Traditional advertising and social media marketing are two completely separate entities, right? Traditional advertising is one-way communication comprised of marketing collateral, print, and broadcast materials, while social media is a two-way communication where you go where they are and interact. In social media marketing, we’re taught to tread lightly, listen first before we speak, and get to know people first – in other words, you need to shake the consumer’s hand before you reach for their wallet. But at what point is it ok to blatantly and directly sell people?

Let’s explore social media marketing a fit further, specifically blogs. Isn’t a blog an indirect sales pitch? Bloggers write with the ultimate goal of establishing themselves or their brand as a leader. That, arguably, is advertising, as the article is being placed and promoted on the various platforms for readers to find, notice, and read. This seems all too similar to creating a print ad and placing it in various publications for buyers to find, notice and react. Blogs, we know, are only one part of social media marketing but this is not where the similarities end.

Traditional advertising invites and welcomes people to their brick and mortar or online store to buy what is advertised, in addition to encouraging the consumer to see what else they have to offer. Social Media Marketing is about creating profiles on the various platforms to also invite and welcome people to learn about who you are and what you have to offer.

There is a difference, though. Social media provides an opportunity to interact, where that opportunity does not typically exist with traditional advertising.

So can the two media peacefully co-exist? Absolutely, provided both are done strategically and with the understanding that they are two very different tools that work beautifully in tandem, but not in place of each other.

Let’s be honest – time is precious and we can’t spend as much time on social media as we’d like to, especially if we want these marketing tools to work. The key, like anything, is organization and setting priorities so you optimize your time spent. How should you prioritize? Here is a list of factors to consider.

Periodically review your RSS feeds. It’s so easy with all the tools out there to subscribe to something you think might have value long term, but suddenly realize that you can get the same information somewhere else, plus some of the original article/topics that got you to subscribe in the first place come infrequently. Purge some of these that are not as relevant as I once thought.

Focus on your niche. There is so much info on the Internet that it could easily overwhelm you. Instead, focus on your core markets/interests and spend more time on those trusted sites.

Monitor your time. While your time is limited, it seems as though everyone is asking you to do more and more. The Internet can easily suck you in and, despite your intentions, you’ve wasted hours instead of minutes. Be aware of your time and use it wisely.

Skimming is Essential. As much as you would love to be all things to all people, truthfully, you cannot. There simply is not enough time in the day to read everything, so you need to master the art of skimming articles quickly to see if they are really what you’re looking for. Yin 30 seconds, you should be able to skim an article and determine whether or not it’s of interest to you.

Who’s watching/reading you? If you blog, there are metrics in place that allow you to monitor views. Look at these periodically and focus your efforts on those topics where you’re getting the most action.