Is social media a marketing strategy or a marketing channel?

Social media is one platform of many, a tactic that does a great job of supporting online and offline marketing campaigns but doesn’t work on its own. Smart marketers have realised that social media doesn’t work on its own as a marketing strategy. According to Forbes magazine , this distinction itself will shape marketing strategies and budgetary consideration in the new financial year.

A lot of marketers are guilty of falling in love with the technology at the detriment of strategy and other tried and tested activities that deliver results which can be more successful when integrated with social and online.

Just as other forms of marketing have their place in an integrated marketing strategy, social media should be considered as part of a multi-channel digital approach to successful marketing strategies and campaigns, but not used in solitary.

If you are struggling to integrate social media into your overall marketing strategy, you’re not alone. While many businesses have active social media, many of these are still not fully integrated into their marketing strategies or reported on from an ROI perspective.

No one media is absolute or almighty, just as radio and online work well together, most media depends on each other for support, to promote and to deliver customers to your business.

Good marketing strategies involve a balance of traditional strategies while relying on technological advances and new customer engagement tools to ensure the best form of communication possible to existing and potential customers.

Icon Visual Marketing are a full service marketing agency, specialising in creating and executing integrated marketing strategies and plans. We love social too, but we recommend and use it as a part of your overall marketing strategy, not as your actual marketing strategy.