Social Media Marketing – And Advertising Strategy That Can Help Your Business Grow
Social media marketing is a growing field of online marketing focused on the use of social media sites and platforms to promote a product or service efficiently. Though the terms digital marketing and e-marketing are more prominent in academic circles, social media marketing continues to be more popular among researchers and practitioners. The rise of Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, FourSquare, and other social networking sites has made traditional methods seem obsolete. This has resulted in an increased interest in online marketing strategies that are not driven by commerce. This paper explores some of the emerging trends in online social media marketing.
As discussed above, social media advertising networks continue to grow in size and scope. The most well-known of these networks is Twitter. The scope of this service is immense as it can be used for business as well as personal purposes. Another popular site is LinkedIn, which is designed to help companies connect with individuals. There are also news sites such as CNN and Yahoo! Answers that are increasingly being used for social media marketing purposes.
A key trend in the growth of this market is the increase in focus on user engagement. Users do not want to be subjected to annoying advertisements. For this reason, brands need to ensure that their use of social media marketing effectively will help them create a solid customer base that is willing to invest in the product or service being offered. Brands must ensure that their content is useful and interesting to readers. For instance, if a brand’s product is dog training, the content should be designed in a manner that allows readers to identify with the experiences of real dogs without having to associate the brand with pet dogs.
A final trend arising out of this growing field of online marketing is that of engagement. Brands must engage their audience to ensure that they continue to generate profit. This can be done through the creation of useful information and content, the provision of useful analytics, or the implementation of an engaging social strategy.
To implement a successful social media strategy, all parties involved in the brand must commit to the plan. This includes customers, who must understand the reasons behind the updates, the tone of the posts, and why the content will be helpful to them. Brand management must commit to the schedule, ensuring that the plan will not conflict with other priorities. Social media management must engage with the brand to ensure that the content does not cause a negative reaction in the user community. Once the content is introduced, it should continue to be featured, providing users with valuable content and allowing the brand to grow in a meaningful direction.
Branding on the Internet has never been cheaper, with platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, LinkedIn, and Yelp offering millions of potential new customers every day. Although it has been argued that online advertising strategies are cost-effective, the reality is that some platforms offer a great return on investment. Social Media Marketing is an affordable way to reach the next set of target customers, with no additional advertising investment required. By providing useful information, engaging with users, and providing media value, Social Media Marketing is an advertising strategy that can help a business achieve growth and success. To get started, check out our Social Media Marketing Tips and find out how you can get the most out of your investment in Social Media Marketing.
