SH.

LAL NATH HINDU COLLEGE, ROHTAK

PROJECT FILE
OF
‘’Social media marketing’’
Subject: Contemporary Issues in Commerce

(B.COM HONS. 5TH SEMESTER)

(SESSION 2021-2022)

Under the guidance of:

Miss.. RIYA WADHWA
(Assistant professor of department of commerce)
Submitted by:
Tanishq
College Roll No-1564
University Roll No:-
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

In the accomplishment of this project successfully, many people have best

owned upon me their blessings and heart pledged support, this time I am
utilizing to thank all the people who have been concerned with this project.

Primarily I would thank god for being able to complete this project with
success. Then I would like to thank my principal
Mrs. Rashmi Chabbara and my teacher Miss. Riya Wadhwa, whose valuable
guidance has been the ones that helped me patch this project and make it full
proof success. Her suggestions and her instructions have served as the major
contributor towards the completion of the project.

Then I would like to thank my parents and my classmates who have helped me
with their valuable suggestions and guidance has been very helpful in various
phases of the completion of this project.

Tanishq
B.COM HONS
Final year
 CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that this project has beenmade by Tanishq of
B.COM HONS 3rd year of Contemporary issue in commerce on
E-MARKETING under my guidance and have been completed
successfully.

Miss.Riya Wadhwa (Assistant

Professor in department Of commerce)
SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING:-
INTRODUCTION:-
Using the internet, social media, mobile apps, and other digital communication
technologies has become part of billions of people’s daily lives. For instance, the current
number of internet users in India is about 323 Million and around 3.2 Billion on this planet.
Younger people—the next generation of mass consumers—have similarly high levels.
People also spend increasing time online.
For example, in the India, over the last decade the number of hours spent online by people has more than
doubled, and now averages 20.5 hours per week. Social media has fuelled part of this growth: worldwide
there are now more than 2.46 billion people using social media, and Facebook alone now has
approximately 1 billion active users per day. Clearly, people are exposing themselves to more and more
digital and social media.
This is for many purposes, including in their roles as consumers as they search for information about
products, purchase and consume them, and communicate with others about their experiences. Marketers
have responded to this fundamental shift by increasing their use of digital marketing channels. In fact, by
2017 approximately one-third of global advertising spending is forecast to be in digital channels.

Thus, future consumer marketing will largely be carried out in digital settings, particularly social media
and mobile. It is therefore necessary for consumer research to examine and understand consumer behaviour
in digital environments. This has been happening over the last decade, with increasing amounts of research
focusing on digital consumer behaviour issues.

This has been happening over the last decade, with increasing amounts of research focusing on digital
consumer behaviour issues. The literature is still relatively nascent, however, and more research is of
course needed— particularly given the ever-changing nature of the digital/social media/mobile
environments in which consumers are situated and interact with brands and each other.

Clearly, people are exposing themselves to more and more digital and social media. This is for many
purposes, including in their roles as consumers as they search for information about products,1 purchase
and consume them, and communicate with others about their
experiences. Marketers have responded to this fundamental shift by increasing their use of digital
marketing channels. In fact, by 2017 approximately one-third of global advertising spending is forecast to
be in digital channels. Thus, future consumer marketing will largely be carried out in digital settings,
particularly social media and mobile. It is therefore necessary for consumer research to examine and
understand consumer behaviour in digital environments.

Consumer digital culture research considers, quite deeply, the digital environments in which consumers
aresituated. A key aspect of this work has been understanding how 5 consumers’ identities and self-
concepts extend into digital worlds, such as work by Belk. Belk extended his prior work on the “extended
self” to incorporate the digital environments in which consumers now situate themselves, which is an
important piece of theory development because it considers concepts such as the ability for consumers to
have multiple selves due to possessing multiple online “personas.” Belk also suggests many areas for
future research. Other research under this theme looked at more specific phenomena.

Mc Quarrieetal focused on fashion blogging as a means of documenting the “megaphone effect,” which is
the ability for regular consumers to access large audiences through digital/social media. This is an
important effect and they discussed how bloggers go about building audiences and accumulating social (or
cultural) capital through demonstrations of “good taste.” In a social media setting this essentially means
that a blogger (or “influencer”) makes recommendations that signal her expertise to others. This is in a
specific setting, but has implications for understanding consumers’ content-generation behaviours on social
media more generally, since signalling positive personal attributes is likely a common motivation for
posting certain things on sites like Facebook.

Together, these articles make an important conceptual contribution around how we see consumers in a

digital world, particularly by implying an expanded conception of what it is to be a consumer in today’s

digital world.Digital advertising is a major topic in the marketing literature and, with respect to consumer
behaviour, considers how consumers respond to various aspects of digital ads. A number of recent articles
considered behavioural aspects of digital advertising from various perspectives. One interesting
perspective taken in a few articles was based around how 6 to overcome (assumed) psychological
reactance due to personalization of digital ad targeting.

The consumers of internet in the present times are widely spread in all over the world and have taken a
growth in many of the sectors. Digital media had provided new way of communication to engage the
consumer in different business sector. Various Online tools are also increasing on rapid rate to reach new
customers. It has been observed by many companies who get more interactive and becomes famous on
social media. This results on their business rapid growth. It has been reported in 2010, Face book have
nearly about 400 millions of users.

There are 1.5 million users who belong to the business sector. The organisation requires being well aware
about the platforms from where they could approach large number of customers and spread their
information among them. Some of the companies like- Dell, Samsung, Sony, etc. have experienced the
increment of sales while using social media (Tuten and Solomon, 2014). In last year of February, Sony
announced on a social site i.e. Twitter, that they had gain extra $1.6 million.

After in June month Dell Company also experienced the direct connection to the customer and it increases
the overall growth of the 4 business. It generates a question that whether social media is best for highly
reputed brand, or it is helpful for smaller brands. In 2009, social media gave the answer by a so-called
example of a very small shoe company situated at Canada.

The company’s name was John Fluevog Boots and Shoes which analysed their sales increment by 40
percent after starting advertisement on social media and becomes well known brand. Social media is new
research for marketing but still some research is there. Social media offers various strategies to manage
above explained phenomenon. The strategies offered by them are recommended in nature and lack
experimental in support.

Meaning of social media

 Social media is an internet-based form of communication. Social media platforms allow users to have
conversations, share information and create web content. There are many forms of social media, including
blogs, micro-blogs, wikis, social networking sites, photo- sharing sites, instant messaging, video-sharing
sites, podcasts, widgets, virtual worlds, and more.

The Benefits of using social media:-

Billions of people around the world use social media to share information and make connections. On a
personal level, social media allows you to communicate with friends and family, learn new things, develop
your interests, and be entertained. On a professional level, you can use social media to broaden your
knowledge in a particular field and build your professional network by connecting with other professionals
in your industry. At the company level, social media allows you to have a conversation with your audience,
gain customer feedback, and elevate your brand.

