With almost half of the internet population more than Europe, Asia is the current Internet ruler. The above image clearly shows the amount of penetration of the internet in the Asian countries. Hence, it is only natural for businesses to increasingly target the untapped resources of the World Wide Web. With the onset of IT, marketing has been one of the premier functions of modern management to utilize the various surprises that IT has thrown its way.
As people log on to social networking sites, they are seeking relationships and that’s exactly what social media marketing gives them. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has challenged that within ten years the entire world will be on Facebook! When there is hardly 25% of the world’s population presently online, it is a herculean statement to say! And still, one can’t help but believe in him because if Facebook were a nation, it would be the fourth largest in the world! Yet that’s exactly what social media seeks-challenges. As people network, they seek ways to identify with brands and services that their networking endorses. Social media has three very important aspects viz.,
1) Generating buzz to appeal to the public. PR remains a very important constituent.
2) Harboring fans of a particular product/ service to interact with other fans of the same product/ service.
3) Engaging users around conversations and communities.
According to Lloyd Salmons, first chairman of the Internet Advertising Bureau social media council “Social media isn’t just about big networks like Facebook and MySpace, it’s about brands having conversations.” Social media aims at building relations between the brands and the consumers in such a way that consumers increasingly identify ways to connect with the brand and its servers. Micro-blogging sites like Twitter, Social networking sites like Facebook, Professional networking sites like Linkedin are increasingly targeting untapped resources where the power of the internet has yet to penetrate. Content like posts in a blog, wall posts, scraps, tweets, audio/ video, etc. help to build a certain hype regarding something that stems from know-how and trust and influence decision making.
Thus, small businesses can make use of social media by showing and telling what they intend to. Social media makes conversations happen as it brings your consumers directly to you. Thus, as businesses empower their consumers and they feel powerful, they tend to trust the brand and the service provider. As blog posts, tweets, etc. are more impersonal in nature than formal communication, people tend to trust them more and they ultimately become endorsers for the same. People are more likely to trust their network rather than companies and that’s one aspect well utilized by social media.
Social Media is not a conventional tool, it is more fun and modern and that’s exactly why it works as people find more innovative way to connect and collaborate with companies. Facebook ads and twitter links catch more attention than the huge hoardings that are put up near busy flyovers. One of Marketing’s most important aspects is the third P (Place) as companies try to reach out to consumers where they are based and these days the consumer is online and so is the target market.
Social or unsocial media?
Source: www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm
With almost half of the internet population more than Europe, Asia is the current Internet ruler. The above image clearly shows the amount of penetration of the internet in the Asian countries. Hence, it is only natural for businesses to increasingly target the untapped resources of the World Wide Web. With the onset of IT, marketing has been one of the premier functions of modern management to utilize the various surprises that IT has thrown its way.
As people log on to social networking sites, they are seeking relationships and that’s exactly what social media marketing gives them. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg has challenged that within ten years the entire world will be on Facebook! When there is hardly 25% of the world’s population presently online, it is a herculean statement to say! And still, one can’t help but believe in him because if Facebook were a nation, it would be the fourth largest in the world! Yet that’s exactly what social media seeks-challenges. As people network, they seek ways to identify with brands and services that their networking endorses. Social media has three very important aspects viz.,
1) Generating buzz to appeal to the public. PR remains a very important constituent.
2) Harboring fans of a particular product/ service to interact with other fans of the same product/ service.
3) Engaging users around conversations and communities.
According to Lloyd Salmons, first chairman of the Internet Advertising Bureau social media council “Social media isn’t just about big networks like Facebook and MySpace, it’s about brands having conversations.” Social media aims at building relations between the brands and the consumers in such a way that consumers increasingly identify ways to connect with the brand and its servers. Micro-blogging sites like Twitter, Social networking sites like Facebook, Professional networking sites like Linkedin are increasingly targeting untapped resources where the power of the internet has yet to penetrate. Content like posts in a blog, wall posts, scraps, tweets, audio/ video, etc. help to build a certain hype regarding something that stems from know-how and trust and influence decision making.
Thus, small businesses can make use of social media by showing and telling what they intend to. Social media makes conversations happen as it brings your consumers directly to you. Thus, as businesses empower their consumers and they feel powerful, they tend to trust the brand and the service provider. As blog posts, tweets, etc. are more impersonal in nature than formal communication, people tend to trust them more and they ultimately become endorsers for the same. People are more likely to trust their network rather than companies and that’s one aspect well utilized by social media.
Social Media is not a conventional tool, it is more fun and modern and that’s exactly why it works as people find more innovative way to connect and collaborate with companies. Facebook ads and twitter links catch more attention than the huge hoardings that are put up near busy flyovers. One of Marketing’s most important aspects is the third P (Place) as companies try to reach out to consumers where they are based and these days the consumer is online and so is the target market.