I find these days that when asked what I do, most people connect marketing with social media. With 20 years of experience in marketing it still astonishes me that some companies have lost the objective of marketing (if they ever knew it in the first place). Depending on the stage of the business, whether it is a start up or an established firm looking to generate a new customer base, there are different approaches using the same touch point.

Marketing is about bringing together elements such as branding, pricing and positioning to name a few, to create the message for the organisation’s prospect/customer base. The different touch points employed to deliver that message are driven by the stage at which the customer is in their journey to purchase the product or service. Touch points can include email, advertising, events, press releases, collateral, and of course social media.

If we look at social media and the reason for its popularity, it could well be because it is possibly the most versatile of the touch points. Social media can be used to raise brand awareness, communicate about an event, have conversations with customers or even promote testimonials. Not only that it is the most interactive by allowing video, the ability to tag and provide a link to naturally take a customer forward. It can cover all elements of the customer journey depending on the messaging used.

Surely there is therefore no negative to being on social media? Not per se but your target audience might not be on social media. This is a keen consideration if your product is designed for pre-schoolers or for an elderly audience who might shy away from new technology. In this instance having alternative touch points with these audiences is necessary to reach them e.g. advertising, but you may use social media to reach their influencers such family members in a different generation.

So yes, by doing social media you are doing marketing. However, marketing is most effective when a strategy is created to include multiple touch points, increasing the reach for your product or service.