Social Marketing | Definition, Importance and Campaigns

Definition:

Social good is the primary focus of the Social Marketing that revolves around channelizing positive changes in social, national, international and local communities for public interest by opting for some constructive and positive means.

Some people may get confused about Social Marketing with Social Media Marketing, Sustainable Marketing, and Commercial Marketing.

Social marketing is done when various marketing techniques are performed for making people change their behavior towards society. Social marketing is one of the powerful sell techniques used for targeting the audience for making them aware of the social good that can benefit individuals as well as broader society.

Social Marketing is primarily geared towards human behavior, which is also the product of this form of marketing. You can easily understand the concept of Social Marketing with the help of a quote said by a German World War II U-boat commander, Gerhard Weibe-

“Why can’t you sell brotherhood and rational thinking like you can sell soap?”

So, Social Marketing is mainly channelized for promoting ideas that can play a significant role in boosting positive and constructive etiquettes and inclinations such as using eco-friendly solutions, following driving rules, opting for right social manners, not smoking in public places and so on.

All in all, Social Marketing revolves around selling the well-being of society. It is mainly done for safety issues, environmental awareness, public health, and also the development of the community.

One needs a societal change now and then. Social marketing is one of the best platforms where one can easily influence and convince people to work for the betterment of society.

Social marketing can bring the best chances in the locality as well as all over the nation.

To understand the significance of Social Marketing in today’s time, below we are covering some of the critical statistics that talk about its power-

Statistics on Social Marketing

• More than 70% of adults in the United States of America claim that participating in Social Change has been quite significant
• At the times when the USA was facing the economic strain, around 50 percent of men and 60 percent of women in the USA were engaged in social change via money, services and goods donations
• On an average basis, 80 out of 100 adults think that they can make the world a better place through their actions
• More than 60% of US men and 70% of US Women say that they prefer to assist other people that are not as much fortunate as they are

The stats mentioned above are evident in confirming how Social Marketing is gaining prevalence around the world, and how important it is for having a society that is involved in constructive ways of living where each and everyone is enjoying the right environment to grow and flourish in a valuable and positive manner.

You might now have understood what Social Marketing is, but you must be thinking when all this started, and how it became one of the fundamental concepts of business, social and marketing management in today’s time. So, let us have a look at the history of Social Marketing here and now-

Social Marketing: When it all started?

In the year 1971, Philip Kotler and Gerald Zaltman published an article in the Journal of Marketing, which was titled- “Social Marketing: An Approach to Planned Social Change.”

Since then, this term of Social Marketing has been gaining prevalence in different fields of marketing, business, and social administrations.

Marketers, advertisers, and industry are coming up with a variety of social marketing ideas for channelizing different positive changes in social behaviors in various fields, niches, and industries.

Difference between Social Media Marketing & Social Marketing

Social Media Marketing is nowhere close to Social Marketing, because Social Media Marketing revolves around marketing through Social Media Platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., while social marketing is dedicated to channelizing positive societal change by using Social Cause Marketing methods.

Difference between Sustainable Marketing & Social Marketing

Corporations opt for this type of marketing for fulfilling their Corporate Social Responsibilities, but they choose sustainable marketing practices for boosting their business that is not the characteristic of Social Marketing at all.

Difference between Commercial Marketing & Social Marketing

You must have seen campaigns promoting fuel-efficient cars or recycled plastic bottles. They are parts of Commercial Marketing that serve some social causes as well as advertise the product or service of the company. But the primary focus of such marketing campaigns is selling a product or service and not the societal good.

Now, as you are well aware of Social Marketing and how it is different from other resembling or similar sort of marketing, let us now have a look upon the importance of Social Marketing-

Importance of Social Marketing

Social Marketing is one of the best ways to influence people for taking action towards society and working on behavioral change. Various campaigns for social marketing can quickly develop an interest in the public. One can easily target their audience with the strategies they perform for social marketing.

Social Marketing positively influences the perceptions of audiences. Social marketing is best when programs conducted for the target audience are related to their understanding of the society, which will not only be more productive but will also bring an effective change.

• Social marketing is best for business as it develops good brand awareness among the people. Social marketing can be performed between a broad audience, and a company can explain it by having an excellent social marketing strategy, which will not only develop interest between people, but it will also boost up the advertisement.
• Social marketing is cost-effective than any other marketing, as one can easily find the target audiences by the performance they delivered in public. One can quickly get their target audiences through social marketing. There will be less research and development as compared to other social marketing.
• As in commercialization, social marketing plays a significant role in influencing people. And without social marketing, commercialization is incomplete as every business has to deal with social marketing to let people know that their aim is for changing the society for good.
• Social marketing is one of the closest marketing campaigns, where one can easily reach to the public. They can easily promote the changes which are happening in society and make sure that the products which they are supporting our desire to the public.

Social marketing promotes good health care for people and influence people to adopt a fit and healthier lifestyle. It also lets people know that one must be aware of the behavioral changes for society, and one must live a quality life in the community. Social marketing can quickly achieve great advertisement just by promoting it on various platforms such as social media, by sharing photos, blogs, and also videos.

How Social marketing helps marketing a business?

Social marketing helps the business to build awareness between people.

Every business is incomplete without social marketing, as a business enjoys a widespread presence when the target audience base is aware of what kind of business one is doing. And without letting the most significant number of people be mindful of your brand, you cannot reach out for the advertisement. Social Marketing Strategy empowers a business with a kind of Social Awareness campaign that their target audiences need.

One must know that they should develop an interest in the public to target their audience efficiently. And one of the initial stages to advertise your product is to generate awareness amongst the people. A business can also develop transparency by conducting an excellent social marketing strategy.

