There is always a lot of chatter about whether or not social media marketing is truly effective. There are people on both sides of this issue. While both sides have valid arguments I believe that the truth lies somewhere in between and is dependent on how you use social media in your marketing plans.
What Is the Social Media Chatter in 2014
Some say that because Facebook has changed its algorithm many people are starting to think that social media marketing isn’t worth it. They are saying that e-mail marketing is still a better alternative.
One of the statistics thrown out there is that e-mail marketing reaches 100% of the people on your e-mail list but social media is dependent on the platform your target audience is using. But you do need to take this information with a grain of salt; how many of those e-mails are actually being opened?
Online chatter also mention that 3.6 billion people had e-mails in 2013, while at the beginning of 2013 Facebook had 1.11 billion active users. I believe those numbers are skewed because people could have set up multiple accounts in both categories.
The biggest problem, in my opinion, is that people look at social media marketing as one note. They think that it’s all about reaching new consumers by advertising on different platforms. But social media’s greatest strength is about being social.
Social media has plenty of benefits that help grow your consumer base. For example, it helps you offer better customer service, maintain your reputation and can lead to word-of-mouth advertising. All these things will lead to better reviews, shared content and more sales of your product.
I think you need to use social media as an extension of your campaigns and not as a stand-alone campaign. It is A tool not THE tool to use when marketing your company.
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