Social Media Marketing vs. Traditional Marketing

In this day and age it is a must to market your business through some sort of social media such as Twitter, Facebook, My Space, blogs, online newsletters, etc. It is a new day and age in which technology has taken hold of how we conduct business. The fact is that the new generation of buyers want convenience, ease and fast results. Social media is that mechanism. It is an interactive way of getting to know a business and their products and services. It is more "social" in nature in which a consumer can comment, provide feedback and input on a businesses products and services. It also allows a business to get faster results and information about what works and what doesn't versus the traditional way of marketing that takes longer to determine overall results about a product or service.

With traditional marketing it is more of a forced marketing in which TV advertisements and radio ads force the marketing on a consumer. This type of advertisment is no longer as effective since you do not see immediate feedback about a product or information from other consumers on the effectiveness of a product or service and whether it is money well spent.

Traditional marketing is also more expensive versus social media marketing. TV, radio and newspaper ads can be pricey whereas a Facebook, Twitter, Blog and My Space account is free and you can reach a broader range of consumers. This is not to say that you should completely abandon the traditional marketing strategies it just means you need to adjust your marketing strategies to include social media.

In order to reach today's consumers businesses need to have a competitive advantage on their competition. The way to do it is to have an effective marketing plan and current marketing strategies that incorporate both social media and traditional marketing tactics to ensure you reach the broadest range of consumers. It is key to know your market and to understand how they obtain information about your product or service. Adjust your marketing strategies based on consumers needs and wants and you will be a business to reckon with.