Third Team MediaLearn Social Media Marketing from the Experts (Part 2)
Nancy Cudis, social media manager and award-winning blogger
We got to learn from our first social media project manager, Tash, that social media marketing is a cost effective solution for businesses aiming to connect to its clients in a global perspective.
But it also has to be considered that marketing in social media is not only intended to establish and maintain connection with existing clients but also that of the potential market and other various stakeholders.
In doing so, it takes a lot of time, research, creativity to come up with a worthy idea.
Tash also revealed to us her thoughts on social media marketing as she boldly said that it is THE FUTURE. Do you guys agree?
Now, let’s take a look at how her co-social media manager, Nancy Cudis, views social media marketing and the future of it.
Nancy is an award-winning former journalist in the Philippines. Although she just joined Third Team Media recently, it can’t be denied that she is already a well-versed persona in the field of blogging and social media.
Now, let’s take a look at her answers!
1. So Nancy, what is social media marketing?
Nancy: For me, social media marketing still observes the principles of marketing taught to us in the classroom, except that we are now using a more fast-paced, interactive and dynamic platform that is social media where audience reach and engagement is much higher, prompting us to be more strategic, more creative, more in touch with our customers, and more innovative than ever before.
2. How does it differ from traditional marketing?
Nancy: Social media marketing uses various tools that can be found online and accessible for free by many, even beyond your target audience. These include social media networks, blogs, emails, and search engine optimization. Traditional marketing, on the other hand, channels campaigns through ads in the TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, flyers, brochures, and even direct mail.
3. How effective it is compared to other mediums?
Nancy: Social media is inexpensive, as more and more people are wired to their accounts for updates and other forms of engagement. It encourages spreading news and products via “word of mouth”, hence, engagement is high, rapid, and interactive. Because of this, managers have to watch over the turn of their campaigns and ensure that they are moving in the direction towards achieving the objectives. In the process, monitoring and managing can be time-consuming. The good thing, though, with various measurement tools readily available online, the social manager will be able to analyze consumer behaviour and know what creative campaign to come up with next.
4. What edge does social marketing have?
Nancy: More and more consumers are turning to social media to get the latest and fastest-given information about products they can talk about, share their thoughts about, and recommend to friends. So I think the edge lies in the growing number of online users, speed of access to information, and ability to easily share with others.
5. What is the biggest challenge social media marketers face?
Nancy: Turning fans and followers into customers!
6. For one to be a social media marketer, is it really necessary to have a marketing degree in college?
Nancy: I don’t think so. But one needs to understand the dynamics of human behaviour and social media marketing in order to come up with great effective campaigns.
7. What are the skills required to be a social media marketer?
Nancy: Apart from the technical skills and a positive attitude, a social media marketer must have people skills because social media marketing involves knowing how to deal with different people coming from different sectors and different generations.
8. With tons of information available in the internet and some of them popping out in a user’s screen at any time of the day, how does a social marketer make his product/service stand out?
Nancy: A sound plan, proper execution of the plan, and a balanced mix of online and offline engagements.
9. But let’s say I own a business and want to adopt social media marketing in my operations, do I really need to hire an expert social media marketer to do the job for me? Or I can just simply learn the techniques on my own and apply it to my business?
Nancy: A sound plan, proper execution of the plan, and a balanced mix of online and offline engagements.
10. What is in store for social media marketing? How do you foresee its future?
Nancy: With more companies understanding, appreciating, and investing in branding, they will also understand, appreciate, and invest in social media marketers. I think the demand for them will increase.
From what Nancy shared with us, social media marketing still values the same concepts as that of traditional marketing. As she described it, social media marketing is a “more fast-paced, interactive and dynamic platform” where audience reach and engagement is much higher.
Nancy also disclosed that business owners who have adopted social media in their operations will always have an edge over their competitors. With the help of various online tools which exactly quantify the reach of the marketing efforts, business owners do have the advantage of knowing where their businesses are heading.
And just like Tash, Nancy implied that social media marketing is the future. She thinks that more and more companies in the future will invest in social media, especially now that branding is a growing concern among businesses.
In the coming weeks,another social media manager of Third Team Media will be sharing her thoughts on social media marketing to give you a wider perspective of what it really is.
Keep posted!