Social media marketing is the utilization of various social media channels and websites for the promotion of a product or service. While the traditional terms such as digital advertising and e-advertising are now well established in academic circles, social media marketing continues to become more popular for researchers and practitioners alike. This form of marketing has become highly popular on the Internet since the creation of Facebook and Twitter. These two sites have become the primary sources of interaction for many consumers. Facebook and Twitter are mainly used as tools for socialization; however, they also serve as a vehicle for marketing and sales.
There are various strategies that are implemented by companies and social media agencies when it comes to promoting their brands. Most companies choose to create content through Facebook and Twitter which are easily accessible to the largest population of users in the world. These platforms make it easier to generate feedback and interact with consumers. The same is true for online advertisements through Google and Yahoo. Advertisements placed on Google and Yahoo display relevant search results based on user inputs. For example, if a user searches for “guitar” then an advertisement for a guitar shop displayed on the right side of the results page will be shown.
Social media marketing also makes use of popular social bookmarking platforms such as StumbleUpon and Digg. Popular sites such as Delicious and Reddit are used for sharing content. These platforms have become the ideal platform for online advertisers because the audience is often very interested in particular topics. This type of marketing strategy is commonly used by businesses to market specific products and services.
Another strategy for online marketers is to use social media marketing campaigns in mobile marketing. Studies have shown that a majority of smartphone users to access the Internet through their cellular phones. Therefore, using social media marketing in a campaign to target the mobile audience is a wise move. To do this, businesses must create a free app that is compatible with the devices and use it to post short ads or create a full website that utilizes mobile features to encourage more visits to the app.
A third strategy is for businesses to utilize video advertisements. A study conducted by Adobe revealed that a video ad runs 10% longer than a text ad. The reason behind this is that people tend to pay more attention to a video ad than they do to a text advertisement. YouTube is one of the most visited websites worldwide and therefore a successful social media marketing campaign can be achieved by posting videos that showcase the product, service or offer.
A fourth strategy is for a brand to develop a presence on social media marketing platforms. Some companies have found that it is easiest to build brand awareness when they create a page on these platforms themselves. Others opt to outsource the creation of their page to a creative agency. By choosing this strategy, a brand can ensure that they are getting the most from their social media marketing platform and are building a fan base on these platforms.