Social Media Marketing Is Only One Tool in Your Marketing Tool Box
Imagine you are putting up a floating shelf. You use a drill, driver, level, and pencil to ensure your floating shelf is at the perfect angle and in the right location to enhance your decor.
That floating shelf is your brand position while each of these tools are different marketing tactics. Social media is the pencil, so to speak. It works with the other tools to make sure your brand (the floating shelf) is securely installed on the right position on your wall for maximum effect.
Now, don’t get us wrong: social media is a vital tool in your marketing strategy, but it is only ONE tool!
It is easy to see why social media marketing is so popular with a large and diverse user pool. Plus, it’s a free channel with only the cost of creating content, which makes it ideal for small businesses. But if you have a marketing team and resources to expand your marketing beyond social media, you should never rely on this channel alone. In this article, we’ll explore why social media is only one tool in your marketing toolbox.
How Other Channels Complement Social Media Marketing
In digital marketing, there are numerous marketing channels you can use in addition to social media: Search Engine Optimization (SEO), paid advertising, email marketing, influencer marketing, Public Relations (PR), virtual and in-person events, and many more. Below are three of our favorites to pair with social media marketing:
Email Marketing and Landing Pages
Social media is a teaser; users are busy and don’t want to read paragraphs; which may be necessary for complex service offerings. Giving your audience a place to learn more about the offer away from social media can help your lead along the sales funnel. Potential customers will need to opt-in to your email list, which then builds a list of warm leads that you can continue to nurture over time. Offer a helpful downloadable lead magnet to entice people to share their email address. A viable email list also ensures that you still retain your audience when social platforms malfunction or consumer behaviors change on social.
Paid Ads
Your social content is subject to complex algorithms, which means that your organic reach is limited to those who follow you. Paid ads offer a solution by providing a data-driven way to retarget or attract new, larger audiences that go far beyond your current followers, ensuring a successful campaign. Paid ad campaigns generate helpful intel about how your audience engages with your brand. Use this intel to inform your future paid campaigns!
Webinars and Events
Social media content can be impersonal; you are shouting at the masses. But events give your brand the opportunity to personally connect with your audience, which is often necessary for high-ticket services. Events are also a great way to demonstrate your authority/expertise, offer value to your potential customers, gather audience intel, and put a face to your brand. Don’t forget to take lots of pictures and post them on social media!
Sales Funnel Stages: Social Media Is Top of Funnel Marketing
Different marketing tools are effective at different stages of the sales funnel. Social media excels in brand awareness and visibility but may not be as strong in conversion and retention as other marketing tools.
Social media is a top-of-the-funnel tactic known for building awareness. When combined with other channels, it can add significant leads to your sales funnel. The key word here is “add.” Social media should not be used with the primary goal of converting; instead, pair any of your other marketing tools with social media to drive sales leads.
The #1 Reason You Have to Diversify Your Marketing Mix
You don’t own your social media audience! If you are only using social media and not converting that audience into email subscribers, you could lose all of them. Being banned from social media or getting hacked happens all the time. Social platforms go down or malfunction more often than you think. Are you prepared for that marketing channel to become obsolete?
With the possible federal ban of TikTok, you can see the importance of diversifying your marketing channels. Social media channels are always subject to unknown factors that you often can’t foresee; like the US government getting involved! Don’t get into a sticky situation that could cost your brand severely. Instead, hand off your social media marketing to our team of experts, so you are less overwhelmed and can focus on other marketing channels.
Need to figure out how social media marketing fits in with your overall marketing mix? We got you! Tap into our 30+ years of collective experience to ensure you are using social media to your brand’s advantage.
