Importance of effective integrated on-line digital campaigns with reference to social media
Social media functions as lucrative and cost-effective communication channels for endorsing brands to sbeleaguered potential customers who constitute the audiences of the social media. The viral and collaborative nature of Facebook has enabled companies to use it to provide lots of information regarding their products. It has provided brands the ability to build brand loyalty and authenticity among consumers. For instance, the Student Mixer provides information regarding the various cocktails that they stock, its content and price and possibly where to easily access it from. In this way, Facebookers will be able to access and assess the information and decide on the brands to consume by considering their different needs, contents of the various cocktails, the particular event and their economic capability.
Consumers will have a chance to digitally select from a wide range of products that include Great Gatsby, Sex on the Beach, Fat Frog, Cape Rod, Peachy Tequila and Dr Pepper. Alternatively, followers of the Student Mixer on twitter will be able to obtain the information and make consumption decisions accordingly. Considering the continued growth of the Facebook and twitter, Student Mixer will be able to create a large group of loyal customers without necessarily having to incur lots of expenses as digital marketing is relatively cheaper as compared to traditional forms of marketing. Additionally, it is faster and any additional information that the Student Mixer will want to make available to its customers will be available to the customers a few seconds after it has been posted. This seemed to have worked well for Student Mixer (Shimoda & Neeck, 2004).
Moreover, Student Mixer portrays drinking as a fun experience by posting the Top 15 Best Drinking Games which customers can participate in. The games are exemplified as being full of fun and with a great turn out. Customers can view the most celebrated drinking games on Facebook and this creates the urge to take part in them next time. By so doing, Student Mixer boosts its sales and creates a group of loyal customers who are always willing to be associated with the company. This makes it very convenient especially when the company wants to introduce a new product as it will be readily accepted by the consumers and the product will no doubt strive in the market.
Social media such as Facebook and twitter has enabled businesses to refine their segmentation strategy by reaching a narrow target audience whose possibility of giving a desired response is high. Student Mixer has used the social media to segregate its market. It is possible to predict with a higher degree of certainty the nature of potential consumers who are likely to be on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest and those likely to visit Google plus. Due to this, Student Mixer can decide the kind of information to post on any particular site ( Bryfonski, 2012). However, the sites complement each other and contribute to a more focused and objective oriented marketing of the product. This is basically true since many customers are on Facebook, twitter, Pinterest as well as Google plus. This enables consumers to obtain information regarding a certain product without necessarily having to go through a tough hassle. Additionally, the information on these sites can be accessed at one’s own convenient time hence making digital marketing one of the best modern marketing strategy. Advertisers such as Student Mixer and other PR professionals can use social media to involve addressees, make compelling content and monitor sentimentality about their brands since it allows the exchange of ideas and information.
Though Student Mixer did its marketing relatively well, it could be improved offering more information regarding its products. For instance it should have exemplified the various outlets from where consumers can easily access the products, the venue of the drinking games and possible the number of people who consume each brand on a daily basis. This would have made it easier for other willing consumers to make consumption decisions and will have had more confidence on Student Mixer and would have referred other customers to try its products. This would automatically have boosted its sales. Best performing companies such as McDonald and Coca Cola boast of Facebook pages with millions of followers. This enables a company to confirm that their online exposures ties unswervingly with the brand image and messaging. The social media is continuously being combined into the promotional mix to reach millions of consumers on mobile devices and on the web (Ryan & Jones, 2011).
The social media has completely transformed the banking industry. Banks can now process payments and conduct other transactions within 15 seconds. With many banks having access to the internet, they quickly access their customers and handle any issues that might be troubling them. Online and telephone banking are continuously gaining momentum. Additionally, banks are using the social media such as Facebook to increase its customer base. Through Facebook, banks have been able to inform potential customers on their services including their interest rates, discounts and other benefits and allowances. UK banks such as Barclays have been able to create loyal customers by use of twitter, Facebook and the print media. This has enabled banks to improve their efficiency and reduce the cost of operations. Integrated on-line digital campaigns enable banks to transform their operations for the benefit of the consumers. Markets have responded positively to the use of social media in marketing and at present more and more consumers are accessing quick, quality and convenient services when needed. A lump sum of information is available to consumers who can now practically obtain any piece of information that they might be requiring about banks and any other businesses.
The importance of integrated on-line digital campaigns has been reinforced by the popularity of User generated content (UGC) which is consumers creating content that is made available to the public via the internet. This content portrays creativity and is mostly offered for free. UGC has promoted consumers as well as brands. Through UGC, consumers have been able to post and obtain information about certain products and services through medias such as Facebook, twitter, Pinterest and LinkedIn. In spite of the popularity of UGC, companies can now use UGC to increase community engagement with a product or service, manage impression and boost brand use. Student Mixer should strive to create a more realistic and active UGC platform where consumers will have the freedom to intermingle (Scott, 2011). Its website should be improved by posting more information about its products and services. Incorporation of UGC in the social media has enabled various companies to boost their image creating a strong brand name which particularly results to an increase in sales and ultimately increase in sales revenues. Additionally, the social media has enabled businesses to learn the divergent needs, tastes and preferences of their consumers at different parts of the world.
Bibliography
Shimoda, H., Neeck, S. P., Meynart, R., European Optical Society., United States., Sociedad Española de Optica., & Society of Photo-optical Instrumentation Engineers. (2004). Sensors, systems, and next-generation satellites VIII. Bellingham, WA: SPIE.
Bryfonski, D. (2012). The global impact of social media. Detroit, MI: Greenhaven Press.
Ryan, D., & Jones, C. (2011). The best digital marketing campaigns in the world: Mastering the art of customer engagement. London: Kogan Page.
Scott, D. M., & Scott, D. M. (2011). The new rules of marketing & PR: How to use social media, online video, mobile applications, blogs, news releases, & viral marketing to reach buyers directly. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons
