Observations on Social Media & Other Delivery Platforms

As a relatively new marketing tool, the primary purpose of social media – to deliver messages – is often lost. Just like television. Just like print. Just like radio. Just like email marketing. Yes; the message can be the same as the other mediums or the message can be tweaked to gain the best traction. Yes; the imagery can be different. Yes; the strategies can be different for each social media platform utilized. Honestly, it really comes down to the objectives.

Just like the other mediums, one can use analysis tools to deliver messages at peak times to the audience.

Just like the other mediums, social media is not free. It is relatively less expensive, but one must consider labor, optimization, analysis, graphics, production, writing, etc.

Social media is transformative in that it has democratized the playing field by giving people and companies a platform to beacon messages. It is also transformative in that it demands heavy output volume. Think about it: a company may produce one or two television commercials per year, but it needs to produce a minimum of 300 social media posts per platform per year.  Hence the photo of cans. The photo would be the volume for running a few commercials. The same volume would be necessary in social media, but each can would have to be different in some way. In essence, social media is the most challenging to creativity.

So once the foundations of branding and product are laid, messages have the longest reign as king. Messaging mix demands a blend of content and promotional to drive sales effectively.

Personally, email marketing is my favorite medium to disperse messages. In fact, it is the most successful method to deliver any message. However, companies, individuals and non-profits need to be especially careful with this powerful tool for a multitude of reasons. Below are a couple of examples of my email marketing work. I would not have enjoyed such success without producing rich content blended with promotional.

The Warning from British Veterinary Association
– Highest open rate: 48.94%
– Hemopet average for this population segment: 37%
– United States open rate average across all industries: 20.54%

Why do dogs eat grass?
– Highest click through rate: 56.88%
– Hemopet average for this population segment: 31.12%
– United States click through rate average across all industries: 3.33%

For more on this, let’s chat. Please feel free to email me at paigepenningroth[at]gmail[dot]com. I look forward to hearing from you!