Introduction

In the last 10 years, the use of social media has changed the way businesses reach and engage with their target audience. With currently over 4.2 billion active social media users across the world, social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Tiktok, and Twitter offer businesses the opportunity to connect with their customers, build brand awareness, and drive sales. Let’s dive into it.

A brief description of traditional media

This involves using television, radio, newspapers, magazines, billboards, and fliers to speak about a product, service, or event. Businesses have recorded a number of successes from advertising through this medium. 

Television advertising

This is the most common form of advertising. In the middle of watching your favorite movie, an advertisement pops up about a product or service (usually not more than a minute). The success of that advertising is based on 3 things; the model(s), the soundtrack, and the messaging. If all 3 work perfectly together, people are more likely to buy your product. 

Radio advertising

This recounted more success compared to the television media, as people could listen to the radio on the go without the need for a power supply, or waiting to get back home to watch the television. 

Print media advertising

Print media advertising, such as in newspapers and magazines, involves placing ads in publications that are read by a specific target audience. Billboards, also known as outdoor advertising, are large advertising displays placed in high-traffic areas like highways and busy intersections.Direct mail advertising involves sending promotional materials, like brochures or coupons, directly to people’s mailboxes.

Overall, traditional media marketing aims to reach a wide audience and build brand awareness through consistent exposure. These methods can be costly but are still effective in reaching a large and diverse audience.

The limitations of traditional media

Traditional marketing was the most effective method in the early 2000s. However, they have some limitations;

• It can only target a certain audience within a given geographic place.
• Breaking news may not be reported until days/hours later
• Low audience participation
• High cost of production
• More generic content that doesn’t speak to a target audience

In Lagos Nigeria for example, passing through major bus stops, you’ll see a gathering of people surrounded by a table filled with newspapers from different media houses. Some to buy, some to just read for free (the nightmare of every newspaper vendor)

This was a common sight at every bus stop as people who shared different opinions about football, politics, entertainment, etc argued. You’ll wonder if they could make all the changes if they had power in their hands.However, they often argued about events that were only reported as recent.

The rise of social media platforms

There are a ton of social media platforms as of the time of this article. However, let us look at the most popular ones (in no particular order);

• Facebook 
• Instagram 
• Whatsapp 
• Youtube 
• Twitter
• Snapchat

These platforms have come a long way since their inception. Apps built for personal networking have over time become a major marketing tool and changed the way businesses are able to reach their target market. 

How social media marketing came to take over

Social media has become a part of our daily lives. Makes communication easier as everyone is at the tap of your finger. This has also had a high impact on marketing and advertising. Unlike in the early 2000s, the most effective way to reach people with your advertising is through social media. Businesses have now taken advantage of it – a smart move. You might argue that traditional media is still effective, we don’t doubt that. However, this is majorly due to your target audience. In the last half a decade, we have seen a high rise in social media creators; fashion, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, comedy etc. 

Influencer marketing

This form of marketing helps you reach a larger audience; as their followers tend to trust their recommendations. A good example of this is the partnership between Martell and Davido. The French Cognac house announced a partnership with Davido in 2018. It was aimed at increasing the cognac brand’s presence in Africa.That was one seamless partnership as we saw the music artist include the French cognac in his activities. Whether hanging with his friends, being by himself, or being on one of his luxurious trips, Martell was their go-to drink for relaxation. To further drive appeal to their target audience – the creme de la creme, Martell created a limited edition called Martell x Davido. The cognac is a blend of eaux-de-vie from four of Martell’s oldest cellars, which are aged between 14 and 28 years. With this partnership, Martell was able to increase their reach into other parts of the world. 

Paid advertising

Paid social media advertising has transformed the way businesses reach their target audiences, providing a cost-effective approach to promoting their brand and products without the need for a physical presence. One of the most significant benefits of social media paid advertising is the opportunity to reach a specific audience. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter capture user information such as location, age, and interests, which may then be used to build targeted advertising campaigns. 

This means that businesses can reach out to those who are most likely to be interested in their products or services, improving the chances of conversion. Furthermore, social media platforms provide extensive statistics that enable businesses to track the performance of their initiatives and make adjustments as needed.Traditional advertising strategies, such as television ads and billboards, can be prohibitively expensive for startups, making it almost impossible for them to compete with larger corporations. 

Social media advertising, on the other hand, may be adapted to any budget, with pricing methods such as cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) available.

Our offer

We have years of expertise in designing and implementing social media strategies for companies of all sizes and sectors. We understand how to create captivating content, target the proper audience, and enhance your social media reach and interaction. Whether you want to raise brand awareness, attract traffic to your website, or enhance sales and revenue, our social media marketing services can help achieve your goal. We’ll collaborate with you to create a tailored plan that corresponds with your company’s goals and target audience, and then we’ll execute that strategy with accuracy and competence.

Don’t wait till your competitors kick you out of the market, shoot a mail to info@aceall.io