30 Apr A Fragmented Marketing World
Is it me or is marketing getting more fragmented? Seems like, with Google Adwords, WordPress, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, we all have much more media to cover – and more content to create. So how do we handle it?
The first question you ask is, where does social media fall? Is it advertising, public relations, or is it its own unique venue? The answer is, all of the above. It should be treated as an integral part of your marketing mix. And “what are we doing on social media?” should be a standard question with every marketing strategy.
The second question is, what’s the ROI of social media? Well, that remains to be seen. You probably won’t experience an instant profit from social media, but can you afford not to be there? The answer is probably no.
Social media affects your SEO. Cross pollination through social media platforms increases visibility of (and traffic to) your website. So posts on Google+, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and the like can actually increase your web rankings. And that’s worth paying for.
All this fragmentation – Google Adwords, Websites, Social Media – has inspired many businesses to divvy out their marketing budgets to multiple companies rather than one agency of record (AOR). Going with a specialist in each arena seems pretty smart at first, but soon you realize that your marketing is a lot like your health care:
Before you know it, you have four different specialists prescribing medications, each without knowing what the other is doing. And, that, my friend, can get you killed.
Agencies are like your primary physician. We have always served as the hub of the advertising/marketing/pr wheel. We coordinate the strategy, the creative work, the brand standards, and the media plans to make your brand appeal to your consumer. We still do that – we just do it with a lot more pieces in play.
In addition to your advertising, an AOR formulates and manages your brand standards. Because many corporations have multiple departments putting out marketing communications, a single agency of record can make sure all the work is consistent. An AOR filters for correct colors, fonts and logo usage. We even help you keep track of your photography library and model usage rights. We’re your partner in every sense of the word.
Steve Jobs, after returning to Apple and being named CEO, met with his AOR every Wednesday afternoon. That’s how important he considered his marketing. He wanted to be directly involved. (If he’d met with his doctors that often, he might still be with us today).
The message here is, your marketing is the lifeblood of your organization. The more specialists you have working on your account, the more you need an agency of record to help you manage it. So don’t struggle to juggle every fragment by yourself. Trust your AOR. We’ve got your back.