Social Media in Traditional Terms

As a media buyer, I come across new terms and new media everyday – which can be a little daunting. I find it easier to link all this emerging terminology to media we have more knowledge and experience with. That is where this blog post comes in.

In an effort to make social media a little more welcoming, I have taken a few terms and related them back to their traditional media counter parts using Facebook as our example.

ORGANIC IMPRESSIONS = EARNED MEDIA
Earned media is publicity gained through promotional efforts other than paid advertisement. Likewise, organic impressions are the social stories that appear on a Facebook user’s profile once they have become a fan of or follow a brand. One advantage of an organic impression is the brand has much more control over the finished message that is broadcast versus relying on a news anchor to relay the correct messaging.

SOCIAL IMPRESSIONS = PAID MEDIA
Paid media is any impression a brand pays for: TV, radio, print, etc. A social impression is a Facebook ad paid for by a brand that promotes the user’s friends who already "like" the brand. This is similar to a traditional print ad in the sense that the brand is paying for the space/impressions, but with the social tie the ad creates a lightweight form of brand advocacy based on their fan/follower base.

ORGANIC FREQUENCY = FREQUENCY
Frequency in both arenas is the number of times the target audience is exposed to a message. The difference with organic frequency is that only people who are currently fans/followers of the brand will see the message. This actually works out to the benefit of the brand. Social media users are more willing to absorb a brand’s message for a longer period of time and at a higher frequency than with traditional media. This helps to increase awareness and purchase intent for that brand.

REACH = REACH
Reach is the same for traditional media as it is for social media; it is the number of people your message comes in contact with. In the social media realm, this number is very reliant on how engaging/interesting your paid impressions are. The more interesting/engaging your message is, the more it will be passed on among users.

A few other key words to keep in mind when planning your social media campaign:

• RELEVANCE – Relevance is very important in the social media realm, if your message or brand doesn’t hold any value or benefit for the user, they will not continue to follow your brand.
• CONSISTENCY – As with all other aspects of a brand’s marketing mix, consistency of message is important. Users of social media are also consumers of traditional and other forms of media, thus any inconsistency in a brand’s messaging could create confusion or apprehensiveness toward the brand.