Social media vs. traditional media channels.a complement or a replacement?

[apophthegma]

does modern day social media have the power to overthrow traditional media channels (press,tv,etc.) and replace it, or should social media be considered as a complement to the whole media strategy?I'd love to get your views on the subject.

[LEO CARDENAS]

It depends on the industry doing the marketing. However, traditional media channels are being ignored at a very fast rate. Traditional media like TV Commercials, Magazines, Billboards, Telemarketing, and Yellow Pages are continuously ignored by the consumer. With TV we have the ability to fast forward commercials. With Magazines, more and more users are turning to digital versions that allows them to go directly to articles without having to turn page after page of ads. With Billboards, drivers only pay attention to them if it is a restaurant coming up and we are hungry or a gas station with clean bathrooms. It is hard to remember a billboard an hour later. With Telemarketing, we don't even answer the phone anymore unless we recognize the phone number. We also have the option to block a particular caller, and to top it off, more and more people are getting rid of the "home" phone number because it is being replaced by their cell number. And finally, Yellow Pages.... what are yellow pages?? Just kidding! But seriously, who even has yellow pages anymore. I need to know where anything is I use Google.

With Social Media people are flocking to their favorite brands on Facebook and Twitter. They are signing up to blogs and RSS feeds. The community is basically giving you permission to talk to them, to keep them informed, to keep them entertained. And once you've built that trust, they will support your brand, they will buy from you. Now, if you do decide that social media marketing is the way to go for your business, don't abuse it. As soon as people smell marketing they will run for the hills. Brand yourself as a source of news related to your industry. Write blogs and twitter messages that show your expertise. Participate in forums and truly help other people. Don't do it because it will generate sales for you. Do it because you really want to help. The community will see this and follow you, fan you, email you. They will come to you as long as you keep providing them with content that's relevant and interesting and marketing-free. Inbound Marketing is the way to go, not Outbound Marketing.

I hope this helps!