Introduction to Marketing Techniques Social Media
Marketing Techniques social media to Use Strategies – In business, there is a perception that even an average product can do well in the market because it all boils down to how you sell it. ‘It’s not the product that matters, but how you sell it.’ Naturally, enough companies employ different marketing techniques for social media to reach consumers.
Dale Carnegie, the legendary success guru, has said the most fundamental principle in influencing people- is it should not be ‘I’ that should be the focal point of conversation but the other person ‘you.’ It can be at the core of your marketing techniques and social media you adapt to win consumers to your fold. The focus should be on something other than whether we have created a great product, revolutionary technology, and excellent features. Try it out. Consumers will sure be happy to learn all these, but purchasing decisions would take place only if the customer perceives it as solving a problem, helping make life convenient, or adding value to the customer.
In a crowded marketplace, the best way to get noticed is through branding, which in a nutshell, means creating value in the minds of the consumer. Value creates when a product or service fulfills the genuine need of the consumer.
Market surveys help assess the need for a particular service. Still, in some cases, buyers may need help to conceptualize a necessity. Still, they may wholeheartedly welcome a new product if it satisfies their needs or is a solution to their problem. For. E.g., dandruff, hair fall, fat buildup, or something that makes vegetable peeling easier in the kitchen.
To evolve effective marketing techniques in social media, a marketer needs to work as a psychologist- understand what drives and motivates customers. They should go beyond traditional customer demographics. It includes age, gender, race, income, and geographic location, which are great for analyzing market trends. For a pizza outlet, if most people are in the 18-15 groups in the area, assess other motivating factors such as taste, ambiance, convenience, and media campaigns before evolving marketing techniques on social media to boost sales.
Most often, pricing is not the only reason an individual prefers a product over others. It could be safety, quality, durability, convenience, technological features, perceived value for money, design aesthetics, etc.
Top 10 marketing techniques social media for success
Here are ten marketing techniques social media for success:
1. Stand out from the crowd and the USP
There are several products launched daily, but only a few become household names. If you need to stand out, you need to create good media campaigns, whether it is a mass-market product such as a bar of soap, hair oil, electronic appliance, or mobile phone. With being seen or talked about, the product or brand can succeed in the marketplace. To stand out, every product should have a unique selling proposition (USP) which should become the core focus of your marketing techniques. A quality or a set of markers differentiates you from the competition.
Skypark Courier ran the campaign- ‘We deliver, wherever on earth, on time.’ In one sweep, it identified itself as a global player and promised timely delivery, which is a vital concern for courier customers. Tata’s Nano car positioned itself as the cheapest, smallest car and succeeded in getting export orders.
It is on the strength of the campaigns on TV, newspapers, magazines, and radio that people start asking the retailer for the product. By the time the campaign starts running, the Point of Purchase (POP) hanging ads should be ready at retail outlets, and simultaneously there should be a minimum inventory of goods with them to cater to first-time buyers.
Mass media campaigns are often on, and POPs are also ready, but the product may have yet to reach the retail shelves as proper distribution channels aren’t in place. Retailers may be reluctant to stock new brands, and hence a sample set may have to be given on credit and cash collected on an after-sales basis to get entry into the market.
Depending on the popularity of the initial media campaigns, many consumers may have this urge to make their first purchase. Hence, timely availability is vital to get the first feedback from consumers.
2. Hoardings & Electronic banners
Mass-market products will get noticed once they appear on city banners and hoardings. Commuters may only have a glance at the ads; hence it is better to focus more on visuals than words. The hoardings of S-Cross, the new version of Maruti SX-4 introduced in India in hatchback, has an imposing photo of the car and just these words- S-Cross, The Premium Crossover. It is indeed a hatchback with the features and power of a sedan. Or that of ACC Cement- Cementing Relationships.
As in mass media, hoardings and banners have a mass appeal when displayed across cities and towns as the commuting crowd is mixed and belongs to all walks of life. Since an individual can book hoardings for six months to a year, frequent commuters are most likely to see them and closely associate the brand, its looks, and its design when they see it in retail shops or any point-of-purchase.
For garments, jewelry, consumer goods, and most products, young women models are more likely to be featured compared to men. It is general psychology that women tend to attract more views in ads that influences marketers to portray them. Exceptional cases include automobiles, cement, steel, and related ads, where men tend to be featured prominently.
3. Public Relations and Media coverage
If the product is good or is quite exceptional, it makes sense to announce the launch of the product in newspapers and TV channels. If the launch is by a celebrity, it creates more new value for the product and the medium. The top management can announce the launch in a press meeting which cocktails and dinner shall follow.
