COP3 - Research - Social media marketing

Advertising through social media serves two distinct advantages: 
Consumers are not always aware they are being advertised to and can be more receptive to ads. 
A social media advertising base is concise, often niche and very targeted, unlike traditional advertising.

With traditional advertising methods, you may be spending $1,000 for a billboard to advertise to 700 people in a day, with no control over demographic. With social media advertising, you can advertise to those who are most likely to purchase your service or from your brand. The cost is nominal but the outcome is a very specific action to a very specific group of people.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/05/22/cost-effective-versus-low-value-ways-to-advertise-through-social-media/#595bae922368

Social media has fundamentally changed the way businesses interact with customers and the public at large. What started as an innovative way to approach the marketplace has become an essential tool for marketing, public relations, and customer service. But as easy as social media has made it to connect with customers, it does come with a few drawbacks. Unlike other forms of marketing, in which marketers retain control of the messaging, there’s no control on social media. This can be great if people love you or your business, but it can be a disaster if they don’t. Platforms like Facebook and Twitter allow anyone and everyone to share their opinions, which makes for interesting conversation, but can be dangerous for marketers.

Social media marketing advantages 

LARGE AUDIENCES In addition to Facebook, Twitter has 313 million monthly active users, Instagram has 500 million, and Pinterest has about 110 million. Although you don’t need to utilize every single platform, creating accounts on just one or two can give you exposure to millions of people around the world. 

FREE TO CREATE One of the biggest advantages of social media marketing is that it is entirely free to start. None of the largest platforms have signup fees of any sort, so the only investment you’ll need to make is in the form of time. That being said, there are paid advertising options on most social media platforms. These can be a great tool for growing your following and reaching more users, but are by no means mandatory for businesses. 

ENCOURAGES SHARING Perhaps the most unique advantage of social media is the ability to get help from your followers. People love to share things with their networks, from photos and recipes to interesting articles and hot deals. Unlike other forms of Internet marketing, like your site and paid advertisements, content on social media is often shared. However wide your reach, your followers can share with their followers, who then share with their followers, giving you a wider reach (with lower cost) than a traditional marketing campaign. 

INCREASES BRAND LOYALTY In addition to increasing the reach of your brand, social media also allows you to increase brand loyalty. And a study conducted by The Social Habit shows that 53% of Americans who follow brands on social media are more likely to remain loyal to those brands. Social media is more than a sales pitch. Instead, it facilitates two-way communication that allows you to build meaningful relationships with current and potential customers. This makes them more confident in their decision to trust your business, and it encourages them to choose your brand in the future. 

UNCOVERS VALUABLE INSIGHTS You can also use social media to gain valuable information about your customers that will help you make smarter business decisions. For example, social listening allows you to discover how people feel about your company and brand. With social listening, you can uncover conversations about your business and answer questions about your offerings. What do people like about your business? How can you improve your products and services to better meet the needs of your target audience? Understanding the answers to these questions can your business stand out from the competition and reach more people.

Social media marketing disadvantages 

NEGATIVE FEEDBACK Social media users have free rein to post whatever they want. This means that satisfied customers can leave glowing reviews on your pages, but it also means that unhappy ones can leave angry rants about your business. Some of this negative feedback could come from within your own organization. Disgruntled employees have been known to vent on social media about work and their bosses, which makes the entire company look bad. 

POTENTIAL FOR EMBARRASSMENT It’s easy to get caught up in social media and post whatever comes to mind, which can have huge consequences for any business. Take, for example, when DiGiorno Pizza noticed that “#WhyIStayed” was trending on Twitter, and jumped on board with a tweet that read “#WhyIStayed You had pizza.” This doesn’t sound awful until you consider that the hashtag was being used to discuss why victims of domestic violence stay in abusive relationships. For companies with a large audience, mistakes like this don’t go unnoticed. Thanks to social media users’ quick reactions and tendency to share, the tweet was all over major media outlets within hours. T

IME INTENSIVE It takes a lot of time and effort to maintain an interactive social media presence. If you have a small team or limited resources, it is sometimes difficult to devote the needed resources to social media. People have to monitor each social network, respond to questions and feedback, and post valuable updates. While some people may view this as a drawback, investing time into social media can help your business create lasting relationships with customers that will keep them coming back for years to come.

https://www.webpagefx.com/internet-marketing/social-media-marketing-advantages-and-disadvantages.html


https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/288828


https://www.forbes.com/sites/miketempleman/2017/03/31/8-things-to-avoid-on-social-media-and-6-ways-to-respond/#3c2c61922318

https://blog.bufferapp.com/social-media-strategy-2017


https://www.entrepreneur.com/slideshow/272286#7

https://www.circlesstudio.com/blog/7-social-media-marketing-pitfalls-your-business-should-avoid/


https://bowerwebsolutions.com/5-social-media-pitfalls-you-must-avoid/