Integrating Social Media into Traditional Marketing Communications

Social Media Marketing Integration

I think there is a lot of untapped opportunity for integrating social media marketing into the more “traditional” marketing communications that most companies utilize. I also believe that holistic, integrated marketing will usually achieve more than several disparate marketing initiatives. In short, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. In this post, I will share some ideas on how to integrate social media into the more traditional side of marketing communications.

Offline Advertising
I am surprised at how few companies are putting the URL (Web address) of their social media profiles on traditional advertising (ads). This is especially true with B2B marketers. In my experience using social media monitoring tools to “listen” to the social media channel, I almost always see an increase in online posts/conversations during offline advertising campaigns. In short, offline communications are driving online conversations. To me, this is very powerful.

You can test this theory in a number of ways. First, I recommend doing some A-B spilt tests on your next advertising campaign. For example, put the social media profile (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc) Web address (twitter.com/yourcompany) in half of your ads and measure the effectiveness via Web analysis and the number of new followers/conversations you achieve. Keep in mind you may need to use tactics like coupons, sweepstakes and cause marketing to increase the efficacy of your campaign. Other ideas include placing the social media profile links on your business cards, company collateral (brochures), employee buttons and internal signage, just to name a few.

Public Relations
Integrating social media into PR seems like a no brainer and it may be the easiest to implement. Social Media News Releases are a “socialized” extension of traditional news (press) releases and offer more content formats (photos, videos, etc) and more viral/sharing features. Social News Releases (SNRs) are designed for both traditional media and new media, such as bloggers or Tweeters with large (relevant) followings. SNRs can include multimedia, such as embedded photos, podcasts and even video. SNRs are also a SEO goldmine! It is a great tactic to build up your relevant inbound links (link relevancy).

Trade shows are a great way to increase awareness of your social media profiles and begin to forge offline relationships that can be continued in the social media channel. Trade shows are a great way to meet and interact with trade media (skews high in social media usages), distributors/retails and key opinion leaders like bloggers or a well-known consumer. You can leverage online video for consumer testimonials or even product demos. You can also keep track of your trade show buzz by using social media monitoring tools.

Culture
I think using social media for your company’s advantage can take a shift in your company culture. The best way to start is simply to immerse yourself and your organization. However, the “immersion” must be strategic. I recommend starting with a company/corporate policy on the positive/negative sides of using social media. Finally, start with the objective. What are you trying to use social media for? Getting the word out about your company or trying to drive sales? Based on that objective, discuss what types of messages are appropriate for your followers, how often you will be posting and who is the best resource for answering questions about your company or products.

Thanks for reading this post! Feedback is always appreciated.

Chris Kovac
@chriskovac