Social marketing is the implementation of programs designed to bring about social change
I made a commitment to write an article on incorporating social media into a strategic marketing communications plan.
So, as I always do when I get ready to write, I began to review the literature. After all, there is so much information.
I did a query on social marketing.
Oops, I meant to use the search term social media. After all, there is a significant difference between social marketing and social media marketing.
Imagine my surprise when I saw that the two terms were used interchangeably!
Social marketing a/k/a “Social Marketing”:
Social marketing is the systematic application of marketing to achieve specific behavioral goals for a social good. The primary aim of social marketing is “social good.
Increasingly, social marketing is being described as having “two parents”—a “social parent” = social sciences and social policy, and a “marketing parent” = commercial and public sector marketing approaches.
Philip Kotler and Gerald Selman coined the phrase Social Marketing in their seminal article, “Social Marketing: An Approach to Planned Social Change,” which appeared in the Journal of Marketing (Vol. 35, pp. 3-12) in July 1971. In the article, Kotler and Zaltman discussed how “the logic of marketing [could be applied] to social goals.”
I suggest that anyone interested in knowing more about Social Marketing read What is Social Marketing?, by Nedra Kline Weinreich
The “other” social marketing, a/k/a social media marketing:
Social media marketing uses online social media tools and platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Google +, etc. to share information and create communities.
Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. An organization’s message spreads from user to user and resonates because it comes from a trusted, third-party source. Social media marketing is driven by word-of-mouth, resulting in earned media rather than paid media.
Social media is easily accessible to anyone with internet access. Increased communication for organizations fosters brand awareness. Also, social media serves as a relatively inexpensive platform for organizations to implement marketing campaigns.
Sample Creative-si blog posts that focus on the application of social media marketing:
- Insights into nonprofit social media
- Keeping your story alive after your event
- Promoting a film festival in three weeks
- Using social media to enrich your cause
Need help adding social media marketing to your integrated strategic marketing plan? Please let me hear from you – deborah@creative-si.com