Social media (SM) is the term commonly given to
Internet and mobile-based channels that allow users to interact with
each other and share opinions and content. It involves the building of networks
and encouraging participation and engagement (CIPR,
2013:3). 93% of marketers use social media for business (Cooper, 2013). Some of the most popular social media networks are
facebook, twitter and instagram – these platforms are ideal for gaining website traffic and attention for many
companies as they focus their efforts on creating content that attracts
attention and encourages readers to share the content across social networks.
There are many marketing techniques
associated with this platform – SM Targeting
being one. This is where a company finds individuals on social media
platforms and engage them about their services. For example some company’s
find and tweet people on Twitter based on their description or keyword
tweets. Another effective technique is SM Brand
Management as it relates to the social aspect of social
media; engaging your target audience, making ‘friends’ with them and creating
value for them. A brand can essentially build popularity and trust. If done
well, SM Brand management can encourage consumers to view the brand in a
positive light so when they need their product or services, they will buy it
from them as opposed to a random company. This also helps to inspire positive
word of mouth. Marketing gamification is an interesting SM marketing technique which involves indirect promotion of a product or service. This technique includes creating viral content such as
a viral video, hosting a competition, or creating a novel site to grab the attention of consumers’ (Chou, 2012).
Social media has many platforms that can reach
customers that traditional marketing may miss. The personal aspect of social
media is key to building relationships with customers and understanding the
wants and needs through the ability to comment and have dialogue with them. Another big benefit to using most social media sites is the
costs - setting up the profiles and using the sites are free, however running a
social media site for an organisation is time consuming due to the constant
need to update as well as hiring a team to manage the SM accounts. For networks
such as Facebook, the fastest growing demographic is the 55-64 age group,
meaning that social media is not just a way of connecting with younger
customers it is growing into a fast way of connecting with people of all
ages. The ease of using social media on mobiles and computers means that it’s
one of the fastest and personable ways of reaching customers. SM platforms also
allow for people to share content that interests them with people on their
personal pages – leading to thousands of re-posts and a bigger buzz. Increased
brand recognition, Improved brand loyalty, opportunities to convert, and a richer customer experience(DeMers, 2014), are great justifications for using SM in marketing.
There are, however, a few negative aspects to using
social media as a marketing platform other than it being time consuming, if
your brand is not well known it can take quite a long time to build a large
connection on social media. As social media is all very public there is a large
risk of negative comments, these comments are difficult to manage and do
increase the ability to loose control of the social media platforms however
well managed and screened social media accounts that are specific to the
desired customer should avoid a large negative reaction. The use of social media although time consuming does
show that it can build on a brand a more personable and intimate customer
relation as well as being a fast and direct way of getting sales, offers and
fresh information to the customer.
A good example of how SM has been used is in the Always’
(feminine-hygiene brand) campaign. At the core of ‘Always’ campaign was the
idea of confidence. The brand communicates to women as it promotes an essential
product to help with dealing with their natural, monthly occurrence, but to do
so more confidently. ‘Always’ strive to give women confidence in a society that
is seen to have a habit of causing insecurity amongst women. Stereotypes
attached to women have caused “72% of girls to feel society’s limitations” (Always, 2015). To reach out to
their clientele, ‘Always’ created a social media campaign entitled ‘Like a Girl’.
The campaign consisted of leveraging the hashtag #LikeAGirl and asked women to
tweet the amazing things they do as females. A page was created on the ‘Always’
website to serve as a campaign hub. Furthermore, the campaign consisted of
Public Relations inclusion with the e-influencers and media. Alongside YouTube
video’s, a 60-second version was aired during the 2015 Super Bowl.
A retailer such as Topshop will receive a great return on investment if
they invest in using Social Media as a marketing platform. It allows them to
connect with their audience alongside gaining new clientele; Social Media is
the ability to connect, respond and interact with thousands of people all over
the world with a touch of a button; allowing a business to analyse the
demographic and behaviours of its clientele. Furthermore, those familiar with
platforms such as Twitter and Instagram will be able to use hashtags to their
advantage and allow direct interactions with their audience to improve customer
service. Finally, one of the best advantages to using Social Media is the
affordability of producing brand awareness; In terms of monetary investment, a
small budget can go a long way in creating a campaign. Social Media platforms
are a way of personifying or humanising a company’s brand – this allows people
to relate better with the company’s ideas and receive the messages their trying
to communicate less critically. It also acts as an influence in a consumer’s
decision making process.