Social networking services can provide an accessible and powerful toolkit for highlighting and acting on
issues and causes that affect and interest young people. Social networking services can be used for
organising activities, events, or groups to showcase issues and opinions and make a wider audience aware
of them.
Social media gives you an opportunity to talk about what you know and what you want to be known for.
Sharing your expertise will attract potential professional and personal connections. Learn how to present
your professional experience, achievements and results and you will get more and more opportunities to
connect with like-minded people.

Another aspect of social media that fuels its importance amongst businesses and content creators is the
option to look into the insights. Hence, business and content accounts can analyze their posts and
understand which post gained the most popularity and why - and how they can improve their feed. On
Instagram, there is an option for post insights for professional accounts - where one can see which posts
got the most saves, likes, or reaches.

HISTORY
HISTORY OF SOCIAL MEDIA: HOW DID SOCIAL MEDIA BEGIN?

Like any other phenomenon, social media began somewhere, too. Here are some details about the
beginning of social media.

WHEN DID SOCIAL MEDIA FIRST START?

Based on our definition of social media, the first one was created in 1997.

However, there was something called the PLATO system which was created in 1973 at the University of
Illinois. It was supposed to help students chat and share notes and screens online. But since it doesn’t meet
some of our criteria for being a social media, we don’t consider it as the first social media.
SO, WHAT WAS THE FIRST SOCIAL MEDIA?

Six degrees was the first online social media. The name points to the “six degrees of separation” theory,
which claims that “everyone in the world is connected to everyone else by no more than six degrees of
separation”.

Birth of Modern Social Media:-

The turn of the new millennium ushered in a new era for the growth of social media. It started with the
launch of LunarStorm, the first social networking website financed by advertisement.

This success of this strategy is regarded as the reason for the social media boom of the 2000s as more
developers got creative to get their share of the advertisement pie. By 2007, LunarStorm had grown to 1.2
million members made up of teenagers, but it was shut down in 2010.
Photo sharing platforms came into the discussion with the launch of Flickr and Photobucket in 2003.
YouTube swiftly followed in 2005, and for the first time, users could share all kinds of media with users
around the world. Reddit is another powerhouse that was launched in 2005.
At this stage, marketers were beginning to see the potential in social media marketing, but since many
businesses were still dealing with the dot com bubble burst, they mostly took a wait-and-see stance.
Additionally, since most of these platforms were still in their infancy, they still didn’t have the pull to
justify any marketing spend.

The Arrival:-

For many, 2006 was the arrival of social media. It was the year that told everyone that social media is a
serious business, and is here to stay. Apart from Google acquiring YouTube for
$1.65billion, Facebook and Twitter joined the party, and things escalated pretty quickly from there.
Facebook quickly grew to become the third most visited platform on the web.

Twitter hasn’t quite grown at the same pace as Facebook, but it changed the social media landscape by
removing boundaries. Before now, your social media content could only go as far as your immediate circle,
but with Twitter, a single post can draw interactions from millions of people around the world. Also, the
platform allowed users to interact with brands and celebrities in a manner that was never heard of before.
By this time, businesses have fully become aware of the positive effects of having an active presence on
social media. E-commerce brands caught on first, but today, all kinds of businesses have social media
strategies.

The Present:-
Today, the vast majority of marketers agree that a social media strategy is valuable. Savvy businesses use
social media marketing in different ways, including lead generation, customer acquisition, branding,
customer retention, competitor analysis and more.
Social media marketing today is also highly cost-effective as it is three times less expensive than
traditional channels.

Brands are also using social media to improve customer service. For example, a study showed that 83% of
customers that received a reply to a complaint on Twitter liked the fact that they got the attention of the
brand. Unfortunately, only less than 30% of businesses on social media react to complaints at all.
With 2.3 billion people on social media today, it is no surprise that the importance of social media
marketing continues to grow. 97% of all adults aged 16-64 will use a social platform this month. More than
1.6 billion people will log into Facebook today. Brands now have the perfect environment for most digital
marketing strategies to thrive.
Social media marketing can also have a positive effect on other channels, such as search marketing. This is
because your social media marketing efforts can be the push your SEO campaign needs.
58% of marketers with a social media strategy that is at least a year old have reported improvements in
their search rankings.
The Social Ecosystem Today:-
The growth of social media didn’t end with Facebook and Twitter. Other platforms have

entered the fray since then, and the dominant platforms haven’t been static either. One of the biggest
changes we have seen in recent times is the popularity of live streaming. With the launch of YouTube
Live, Instagram Live, Facebook Live, Periscope and other such platforms, brands can now give their target
audience real-time content.
Secondly, we have seen the rise (and fall) of influencer marketing. At its peak, brands using influencer
marketing found social media users with a large number of followers and got them to talk about their
products and services (usually for a free sample or for a fee). A combination of factors made more brands
to ditch this style of influencer marketing for more targeted micro- influencer marketing.
Micro-influencers typically do not have millions of followers. However, they usually have more targeted
social circles that are relevant to specific brands. So instead of working with an athlete with 1 million
followers on Twitter, brands choose to work with 10-20 unknown users with 20,000 real followers that are
a part of the marketing demographic under focus.

Perhaps most importantly, many top social media platforms now have paid components. Marketers can
reach their target audience by paying for specialized services that are relevant to their business.

With the billions of people on social media today, it is easy to justify paid social media marketing.
Additionally, the rise of analytics has made it easier to keep track of the spending. You get to see at a
glance if your efforts are yielding fruits or if you should adjust your strategy.

The Future:-
The future of social media marketing is exciting. With the rise of disruptive technologies such as Artificial
Intelligence (AI), Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR), social media users are about to get
more immersed in the social experience than ever before.

Virtual reality is shaking up many niches, and social media marketing is no different. It has opened up a
new frontier for marketing, and in the coming years, we will see businesses tweaking their social media
content strategy to account for VR. How long do you think until VR-optimised product videos become
commonplace?

Live streaming, as a part of a social media marketing strategy, is happening already, but we are still far off
from large scale adoption. In the future, more brands will see the benefit of using live streaming to get
across marketing messages.

Recorded videos still work well, but the average social media is more likely to pay attention to a live video
than a recorded marketing message. As more people tune out conventional marketing videos, live
streaming could take over in the future as the best way to generate leads using video. Finally, social
customer service will become more common in the future. As we mentioned above, only less than 30% of
businesses are currently actively using social media to address customer complaints. Granted, many brands
do not have the budget for such service for now. However, in the future, it will be almost unheard of to
ignore customer complaints online. PayPal is one of the best examples of brands showing where social
media customer service is headed. Its customer support feed monitors all brand mentions to resolve all
complaints.

Features:-
 1. Develop a person for your target market:-
The heart of excellent social media marketing is speaking to a target audience with your postings. You'll
also need to construct audience personas unless you already have a good sense of who your target audience
is.

