Of the 5 P’s of marketing, the majority of marketing/advertising/public relations firms have a singular focus – promotion. Within the context of the current economy and the emergence of social media, which has been the premise of the previous three volumes on this subject, promotion is often the greatest enigma facing both clients and marketing firms. In fact, the entire marketing communications industry has experienced a fundamental shift due to social media and the shrinking nature of marketing budgets.
Social media has changed the tide
Many of our clients and prospects that are located in major markets are struggling to find established resources that can integrate solid marketing strategies with social media tactics. A common choice that clients face is either a marketing firm that is large but not particularly experienced at social media, or a small start-up or freelancer that is skilled at the tactics of social media but lacks any strategic marketing perspective. Social media is changing the makeup of the marketing services industry, but not all companies are embracing the shift.
That’s where firms like ddm stand apart. ddm has the depth of experienced and talented marketing strategists combined with a dedicated department and staff focused on social media yet integrated within a broader web team. This combination of resources enables us to recommend a blend of online and offline strategies and tactics that are truly integrated. With expertise and a nationwide client base in specific industries such as healthcare, financial services and education, our clients benefit from a combination of industry knowledge with broad market perspective.
The true cost of social media
The inherent conflict that exists in the minds of many clients when they consider social media is the perception of low financial cost but significantly higher time investment. Proper planning and the utilization of some traditional marketing tools such as establishing an editorial calendar to guide social media content can help streamline the time commitment. Content is king, however, so the true cost to clients is the time investment that is required to maintain a connection with target audiences.
Rather than a purely outbound effort such as with traditional forms of advertising, social media enables an ongoing exchange of information. This represents a significant challenge for many companies that are already staffed too thin but are asking employees to spend more time learning and implementing in areas that they don’t understand.
Promotion has clearly been impacted by the latest economic and social media shifts.
Next, the final but often most important “P”: People.
Mike
