The Social Media Takeover
How It Redefined Marketing's Core
Apr 14, 2025
Read Time : 5 min
Remember when marketing was all about shouting from the papers (or billboards)? Well, the internet happened, and things got interesting. Businesses, especially the agile smaller players, started looking at ‘alternative marketing communication’. Social media stepped onto the scene, ready to shake things up. So, how did we get here, and what does it all mean for brands?
The Basic Concept and Evolution of Alternative Marketing Communication
Traditional advertising, with its one-way broadcast approach, is giving way to Alternative Marketing Communication (AMC) a more interactive and often more cost-effective approach. AMC involves strategies like guerrilla marketing and experiential campaigns, designed to engage consumers in a dialogue, not just a monologue. The internet fueled this shift, and social media quickly moved from being just another channel to becoming the central hub of marketing.
Social media’s power lies in its ability to facilitate two-way communication, amplify word-of-mouth, provide a stage for creative campaigns, and extend the reach of marketing efforts. In essence, it connects various marketing tactics into an integrated and dynamic space, allowing for conversations, community building, and viral spread of information.
Several Alternative Marketing Communication Strategies That Have Emerged
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management): Social media provides user-generated content, a goldmine for CRM to understand customer preferences and behaviors.
- Brand Communities: Consumers united by a brand’s lifestyle, values, or products form brand communities (like online fan clubs), which, when nurtured, increase loyalty and authenticity.
- Email Marketing: Permission-based email marketing remains a cost-effective way to nurture customer relationships.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization): In the digital world, being discoverable is non-negotiable. SEO ensures your brand pops up when consumers go searching.
- Viral Marketing: The name says it all; marketing that spreads like a digital wildfire, leveraging social networks and the urge to share cool stuff.
- Guerrilla Marketing: Creative, unconventional tactics to generate buzz, amplified by social media’s wide reach.
- Events-Based Marketing: Connects with customers through real-world experiences, amplified by social media for broader reach.
- Mobile Marketing: With everyone glued to their phones, mobile marketing became essential for driving sales, gathering data, and creating viral moments.
Case Study: C&F’s 30th Birthday Campaign
To see this in action let’s talk about C&F, our previous client. When they hit their 30th birthday, our team used social media as the campaign’s central nervous system. It wasn’t just one thing, it was a symphony of tactics:
- Content marketing to tell the brand’s story.
- Influencer collaborations with 30 key voices.
- Paid advertising to boost reach.
- Community engagement to spark conversations.
The result? Engagement metrics and awareness went through the roof. It was a textbook example of how a well-integrated social media strategy can work wonders.
Social media has fundamentally changed marketing communication. It’s not just a channel, now it’s the hub. While the core ideas are solid, the digital world keeps evolving. So, we need to stay agile, experiment, and keep our finger on the pulse of the latest social media marketing trends to truly connect with today’s consumers.
Source:
Castronovo, Cristina & Lei Huang. 2012. “”Social Media in an Alternative Marketing Communication Model””. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness Vol. 6(1)
Espuela, Nelida Davila, et al. “”Social Networks and Customer Loyalty: Review of Loyalty Keys and Main Social Networks Publications’ Characteristics””. Journal of Frontiers Psychology Vol. 14 2023 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1286445
Soto, Miguel Valdez, et al. Use of Web 2.0 Social Media Platforms to Promote Community-Engaged Research Dialogs: A Preliminary Program Evaluation, 9 Sep 2016. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5035380/
The Social Media Takeover
How It Redefined Marketing's Core
Dulu, pemasaran atau marketing cuma bisa ditemuin di media cetak. Nah, sejak ada internet, semuanya jadi seru! Bisnis, terutama UMKM, mulai melirik ‘alternative marketing communication’ (komunikasi pemasaran alternatif). Media sosial langsung muncul, siap mengguncang dunia pemasaran. Jadi, gimana ceritanya kita sampai di sini, dan apa artinya buat brand?
