ACtion Magazine - April 2017 - 12

Angie Kilbourne

Why social and digital
media are crucial to your
marketing plan

How should a business balance traditional vs. electronic marketing?

he importance of social media and other forms
of digital marketing has grown and matured over
the years. It is no longer considered a waste of
resources or little more than a "time suck." Over
the past decade, businesses have learned that pairing the
cost-effectiveness of digital marketing with more traditional efforts, such as direct mail, can yield some powerful results.
"Often, it's a lack of understanding e-marketing that
fogs up and bogs down businesses implementing a cohesive and effective strategy," says Nathan Mendenhall,
director of social strategy at West Palm Beach, Floridabased THAT Agency, a digital marketing consultancy.
In the face of that statement, it's imperative for marketing professionals and small business owners to get a
handle on how to implement effective digital marketing.
A January 2017 study by Thrive Analytics reports 40 percent of small business respondents intend to increase social media spending, and more than 50 percent plan on
increasing spending on mobile ads and marketing. Only
30 percent of respondents intend to increase spending for
traditional marketing.
Mendenhall shared four key points to help explain why
social and digital marketing are more essential than ever:
● Think Less Funnel, More Ping-Pong - With
online attention spans hovering in the five- to eightsecond range, consumers "don't follow a linear path
to purchase," says Mendenhall. He likens today's
buying process more to "a ping pong ball ricocheting off walls and less like the old school funnel."
● Trackability - "Social and digital advertising
are immensely more trackable than the typical traditional TV-Radio-Print advertising campaigns," he
points out. For marketers, the data provided by social and electronic avenues are more valuable than
even digital effectiveness. Through analytics, marketers can fine-tune messages to convert visits into
purchases.
● Quick-Win vs. Long-Term - "Digital and social
advertising have far more potential to build on prior touchpoints, compared to traditional promotion.
Even in today's fast-paced world, electronic marketing can build traction and momentum towards con-

ACTION * April 2017

version via storytelling, community awareness and
audience nurturing," comments Mendenhall. For
example, it's extremely easy and relatively inexpensive to repeat marketing efforts on social media platforms, such as Facebook, and target the same groups
with a new, refreshed message.
● Cost - This discussion can't be complete without looking at how much more cost-effective digital
marketing and social media can be compared to traditional avenues. With Facebook offering Cost-PerClick-pricing averages at $0.23 to $0.75, and Instagram promotions running an about $20 per 1,000
Impressions, traditional marketing methods have a
hard time competing.
"Think of social and digital marketing as a collaborative rather than competitive effort," Mendenhall emphasizes. Of course, traditional marketing has its place and
can produce excellent results when deployed properly.
But Mendenhall advises using a multichannel approach to
marketing: "For example, we know effective TV, radio and
print commercials are often talked about on social media
- shared, supported and even leaked online ahead of time.
That shows how traditional really works best - when it
also has a social and digital component." ❆

The top three digital marketing
mediums predicted to see growth
in 2017 from U.S. small businesses
are social media (56.2%), digital
advertising (32.6%) and search
engine optimization (31.5%).
(Source: Infusionsoft, "2017 Small
Business Marketing Trends Report,"
Dec. 13, 2016)

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of ACtion Magazine - April 2017