Everyday we are bombarded with tactics about how to optimise Social Media for your business and how Search Engine Marketing (SEM) has an impact on your brands online efforts. But what we don’t seem to understand are the inherent differences between the two and although they work hand-in-hand to make each other successful. There are key differences that require different strategies and plans.

The differences between the platforms:

Social Media:

1. Online media not owned or controlled by you that encourages social interaction and engagement. You are responsible for how people interact with your SM profiles
2. Platforms: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest and all the rest that you use based on relevance to your brand
3. Call to action: Engage, entertain, drive to owned media
4. Tactic: Advertising, content marketing, viral content creation, brand ambassadorship, competitions

SEM:

1. Online platforms that are owned and controlled by you that rely on content for success. You are responsible for creation, overall look and feel and relevance
2. Platforms: Website, blog, others websites (website banners)
3. Call to action: Convert prospects to leads, request more information, make contact
4. Tactic: Content creation to inform, entertain and convert, SEO, advertising

Strategies And Plans:

There are key differences between Social Media and Search Engine Marketing, yet we continue to see one strategy being created for both. The fact that objectives for each are or rather should be different means there is a need for creating different plans and strategies.

According to Brad Insight in their marketing trends, spend and forecasts report – 62% of marketers say website traffic is the most reliable metric for content success, this shows that both social media and search engine marketing have a role to play in achieving success of content plans, as objectives will relate in some form to website traffic.

Potential objectives for each:

Social Media Objectives:

1. Create meaningful engagement with customers on other platforms
2. Create awareness and visibility of brand
3. Create positive brand sentiment
4. Content dissemination
5. Drive traffic to website
6. Crowd sourcing
7. Create interest in products or services
   
   

SEM Objectives:

1. Increase conversions of prospects to leads on website
2. Generate Leads
3. Increase return visits to website
4. Create value for customers to encourage visits to website
5. Increase website traffic
6. Provide more information
   
   

SEM Tools:

I find the most useful place to start is with templates that can guide your thinking. In order to assist you with this, I have created two templates to help you through this process:

1. SEM strategy template
2. SEM planning template 

To download these templates visit iMarketing - An insiders guide to SEM

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