Neti, S. (2011). Social media and its role in marketing. Ellen Thornton

From Digital Culture & Society

Neti, S. (2011). Social media and its role in marketing. International Journal of Enterprise Computing and Business Systems, 1(2), 1-15. Retrieved from https://www.ijecbs.com/July2011/13.pdf

Ellen Thornton

The emergence of social media has not only benefited users by connecting with new people or people who already have a pre-existing relationship around the world. For companies, social media has created a new tool to communicate and market themselves to their consumers. While there have been many studies that have shown the impact social media advertisements can have on users, these articles sometimes have a vague definition of what social media marketing looks like.

Neti’s 2011 article fills this void by giving readers a thorough explanation of what social media marketing is; described as a method that attempts to persuade potential consumers to purchase a company’s product or service. This is done through the use of platforms such as Facebook and Instagram, blogging, or communicating with online communities. The article also gives a history of social media marketing, and discovered that it is charities and not-for-profit organizations that use social media as a marketing tool more than business. In addition, small businesses are some of the first to allot the majority of their marketing resources to social media, as it is less expensive and faster than marketing in more traditional formats. The author then goes on to give examples of companies with successful social media campaigns, such as Absolut Vodka, General Motors, and Dunkin Donuts. The article concludes that social media is turning into an essential marketing tool for companies, and that there are many benefits to integrating it in their current marketing strategies.

One of the strengths of Neti’s article is that it is very specific when listing the benefits of social media marketing. The article lists factors such as the size of social media platforms, brand transparency, reach of audience, as well as other benefits as compelling reasons for companies to begin looking at social media as a marketing tool. In addition, the author discusses research that showed how much of the marketing budget is allocated to social media marketing by companies, which shows that companies are incorporating it, not converting completely to it. This is important to note because even though social media is becoming ever more prominent in today’s society, it is important to diversify their marketing resources and use many different methods in order to reach the widest audience possible. Another strength of the article is that it distinguishes the different uses of social media marketing over time. In the beginning, social media was a tool to analyze their targeted demographic, as well as a way of communicating with consumers about customer service issues. As time goes on, social media is now being used to sell products and ask the opinions of consumers for new ideas in order to grow their sales and gain bigger profits. Finally, the article gives detailed information about various different marketing strategies in creating different types of advertisements to show consumers as well as companies how to attract a wider audience. Depending on the chosen platform, there are many different ways to advertise a product or service, and by incorporating these strategies effectively companies can successfully market themselves in a positive manner.

The main weakness of this article is that it is very bias towards social media marketing, as it only outlines the benefits and success stories of companies. In today’s digital society, it is as easy for a campaign to go viral and get a lot of attention online for a negative reason as it is for a positive reason. For article to give a full background on the evolution of social media marketing and its effectiveness, it is important to look at examples of companies who failed to have a successful campaign, as well as the profitable ones to give a holistic, well-rounded understanding of the topic. In addition, showing failed social media marketing campaigns can help readers understand what went wrong for these companies, and how companies in the future can avoid these mistakes when creating their own campaigns. Seeing examples of good and bad marketing strategies gives a stronger demonstration of how powerful social media marketing is, and can give more examples of how to create profitable campaigns.

In conclusion, social media marketing in continuing to be a very relevant and useful method for attracting new consumers as well as strengthening customer loyalty towards a brand or company. In the future, this will translate to more companies giving social media a higher budget and priority in their marketing strategies, and as more platforms are created, there will be new ways for brands to promote and sell their products or services to even wider audiences around the world.