Social marketing is quite different from other marketing strategies. The aim of this strategy is not to make profit but to stimulate social change in a community that is crammed with individual who exhibit a plethora of bad habits. This habits could be one that endangers the life of individuals or one that puts the society of community at a certain risk. Examples of this habit could be smoking, the use of hard drugs, excessive drinking, cultism, child abuse, etc.
Other marketing strategies adopted by business around the globe aims to increase sales by raising brand awareness but social marketing has diverse objectives and that is why it is often utilized by non-profit organizations.
SOCIAL MARKETING EXPLAINED
As stated earlier, social marketing aims to achieve social good and not profit or any other monetary benefits. Here is a lucid explanation of what this marketing tactic is about.
You log in to your Instagram account and what greets you is a captivating video from a certain non-profit organization. You become inquisitive and decide to play the video. In this short video, a doctor is seen standing between two grown adults, a lady and a man. The doctor goes ahead to explain what excessive drinking does to one’s oral health and then beckons on the man and the lady to open their mouth. When they do, you observe that the lady has a white sparkling teeth while the man has a decayed tooth. The doctor then goes ahead to explain that you could have a decayed tooth if you drink too much and fail to adhere to proper oral hygiene. Pointing to the lady, he also explains that taking good care of your teeth can make it sparkle, like that of the lady.
Now, the abovementioned scenario is a typical example of social marketing. No business name was mentioned, no product was mentioned or promoted, the only message the video was trying to pass across is the importance of oral hygiene.
Till today, social media remains the most common platform for social marketing as seen in the scenario mentioned above. Organizations that adopt this technique make use of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, to pass certain message that encourage social change. Before the advent of technology, newspapers, billboards, TV adverts were used as mediums for social marketing.
WHO ADOPTS THIS TYPE OF MARKETING
Obviously, due to the goal or aim of this marketing tactic, a profit oriented company like Amazon may not want to adopt this marketing approach in promulgating their services or product. Social media marketing is often adopted by non-profit organizations, charities, emergency services such as the police force, etc.
As a dentist who has a big heart you can adopt this marketing strategy to stimulate social change or achieve social good in your community. You could decide to set up a campaign that promulgate the importance of oral hygiene or something related. Just think of anything that can be helpful to the society.
Your social marketing campaign will only be successful if you fully understand your target audience and the change you plan to stimulate or encourage in these group of people. If you want to end the cycle of excessive smoking in a society, you know who your target audience is. Your social media campaign or whatever awareness program you choose to implement, should be tailored to meet your target audience.
BENEFITS OF SOCIAL MARKETING
The benefits of social marketing is quite enormous. This marketing strategy plays an important role in the welfare of individuals and a community in general.
Social marketing strives to influence certain character that are deemed to be beneficial to people and the community at large all for the greater social good. This is done in several ways. Some organizations set up campaigns that help incite this change by raising the awareness of the health risks that comes with certain bad habits like excessive drinking, the intake of drugs, poor oral hygiene, etc.
Social marketing help create a better environment and community. When implemented this marketing strategy aims to change the behavioral anomalies that exist in a certain community and in the lives of individuals.
