9 November, 2013
Social media was always viewed as a form of communicating with others through instant messaging and blogging. It wasn’t until several years ago people started seeing social media as a marketing tool. Social media in marketing is a quick and simple way to share a business’s information such as advertising, and products or services available to consumers. Targeted Advertising is becoming a major role in social media marketing. The large amount of people who use social media is significant for companies to advertise their products and services to. Networking is the biggest factor in marketing through social media. It goes from creating relationships with customers to reaching out to get new customers and how to find these people through social media sites. Newspaper, TV, and radio were the major forms of advertisement in marketing before social media came into play. Now, social media such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumbler, and Pinterest are used for marketing. Today, using social media as a strategy is becoming more effective in marketing than any other tactic. Marketing in social media has created a simple and quick way for business to advertise, show information and products they offer, and display specials or discounts. The easy use of these social media sites such as Twitter, or Facebook, lift a weight off of a business’s shoulders. “To act smartly, marketers need to build in mechanisms to learn quickly. To that end, it may help to look at the trajectory of social- media practice and research and take stock of what we already know—a protocol that will equip us to more effectively deal with the Next Big Thing.” (Romaniuk, 397) What this states is, many businesses are starting to use social media and its effective marketing opportunities. Businesses are also getting ready for what Romaniuk calls “The Next Big Thing”. This next “thing” is the large use of social media in selling, and advertising products or services. The article continues by talking about how social media is an easy to use and smart marketing tool. Many businesses are looking at social media and trying to figure out exactly how to use it because it really has endless opportunities. A small business can reach local customers by creating a Facebook page and addressing what the specials are, what is on sale, or what events or plans the business has. Large businesses and corporations can also create a page on Facebook, or make a Twitter account to post about sales, news, and many other things. Businesses know that “The Next Big Thing” has real potential to take their business to the next level.
Social media is helpful in marketing by providing easy communication with people. Using social media allows a business or person to connect with someone without all the hassle of emails and phone calls. Social media such as Twitter and Facebook can be a game changer for a business because of its ability to now post to the world what specialties, sales, or clearances they are having. Social media can open up connections to other business or potential customers. Many businesses will jump on the opportunity of using social media because it is a simple and quick way for a business to reach out to potential customers. As Bozarth States “Social media has the tools that enable social learning to happen on a large scale and bring increased awareness in a business or workplace.” (Bozarth, 66) Social learning is the process of figuring out how social media works and what all people can do with it. Social learning will help some businesses have the upper hand on businesses that are not as well developed in the usage of social media as a marketing strategy. Businesses who have increased awareness in social media have a higher chance of reaching more consumers than a business that does not. Many businesses will take the time to get involved in social media seeing the high potential that comes with it. “New tools allow us to engage with