Advertising vs. Social Marketing

Here's the best explanation of when to use more traditional marketing/advertising and when to use social marketing, from Chris Bogan.

"If you’re Burger King and you’re looking to influence whether I go there or not, use plain old marketing. It’s just fine. It’s the right tool for the job. So is advertising. You don’t HAVE to use social media for that.

But, if you’re Burger King and you want to understand me, to get what’s really going on inside my head, and know what we have in common, then THAT is where social media can be useful. Talk to me. Get to know me. Ask me about me and the things that aren’t about you."

Personally, I think successful companies do both. Nike engages runners with Nike Plus. It gets to know them, understand them better and, through the dialogue, they get to like and trust Nike more. But, and this is a big but, Nike also does great marketing. They create great advertising that builds brand affinity and they create ideas that get people involved not just with each other and with the company, but with their brand.

So I think marketing and social marketing should work hand in hand. Or, maybe they should just become part of the larger sphere of marketing. You can use more traditional advertising to change how people think about your brand. You can use to engage, to point people towards a conversation. And then you can use social media to keep the conversation going and find out how your company can be more customer focused.

In the process, you spend less on expensive traditional media and promotions, while getting more people involved in your brand.

That's our vision here at HQvB.