Audience personas are a detailed analysis of your target audience's demographics, including their interests,
fears, desires, and habits Consider the following example of an audience persona:Take note of how the
persona describes the person's objectives and obstacles.Knowing who your target audience is will help you
choose social media channels in the future. The most important social networks for teens and young adults

• Instagram is a social media platform that allows (32 percent )

• Twitter is a social media platform that allows (24 percent )

• Facebook is a social media platform that allows (14 percent )

• Snapchat is a social media platform that allows (13 percent )

1. Setting goals and objectives:-

You'll need to set important goals for your social media marketing efforts once you've figured out who
your target audience is. What exactly do you want to accomplish with your strategy?

The following are the primary objectives of most SMB social media marketing programs:

• Increasing brand recognition (74 percent )

• Increasing visitors to your website (53 percent )

• generation of leads (41 percent )

 Whatever objectives you set, they must be compatible with a variety of indicators that can be used to assess
your progress in the future.

You won't be able to analyze ROI and identify if your efforts are genuinely productive unless you have
goals and accompanying measurements.

2. Creating a budget:-

After you've determined your goals, you'll need to determine how much money you'll need to spend on
your social media marketing campaign.In the next five years, the percentage of overall marketing budgets
committed to social media is predicted to rise from around 10% to roughly 25%.Many things will influence
how much of your budget you devote to social media. Perhaps you'll need higher-ups' approval, or perhaps
your budget is limited because you're a tiny business.
Itemizing your possible expenses will show you (or your supervisor) exactly where your money is going.

You'll need enough money to invest in the following:

• Content for your campaign

• Paid social media marketing

• Management tools for social media

• Initiatives to engage the community

• Analytical software

3.Recruiting and forming teams:-

While building a social media strategy is more challenging for small firms, enterprise corporations also
have substantial obstacles in acquiring enough internal resources to make it happen, according to Simply
Measured. This is likely due to the fact that small businesses are more receptive to the idea of using
 freelancers to help them develop their workforce.

The most important decision you'll make here is whether you'll manage your social media marketing plan
internally or outsource it. You might use a combination of the two.On Upwork or Guru, it's simple to hire
freelancers to handle your social media accounts. Finding someone who can create social campaigns that
speak to your target demographic,on the other hand, is a more difficult challenge.Some of your social
media marketing duties will be aided by the usage of tools;

for example, PicMonkey and Canva are picture editing applications that you may use to create visual
social media posts:Tools for automating social media Networking Schedule your social posts to go out at
the best times using Hootsuite, Buffer, or another platform. They'll also assist you in analyzing your
findings.

1. Research:-

Now that you know who will run your campaigns and what tools they will use to do so, it's time to do some
research:What is the content of your campaign (what resonates with your target audience?)

 Your approach for posting

 Your social media efforts will most likely include a mix of your own original content and content
from others.

 You'll need to put in some effort to identify appropriate blog posts, memes, and other social stuff to share for
this.

 You can do this by using a program like Buzzsumo or by following relevant social groups and lists.

2. Selecting a platform:-

Did you know that the typical person has five social media accounts?You'll want to reach out to your
audience on a variety of platforms if you want to properly target them, but you shouldn't plan on being
present on every single one. Because your time and resources are limited, you don't want to overextend
yourself.
Select your platforms carefully because a social profile that hasn't been updated in six months appears less
professional than having no social profile at all.

Consider the purpose of each platform and how it connects to your business objectives – Facebook, for
example, is fantastic for brand loyalty, whilst LinkedIn is better for B2B business development. You
should also consider the demographics of your target audience while deciding which platforms are the
most beneficial.

4.Analytical tracking:-
One of the most significant things you can do to improve your social media marketing approach over time
is to track analytics. Tracking analytics allows you to see what kind of content and promotion techniques
work, as well as which ones don't, so you can change and improve.

So, how can you know if your campaigns are a success? While 80 percent of marketers evaluate
performance based on engagement metrics (likes and shares), 56 percent judge social media marketing
success based on website traffic. It's possible that you'll want to combine the two - The metrics you focus
on will be related to your objectives (raising awareness might better align with social metrics, while
referral traffic is a better indicator of sales).

5.Sponsored Content:-
With so much of today’s daily routine involving the use of mobile devices and the internet, it is important
to make sure that you are reaching audiences on these platforms. One way you may have chosen to do so is
create a business webpage for your business. However, simply putting up a site is usually not enough to
start drawing in customers, because you need a way to let people know that you exist. There are many
ways to utilize various forms of online marketing, most of which you should be able to get in an all in one
digital marketing platform. One of the main focuses may be social media, because that is where most
people will likely spend their free time browsing on the internet. Here are some ways to use social media
for successful online marketing.
6.Use many platforms:-
One of the first things you may want to think about is using multiple social media platforms in your
networking. With so many options out there, you are likely to find some people who like one form of
social media over another. For example, there are some people who prefer the layout of Facebook and may
not know how some of the others work. However, you may meet some people who really enjoy Instagram
or Pinterest instead. Getting established on all of these sites and knowing how to properly use them can
make it easier to reach a wide variety of audiences.

7.Daily updates:-
Another important part of properly using social media as a digital marketing platform is making sure that
you are keeping it updated. This should be true of your main website as well as all of your social media
pages. If you are not producing new content, your page will look stale and you will likely lose some
followers. However, if you are constantly posting something new, you are likely to reach your audience
more often on their homepages, and they will likely stay engaged. However, keep in mind that the quality
of the post matters just as much as, if not more than, how often you post something.

8.Interesting and diverse content:-

When you are running social media sites dedicated to marketing your business, it may seem like the
content should be related to the products or services you are providing. However, nobody is going to want
to follow a page that does nothing but advertise to you. Therefore, it is important to find engaging posts
you can update on a daily basis that do more than just self-promote. For example, if your page is to
promote an animal clinic, you may post
pictures of some of the animals you see or share other people’s cute content that is animal related. This
gives people a reason to keep up with your page without feeling like you are just trying to get them to buy
something.Something else you may do is post work-in- progress posts on your pages, if you are selling
something that you make by hand. This can
give people some insight on what it is that you do and what your process is, and it’s a way to show people
some up-and-coming products without making it feel like advertising. Be sure to take pride in your work
and show it off to your viewers.
9.Viewer engagement:-
When it comes to getting your viewers engaged in what you are posting on your social media, it is
important to engage back with them as well. When you have people posting to your social media or
commenting on something you have posted on your page, make sure you show that you are paying
attention by responding back to it or even just giving it a thumbs up. This is especially important if you are
getting reviews on your social media, because you want to make sure you are responding to both positive
and negative reviews, so people see that you do care about the image of your business.

There are other ways to engage your audience as well. For example, instead of just posting some content,
you may put something in the description asking what people think about what they are seeing, or some
other kind of opinion-based post so that people are encouraged to reply. You can also post the occasional
giveaway to get more people to respond and even share your page so that others can be drawn to your
social media accounts.

