A ‘tweet’, ‘post’, ‘comment’ or ‘like’ – you may have come across these words in the internet, on the news, or probably even hear some people talking about it. To those who still are in the dark and have no clue what these words mean then hear me out.
The words stated above are part of the tools and activities done in social media marketing. Such words are part of many platforms that help businesses grow and reach out to customers.
Basically, social media marketing is the latest addition to an organization’s integrated marketing communications plans. It involves advertising, public relations, personal selling, publicity, direct marketing and sales promotion. All of these are geared towards helping an organization or business grow and expand.
Back in the days before web 2.0 was developed and social media marketing was still building its grass roots, advertisements in the internet mainly comprised of annoying pop-ups and glaring texts that somehow failed to appeal to potential customers.
Now, internet advertisements are improved and made to target a specific range of potential customers rather than just openly exposed to all.
Social media marketing is a tool that makes use of the best form of marketing and that is – “word of mouth” where a product or service is advertised not by the company itself but through genuine customer opinions.
Aside from advertisements, social media is also used by organizations in building rapport through genuine customer service. Another is by tapping on to resources to broadcast updates and announcements to the public. Giving the public a ‘behind-the-scenes’ look into an organization can also be a feature used in social media marketing where it enables people to have a closer look at a certain organization. Having people feel and know for themselves what such organization is helps the image of the group and therefore adds to building a great reflection for the company.
Among the top platforms in social media marketing are the following:
- Youtube
- MySpace
- Tumblr
- And many more…
These sites are avenues for building a good public image for a certain group, organization, or company.
Also, with the advent of highly developed technology and the internet, businesses can tap into such sites and many other options to create and improve the business’ visibility. With search engines like Google and Yahoo, businesses will be racing towards getting their companies on the front and first page of the search results.
With the right strategic goals and effective social media marketing techniques, your organization will grow even further expanding your business to new horizons.