How Social Marketing Can Help Your Cause

Not all marketing activities are performed with the purpose of generating sales. There is another type of marketing which is about communicating a social message. The social messages are messages which bring the public's attention to a cause or to a plight. Social marketing and social advertising go hand in hand.

Marketers Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman came up with the concept of social marketing in the 1970s. They reasoned that the principle of marketing products could also be used to bring attention to social causes. They defined social marketing as "differing from other areas of marketing only with respect to the objectives of the marketer and his or her organization. Social marketing seeks to influence social behaviours not to benefit the marketer, but to benefit the target audience and the general society".

As you can see the approach is slightly different yet in many ways the same as commercial marketing. Social marketing promotes messages whi ch are good for the society while commercial marketing promotes products to generate profit for the company. When it comes to social marketing it is often the marketing of certain practices or habits, but it can also be the marketing of tangible products such as condoms or ARVs.
It is mostly the health sector which uses social marketing, however many other sectors have followed suit. The traffic sector uses social marketing to promote road safety and responsible driving behaviours for instance.

Commercial sector and social marketing

However it is not just government and Non-profit organisations which use the discipline of social marketing. The commercial sector too, use social marketing, especially campaigns which speak about eradicating crime. The effects of crime leaves a mark on everyone, and that includes businesses. It is in the best interest of the commercial market as well to encourage people and governments to take a stand against crime. Brand strengthening is one of the other benefits which companies experience as a result of social marketing. It also bares mentioning that not all non-profit and public sector marketing campaigns are social marketing.

Essence of a social marketing campaign.

Step one

The first thing you need to do when creating a social marketing campaign is to decide, what the problem is. Once you have a clear understanding of the problem the solution will present itself.

Step two

You have to set your goals for this campaign. You need to be sure as to what you want, when you want it and how you intend getting it.

Step three and four

Define and Know your audience. You have to have an in depth understanding of your target market. If you do not understand your target market then you will not know how to direct a message which will have the biggest impact. This is one of the most important steps, because not understanding your target market can lead to an ineffective campaign. You have to define your target market and then know them.

I hope you found this article on social marketing informative. There are many aspects of social marketing to be considered but in the end it boils down to helping people, help themselves.


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