What is Social Marketing?
It is defined as the application of commercial marketing techniques to solve social problems. It uses the same principles on which products and services are sold to get people to change their behavior.
What is the main difference between social and commercial marketing?
Commercial marketing is hinged on trying to change people's behavior for the marketer's profit. In contrast, the former tries to change the behavior of the people for the benefit of the people and society.
What does social marketing involve?
• Identify the particular behavioral trait you want to change
• Identify your audience, or whose behavior is it that you want to change? It could be that you want to change the behavior of several different groups of people; for this, you need to influence each of them in different ways to bring about the desired change in behavior. Such groups are often segmented or categorized by gender, age, literacy, or race.
• Identify the barriers and roadblocks that prevent the change: By conducting interviews, doing surveys, interacting with focus groups, and other methods, you can find out what it is that is preventing people from making these changes.
• Reduce the barriers that oppose reform. Plan out methods to make the transition easier, accessible, and attractive for the people.
• Before you begin with the marketing, test out your ideas on a select number of people as a test group. You can then modify your plan later according to the results achieved.
• Publicize the benefits and advantages of going through with the change, and make the public aware of your efforts to make the transition more comfortable for the people to implement. This will draw out more people who are willing to take advantage of all your efforts.
A good growth hacking agency uses social media marketing to channelize its components.
Social marketing and advertising
A lot of people get confused between social marketing, and one of its key components, which is advertising. Just like how leaves make up a tree but aren't the tree, advertising might be an essential component of social marketing, but it is still just a component only.
The Four Basic Marketing Principles:
The "4 Ps"
Let's get on to some of the basic principles of marketing and marketing strategies.
All of marketing's essence can be summed up in what is called the "4 Ps."
They are,
1. Product
2. Price
3. Place, and
4. Promotion
• Product -- The product is the commodity or service that is being marketed by you. It is the behavior or trait in which change is desired. It might be anything from ending neglect of children or child abuse or preventing suicides among the population, or maybe convincing people to throw their trash only in the designated trash cans, or any other unfavorable behavior who's modification is supported and endorsed by the community and society as a whole.
• Price -- How much will the cost amount to get a person to stop or begin practicing a particular trait or behavior? For social marketing, price isn't just a question of the monetary cost involved. It can also be the summation of the quantity of time or effort that would be required to bring about the desired change.
• Place -- How difficult will it be to get the people to change their behavior? What are the barriers or obstacles preventing them from changing? To effectively bring about change, the big picture must be taken into consideration. Opting for a large-scale campaign will increase your chances of getting more people to change for the better.
• Promotion -- Promotion is the last of the basic principles of marketing, and is the one that can be easily tied to social marketing. Promotion is the advertising that is undertaken by you.
Why is social marketing so important?
There are three significant advantages to implementing social marketing, which makes it beneficial to both you and your society. It is also used by a growth hacking agency.
• It helps you reach your target audiences more effectively and creates a sustainable brand image that will benefit you in the long run.
• It enables you to get across customized messages to your target market, which results in a more personal and stronger bond with your customers.
• It assists in bringing about a longer-lasting and more significant change in your target audience.
