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Karen Urquhart
Alex Bal
MPM 107
November 6, 2012
Social Media Marketing
Every era challenges pre-existing notions to bring forth innovative and original
concepts, either by redefining current inventions or capturing attention with new and
fresh ideas. Change is not always a friendly welcome in strategic approaches as it
challenges theories that have already been established, but it can certainly lead to a
colossal breakthrough. As many companies begin to understand the importance of the
Internet as a main component of their communications and interactive platforms, the
notion of attempting alternate marketing strategies is one to be greatly considered within
the corporate world. By taking traditional forms of marketing and improving upon them
with new media such as social networking, it has created one of the most successful
marketing strategies to date if done right, which ultimately results in an increase of
clientele and revenue. With social media continuing its rise, it has quickly become one of
the most prevalent promotional methods in today’s modern industry.
As technology further progresses it is only natural that our way of sharing ideas
changes and grows as well. By combining these new technologies with traditional
practices, art forms and concepts, it creates a new interactive learning, communication, or
experiential platform that is also defined as new media. These platforms engage the
audience in an influential experience that affects one’s lifestyle, views, and opinions.
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Anything that falls under the term “new media” is content that interacts with the public in
order to communicate, learn, and draw interest. New media allows new creations to be
accessible anywhere in space, including spaces like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn,
YouTube, Flickr and more, which are also known as social media websites.
Although social media started off with the mission of making the world more
open and connected it has evolved into so much more. “Social media refers to activities,
practices, and behaviours, among communities of people who gather online to share
information knowledge, and opinions using conversational media.” (Brake, Safako 6).
The ability to share information, and conduct conversation online not only increases the
potential for individuals to connect socially but business owners alike to develop
professional contacts. Just as people use social media to connect with family or friends,
many companies use social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter as a part of a
marketing campaign to help identify their target market so they are able to generate more
clientele resulting in an increase in sales. Social Media has become a platform that is
accessible to virtually anyone that owns a computer, or even a cell phone. With this
opportunity for increased communication, businesses are able to create a recognizable
brand name. Although older strategies have been proven successful, “…Change has
caught up with our traditionally successful marketing approaches and tossed them out the
window.” (Kahan 21).
To better understand the progression of marketing, it is essential to understand the
beginnings of it. Traditional marketing is any type of marketing or advertising campaign
that has been around for years, and has continually been used by companies due to its
proven success rate. Classic examples of this would be print advertising such as
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billboards, flyers, and newspaper ads, as well as television and radio ads. Although
conventional marketing is starting to get overlooked by up and coming technologies, that
is not to say it does not work. Anyone who has access to newspapers, mail, television,
radio, or the outdoors can learn about ones business. Bringing business to the potential
clientele with print advertising, television and radio instead of them having to find it
themselves is certainly an advantage of not using social media. However, the main
problem with Traditional marketing is that many companies don’t understand whom their
prospective clients and/or customers are. Furthermore they do not know how to reach
their potential consumers. The problem is, many businesses try to make their potential
customers like the brand they have created without taking consumer feedback into
consideration.
“The new paradigm is about one-to-one marketing and it's all about understanding
the nature of the person who will ultimately make the purchasing decision. But it's also
about taking the time and effort to uncover other needs, other emotions, other points of
confluence that may lead to more business”. (Kahan 21). By using social media as a
means of one-to-one communication it allows company to get a closer look at what their
consumers are looking for in terms of product and/or service, which will ultimately
increase revenue. With Facebook having 310 million, and Twitter having 22 million
unique daily visitors the opportunity to take advantage of social media as a marketing
tool has never been stronger, and practically essential in today’s society. “Now that so
many people world wide participate in online social networks – 955 million on Facebook
alone – influencing consumers preferences and purchase decisions through these
networks and word of mouth (WOM) is an increasingly important part of every
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marketer’s job.” (Kumar, Mirchandani 55). Businesses can personally develop their own
websites, blogs, and online identity to provide their customers with up-to-date
information on their services and/or products. If a customer is pleased with what they see
and hear through the social networking sites it shows great potential for a company’s
revenue and clientele to significantly increase.
Even though social media has the possibility for immense success in promoting a
business it follows the idea of no risk no reward. To keep new customers intrigued one
must constantly keep webpages, blogs, and other forms of networking up to date as well
as quickly responding to customer questions and comments, which can be difficult to
consistently maintain. However, if you are able to create and uphold a solid relationship
with customers and/or clientele through one on one conversation it will ultimately result
in brand loyalty that will last for years. Unfortunately however, for small or new
businesses in particular marketing can be expensive. Luckily, social media is one of the
few free sources for online marketing and advertising and is simple and efficient to use.