The Basic Concept and Evolution of Alternative Marketing Communication
Iklan tradisional itu… ya, gitu-gitu aja. Modelnya satu arah, brand ngomong ke audiens. Alternative Marketing Communication (AMC) pakai strategi yang seringnya lebih hemat biaya dan lebih nampol buat ngajak konsumen berinteraksi. Perubahan ini didorong sama internet, yang buka lahan baru buat pemasar jadi kreatif dan terhubung sama audiens dengan lebih interaktif.
Kekuatan media sosial ada di kemampuannya buat memfasilitasi komunikasi dua arah, memperkuat word-of-mouth, jadi panggung buat creative campaign, dan memperluas jangkauan upaya marketing. Intinya, media sosial menghubungkan berbagai taktik pemasaran jadi satu ruang yang terintegrasi dan dinamis, tempat terjadinya percakapan, community building, dan penyebaran informasi secara viral.
Several Alternative Marketing Communication Strategies That Have Emerged
- CRM (Customer Relationship Management): Media sosial menyediakan user-generated content, kesempatan buat CRM memahami preferensi dan perilaku pelanggan.
- Brand Communities: Terbentuk dari konsumen yang punya kesamaan gaya hidup, nilai, atau produk. Kalau dikelola dengan baik, komunitas ini bisa ningkatin loyalitas dan keaslian merek.
- Email Marketing: Email marketing berbasis izin jadi cara hemat biaya buat membina hubungan dengan pelanggan.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization): In the digital world, being discoverable is non-negotiable. SEO memastikan brand-mu muncul pas konsumen lagi nyari informasi.
- Viral Marketing: Pemasaran yang menyebar di media sosial, memanfaatkan jaringan sosial dan dorongan buat nge-share hal-hal keren.
- Guerrilla Marketing: Taktik kreatif dan modern buat bikin heboh, diperkuat sama jangkauan luas media sosial.
- Events-Based Marketing: Menghubungkan brand dengan pelanggan lewat pengalaman langsung, diperkuat sama media sosial for a wider reach.
- Mobile Marketing: Karena semua orang pegang HP terus, mobile marketing jadi penting banget buat ningkatin penjualan, ngumpulin data, dan bikin momen viral.
Case Study: C&F’s 30th Birthday Campaign
Buat lihat contoh nyatanya, kita bahas C&F, salah satu klien kita dulu. Pas mereka ulang tahun ke-30, tim kita pakai media sosial sebagai pusat saraf kampanye. Bukan cuma satu hal, tapi banyak taktik:
- Content marketing buat nyeritain kisah brand.
- Kolaborasi dengan 30 KOL.
- Paid ads buat ningkatin jangkauan.
- Community engagement buat memicu interaksi.
Ini contoh sempurna gimana strategi media sosial yang terintegrasi dengan baik bisa menghasilkan keajaiban pemasaran.
Media sosial udah mengubah komunikasi pemasaran secara fundamental, sekarang udah jadi pusatnya. Walaupun ide dasarnya masih relevan, dunia digital terus berkembang pesat. Jadi, kita harus tetap gesit, eksperimental, dan selalu update sama tren social media marketing terbaru biar bisa beneran terhubung sama konsumen zaman sekarang.
Source:
Castronovo, Cristina & Lei Huang. 2012. “”Social Media in an Alternative Marketing Communication Model””. Journal of Marketing Development and Competitiveness Vol. 6(1)
Espuela, Nelida Davila, et al. “”Social Networks and Customer Loyalty: Review of Loyalty Keys and Main Social Networks Publications’ Characteristics””. Journal of Frontiers Psychology Vol. 14 2023 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1286445
Soto, Miguel Valdez, et al. Use of Web 2.0 Social Media Platforms to Promote Community-Engaged Research Dialogs: A Preliminary Program Evaluation, 9 Sep 2016. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5035380/