Social media
marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote a
product or service. Most of these social media platforms have their own
built-in data analytics tools, which enable companies to track the progress,
success, and engagement of ad campaigns. Companies address a range stakeholders
through social media marketing including current and potential customers,
current and potential employees, journalists, bloggers, and the general public.
On a strategic level, social media marketing includes the management of the
implementation of a marketing campaign, governance, setting the scope (e.g.
more active or passive use) and the establishment of a firm's desired social
media "culture" and "tone". To use social media
effectively, firms should learn to allow customers and Internet users to post
user-generated content (e.g., online comments, product reviews, etc.), also
known as "earned media", rather than use marketer-prepared
advertising copy. While social media marketing is often associated with companies,
as of 2016, a range of not-for-profit organizations and government
organizations are engaging in social media marketing of their programs or
services.
Social networking websites are based on building virtual
communities that allow consumers to express their needs, wants and values,
online. Social media marketing then connects these consumers and audiences to
businesses that share the same needs, wants, and values. Through social
networking sites, companies can keep in touch with individual followers. This
personal interaction can instill a feeling of loyalty into followers and
potential customers. Also, by choosing whom to follow on these sites, products
can reach a very narrow target audience. Social networking sites also include
much information about what products and services prospective clients might be
interested in. Through the use of new semantic analysis technologies, marketers
can detect buying signals, such as content shared by people and questions
posted online. An understanding of buying signals can help sales people target
relevant prospects and marketers run micro-targeted campaigns.
To integrate social networks into their marketing
strategies, companies have to develop a marketing model. In a marketing model
(SNeM2S) based on social networks is provided. The model includes the following
steps:
• Selection
of the potential social networks to use;
• Setting
out a financial plan (regarding hiring social media brand managers or
consultants);
• Designing
or modifying organizational structures to manage the social network in the
companies' market (this may involve adding a social media unit to an existing
marketing branch or creating a new social media branch);
• Selection
of target market(s);
• Selection
of the products, services, brand(s) or company messages which will be promoted;
• Performance
measures for the social media strategy such as evaluation, data analytics, etc.
In 2014, over 80% of business executives identified social
media as an integral part of their business. Business retailers have seen 133%
increases in their revenues from social media marketing
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