Top officials can announce the prominent features of the product, company profile, and plans in the press meet, which appears in the business or market promotion pages of newspapers. The value of a news item is that it is seen as more credible by readers than an advertisement. Moreover, building a corporate image through the media is better, which also helps in the future. Furthermore, product launch news with photos can add value to the company’s marketing campaign. The legendary Steve Jobs of Apple used to hold a press meet every time there was a product launch. The new CEO and CMO are now continuing this tradition. Hence, corporates worldwide successfully used these marketing techniques of social media.
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4. Events and promotions marketing techniques in social media
The public attends Events and trade fairs in large numbers, which is the right platform to launch and display new products. Companies that sponsor beauty events, music shows reality shows, and fundraising events for charity such as cancer care, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart care, apart from getting good visibility for brands through hoardings and stage backdrops. According to marketing experts, events can drive sales as customers need a reason to shop, and events create that reason. Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is a significant event that has become part of American culture. It connects two events that consumers love-thanks giving and shopping.
5. Online and social media promotion
Companies must pay attention to online promotion in this digital era when people look for new product information on the web and mobile. Websites may give the primary footprint on the web and its mobile site. Still, social media promotion has become an inevitable marketing technique social media for any organization as people see the Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus updates first before watching anything else. Companies can boost their FB and Twitter posts through paid services provided by them and enhance the reach of their messages. Companies should focus more on FB if the content is image-oriented, such as infographics, photos, illustrations, and videos. At the same time, the media, entertainment, manufacturing, and services industry can gain through Twitter paste better.
The frequency and quality of posts, and pictures will impact business conversion through social media. Companies can promote themselves at the corporate through LinkedIn, which will also be good for getting talented people to know about the organization.
6. Inbound marketing
Blogs and expert views published on the company’s website, Tumblr, and WordPress, and also posted on other popular sites, can go a long way in creating consumer interest in a company, product, or brand.
Inbound marketing is cost-effective in this list of marketing techniques and strategies, but much would depend on the topic’s relevance and importance for the consumer. One can share articles about new technologies, innovations, and research findings in essays or white papers. Such technical information enables buyers to make informed decisions on purchasing. A proportion of white papers on Amazon.com is devoted to cloud computing. It has now become a sophisticated marketing technique targeted at specialized buyers.
7. Differentiated, undifferentiated marketing techniques and strategies
Companies can use differentiated and undifferentiated marketing techniques and social media to promote products. In the differentiated strategy, campaigns appeal to at least two market segments or target groups. A retail store can encourage sales in two cities and market a product that appeals to women in two age groups. On the other hand, a robust marketing strategy targets one specific market segment or audience. They are meant for smaller groups and will appeal to a particular segment.
8. Direct marketing techniques social Media
There are several success stories in the direct marketing of products to consumers. The main categories that have benefited from such marketing techniques are vacuum cleaners, water purifiers, personal computers, educational books and CDs, and mobile phones. One can do direct marketing through house-to-house visits, online promotion through websites and social media, and participation in trade shows and events. Many companies sell through a network marketing approach whereby each consumer is also an independent distributor of the product and earns points based on purchases made by them and those in their network.
The first phase of direct marketing techniques and strategies is identifying the target market. Still, companies should be cautious not to offend consumers through direct contact, mail, or social media. But if executed well, direct marketing can reap rich dividends. The success of retailer LL Bean is an example- here; customers look forward to receiving their communication.
9. Cold calling
Cold calling increases awareness and sales in some industries, such as finance, insurance, banking, and cellular services. Some people object to such marketing control techniques efforts by companies as it is an intrusion into their privacy and a disturbance, especially if the call comes at odd hours. However, these marketing techniques force the company to sell the company and the product. As opposed to face-to-face communication, the phone on the phone does have the benefit of abruptly ending a conversation. The advantage of cold calling is that it does make you think on your feet and encourage creativity and adaptability when facing potential consumers.
Other names of this marketing control technique are telemarketing, Tele-calling, or telesales in the UK and Ireland. It can also include recorded sales pitches programmed, which will play over the phone via automatic dialing.
10. Incentives and promotional marketing techniques and strategies
In a crowded marketplace, freebies, incentives to buy, and reward points add to a company’s marketing techniques and strategies for keeping ahead of the competition. Contests offer an attractive marketing vehicle to acquire new clients and awareness building. Consumers get Coupons for buying products. They are sometimes, allowing consumers to sample products before purchasing forces them to buy more. Publix supermarkets give free samples of their lime pie not because people question the goodness of the pie but to make them buy more.
Conclusion
Companies now have the challenge of using a mix of online, offline, outdoor, and point-of-purchase marketing techniques and strategies to keep ahead of the competition in a globalized milieu. How best they use the marketing control techniques outlined would decide their success or failure in the marketplace.
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