Social Media Considerations in IMC

There are many considerations to take into account when creating an IMC plan. Social media is one area that is growing in popularity and there are several advantages for marketers trying to reach prospective consumers; such as real-time consumer interactions, lower costs, and occupying a space where your customers are that will facilitate user generated content and word of mouth marketing. However, the marketing effectiveness of social media is highly dependent upon a good understanding of who your consumers are, and how to effectively relate to them. Facebook and twitter may seem like good places to get your message out, but marketer’s also need to be savvy in using third party applications that make them useful. In addition, these tools should be used as a way of creating two-way interactive information sharing about a product or service, and not just for broadcasting static messages. Interestingly, users spend an average of 27 minutes a day on facebook, while users only spend an average of 8 minutes a day on twitter. Compare that with the statistical average of viewing television, which is 4 hours a day for the average American, although many of us would argue that figure is too high. In any case, a well rounded IMC plan will consider the target market first, all the relevant touchpoints, and match the communication objectives, media options, and communication plans to achieve the selected positioning strategy.