10.Link back to your webpage:-

Once you get your webpage up and running, including the best in website design, it is important to use
your social media accounts to draw people to your actual business page. Some people are able to do
business directly from their social media page and in messages, but you should be trying to get a webpage
up and running as well to allow people to look for answers to any questions they may have. It may also be
easier to run an online store on a website instead of through social media.

You can easily link back to your webpage from several social media sites by listing the link in your
“about” section Some social media platforms even allow business pages to have a button that links to their
online store, making for even easier browsing experience by your customers. Getting the link out involves
not only engaging from your own page but also engaging similar pages from your own business pages to
increase your exposure throughout social media. For example, if you are on Twitter and you reply to
someone with a lot of followers, some of the followers may check out your page once they see you.

MEANING OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Social media marketing refers to the process of gaining traffic, or attention through social media sites.
Social media itself is a catch-all term for sites that may provide radically different social actions. For
instance, Twitter is a social site designed to let people share short messages or "updates" with others.
Facebook, in contrast is a full-blown social networking site that allows for sharing updates, photos, joining
events and a variety of other activities.
Social media marketing is the process of gaining website traffic or attention through social media sites.
Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create
content that attracts attention and encourages readers to snare it across their social networks. The resulting
electronic word of mouth (eWoM) refers to any statement consumers share via the Internet (e.g., web sites,
social networks, instant messages, news feeds) about an event, product, service, brand or company,
especially on social media platforms. When the

underlying message spreads from user to user and presumably resonates because it appears to come from a
trusted, third-party source, as opposed to the brand or company itself, this form cf marketing results in
 earned media rather than paid media.
Social media marketing (SMM) is a form of internet marketing that utilizes social networking websites as a
marketing tool. The goal of SIM is to produce content that users will share with their social network to
help a company increase brand exposure and broaden customer reach.
One of the key components of SMM is social media optimization (SMO). Like search engine optimization
(SEO), SMO is a strategy for drawing new and unique visitors to a
website. SMO can be done two ways: adding social media links to content, such as RSS feeds and sharing
buttons or promoting activity through social media by updating statuses or tweets, or blog posts. SMM
helps a company get direct feedback from customers (and potential customers) while making the company
seem more personable. The interactive parts of social media give customers the opportunity to ask
questions or voice complaints and feel they are being heard. This aspect of MM is called social customer
relationship management.

SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING AT MARKETING LAND

Marketing Land is the sister site to Search Engine Land that covers all facets of internet marketing,
including these popular topics within social media marketing
Facebook Google+ Instagram Linkedin Twitter YouTube Pinterest
STRATEGIES FOR SOCIAL MEDIA AS MARKETING TOOLS
There are two basic strategies for engaging the social media as marketing tools : 1. The passive approach
Social media can be a useful source of market information and customer voice. Blogs, content
communities, and forums are platforms where individuals share their reviews and recommendations of
brands, products, and services. Businesses are able to tap and analyze the cistomer voice generated in
social media for marketing purposes; in this sense the social media is an inexpensive source of market
intelligence which can be used by marketers to track problems and market opportunities. For example, the
internet erupted with videos and pictures of iPhone 6 bend test which showed that the coveted phone would
bend merely by hand.

The so-called "bend gate" controversy created confusion amongst customers who had waited months for
the launch of the latest rendition of the iPhone. However, Apple promptly issued a statement saying that
the problem was extremely rare and that the company had taken several steps to make the mobile device
robust. Unlike traditional market research methods such as surveys, focus groups and data mining which
are time-consuming and costly, marketers can now utilize social media to obtain "live' information about
consumer behaviour. This can be extremely useful in a highly dynamic market structure in which we now
live.
2. The active approach
Social media can be used not only as public relations and direct marketing tools but

also as communication channels (targeting specific audiences with social media influencers) and as
customer engagement tools. Facebook and Linkedin are leading social media
platferms where users can hyper target their ads. Hyper targeting not only uses public profile information
but also information users submit but hide from others. There are several examples of firms initiating some
form of online dialog with the public to foster relations.

blogs, encouraging customers to interact and freely express their feelings, ideas, suggestions or remarks
about their postings, the company or its products". Using customer influencers (for example popular
bloggers) can be a very efficient and cost-effective method to launch new products or services Narendra
Modi current prime minister of India ranks only second after President Barack Obama in number of fans
on his official Facebook page at 21.8 million and counting. Modi employed social media platforms to
circumvent traditional media
channels to reach wut to the young and urban population of India which is estimated to be 200 million. His
appeal was further buttressed by the recent crowd turnout at Macison square garden.

PURPOSES AND TACTICS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

One of the main purposes in employing Social Media in marketing is as a communications tool that makes
the companies accessible to those interested in their product and makes them visible to those who have no
knowledge of their products. These companies use social media to create buzz, learn from and target
customers. It's the only form of market ng that can finger consumers at each and every stage of the
consumer decision journey. Marketing through social media has other benefits as well. Of the top 10
factors that correlate with a strong Google organic search, seven are social media dependent. This means
that if brands are less or non active on social media, they tend to show up less on Google searches. While
platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Google+ have a larger amount of monthly users, the visual media
sharing based mobile platforms. However, garner a higher interaction rate in comparison and have
registered the fastest growth and have changed the ways in which consumers engage with brand content.
Instagram has an interaction rate of 1.46% with an average of 130 million users monthly as opposed to
Twitter which has a .03% interaction rate with an average of 210 million monthly users. Unlike traditional
media that are often cost- prohibitive to many companies, a social media strategy does not require
astronomical budgeting. To this end, companies make use of platforms such as Facebook, Twitter,
YouTube and Instagram in order to reach audiences much wider than through the use of traditional
print/TV/radio advertisements alone at a fraction of the cost, as most social networking sites can be used at
no cost. This has changed the ways that companies approach
interact with customers, as a substantial percentage of consumer interactions are now being carried out
over online platforms with much higher visibility. Customers can now post reviews of products and
services, rate customer service and ask questions or voice concerns directly to companies through social
media platforms. Thus social media marketing is also used by businesses in order to build relationships of
trust with consumers. To this aim, companies may also hire personnel to specifically handle these social
media interactions, who usually report under the title of online community managers. Handling these
interactions in a satisfactory manner can result in an increase of consumer trust. To both this aim and to fix
the public's perception of a company, 3 steps are taken in order to address consumer concerns, identifying
the extent of the social chatter, engaging the influencers to help, and developing a proportional response.
1.Twitter :-
Twitter allows companies to promote their products in short messages limited to 140 characters which
appear on followers' home pages. Messages can link to the product's Marketing website, Facebook profile,
photos, videos, etc. Twitter is also used by companies to provide customer service. Some companies make
support available 24/7 and answer promptly, thusimproving brand loyalty and appreciation.

