Member Avatar for MktgRob

In one of my Linkedin groups a question was posed as to whether Social Media is a tactic or a strategy? Not many people have responded over there and I thought I would pose the quesiton here.

For myself, I think it is both and the ration from one to the other depends on the rest of your marketing plan and what your overall budged it.

Anyone else care to share their thoughts?

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Discussion between and surfaces a common internal tension: whether social should be a campaign channel or a capability that shapes overall marketing. A practical way to choose is to apply three simple tests.

If social requires cross-functional change (product, CX, sales) and shifts brand positioning or customer experience, treat it strategically. If it is used for discrete, timebound goals (promotions, event signups), treat it tactically. Useful tests: duration (ongoing vs finite), scope (company-wide vs single team), and primary KPIs (brand metrics and retention vs clicks and conversions).

To move debates from opinion to evidence, focus on measurement and alignment. Pick one or two business outcomes (lead volume, pipeline velocity), instrument social links with UTM parameters, use multi-touch or assisted-conversion reports and CRM attribution to surface social’s contribution, and run a short pilot with a control market or campaign. Frame results in sales language (leads, opportunities, CAC) rather than engagement metrics. Also note SEO gains that follow good social distribution: referral traffic, backlinks, and expanded long-tail organic reach.

Resource allocation should follow maturity: early programs invest more in foundational strategy (listening, governance, content pillars, training); once capabilities are stable, shift a larger share to tactical experimentation and paid amplification.

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Member Avatar for InsightsDigital

For me, I think social media is both a strategy and a tactic. What differentiates a social media strategy with a tactic is whether it affects the overall direction of the marketing plan or is it just one way to reach a particular segment or promote a certain message.

For example, the business objection is to promote a brand to Generation Y that this well known brand also understands their need. Social Media strategy will leverage social media to reach this target group and consolidate various form of social media outreach. A social media tactic is included within the strategy.

Member Avatar for MktgRob

For myself, I think it is both and the ration from one to the other depends on the rest of your marketing plan and what your overall budged it.

Just to be clear, I meant ratio not ration in the above line.

To relate one experience I had just last week with one of my clients, one of their sales people was bent out of shape that I was focusing on building their social media marketing program up while the home page was only showing up in the 8th spot of a google search for a search term specific to his territory. When I pointed out that the rankings in Google are affected by the 'Google Dance' and that the site was # 2 the week before he made it very clear that Social Media Marketing was a waste of time in his opinion. Again, when I pointed out that the Social media marketing was a tool to drive traffic to the web site and that he should talk to his potential clients about the blog and the forums and everything else we were doing he dismissed it all as voodoo.

Sadly, the battle for the hearts and minds of the people like this will likely be one of the biggest struggles in getting companies to adopt and adapt to a social media mindset.

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