Introduction:

The Internet and the technology today have dramatically changed the way that the marketing is done. The concept of marketing is the same as being used in the past years, different technologies and internet provides new ways to improving the efficiency and effectiveness of strategic marketing activities. Internet today is changing consumer behavior and increasing consumer power. With the advent of the technology and internet, the consumers are also getting updated about the new technologies and aspects due to which they have vast knowledge about the prevailing technologies and products in the market.

The Internet lets companies establish relationships directly with customers, offering customized service without high costs. Companies can deliver highly targeted, individualized promotions, and they can deliver them quickly. The digital era brings new strategic choices and possibilities. One of the most exciting new strategic choices is a trust-based marketing strategy.

Social Network

Social networking is one of the major tools which are widely being used by the SME’s for internet marketing and marketing their products.

Social Media has emerged to be one of the biggest tools for marketing and online selling across the globe. A recent survey published by Forrester Research shows that “the number of social-media ‘spectators’—people who read or watch social media—has increased . . . to 69 percent of people who venture online” (Ranii). Companies need to listen to what all of these people are saying, understand what it means, and participate in the conversations. As Whitney Mathews, social media manager at Spiral16, says, social media is the “new customer help line” (Mathews). Many companies are discovering “the benefits of blogs, online video and social-networking sites”. According to Marius Ciortea, senior manager of project management and office Web architecture at Oracle, using social media in the workplace makes employees approachable, allowing for transparent conversations with customers and quick response to customer concerns. Michael Brito, social media strategist for Intel, says that with social media, companies can “humanize their brand” and achieve a sense of community and participation with customers.

Social media can take many different forms, including Internet discussion forums, blogs, vlogs, podcasts, online pictures, videos, and wikis. Social media is unique from traditional media (newspapers, radio, and television, print and broadcast journalism) primarily because of the following:

Anyone with Internet access can participate in social media. Users are part of a global community.

Social media takes no training.

Social media is affordable.

Social media can be instantaneously accessed and altered. The community of users can change online text and affect the message being communicated.

Social media is both archivable and searchable. Companies can store information in their Facebook or Twitter sites. Corporate videos can be archived on YouTube. Then, users can search for and retrieve the stored information.

In contrast to traditional media, social media allows for and encourages person-to-person interaction among people and corporations. For example, by participating in a blog, a customer can let a company know preferences about products and service. In turn, a company can use a blog to transmit information about the company, its personnel, and its products and services. This communication can be delivered quickly and efficiently to an individual’s cell phone, iPod, or laptop computer—anytime, anywhere. Social media, in combination with mobile communication, allows for real-time video instructions to be delivered through YouTube and Q/A feedback to be delivered through Twitter.

It gives a great opportunity for business people to have a conversation about their product or their service or who they are. What better way to engage a customer than to speak with them, or have them to talk to you on your web site? It gives web sites another outlet to help build the conversation and help direct people to their web site to see if that’s really what they want to find or use or discover. It’s another great way to propagate your content.

References:

Ellison, Nicole, Lampe, Cliff, and Steinfield, Charles. (2009). HYPERLINK “https://www.msu.edu/~nellison/EllisonLampeSteinfield2009.pdf” Social Network Sites and Society: Current Trends and Future Possibilities.Interactions Magazine, 16 (1) Facebook Demographics and Statistics Report (2009)