2.Facebook
Facebook pages are far more detailed than Twitter accounts. They allow a product to provide videos,
photos, and longer descriptions, and testimonials as other followers can comment on the product pages for
others to see. Facebook can link back to the product's Twitter page as well as send out event reminders. As
of May 2015, 93% of businesses marketers use Facebook to promote their brand. A study from 2011
attributed 84% of "engagement" or clicks to Likes that link back to Facebook advertising. By 2014,
Facebook had restricted the content published from businesses' and brands' pages. Adjustments in
Facebook algorithms have reduced the audience for non-paying business pages (that haye at least 500,000
"Likes") from 16% in 2012 down to 2% in February 2014.

3.Google+
Google+, in addition to providing pages and some features of Facebook, is also able to integrate with the
Google search engine. Other Google products are also integrated, such as Google Ad words and Google
Maps. With the development of Google Personalized Search and other location-based search services,
Google+ allows for targetted advertising methods, navigation services, and other forms of location-based
marketing and promotion. Google+ can also be beneficial for other digital marketing campaigns, as well as
social media marketing. Google+ authorship was known to have a significant benefit on a website's search
engine optimization, before the relationship was removed by Google. Google+ is one of the fastest growing
social media networks and can benefit almost any business.

4.Linkedin
LinkedIn, a professional business-related networking site, allows companies to create professional profiles
for themselves as well as their business to network and meet others. Through the use of widgets, members
can promote their various social networking activities, such as Twitter stream or blog entries of their
product pages, onto their Linkedin profile page.

Linkedln provides its members the opportunity to generate sales leads and business partners. Members can
use "Company Pages" similar to Facebook pages to create an area that will allow business owners to
promote their products or services and be able to interact with their customers. Due to spread of spam mail
sent to job seeker, leading companies prefer touse Linkedin for employee's recruitment instead using
different job portals.

Additionally, companies have voiced a preference for the amount of information that can be gleaned from
LinkedIn profile, versus a limited email.
5. Yelp
Yelp consists of a comprehensive online index of business profiles. Businesses are searchable by location,
similar to Yellow Pages. The website is operational in seven different countries, including the United
States and Canada. Business account holders are allowed to create, share, and edit business profiles. They
may post information such as the business location, contact information, pictures, and service information.
The website further allows individuals to write post reviews about businesses and rate them on a five-point
scale.
Messaging and talk features are further made available for general members of the website, serving to
guide thoughts and opinions.

6. Foursquare
Foursquare is a location based social networking website, where users can check into locations via a
Swarm app on their smart phones. Foursquare aliows businesses to create a page or create a new/claim an
existing venue.

7.Instagram
In May 2014, Instagram had over 200 million users. The user engagement rate of Instagram was 15 times
higher than of Facebook and 25 times higher than that of Twitter. According to Scott Galloway, the
founder of L2 and a professor of marketing at New York University's Stern School of Business, latest
studies estimate that 93% of prestige brands
have an active presence on Instagram and include it in their marketing mix. When it comes to brands and
businesses, Instagram's goal is to help companies to reach their respective audiences through captivating
imagery in a rich, visual environment. Moreover, Instagram provides a platform where user and company
can communicate publicly and directly, making itself an ideal platform for companies to connect with their
current and potential customers.
Many brands are now heavily using this mobile app to boost their visual marketing strategy. Instagram can
be used to gain the necessary momentum needed to capture the
attention of the market segment that has an interest in the product offering or services. As Instagram is
supported by Apple and android system, it can be easily accessed by smart phone users. Moreover, it can
be accessed by internet as well. Thus, the marketers see it as a potential platform to expand their brands
exposure to the public, especially the younger target group. On top of this, marketers do not only use social
media for traditional internet advertising, but they also encourage users to create attention for a certain
brand. This generally creates an opportunity for greater brand exposure. Furthermore, marketers are also
using the platform to drive social shopping and inspire people to collect and share pictures of their favorite
products. Many big names have already jumped on board: Starbucks, MTV. Nike, Marc Jacobs, Red Bull
are a few examples of multinationals that adopted the mobile photo app early.
Instagram has proven itself a powerful platform for marketers to reach their customers

and prospects through sharing pictures and brief messages. According to a study by Simply Measured,
71% of the world's largest brands are now using Instagram as a marketing channel. For companies,
Instagram can be used as a tool to connect and communicate with current and potential customers. The
company can present a more personal picture of their brand, and by doing so the company conveys a better
 and true picture of itself. The idea of Instagram pictures lies on on-the-go, a sense that the event is
happening right now and that adds another layer to the personal and accurate picture of the company.
Another option Instagram provides the opportunity for companies to reflect a true picture of the brand
through the perspective of the customers, for instance, using the user-generated contents thought the hash
tags encouragement.
1. YouTube

YouTube is another popular avenue; advertisements are done in a way to suit the target audience. The type
of language used in the commercials and the ideas used to promote the product reflect the audience's style
and taste. Also, the ads on this platfonn are usually in sync with the content of the video requested; this is
another advantage YouTube brings for advertisers. Certain ads are presented with certain videos since the
content is relevant.
Promotional opportunities such as sponsoring a video is also possible on YouTube. for example, a user
who searches for a YouTube video on dog training may be presented with a sponsored video from a dog
toy company in results along with other videos." YouTube also enable publishers to earn money through its
YouTube Partner Program.
2. Social Bookmarking Sites

Websites such as Delicious, Digg, Slashdot, Digo, Stumbleupon and Reddit are popular social
bookmarking sites used in social media promotion. Each of these sites is
dedicated to the collection, creation, and organization of links to other websites. This process is crowd
sourced, allowing members to sort and prioritize links by relevance and general category. Due to the large
user bases of these websites, any link from one of them to another, smaller website usually results in a
flash crowd. In addition to user generated promotion, these sites also offer advertisements within
individual user communities and categories.
Because ads can be placed in designated communities with a very specific target audience and
demographic, they have far greater potential for traffic generation than ads selected simply through cookie
and browser history. Additionally, some of these websites have also implemented measures to make ads
more relevant to users by allowing users to vote on which ones will be shown on pages they frequent. The
ability to redirect large volumes of web traffic and target specific, relevant audiences makes social
bookmarking sites a valuable asset for social media marketers.
3. Blogs

Platforms like Linkedin create an environment for companies and clients to connect online. Companies that
recognize the need for information, originality, and accessibility employ blogs to make their products
popular and unique, and ultimately reach out to consumers who are privy to social media. Blogs allow a
product or company to provide
longer descriptions of products or services can include testimonials and can link to and from other social
network and blog pages. Blogs can be updated frequently and are promotional techniques for keeping
customers and also for acquiring followers and subscribers who can then be directed to social network
pages.
Online communities can enable a business to reach the clients of other businesses using the platform. To
allow firms to measure their standing in the corporate world, sites enable employees to place evaluations of
their companies. Some businesses opt out of integrating social media platforms into their traditional
marketing regimen. There are also specific marketing techniques
Social media marketing involves the use of social networks, consumer's online brand related activities
(COBRA) and electronic word of mouth (eWOM) to successfully advertise online. Social networks such as
Facebook and Twitter provide advertisers with information about the likes and dislikes of their consumers.
This technique is crucial, as it provides the businesses with a "target audience". With social networks,
information relevant to the user's likes is available to businesses; who then advertise accordingly.
Activities such as uploading a picture of your "New Converse sneakers to Facebook"

are an example of a COBRA. Electronic recommendations and appraisals are a convenient manner to have
a product promoted via consumer-to-consumer. An example of
eWOM would be an online hotel review; the hotel company can have two possible outcomes based on their
service. A good service would result in a positive review which gets the hotel free advertising via social
media; however a poor service will result in a negative consumer review which can potentially harm the
company's reputation.

