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The Roles of Social Media and How They Can Impact Your Business Success
All too often, my team and I find our prospects are confused about the role that social media plays in their marketing efforts. Some treat it as a broadcasting or advertising outlet to announce their services, products, or special deals. Some think of it as something they are obligated to “just do,” without any clue of how to tie it to their overall marketing efforts. And then there are folks who would like to embrace its potential but are uncertain how to make it work for them in a meaningful way.
I strive to help our potential customers and existing clients understand that social media has multiple roles, and they can use it in different ways to achieve different — but related — objectives. In this post, I will delve into that by focusing on the distinction between paid advertising and building an organic social media presence.
Social Media’s Two Key Functions
The way I see it, social media has two areas of discipline:
- Community building — Engaging and interacting with followers organically on social media to build relationships
- Advertising — Promoting products and services through paid ads to make sales