Like many ventures in the corporate world, it is a major gamble when it comes to
investing a company’s time in the practice of social media marketing. There is the off
chance that the online presence of one’s company will immediately become recognizable,
nevertheless it can take up to months or even years before a company will start to see the
results. From the very beginning of an online campaign to when it starts to see success,
the brand that is being promoted will develop a voice and personality if done correctly. If
the company is able to hire one particular person to specifically take care of their online
identity. This person should have a writing style unique to the brand, so it can develop an
intriguing presence and personality. By doing this it will help to draw in the attention of
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set desired target audience. However, an incorrect approach can actually distort a
company’s online ‘voice’. If there is more than one person creating, monitoring, and
controlling blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn etc. this takes away from the
company having a strong character for the public to relate to. By doing this the company
runs the chance of diluting their voice, making it difficult to define a target audience.
It has been made evident that the proper use of social media is a crucial
component of online marketing. When unintentional or clumsy mistakes are made
regarding brand promotions, sales, events, etc. it can result in customer backlash.
Hypothetically this could consequently encourage the public voicing their negative
opinions and concerns about the company or brand. These comments can damage or in
worst case scenario even destroy a brands reputation. Mistakes can happen
unintentionally, and if this is the case social networking can actually help with damage
control. This is a quick and effective way of releasing apologies and corrections when
necessary, instead of having to wait for a press release. The biggest test when using
social media as a form of marketing is the possibility of losing control of the campaign.
Seeing as social networks are open to the public this means anything a company posts is
open to interpretation and opinion. By leaving this option open, it is possible to lose
control of the message the brand is trying to portray due to the opinions, and criticism
from the public. Even though there are numerous jeopardies involved in this type of
branding, there are several more positives that make it worth the risk.
The social networks are where the mass market of customers is. People of all
ages, race, ethnicity, and backgrounds are a part of social media, and depending on the
brands target audience, that will determine which online sources are best fit for the
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product. After finding where the brands audience lies, the message of your company will
spread almost instantaneously throughout various social networks by the company and
the consumers due to the viral impact of social media and word of mouth. Once word is
out about the business, the media team can begin to gather information and customer
feedback. By asking customers questions the company is able to gain valuable
information on how to improve your products and services to fit the requests of the
consumers. By listening and participating in online conversation you can also learn more
about your customers likes, dislikes, and predispositions. Lastly, being a part of social
media allows companies to quickly and efficiently respond to customers’ questions and
complaints proving the competence of its customer service skills, which will leave a
positive impression.
In some cases, there are certain methods that some companies practice that do not
necessarily follow a moral compass, and in some situations are illegal. If a company is
paying money to a person or persons involved in social media to help spread positive
word of their brand, the information must be available to the public. If the information is
not released, this is referred to as unreported endorsements and is a violation of the
Federal Trade Commission Act. In opposition, there have been companies who have
turned to social media and took it upon themselves to act as an anonymous ‘consumer’
and positively speak about their own brand. Although commenting incognito is not
illegal, if it is found out and presented to the public it proposes the chance to ruin the
relationships the business has previous formed with loyal consumers ensuing in a loss of
business. Lastly, and as shocking as it may be there are companies that are willing to
compromise their integrity as a brand to save themselves money and in the process
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undermine their devoted customers. According to David Vinjamuri, a professor at New
York University, “The story is familiar – a brand holds an online contest allowing
ordinary consumers to submit copy, designs or even produced commercials. The
company picks a winner, gives prizes and uses the creative in traditional media. The
dirty little secret of User Generated Content is that it’s mostly not your neighborhood
plumber who wins but real creatives: often freelance or unemployed. These are
professionals who should be paid for their work.” There is a thin line between
captivating one’s brands consumers via social networking to find talent and get the brand
better recognized, and actually getting work done for free by professionals. Overall there
are corners that can be cut, and tricks of the trade to attempt to better the company’s
name and save money, however it is the morality and integrity of the brand that will
maintain a strong and loyal brand-consumer relationship.
Overall, as technology progresses and the the importance of the Internet becomes
more evident to business owners, the platform of social media as a marketing strategy
should gain a title of significance when promoting a brand whether it be a product or a
service. By creating new, and innovative ways of marketing by combing tradition and
modern methods such as social media, it gives both small and large companies alike the
opportunity to personally produce their own identity online. These online profiles will
provide their consumers with up-to-date information on their services and products. If
approached correctly and the proper techniques are followed social media marketing
proves to be successful resulting in an increase of revenue and clientele. Although there
are risks involved in marketing with social media, the continual growth of social
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networking sites and success in online marketing campaigns proves that the risk is worth
the reward.
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