TOOLS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

 MARKETING TECHNIQUES

1. Stand out from the crowd and the USP:-

There are several products launched every day but not many become household names. If you need to
stand out you need to create good campaigns in the media if it is a mass-market product as a bar of soap,
hair oil, electronic appliance, mobile phone. Without being seen or talked about, there is little chance of the
product or brand succeeding in the marketplace. In order to stand out, every product should have a unique
selling proposition (USP) which should become the core focus of your marketing techniques.

2. Hoardings & Electronic banners:-

Any mass-market product will start to get noticed once they appear in banners and hoardings across cities.
Commuters may only just have a glance at the ads hence it is better to focus more on visuals than words.
The hoardings of S-Cross, the new version of Maruti SX-4 introduced in India in hatchback has an
imposing photo of the car and just these words- S-Cross, The Premium Crossover. It is indeed a hatchback
with the features and power of a sedan. Or that of ACC Cement- Cementing Relationships.

Just as in mass media, hoardings and banners have a mass appeal when displayed across cities and towns
 as the commuting crowd is mixed and belongs to all walks of life. Since hoardings are booked for six
months to a year, frequent commuters are most likely to see them and closely associate the brand, its looks,
and design when they see in retail shops or any point-of-purchase.

3. Public Relations and Media coverage:-

If the product is good or is quite exceptional, it makes sense to announce the launch of the product in
newspapers and TV channels. If the launch is by a celebrity, it makes more new value for the product as
well as the medium. The launch can be announced by the top management in a press meeting which shall
be followed by cocktails and dinner.
The prominent features of the product, company profile, and future plans can be announced in the press
meet which is usually published in the business or market promotion pages of newspapers. The value of a
news item is that it is seen as more credible by readers than an advertisement

4. Events and promotions marketing techniques in social media:-

Events and trade fairs are widely attended by the public, which is perhaps, the right platform to launch and
display new products. Companies that sponsor beauty events, music shows, reality shows, fundraising
events for charity such as cancer care, Alzheimer’s disease, heart care apart from getting good visibility for
brands through hoardings and stage backdrops. According to marketing experts, events are capable of
driving sales as customers need a reason to shop and events create that particular reason. Macy’s
Thanksgiving Day Parade turns out to be a major event that has become part of American culture. It
connects two events that consumers love-thanks giving and shopping.

5. Online and social media promotion:-

No company can ignore online promotion in this digital era when people look for now information about
products on the web and mobile. Websites may give the primary footprint on the web and its mobile site
but social media promotion has become an inevitable marketing technique social media for any
organization as people see the Facebook, Twitter or Google Plus updates first before watching anything
else. Companies havethe option to boot the FB and Twitter posts through paid services provided by them
and enhance the reach of their messages. Companies should focus more on FB if the content is more
image-oriented either as infographics, photos, illustrations, and videos while the media, entertainment,
manufacturing, services industry can gain through Twitter paste better.

6. Inbound marketing:-

Blogs and expert views published on the company’s website, Tumblr, and WordPress and also published in
other popular sites can go a long way in creating consumer interest in a company, product or brand.
 Inbound marketing is cost-effective in this list of marketing techniques and strategies but much would
depend on the relevance of the topics and its importance for the consumer. Articles are highly valued in
industries that require specialized knowledge, skills, and expertise. Articles related to new technologies,
innovations, research findings can be shared in the form of articles or white papers.

7. Differentiated,undifferentiated marketing techniques and strategies:-

Companies can use both differentiated and undifferentiated marketing techniques social media to promote
products. In the differentiated strategy, campaigns appeal to at least two market segments or target groups.
A retail store can promote sales in two different cities and also market a product that appeals to women in
two age groups. On the other hand, a concentrated marketing strategy is targeted at one specific market
segment or audience. They are meant for smaller groups of people and will appeal to a specific segment.

8. Direct marketing techniques social Media:-

There are several success stories in the direct marketing of products to consumers. The main categories that
have benefited from such marketing techniques are vacuum cleaners, water purifiers, personal computers,
educational books and CDs, mobile phones among others. Direct marketing can be done through house-to-
house visits, online promotion through websites and social media and through participation in trade shows
and events. A lot of companies sell through a network marketing approach whereby each consumer is also
an independent distributor of the product and earns points based on purchases made by them and those in
their network.
The first phase of the direct marketing techniques and strategies is to identify the target market but care
should be taken not to offend consumers either through direct contact, mail or social media.
But if executed well, direct marketing can reap rich dividends. The success of retailer LL bean is an
example- here customers look forward to receiving their communication.

9. Cold calling:-

In some industries such as finance, insurance, banking, and cellular services, cold calling is done to
increase awareness and sales. Some people do object to such marketing control techniques efforts by
companies as it is an intrusion into their privacy and also a disturbance especially if the call comes at odd
hours. However, these marketing techniques force the company to sell the company as well as the product.
As opposed to face-to-face communication, the phone on the phone does have the benefit to abruptly end a
conversation. The advantage of cold calling is that it does make you think on your feet and encourage
creativity and adaptability when facing potential consumers.

This type of marketing control technique is also referred to as telemarketing or telecalling or telesales in
the UK and Ireland. It can also include recorded sales pitches programmed to be played over the phone via
automatic dialing.
10. Incentives and promotional marketing techniques and strategies:-

In a crowded marketplace, freebies, incentives to buy, reward points all add up to a company’s marketing
techniques and strategies of keeping ahead of the competition. Contests offer an attractive marketing
vehicle to acquire new client and awareness building. Coupons are provided to consumers for buying
products.
Sometimes, allowing consumers to sample products before purchase forces them to buy more. Publix
supermarkets give free samples of their lime pie not because people question the goodness of the pie but
make them buy more.

Conclusion:-

Companies now have the challenge of using a mix of online, offline, outdoor and point-of-purchase
marketing techniques and strategies to keep ahead of the competition in a globalized milieu. How best they
use the marketing control techniques outlined would decide their success or failure in the marketplace.
.

