The Difference Between Social Media And Social Marketing


As more and more businesses dip their toes into the world of social media, they are confronted by a confusing division: social media versus social marketing.
What’s the difference? Both involve posting on social media and trying to engage your audience. But with social marketing, you are actively trying to get your audience to do something other than just engaging with your post. It can be following a link to your website. It can be making a purchase on your product page. It can be submitting their email. It can even be just taking a look at something you have published on your website.
The key is in whether or not a concrete action is prompted, and your approach will vary based on your business goals. No matter what those goals may be, though, one thing is for certain: businesses are quickly starting to need social marketing to stay competitive.

SOCIAL MARKETING ALWAYS CONTAINS A STRONG CALL TO ACTION

The biggest difference between social marketing and how a small company typically uses social media has to do with setting campaign goals and having an intent behind each post. Strong calls to action are needed for both!
Let’s consider a hypothetical dog grooming shop named Bubbles & Barks. At first, they may set up a social account on Facebook or Instagram just to have a presence on these platforms. They’ll post cute pictures of pets getting groomed, and they may even ask for audience feedback with their posts, such as “what’s the worst experience you’ve ever had trying to bathe a pet?”
These type of posts can be amusing and can raise the number of exposures a brand has online. Since people can view things like store hours and your phone number on Facebook, having an active profile can even provide a way to answer important customer questions.
But this isn’t marketing! Marketing requires prompting people to take the next step, whatever that may be. Devoid of this call to action (CTA), you are basically asking people to engage with your posts in the same way that they might engage with friends or family online.
Examples of a call to action include:
  • Don’t forget we offer gift cards! Get one for the special pooch in your life today!
  • Bring your small dog in during our Petite Pooch Appreciation Week, and get $10 off your next grooming session.
  • Calling all cats! We also now offer baths, grooming and flea treatment for your feline friends.
  • (with link to blog post) Check out these 5 tips for bathing your pup at home to avoid having a ruff time!

WHY SOCIAL MARKETING IS IMPORTANT

Posting just to be cute and get comments and likes is absolutely fine, but it should only be a portion of your social media activities. The remaining posts should all have a purpose that ultimately raises sales revenue by getting you new customers or encouraging repeat business.
Social marketing can also enhance your other marketing channels. For instance, a post can promise a coupon, and when someone clicks on the post, they are taken to a landing page that requests their email first. A post can also bring people to your latest blog post, or it can be a way to share a TV commercial broadcasting in your local market.
In other words, your social media posts can be doing so much more than just passing the time when you have social marketing in mind.
You can also start using “promoted post” campaigns or display advertising on social media. These paid social media ads can provide surprising returns on investment thanks to the laser precision audience targeting they offer. By creating a custom audience for your paid social campaign, you can target certain ages, genders, regional locations, or interests, such as people who like pages relating to dogs or cats.
Ultimately, social media has grown to become a genuine business tool rather than just a distraction from everyday life.
Learn how to harness the potential of social marketing and fit it within your larger business plans when you take a look at what a professional social media marketing agency like Optimized Scribes can offer you today.

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