Social media “experts” have got their noses out of joint, following this great social media articleby Peter Shankman. He raises a number of important issues – mainly that while social media IS an important part of a good communication strategy, it cannot be the ONLY part. The best marketing strategies are holistic and comprehensive – figuring out who your customers are and communicating effectively with them, the goal being that they buy your product or service.
“Being an expert in social media is like being an expert at taking the bread out of the refrigerator. You might be the best bread-taker-outer in the world, but you know what? The goal is to make an amazing sandwich, and you can’t do that if all you’ve done in your life is taken the bread out of the fridge.” he says
I’m not sure I would categorise social media as bread, this implies it anchors the whole strategy, I think it is more the “special sauce” that adds zing that to the campaign. It is not always necessary but it can make it unique, gives it a strong identity but it isn’t the be all.
It’s a view echoed by Brad Jakeman, the marketing brains behind the games Call of Duty and Modern Warfare- mentioned in this previous post. His view is that traditional strategic marketing skills are fundamental, digital channels are just that, another medium for speaking to your customers.
If you are looking for some more ideas on how to integrate social media into your marketing campaigns, download our whitepaper on social media.