LAWS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

1. The Law of Listening:

Success with social media and content marketing requires

more listening and less talking. Read your target audience's online content and join discussions to learn
what's important to them. Only then can you create content and spark conversations that add value rather
than clutter to their lives.

2. The Law of Focus:

It's better to specialize than to be a jack-of-all-trades. A highly-

focused social media and content marketing strategy iniended to build a strong brand has a better chance
for success than a broad strategy that attempts to be all things to all people.

3. The Law of Quality:

Quality trumps quantity. It's better to have 1,000 online

connections who read, share and talk about your content with connections who read, share and talk about
your content with their own audiences than 10,000 connections who disappear after connecting with you
the first time.

4. The Law of Patience:

Social media and content marketing success doesn't happenovernight. While it's possible to catch lightning
in a bottle, it's far more likely that you'llneed to commit to the long haul to achieve results.

5. The Law of Compounding:

If you publish amazing, quality content and work to build your online audience of quality followers, they'll
share it with their own audiences on Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, their own blogs and more. This sharing
and discussing of your content opens new entry points for search engines like Google to find it in keyword
searches. Those entry points could grow to hundreds or thousands of more potential ways for people to
find you online.

6. The Law of Influence:

Spend time finding the online influencers in your market

who have quality audiences and are likely to be interested in your products, services and business. Connect
with those people and work to build relationships with them. If you get on their radar as an authoritative,
interesting source of useful information, they might share your content with their own followers, which
 could pu: you and your business in front of a huge new audience.

7. The Law of Value:

If you spend all your time on the social Web directly promoting

your products and services, people will stop listening. You must add value to the conversation. Focus less
on conversions and more on creating amazing content and developing relationships with online
influencers. In time, those people will become a powerful catalyst for word-of-mouth marketing for your
business.

8. The Law of Acknowledgment:

You wouldn't ignore someone who reaches out to

you in person so don't ignore them online. Building relationships is one of the most important parts of
social media marketing success, so always acknowledge every person who reaches out to you.

9. The Law of Accessibility:

Don't publish your content and then disappear. Be available to your audience. That means you need to
consistently publish content.

10. Law of Reciprocacy:

You can’t expect others to share your content and talk about you if you don’t do the same for them. So, a
portion of time you spend on social media should be focused upon sharing and talking about the content
published by others.

TRENDS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

 Major social media trends in 2022:-
1. Facebook and Instagram Content Creation Platforms:-
Social media platforms are changing how people create and share content. In some ways, this is a good
thing because it lets anyone create and share their ideas in new ways. Meta is also experimenting with
these platforms by creating a content creation platform for publishers.

2. YouTube Gaming:-
YouTube Gaming will be a major social media trend to look out for in 2022. In YouTube’s words, gaming
is just another form of entertainment like art or music. The new gaming platform will allow users to create
their own video games and share them with others. The number of people who play video games continues
to increase and shows no signs of slowing down.
According to The Tech Jury, the global video game industry is set to reach $108.7 billion in 2022, up from

$40.1 billion in 2017.

3. Automated Social Media Ads:-
According to Emarketer, It is estimated that by 2022, social media ad spending will reach $65 billion. The
most common ads will be automated and targeted to the user. These evergreen ads don’t have to be
updated with new information or content like traditional ads.
Videos are becoming more common in all sorts of forms, from news programming to advertising. As the
amount of video being created continues to increase, so will the number of opportunities for brands — and
viewers — to interact with videos. With the steady rise of technology, it is hard to predict what will happen
in the future. The social media trends that we see today may not be the same in a decade. It is important to
learn which trends are still hot today, and which ones have died down and are no longer relevant.
Virtual reality is one trend that has seen a rise in popularity and will continue to grow throughout 2022.
Virtual reality is a simulation of an environment or even an entire world, that can be experienced through
VR headsets. A virtual world is created with computer software and graphics, instead of real-life objects
like trees and buildings. In some cases, people can interact with the virtual world as if they were there.
4. The Death of Traditional Advertising:-
Traditional advertising methods are becoming obsolete. The internet has enabled companies to reach out to
consumers in new ways, including social media. Companies have been able to create their internet
presence by creating accounts on social media websites such as Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. They can
also build relationships with their consumers through these platforms.
Traditional advertising methods such as television commercials are losing their effectiveness as people are
not watching television as frequently as before.

This is because people now can watch shows on-demand from their computers, mobile devices, and other
electronic gadgets. Also, traditional advertising methods can be viewed by anyone, regardless of their age.
The younger generations no longer view television sets or newspapers like they once did; instead, they go
online to find news and views on various issues. Millennials are a generation that has sought out new ways
 of building their income through social media.
5. Knowing the Data :-

Understanding the data trends for social media is almost as important as understanding the trends
themselves. Social media has been growing and changing rapidly, from how we communicate to how we
consume information. Understanding these changes and their implications can be a daunting task.
One way to get a better grasp on what’s happening is to use analytics to track the data’s trends in real-time
over time. Advance your programming skills and refine your ability to work with messy, complex datasets.
6. Instagram Video Sharing:-
In 2022, Instagram video sharing will become the most popular social media trend. Instagram video
sharing allows users to upload short videos to their own private account and share them with followers. In
many ways, this trend has already taken over. Users regularly post videos of their daily lives or reactions to
certain events and activities.
7. Cross-platform Integration:-

Cross-platform integration provides users with the tools they need to reach and engage people across
multiple platforms. Cross-platform integration can be used for marketing purposes as well as customer
service and retention. There are many benefits to this, including a larger audience, increased retention, and
higher conversion rates.
8. The Rise of Chatbots:-

Social media will continue to grow in the future and chatbots are a part of that. Chatbots allow users to
communicate with companies, organizations, and consumers on social media platforms with the goal of
providing better customer service. Some bots are programmed to answer questions about products or topics
while others are designed to engage in conversation about these subjects.
 BENEFITS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING:-

Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace have become powerful marketing and
communication tools. We believe that using these channels to easily communicate with your customers is an
excellent habit. These websites offer small and medium-sized businesses, access to their clients never before
available or affordable. Some benefits of SMM are as follows :
1. Increased Brand Recognition

Every opportunity you have to syndicate your content and increase your visibility is valuable. Your social
media networks are just new channels for your brand's voice and content. This is important because it
simultaneously makes you easier and more accessible for new customers, and makes you more familiar and
recognizable for existing customers. For example, a frequent Twitter user could hear about your company
for the first time only after stumbling upon it in a newsfeed. Or, an otherwise apathetic customer might
become better acquainted with your brand after seeing your presence on multiple networks.
2. Improved brand loyalty

According to a report published by Texas Tech University, brands who engage on social media channels
enjoy higher loyalty from their customers. The report concludes
"Companies should take advantage of the tools social media gives them when it comes to connecting with
their audience. A strategic and open social media plan could prove influential in morphing consumers into
being brand loyal." Another study published by Convince & Convert found that 53% of Americans who
follow brands in social are more loyal to those brands.

