Social media marketing 'a long-term exercise'

Making use of social networking in order to spread brand awareness to key audiences should not be viewed as a one-off marketing exercise, an expert has asserted.

Reggie Bradford, chief executive officer of social marketing firm Vitrue, made his comments in an article for Adotas, an advertising resource.

He claimed that social media marketing must be "fully integrated" into the marketing mix as it is more than a brief fad.

"Social media builds long-term assets for your brand while simultaneously centralising and empowering your brand advocates - who will be anxiously waiting to see what you roll out next," Mr Bradford explained.

However, he warned marketers to ensure they constantly maintained their social media efforts, noting that if fans cannot access the online community they will lose attention and loyalty.

Internet statistics resource JupiterResearch commented last year that many advertisers have launched viral campaigns in order to target Web 2.0 facilities such as social networks.