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2017 Hispanic Social Marketing Report
Another key to (add)ventures’ efforts, Velez notes, is that social marketing “brings authentic value to the brands we are promoting.”
He comments, “The stories are what hold us together, so it is important that as the generations go on we can bring these stories to the forefront.”
For Velez and his team, which include EVP/Chief Strategy Officer Mary Sadlier and President/CEO Steve Rosa, (add)ventures – which has offices in Miami, New York and Providence, Rhode Island – social media is more than one more gadget in the toolbox.
Sadlier says, “We are constantly listening to consumers, and we look at social media as just another efficient way of getting to our customers. Social media lets you be more customized to the audience.”
In Rosa’s view, social media also allows for the tailoring of a high-level campaign to a specific market – in this case, the U.S. Hispanic market.
“Healthcare and retail have always believed of not niching themselves,” he says.
Interestingly, (add)ventures started 27 years ago, in an era when Prodigy meant traveling online and portability in personal entertainment was defined by the Sony Walkman.
Sadlier says that the specialty shop has been working with social media on a mass-market level for well over a decade.
Over those 10 years, everything you thought you knew about social marketing is about as outdates as that Walkman you purchased at Nobody Beats The Wiz, or The Good Guys.
“Philosophies of working with social
media have changed a lot, and the rules of engagement have changed a lot,” Sadlier says.
That being said, staying on top of the trends is one of the more challenging parts of social marketing, and how failing to be successfully social can impact your search.
“Everyone wanted to get on Facebook, and now our recommendation is that you don’t need to have a big presence, depending on your business,” Sadlier notes. “A lot of businesses will think they will need to have Facebook, and LinkedIn, and Instagram, and Snapchat, and so on. But, they don’t need all of that. They just need the most appropriate one.”
A LOT OF BUSINESSES WILL THINK THEY WILL NEED TO HAVE FACEBOOK, AND LINKEDIN, AND INSTAGRAM, AND SNAPCHAT, AND SO ON. BUT, THEY DON’T NEED ALL OF THAT. THEY JUST NEED THE MOST APPROPRIATE ONE.
—Mary Sadlier