What factors should you consider when creating an IMC plan?
Well, when considering a social
media platform for an IMC plan for your business or organization, there are
many things that should be taken into consideration to ensure the best outcome.
While different people may advise a different order in which the following
process should be taken, almost all experts can agree that including all of the
following steps (regardless of order) will provide the best results.
1.
First, you need to know what demographic your
product or service is targeting. The demographic says a lot about what types of
social media to use, how to use them, and what to post.
2.
Once you have decided on a demographic(s), you
must choose what social media avenues should be pursued. This however, can be
tricky. There are many different kinds of social media, and they all do
different things.
a.
Facebook: I am an advocate for all businesses
using Facebook. Yes, the competition is high, but if your customers love you
and your product/service enough, it won’t matter. Most people use
social media of some sort; at least Facebook. In some instances, Facebook
is the only way to reach some of your customers; older generations especially.
b.
Google+: used mostly by males working in the
tech and engineering fields. It is highly compatible with YouTube. I honestly
wasn’t very sure what Google+ was until recently. I asked my boyfriend, who
loves technology and has a bunch of engineering friends, if he had ever used it and
he was like “yeah… I use it all the time.” I think this shows how specific the
users of Google+ are and how advantageous it can be if used properly.
c.
Twitter: in the moment. This avenue is almost
like an online conversation with multiple people at once. Things that are posted on twitter are relevant for only a
few minutes before they become obsolete. This is for fast paced businesses who
want to reach their customers directly, and quickly.
d.
Instagram: used by all kinds of people. Young,
old, business, art, you name it. That being said, most people assume Instagram is
one of the best avenues regardless. In order for Instagram to be a beneficial IMC
plan, the photos have to be great and of something compelling to your audience.
Jiffy Lube probably wouldn’t be a good business to have on Instagram for that
very reason (and maybe a few others). These photos need to be fun and creative
in order to compete with the rest of your target market’s instafeed.
e.
LinkedIn: used mainly for business recruiting
and networking. These users are professionals who live and love business.
f.
Pinterest: should be used if the product or
service can be sold easily through imagery. An example used in a book by Scott
Levvy, is event planning. If you are an event planner, Pinterest would allow
you to post pictures of the latest wedding you planned and show how amazing it was.
This avenue is used mostly among women at around 84%.
This chart is helpful in looking at just the basic demographics for each
type of social media:
3.
You should have someone experienced and
passionate running your social media campaigns. Someone typically young, quick,
creative, and computer savvy.
Deciding which type of social media to use:
Let’s play a little game. Based on the demographic
information described below, try and decide which type(s) of social media would
reach the largest customer base. Sound good?
Okay let’s
say that the company you work for is Tiny Cup of Cake Inc., in Seattle,
Washington. This company specializes in baking custom cupcakes for its
customers. This company also hosts weekly baking classes to teach its customers
new baking skills they can use at home.
The
target customers for Tiny Cup of Cake Inc. consists of women in their mid-twenties,
through early fifties. Their average annual household income is anything above
$50,000, and 80% of them are mothers (some work, but most don’t). Over 75% of
the customers attend the weekly baking classes at least once a month. In addition,
60% of those who attend the classes consider themselves to be ‘amateur bakers’
learning to improve preexisting skills. Considering
that most of these women are relatively young, they are pretty up-to-date with
the latest technology such as smart phones, tablets, computers, etc. Also, given
that mothers typically adore their children and like to document every second
of their children’s lives, they are very quick to use their smart phones for
photography as well.
Can you guess which avenues of social media would
present the best results for Tiny Cup of Cake Inc.?
If you guessed Pinterest, Facebook and Instagram, you are
correct!
Why Pinterest? As mentioned earlier, Pinterest is excellent when photos are involved. In an article from Business Insider by Cooper Smith, it was stated that “it [Pinterest] is undoubtedly the best social media platform for showcasing products and driving commerce, because of its focus on “things” rather than relationships and messaging.” For Tiny Cup of Cake Inc. they will want to showcase all of their custom cupcakes they create for their customers. Every time a Pinterest user ‘pins’ one of their photos, their name gets spread more and more. In the chart below, you can see how the age range for women who use Pinterest falls exactly in line with the age range of customers for Tiny Cup of Cake.
Why would Tiny Cup of Cake Inc. want to use other avenues in addition to Pinterest? In the same article by Cooper Smith, he mentioned “smaller brands and brands focused on services should not prioritize Pinterest.” While I know that I did mention event planners benefiting from the use of Pinterest, note that event planning and baking-class-teaching are two very different services. Event planners have a final, tangible product to show from their services. Teachers do not. Teachers cannot hold the knowledge they give to their students. This is why Pinterest should not be used when marketing the baking class to the target market. They cannot take captivating photos of the skills they are teaching.