3. More Opportunities to Convert

Every post you make on a social media platform is an opportunity for customers to convert. When you
build a following, you'll simultaneously have access to new customers, recent customers, and old
customers, and you'll be able to interact with all of them. Every blog post, image, video, or comment you
share is a chance for someone to react, and every reactior. could lead to a site visit, and eventually a
conversion. Not every interaction with your brand results in a conversion, but every positive interaction
increases the likelihood of an eventual conversion. Even if your click through rates are low, the sheer
number of opportunities you have on social media is significant. And as I pointed out in my article,
"The Four Elements of Any Action, And How to Use Them in Your Online Marketing
Initiative,"opportunity" is the first element of any action.

4. Higher conversion rates

Social media marketing results in higher conversion rates in a few distinct ways.

Perhaps the most significant is its humanization element; the fact that brands becomes more humanized by
interacting in social media channels. Social media is a place where brands can act like people do, and this
is important because people like doing business with other people; not with companies.

ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IN BUSINESS

 Creating and developing a website is important for any business. Along with having a website, you need to
expand your online outreach to social media platforms. Social networking sites such as Twitter and
Facebook are essential for maintaining a competitive edge. Companies that do not have active social media
accounts risk missing out on numerous marketing opportunities.
1. Interaction with Target Market

One of the key advantages of social media for businesses is that it enables you to

interact with your customers. Going through the tweets and Facebook updates that are posted by your
customer base gives you insight into what they need. This is useful for helping your company formulate
marketing strategies that address their needs.
2. Improve Responsiveness

Social media eases the process of providing and receiving feedback. If your customers

have concerns or problems with what your business offers, they can let you know in a timely manner.
Social media gives customers a convenient and accessible way to express what they feei and gives
companies a chance to respond. With such platforms, businesses are able to view complaints and assure
their customers that their problems will be dealt with.
3. Competition
If your competitors are already using social media accounts for marketing and engaging their customers,
you need to ensure that. you are keeping up with the digital
inarketing strategies that are being implemented. In the competitive world of business, more and more
companies are capitalizing on the benefits of social media. In order for you to be able to boost online
traffic to your site and increase sales, you need to stay ahead of the competition while providing your
customers with the best products and services.
4. Effective Marketing

The social networking nature of platforms such as Linkedin and Twitter generates interest among followers
who are more responsive to them than a blatant marketing approach. You can use social media creatively
to advertise your products and services without making your customers feel like they are overwhelmed by
your marketing
campaigns. Advertisements strategically placed within informative posts are an effective way to spread the
word about your business. Social media spreads awareness about: your business while giving you the
chance to constantly remind them about the products and services that vou offer.
5. Find Customers

Hash tags and keywords are useful for helping you identify potential customers who

are interested in what you are selling. After finding prospective customers, you can simply direct them to
your account where they fill out more about your business.
6. Affordability

Managing your social media accounts is a cost effective way to promote your business

by using affordable social media marketing campaigns that strengthen your company's online visibility.
 Social media does not require an extensive budget, which makes it fair for small businesses that are
competing with well known brands.
7. Database

BA services provide service delivery solutions that are flexible enough to meet the

diverse needs of different companies. Emphasis is placed on the management and support of databases
from remote locations while catering to the specified needs of various customers. Services are available for
different database environments to provide a dependable, secure and expert approach to database
management.
8. Social Environment

A social networking forum efficiently creates a social environment for you and your customers. Such a
forum enables you to acquire important feedback regarding your business. Social media serves the purpose
of making it easier for consumers to find out and distribute information about different brands, products
and services. A significant percentage of customers that relies on the internet to search for products have
discovered specific companies through social media. If the opinions and reactions of your consumers
matter to you, going social is necessary.
9. Informative

Social media is informative and gives you access to what your competition is up to as

well as what customers are posting online about products and services. This gives you better insight into
the market and various factors that affect your industry.

CHALLENGES OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING:-

 1.Falling engagement rates and fewer post interactions:-
It’s no secret that organic engagement on social media has been on a downward trend.More users and
brands on a network means that you’re quite literally competing for the attention of customers and
followers. After all, there are only so many interactions to “go around.”And while the phenomenon of
falling engagement was primarily a problem on Facebook and Twitter, the trend is impacting brands on
Instagram as well.In fact, recent research from Rival IQ notes that Instagram engagement rates have
plummeted 30% YoY.

2.Standing out against established social competitors:-

Feel like you don’t have much of a share of voice?As noted earlier, most industries are crowded with
competition. Look no further than the beauty space as evidence, brimming with brands and advocates eager
to show off products in action.From legacy brands to established players in your industry, staking your
claim as an up-and-coming company is a tall order.Our advice? Focus first on establishing your own
identity and community versus obsessing over others’. It’s easy to get stuck comparing follower counts and
engagements but it’s not doing you or your followers any favors.

3. Lost time from juggling multiple social platforms

Messages. Notifications. Content deadlines. The list goes on and on.If you’re trying to build a presence
across multiple platforms, lost productivity is probably one of your biggest social media challenges.
Having a multi-platform presence involves cross-posting and responding to comments across channels,
however, doing so without a strategy in place is a recipe for burnout.
There’s only so much time in the day that’s why its crucial to allocate your time without sacrificing
customer relationships or ruining your own schedule.This is where tools like Sprout’s Smart Inbox come in
handy, allowing you to consolidate and collaborate across channels in one place.
4.When key stakeholders don’t understand social media:-

Social media isn’t a “shiny new toy” anymore.That said, some stakeholders or higher-ups might not see the
immediate value of investing in social as a priority channel.
From lead generation to nurturing customers and beyond, the role of social in winning new business is
actually well-documented. Heck, 4 of the 5 most budgeted-for marketing priorities for 2022 are related
directly to social media.
5.Little-to-no communication between departments
Piggybacking on the point above, the importance of buy-in across your organization is key to growing on
social media.
Despite the power of collaborations between departments like PR, product or demand gen, we’ve seen
firsthand how many teams sadly stay siloed. The graph below shows the teams that social marketers
interact with the most.
CONCLUSION:-
In the world with over 70% of internet users active on social networks, who spend at least
one hour a day on average on those social networks, we have to conclude that social
networks have become a sort of reality in which people communicate, interact, and
obviously trust. We also have to be aware that over 60% of those users access social
networks via mobile devices, with strong indicators that this percent will only increase in
the future years.

In such world, we have to admit that social networks are a new dimension of reality that has
become a part of the business world as well. Over 90% marketers report they are or will be
using social networks for business, while over 60% of them claim to have acquired new
customers over social networks.

The findings published by business professional and marketers support the fact that
businesses can have a lot of benefits from using social networks, which is why
implementation of those has become a part of business practice. This is why social media
marketing is no longer considered to be on probation, but instead it has become an
important part of the business world.