Should I Use Social Media Instead of Direct Mail?
04.20.09
Monday Madness – Q & A
Oh, ho! This is a good one!
“Deidre, I’ve been implementing the strategies that you teach in your BUZZ Builder Advantage course and I’ve been getting a lot more traction! People are going to my website and my newsletter subscriptions are increasing. My question is, should I stop other marketing that I’m doing (my newsletter, direct mail, etc.) and spend more of my time in social media?” Name Witheld
Okay, there’s a simple answer and a complicated answer…
The simple answer:
No! Social media is NOT a marketing strategy. Social media is a tool that should be integrated into your marketing strategy. Eliminating other marketing for the sake of social media is a mistake.
The complicated answer:
Sometimes, if you already have a full schedule of marketing (referring to time or financial obligation), implementing social media into that strategy may mean that you may need to make some adjustments. Over time, you may find that depending on the success of your social media plan, you may be able to decrease some of your other marketing efforts.
With that being said, do NOT put all of your eggs in one basket…ever! Remember, social media is a tool, just like networking, direct mail, search engine optimization, submitting articles, press releases, etc. Don’t rely completely on one, you should have a well-rounded thought-out strategy that contains different elements to bring your business success.
Thanks for the question!
I would love to get other people’s opinions on this matter. Please leave your comments below!
Build a BUZZ about your business…everyday!
Deidre Hughey
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Well said Deidre! I urge clients to leverage more than one strategy at a time to gauge effectiveness and to utilize more than one tool to support those strategies. Direct mail is a push tool, whereas social media is a pull tool. Different tools appeal to different target audiences. Think of the two tools as the “ying and the yang” of a well balanced marketing strategy.
Olalah! What a great comment! It’s good to be reminded that even if someone is a “pull marketer” that there are still people that can be attracted by a “push” marketing piece. Thanks for commenting!
Great stuff. Nice to read some well written posts. A long way between them.
Flash Web Designer – glad you enjoyed the post!