Why Pinterest? As mentioned earlier, Pinterest is excellent when photos are involved. In an article from Business Insider by Cooper Smith, it was stated that “it [Pinterest] is undoubtedly the best social media platform for showcasing products and driving commerce, because of its focus on “things” rather than relationships and messaging.” For Tiny Cup of Cake Inc. they will want to showcase all of their custom cupcakes they create for their customers. Every time a Pinterest user ‘pins’ one of their photos, their name gets spread more and more. In the chart below, you can see how the age range for women who use Pinterest falls exactly in line with the age range of customers for Tiny Cup of Cake.
Why would Tiny Cup of Cake Inc. want to use other avenues in addition to Pinterest? In the same article by Cooper Smith, he mentioned “smaller brands and brands focused on services should not prioritize Pinterest.” While I know that I did mention event planners benefiting from the use of Pinterest, note that event planning and baking-class-teaching are two very different services. Event planners have a final, tangible product to show from their services. Teachers do not. Teachers cannot hold the knowledge they give to their students. This is why Pinterest should not be used when marketing the baking class to the target market. They cannot take captivating photos of the skills they are teaching.
Why use Facebook? Facebook, as mentioned earlier is the
most-used avenue of social media, without a doubt. Tiny Cup of Cake Inc. would
be able to keep their friends or 'likers' (depending on the type of page used) up to
date on their weekly classes, and explain what each class was going to be
about. This is what we like to call ‘promotion.’ In addition to the actual Facebook
page, Forbes author Jayson DeMers writes about the helpfulness of Facebook
groups. He talks about how they greatly increase traffic and engagement. Also, the average
age of Facebook users is a perfect match with Tiny Cup of Cake Inc.
Why use Instagram? Instagram is mostly used by people ages
18-29. Our age range is around 24- 53 so a decent size chunk of our target
market uses Instagram. The most benefited business types on Instagram include
restaurants, clothes, food, etc. Cupcakes are cute foods that happen to
photograph nicely. Done deal.
Using the example above, I
will create examples of what I would think to be great ads based on the type of
social media used.
Pinterest: I would
definitely use a verbal and visual images approach. Pinterest
was built around visual images. I personally would do a simple, cute, and
creative post. The women that are interested in Tiny Cup of Cake Inc. are the
creative ones who can appreciate simple, but creative ads. Their main concern
is the cupcakes. The biggest appeal to this company is that they custom make
their cupcakes for their clients. Their clients, fan base, and customers want
to see all of the new works of art they do. Something similar to this:
Facebook: I would probably use a hierarchy of effects
approach:
“Have you ever wanted to improve your baking skills? Now you can with the Tiny Cup of Cake Inc. baking classes, weekly at 7pm on Tuesdays! Each week we focus on different skills that will improve your baked goods, whether it be the actual baking or the decorating. These skills will last you a life time. You will be able to pass these on to generations to come. Not to mention, you’ll be the coolest mom to win the school baking contest. So stop on by, Tuesdays at 7pm to learn more.”
I want my target market to be aware of the service being offered. I want them to know what all is included in the service. I want to appeal to the target market so that they like the service being offered. Lastly I want my target market to want to get up and schedule their class. This would reach the largest number of customers, compared to Pinterest and Instagram. This isn’t a post that is a ‘right here, right now’ type of call to action that would be seen on twitter. It is more laid back for the moms that are always running around, who when get a moment to sit down, leisurely they will check their Facebook and see this post. The older generations are more likely to use Facebook than Twitter, so it’s a win/win.
“Have you ever wanted to improve your baking skills? Now you can with the Tiny Cup of Cake Inc. baking classes, weekly at 7pm on Tuesdays! Each week we focus on different skills that will improve your baked goods, whether it be the actual baking or the decorating. These skills will last you a life time. You will be able to pass these on to generations to come. Not to mention, you’ll be the coolest mom to win the school baking contest. So stop on by, Tuesdays at 7pm to learn more.”
I want my target market to be aware of the service being offered. I want them to know what all is included in the service. I want to appeal to the target market so that they like the service being offered. Lastly I want my target market to want to get up and schedule their class. This would reach the largest number of customers, compared to Pinterest and Instagram. This isn’t a post that is a ‘right here, right now’ type of call to action that would be seen on twitter. It is more laid back for the moms that are always running around, who when get a moment to sit down, leisurely they will check their Facebook and see this post. The older generations are more likely to use Facebook than Twitter, so it’s a win/win.
"Don’t miss this month’s ‘love struck’ red velvet cupcake! Hurry in before Feb
29th to get yours before they’re gone until next year!"
GREAT blog! If you would like to increase your score, please add content on the following areas:
ReplyDelete* There are other factors to consider when choosing a social media platform that you did not mention. Please add content on these:
- The number of active users per platform
- How often you need to share new content
- What the competition is doing
- How social media fits into a company's overall marketing strategy