As communication is essential, and if you quickly know about your target audiences and what kind of social change they are looking for, you can quickly gain their attention by sharing their perspective in a better way.

Who utilizes Social Marketing Campaigns?

Social Marketing is mainly utilised by

• Non Profit Organizations
• Charity Foundations
• Government Agencies
• Public Highway Departments
• Emergency Services such as fire and police departments
• Some Commercial Organizations

Strategies involved in Social Marketing Campaigns

Various Applicable Campaigns of Social Marketing

1. Influencing actual Behaviour of People

For a successful social marketing campaign, you must have the strategy for influencing the actual behavior of your target audiences together with awareness and their attitudes.

2. The right use of Symbols for Social Marketing

For a powerful social marketing campaign, it is significant to use a wide variety of symbolic visuals that can also be recognized easily by the target audiences on the go. For instance, Smokey the Bear for wildfire prevention is one such symbol that was adeptly used in Social Marketing Campaigns.

3. Know different perspectives of your Customers

Adept customer orientation is one of the critical characteristics of the Social Marketing Campaign, and you need to understand the thought processes, viewpoints, inclinations, conditioning and tendencies of the people you want to influence through your Social Marketing Campaign.

4. The right use of Slogans for Social Marketing

It is essential that your social marketing campaign is memorable, short and comprises catchy slogans as well. For instance, the US Government’s War on Drugs Campaign has a short and straightforward motto “Just Say No” which is quite impactful in influencing the people in the most straightforward possible manner.

5. Be Aware of the Behavioural Theories

For a result-driven Social Marketing Campaign, you should be aware of the behavioral theories that can help you understand the behavioral inclinations of the people. The interventions you develop in your strategies should also be based upon these theories.

6. Develop Actionable Insights in your Audience

You should also conduct data-driven research for analyzing the behaviors of your target audiences, as this will help you in developing the actionable insights in the people, so they change their behavior as per your social strategy

7. The right use of Imagery in Social Marketing Campaigns

When it comes to result-driven Social marketing campaigns, that must point out negative consequences by using impactful imagery to demonstrate the cause on the go. One such example is the photos of starving children that were utilized in Christian Children’s Fund commercials.

8. Know about the Things that influence your Audience to behave in Certain Way

While drafting your Social Marketing Strategy, you should be aware of the things that are competing for taking out the attention and time of the people to influence them for behaving in a particular way.

9. Use the right way for differentiating Desired Behaviour and Problem Behaviour

Your social marketing strategy should incorporate the proper distinction between Desired Behaviour and Problem Behaviour. You need to be clear how your target audiences understand things such as benefits, costs, rewards and barriers associated with the Desired and Problem behaviors. Your strategy should tell your viewers that if they leave out a particular kind of behavioral patterns, what benefits they will get in exchange.

10. Your Social Marketing efforts should include 7 Ps of Marketing 

When it comes to successful social marketing campaigns, you must incorporate 7 Ps’ of marketing in it. The 7 Ps include Product, Place, Price, Promotion, Process, People and Physical Evidence. Adept use of these 7Ps will decide the success of your Social Marketing campaigns.

11. Use Customer Insights to identify the right Audience Segments

For any marketing campaign, it is essential to know all the varieties of audiences and their unique characteristics, and the same is true for Social Marketing as well. Therefore, you must identify different audience segments based upon their standard features, and then you can opt for the interventions that can influence the behaviours of the people positively.

Notable Social Marketing Campaigns

One of the best examples of social marketing is by conducting campaigns as we know that citizens of India are quite influential when it comes to changes in society.

Social marketing is quite sensitive in India. Various health promotion campaigns are arranged on a large scale by using social marketing. There are many aids awareness programs in some parts of the country. The social marketing is performed by the professional social workers who are specially trained for the campaigns.

1. Anti Tobacco Campaigns

Anti-tobacco Campaigns are done in various rural areas of India where social workers go and apply strategies to influence people for quitting tobacco. Social marketing is the closest way to reach out to the public. One can easily control people by letting them know about how to bring a good change in society.

2. Anti Drub Campaigns

Anti-Drug Campaigns are arranged in urban areas. As there are times when people are not aware of how a drug can harm someone until and unless camping is arranged to let people know about it. Campaigns can play various videos, promote it on social media, and write blogs on it.

3. Anti Pollution Campaigns

Antipollution Campaigns are usually done in metropolitan cities, as these cities have a high amount of pollution levels. Various public performances are held in public places where people can watch and influence themselves by contributing something or the other for the environment.

It is the job of social workers to let people know about various antipollution strategies.

4. Road Safety Campaigns

Road Safety Campaigns are also performed in different parts of the country as multiple people are unaware of the traffic rules and even for crossing the road. Especially those who are not aware of road safety, such as the people who are illiterate and not knowledgeable of the traffic signs.

Road safety campaigns are one of the critical applications of successful Social Marketing Campaigns.

Wrapping it up!

Social marketing is one of the best ways to influence anything for society as one must know that the community needs a change, and one must understand that it is essential to make people aware of beneficial things and providing a first behavioral change.

Social marketing can develop excellent support, especially from the knowledgeable audience. Through social marketing, one can quickly achieve the ultimate business goals and survive for a more extended period.

However, changing the behavioral patterns of people is a daunting task, and Social Marketers need to be aware of the systematic application of marketing along with the concepts and their implementation for accomplishing particular behavioral goals for the social good.

How important do you find Social Marketing in today’s time? What is the most potent Social Marketing Strategy, according to you? Tell us in the comments below.

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