the stepping stones it
takes to drive potential new customers to your businesses “Social Media”
outlets.
Just like your business website, if you have no visibility through
“traditional” advertising such as print, radio, television, tradeshows or
direct mail, how do you expect customers to find you? Let’s look at some of
the realities:
Unlike print, for example, where you are locally visible among a variety of
other advertisers, with the internet, you are competing with literally
millions of businesses in your same industry all over the world. Type in any
general service or product and you will discover pages upon pages of surfing
ahead. Even by narrowing your search down to your city, without an exact web
address, chances are your business will be knocked off the charts by the
more aggressive, similar businesses that are utilizing Search Engine
Optimization effectively. Without targeted advertising, you are just another
flake in a snowstorm.
The success of your Social Media, whether that be your FaceBook, LinkedIn,
Twitter, etc., including your website or QR Code, is reliant on being
visible to the naked eye or heard. Think about it. The moment Social Media
became the trend, so did the uniquely styled Social Media icons, which can
be accessed for free off the internet. These icons are graphically designed
for print placement, need I say more!
To add to this, by simply displaying a Social Media icon or URL, you are
still missing the mark on what really drives the consumer. Emotional
motivation is the reason why we make our buying decisions, hence why the
“message” relayed within your advertising is still the driving force. Unless
you are an internationally recognized company, such as say Harley Davidson
or McDonalds, icons and web addresses are still just flat, emotionless
words. Companies like these have spent years building their “brand” to
instill an emotional connection to their logos. This takes exceptionally
written copy writing based on a psychologically awareness of the needs and
desires of their target audience. And, this also took years of marketing
through every possible traditional advertising channel.
So to answer your question further, Social Media is not end-all-be-all
unless it is paired strategically with targeted, well administered
traditional forms of advertising.
Written by Illiki Rai, owner of Rising Women Magazine. Comments?
Questions? Please feel free to send them via email to
media@risingwomen.com
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