Is Social Media more powerful than Print Media for your business?

One of the hardest things about running a successful business is adapting strategy, as the outside world is changing, and many businesses have had to do this due to the emergence of social media. Before social media stamped its authority on our world, brands had to rely on traditional methods when looking at advertising and marketing campaigns. These methods would include the illustrious printing media, but as the world evolves, traditional approaches are fading away as the needs and expectations of consumers evolve.

With social media your business could evolve at a rate that would eclipse printing methods due to audience engagement. With traditional marketing, brands were stuck with the same message, due to the same slogan and imagery across all forms of printing. There was/is very little feedback from this type of marketing, but with social media, there is a licence to add dialogue and sincere voices to campaigns, making them feel more “human”. Through blogs, Facebook pages and Twitter accounts, the audience is constantly in communication with the brand, therefore the brand and message can change in accordance to its customer engagement.

Many companies have utilised the power of social media, and Red Bull in particular have been very clever in their use of Facebook advertising. In a previous campaign, upon visiting their page, the user would be tempted to Like the page with a distorted image of what is waiting for them if they do. This made more people visit the page, and ultimately buying the product. Red Bull expanded this idea by creating TV shows and games, and also creating events in order to interact with some of their fans. This sort of marketing ploy shows just how well social media has worked for one of the most well known brands in the world.

Entering business is usually done for the potential profit to be made, and again social media can be a powerful tool when looking at financing advertising. Print advertising can be very expensive, and there is a very limited audience, some of which may not even be interested in your product/business. With social media advertising, you set the budget, whilst posting to a larger and hobby specific audience. The ability to do this can be worked through Facebook’s advertising procedure. As well as price, there is also response at concern. Print media advertising doesn’t usually generate a high level of direct response, but online there are constant conversations leading to companies setting up their customer service system online also. This has lead to customer complaints and queries now being dealt with online, as opposed to post. This means that response time is quicker, and any problems that may arise are eradicated as soon as they become apparent.

For any new business venture, it is a no brainer to choose social media over print media. Many companies have merged their marketing, advertising campaigns and customer service all onto their social networking pages at convenience for everyone. With the customisation involved through social media, it is ensuring that the print media struggles to compete in an evolving industry. There are some nice features that the print media still holds, such as the professional appearance of a document, e.g. handing out a business card in order to meet an individual on a business meeting. Even though this can never be replicated in the online world, the localised nature of print will always make it difficult to recommend.

Business is about going to where your audience is, and social media provides the perfect platform to follow your customers whilst adapting your brands image to fit the times. Not only does it fit the bill in terms of generating customers, but also financially your business will thrive under the influence of social media marketing and advertising campaigns. Additionally the brand could become bigger under the guidance of good social media campaigns as you get to hear what the customers want directly. This gives and opportunity to trial certain ideas. By doing this, the company will be constantly widening its wingspan into different niches of business.

If there is one change you will make in your business today, make sure it is switching over to the powerful and prosperous world of social media.

Alex Smith

Alex is an English Literature and Sociology undergraduate whose love for written word has led him to write about some obscure topics in his time. Currently a content writer at Social Media Frontiers, be sure to follow him @AlexSatSMF.

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