The concept of “marketing” is associated with many different practices and as customs and communication channels change, new ones are always emerging.
Social marketing is one of those terms that is being heard more and more but not everyone is sure of its meaning or confuses it with other similar ideas.
In this article I am going to tell you what social marketing is, how to apply it and its difference from social media marketing.
what is social marketing
social marketing is the application of towards a cause, an objective or business that has a social impact.
Did you think social marketing was social media marketing? Many people think the same but in reality it is not so (we will talk about this later).
Unlike a “traditional” marketing (which generally uses the principles of this discipline to seek private profit) The objective of social marketing is to achieve a positive change in some behavior, thought or habit of society.
How to apply social marketing
For putting social marketing into practice organizations and companies can resort to various options. The most commons are:
1) Carry out specific campaigns
In this mode, companies they choose a specific social project and put together a campaign around it. In this way, they seek to achieve a benefit in society from the promotion and communication of that cause to their public.
An example of this could be if a brand sets up a campaign to allocate a percentage of its Children’s Day sales to Garrahan Hospital and pediatric oncology research. In this way, it helps to make its public aware of the importance of this topic and, in turn, can provide concrete help to the hospital.
2) Be a socially responsible brand
Form more scalable and durable of dealing with social marketing is make the brand socially responsible as part of the business. This can work for a new company or to transform the one that is currently running.
How does this work? The key is link the business objectives to the social cause that you want to defend.
An example of this is a brand that produces cars with electric motors, such as Tesla. These vehicles are ecological since they work with a clean energy source (they do not emit toxic gases or smoke). And in this way, the purchase of these cars (business) is directly associated with a positive impact on the environment (less pollution).
Something important to keep in mind when applying social marketing is that should not be an “advertising” flag. Today consumers see through such tactics.
The proposal has to be applied in the company in an external but also internal way. For example: a brand cannot promote ecology and recycling in a campaign if its offices do not even separate waste.
Therefore, to advance with a social marketing strategy, it is key that the brand commits to a cause in which it truly believes and can sustain it over time in a responsible manner.
Examples of social marketing in Argentina
An excellent example of social marketing is Tiendanube . This clothing brand creates designer garments and accessories with a strong imprint of social inclusion and care for the planet.
They have clear , which materialize in the reuse of waste and the use of or biodegradable. In addition, it works with foundations to provide employment to people in situations of vulnerability or disability.
Its history is really worth knowing:
Another good example of a brand that has applied social marketing to its business objective is .
The creators of Baumm tell in their Tiendanube how from the beginning of the assembly of their products sought to integrate design and care for the environment. And so, they found how to reuse disused materials, such as the fabric of discarded paragliders, to produce backpacks, bags and jackets with a unique design.
In this way, your customers know that they are not only buying a functional, quality and original product, but that they are also helping in the cause of caring for the planet through the consumption of products with recycled raw materials.
Learn more about Baumm:
social marketing vs. social media marketing
Now that we have defined what social marketing is, let’s talk about its difference from social media marketing (or as it is also often called, according to its name in English, social media marketing).
They sound very similar but they are not the same! Unlike social marketing, marketing in social networks is about applying marketing strategies in the different channels of -precisely- social networks:
- Youtube
- tik tok
- …and the list probably goes on.
East social media marketing have different goals when trying to capture the most followers. Some of them are:
So as confused as they may be initially, you can see how their goals are actually different.
The future of social marketing
There is a reality that not only affects Argentina, but is a worldwide phenomenon: Consumers are increasingly aware of the products they buy and the brands they choose to do so.
This means, on the one hand, that they are interested in knowing where what they buy comes from: what raw materials were used, who produced it, where and under what conditions.
On the other hand, consumers also they want the brands they choose to have a social impact: that they show a more “human” side, that they care about social causes and caring for the environment.
And attention! This social marketing idea should not be used as an advertising strategy that seeks only to increase sales. As I said above, buyers recognize this type of false intent from afar.
It is important that, As much as social marketing actions help to position a company, the commitment is genuine. Thus, consumers will be able to connect with the brand on a much deeper emotional level.
Not only will this build a loyal following for them, but it will help make a real impact on our society or planet. And that is truly priceless!
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