“The age of social media” is a phrase oft repeated by anyone with an interest in how society is changing, from the home to the workplace to the market. SoulProviders, a strategic content marketing agency based in Johannesburg, talks about the ins and outs of social media marketing within the South African context.
By Adam Wakefield
There are those, such as noted sceptic Bob Hoffman, who very much doubt the effectiveness of social media as a marketing force. Angelique Redmond, SoulProviders’ traffic manager, however, firmly believes the power of social media marketing is not over-emphasised.
“If anything, I would argue that the power of social media marketing has not been adequately recognised or accepted. Although this form of marketing has been explored in South Africa and some reports on its efficacy exist, there is still not enough information and data on the real value of social media marketing for brands,” Redmond says.
Social media marketing is no flash-in-pan phenomenon, with the way the public consumes media changing “irrevocably” over the past five years. Brands that do not adapt to changing consumption habits, whatever the content, have a bleak future ahead of them.
While, inevitably, there is some form of trade-off between social and traditional media as emphasis changes, according to campaign manager and writer, Afrison Mkhize, that does not mean traditional media should be disregarded entirely, especially in South Africa.
“With the shift towards digital, we must not forget the penetration that traditional media has in general. Traditional media or mass media is able to reach people that otherwise would not be reached on digital,” Mkhize says.
“The truth is that South Africa is a third world country and Internet penetration is not as we would like it to be. People do not have smart or feature phones, where they can access digital advertising messages. It is imperative to think about ATL and BTL when forming any media strategy.”
Andy Wassung, a peer of Mkhize’s, says whether it is traditional or digital, the same bedrock marketing principles apply: know your audience. Know who they are, what they like to do, where they spend their time, target them, and give them a reason to love what you are putting in front of them.
When speaking of the limitations of social media, Wassung starts off where Mkhize left off, noting how the cost of data sees large swathes of potential customers left out of any campaign.
“I’ve seen results where text-only status updates perform way better in terms of engagement than images with beautifully crafted design, or a video of a sports star,” Wassung says.
“I suspect this is because the platform being used can tell what type of device and connection is being used and therefore show lower-data content to that user.”
Beyond data, Wassung suggests other limitations are platform specific, from boosting posts versus organic reach, to content types and restrictions, red tape, and technical limitations such as algorithms.
Mkhize also believes clients not understanding what the ROI is on social media can be limiting. Social media is not merely about awareness, it can play a strategic role in boosting sales and an organisation’s bottom-line. As such, more education needs to happen at client level.
Asked what the ideal relationship between social media and marketing should be, Redmond uses the word “symbiosis”, where the best marketing practices of social media and marketing are combined to create content that is amusing, engaging, appeals to the consumer, and leads to the marketer’s intended outcome. Social platforms allow for tracking, refinement and adjustment, with businesses able to tailor their approach to the needs of themselves and their customer.
Mkhize highlights the importance of context, and that social media does not happen in isolation.
“We live in a digital world and we need to have digital answers and social media forms part of that. We can’t remove social media from marketing but we need to realise it’s as important as all the other components and stop treating it like the black sheep of marketing,” he says.
Asked whether they believe some agencies have been somewhat duplicitous in promising their clients' unrealistic returns through social media marketing, Redmond does not doubt that this happens. However, that does not undermine social media’s potential value to clients.
“It’s a matter of ensuring that the social media channels you propose will be beneficial and are in fact where that businesses target market is,” she says. If an idea will likely not work, it is the agency’s responsibility to say so.
Wassung concurs, because when rubber meets tar, it is the results that speak the loudest.
“If executed well according to a solid strategy, I do believe that social media will be of benefit to most client’s businesses,” he said.