Selva's Blog

You may have already heard of the word social media but for the life of you, you just can’t figure out what social media is. Social media refers to the method or medium of transferring information from one person to another through social interaction.This is pretty broad, in my opinion, because virtually everything that we do can be deemed social interaction. So although most people would attribute social media to the use of the internet to express how we feel about certain issues— through blog articles, twitter updates and facebook statuses,  blog posts and forum posts and even this post I am just writing— many still maintain that social media is not really all that new.

In fact, according to some media experts, social media has actually been present for decades now. We are just not aware that it is. For instance, public speaking and demonstrations are said to be forms of social media. The same goes with slogans that are used in rallies. Even street preaching and person to person marketing which are often used to market credit cards are also forms of social media. And maybe they are right in defining what they believe social media is. After all, when you really look into its definition, anything can constitute social interaction. And admit it, those mentioned above do transfer information through a form of social interaction.

But for me, whether or not it has been around for decades or just years is not really the issue. The issue is whether it is the future of news media. People have increasingly relied on social media for their information and sometimes even news stories. I think this is what people should be debating on.

Social marketing is  defined as an advertising technique to reach the potential customers by the use of social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. It is also also a way to promote social concerns as well as marketing products, which is being utilized by most of the internet- based companies.This is the area where this website concentrates on.In fact this site specializes on highlighting and educating visitors onthe use of Social Media Techniques  in Internet Marketing .

However this article is about tracing the roots of Social Marketing and the following content describes not only the roots but also how it has opened up to allow marketers to use the techniques to improve  the business opportunities it offers.

Social marketing is a new and innovative way of thinking and acting.It has brought to notice the old human endeavors but in a new and polished manner, so as to promote social concern and awareness of various topics for discussion among communities

Helping in the promotion of social concern as well as political ideas, social marketing dates back its origin to 1970s when two of its pioneers Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman, realized that the marketing principles and strategies which were used to sell products could simultaneously be employed to sell ideas, behaviors and even attitudes. The marketing strategy differing on just one point i.e. objectives of the marketer. Social marketing is no different from the other traditional marketing methods. This does not centralize the marketer but the target audiences or the general people or society instead, to benefit them greatly.

Having employed extensively in health programs at  international levels- especially focused on contraceptives and oral rehydration therapy (ORT)- the strategy is more used in US for even concerns such as heart diseases, drug abuses and also organ donation.

Basically concentrating on the actual needs of the people, social marketing is the application of marketing to find solutions to the social problems and where the main centralized idea is the behavior change. Targeted to enhance the personal welfare of the society it encompasses analysis, planning and preparation, execution of plans and also the evaluation of the programs.

Basically working for the social good, this method of marketing involves a systematic application to promote goods, and also to promote the well-being of the entire society and not just the marketer.

Especially proving a boon for low-income groups, social marketing proffers health products and services to that class of the society who cannot afford it otherwise.

The key feature being effective communication, it encourages the masses to adopt  health practices and to utilize the products and services completely so as to maintain the health of the whole society and not just few people. The programs involved make the social message heard and followed. Social marketing utilizes tools like educational campaigns and even specific advertising techniques, to reach the ears of target audiences.

Also using a mix of strategies and channels, interpersonal communications and mass media, the marketing strives to remove social concern totally  thus helps in building a better society as far as health and other matters are concerned.

A process brought into practice to bring change, social marketing is a modified term which has been given to the conventional methods of product and service marketing. Social marketing already has made great roots in the societies welfare and influences the life of people on every front, be it health, education, environment or other such important issues, which are threatening and deteriorating the life of communities.