ORIGINAL
QUESTION

Topic 1: Social Media, Advertising Strategy, and Sales
Promotion

In every job there is some sales and marketing that
must go on. You must persuade your boss to accept a new entrepreneurial idea;
you must convince a team of colleagues that a particular strategy will work as
just two examples.

Suppose that a new Social Media Marketing program is
being developed for your school. As an Administrator, how would you advertise
it and find support for this new program?

• What
  would be your goals in terms of advertising this new program to current
  and prospective students?
• What
  type of advertising strategy would you suggest for this new Social Media
  Marketing major?
• How
  is advertising and sales promotion similar? Dissimilar?
• Which
  do you think is a more effective communication tool for marketing managers
  and why?

Student
1 Response:

Which do you think is a more effective communication
tool for marketing managers and why?

My first goal would be to research the product and
come up with a great pitch to get the staff and students on board with the
program.  I would also make sure I know everything there is to know about
the program so I will be able to answer any and all questions.

Since I am trying to advertise to the staff and
students, I would try and make fliers and posters and make sure there is vast
resources for the staff and students to look at.  Communicating is the
best way to make sure all information gets to everyone in a timely
manner.  I would also set a time frame for people to think and then have a
formal meeting to see what individuals think and see if we couldn’t get this
new program into place.

Advertising “positions a product or service against that of competitors to convey a
brand message to consumers and to enhance its value in the consumer’s eyes. A
television commercial for a brand new automobile emphasizing the car’s new
features and styling is an example of advertising.” (Nielsen, n.d.). Sales
promotions “include a variety of strategies designed to offer purchasers an
extra incentive to buy, usually in the short-term. Examples of sales promotions
include cents-off coupons, two-for-the-price-of-one sales and double coupons at
the grocery store, all for a limited period of time,” Nielsen, n.d.).  As
you can see they are quite similar to one another.  The main difference
between the two is the “nature of the appeal to the consumer.” (Nielsen,
n.d.).  When using a coupon to purchase something, that is a promotional. 
Advertising is more of what you see on T.V. when a company is trying to sell
something or gain interest from the consumer, like Toyota and the Tacoma. 
Might I add, those are some nice trucks; that is if you’re a Toyota fan.

I think all the
communication tools are equally important, but depending on what the company’s
budget is, may really determine the tool that works best for that particular
marketing manager.  I believe that no matter what your budget is, public
relations is a great way to go.  You may have to give up quite a bit of
your own time due to public appearances, news, events and so forth. 

References:

Nielsen, Lisa (n.d.). Difference Between Advertising
and Sales Promotion. Retrieved Nov 25, 2015 from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/difference-between-advertising-sales-promotions-3377.html#

Student
2 Response:

If I was a school administrator, my advertising goals
will be to show how the social media program will benefit the students in the
end, how it can open up more possibilities for the future, and how social media
can help you change lives. The advertising strategy, I would use will be
mobile, the Internet, and billboards. Mobile advertising has become big; most
people have their cell phones all the time, especially the younger generation.
As a school administrator, using mobile advertisement will reach tons about our
program. The Internet will be the second strategy; next to mobile people are on
the Internet just as much. With the Internet, we can advertise on social media
sites, like Facebook and Instagram. Billboards can help spread the message
about our new program to many.

Sales promotions are inducements or gimmicks, which
the purpose is to encourage the purchase of a product or service immediately.
Advertising give a product or service a position that send a message to help
enhance the product or service in the consumer’s eyes. The difference between
sales promotion and advertisement is how it appeals to the customer. Sales
promotion have a non-emotional attachment to consumers; advertisement has an
emotional attachment to consumers. Sales promotion have a short time period,
while advertisement is a long-term vision. Sales promotion and advertisement
both focus on a profitable sales and help stimulate the appetite for the
company’s goods and services. They both help increase sale revenue.

The most effective communication tool for marketing
managers will be face-to-face because it will not cause any miscommunication.
Face-to-face can help you see people’s facial expressions when you are talking
to them and explaining what need to be done and how it needs to be done. You
cannot go wrong with face-to-face communication.

References:

Friedman, H. H. (2012). Advertising,
Publicity, and Sales Promotions. Retrieved from http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/economic/friedman/mmadvertising.htm

Winer, R. S., & Dhar, R. (2011). Marketing
management (4th ed.)