6.1 Introduction
Social media engages a wide range of demographics, using a variety of platforms. Module 6 will focus on how social media can be used as a successful marketing strategy. This will be done by defining social media and its use as a form of marketing. The most commonly used platforms will also be identified, followed by this strategy's pros and cons, and best practices.
6.2 What is social media/networking?
The terms social media and social networking are often used interchangeably. But what most people don't realize is that there is a difference between the two. Social media is the umbrella term commonly used to describe the various forms of electronic communication. These platforms are then used to share information, ideas, and other online content such as photography and video.
Social networking, on the other hand, is the creation of online communities through social media sites. These online communities generally consist of individuals who share similar interests on a personal or professional level. These interests might include activities (sports, online gaming, or some other hobby), backgrounds (such as country of origin, job title, or academic institution), and usually - but not always - have some form of real-life connections. Social networks can consist of individuals in a similar geographical region or people from all over the world. In other words, it's about building and maintaining relationships, either personally, professionally, or both.
6.3 What is social media marketing?
Social media marketing is a form of online advertising that uses any number of social media platforms in order to influence a company's business, such as increasing brand awareness or promoting a particular product or service.
In general, social media marketing tends to be thought of as a more personalized experience when compared to other advertising approaches.
6.4 How does it work?
The use of social media as a form of marketing works by having the business first join the particular platform or platforms. This enables the interaction between business and customer to begin. The interactions that ensue are not just from company to customer but also create a bidirectional line of communication. This means that an individual user can just as easily communicate with the business, as it can in the reverse. Usually, these interactions, or networks, are built through a connection of shared values and/or needs.
Companies also tend to use social media as a means of obtaining data. This can be collected through social media insights or analytics, which are designed to track user engagement, but also through direct feedback obtained from their customers. Direct feedback can come in the form of responses to polls or discussions posed within the social media platform, or through communications that come independently from the customer.
Social media marketing is usually perceived as a strategy for larger businesses or global corporations; however, this is not necessarily the case. The use of social media by small businesses is an ideal way for them to interact with their surrounding communities. Social media can act as a platform to promote their product or service, like any other business, while also enabling them to become a part of the physical community, rather than one that is strictly online.
Online visibility
Communicating a promotion or message through social media is another reason why businesses choose to use this platform for their marketing strategy. An advertisement, whether in the form of something more traditional - such as a piece of media that is offering a specific deal - or by posting an article that details information about a company's product or service, can easily be shared. This ease of spreading the word frequently generates higher traffic or online visibility, which increases the potential for growth in both sales and brand awareness.
The consumer aspect of social media marketing works by allowing an individual to post feedback on both the company and the user's page or account.
Examples of these posts might include product or service reviews, testimonies, or directly inquiring about a component of the business. In the long run, this can lead to an increase in brand loyalty. This is especially true when the business chooses to interact with the customer by responding or commenting on the post.
This bidirectional interaction can also enable the business to show appreciation to a customer that has posted about them by reposting the comment or directly acknowledging it.
Regardless of which platform is selected (which will be discussed in one of the following sections), the goal of social media marketing is to spark discussion between a business and its customer, or another business within the same or similar industry. The greater the positive online presence of a business, the better it will be perceived, and the higher the likelihood to build brand loyalty, while increasing sales.
Activity 1
Estimated Time: 15 minutes (depending on response time)
This exercise aims to demonstrate the impact of bidirectional communication between a business and its customers through social media platforms. It also aims to illustrate the differences in how companies respond to messages or feedback from customers across various platforms.
To conduct this exercise, follow these steps:
1, Think of a few companies or brands you are familiar with.
2, Locate their accounts on social media platforms. If you don't already follow them, you can search for their accounts at this time.
3, Once you have found the respective accounts, attempt to connect with a few of them by providing either a positive or negative comment about the company or their brand. You can try both forms of comments if you wish.
4, Await the amount of time it takes to receive feedback from each company.
5, Once you have received responses or if no response is given within a reasonable time frame, consider the following questions:
* What was the shortest amount of time you had to wait for a response? What was the longest? Did any company not respond at all?
* How many different types of social media platforms did you use to connect with the businesses you selected to contact? Was there a difference in response time between platforms?
* If you left both positive and negative comments, did one receive feedback from the company faster than the other? If so, why do you think this is?
* If no response was given, analyze other communications between customers and the company. How quickly were responses posted? Did the responses address the questions or concerns posed by the customers? Could they have been handled differently?
By completing this exercise, you will gain insights into the responsiveness of companies on social media platforms and the effectiveness of their communication strategies.
6.5 Social media marketing strategies
Within the realm of social media marketing, there are two basic strategies: passive and active.
A passive social media marketing strategy would be one that provides information to a customer, or potential customer, without actually selling something directly. They usually involve platforms that enable a customer to both share and contribute to a variety of mediums that discuss a specific product or service, or a brand or business more broadly. These strategies tend to be directed to the wider public, rather than a more targeted audience.
Active social media marketing strategies, on the other hand, are more direct forms of communication. They usually solicit sales for a specific product or service from a strategically targeted demographic. However, they can also be used in order to improve customer engagement by targeting a particular influencer or personality in order to bring about greater reach, which will eventually
lead to an increase in sales or some other form of desirable outcome.
FACT
The United States is the largest social media advertising market. By 2025, advertisers are expected to spend over $82 billion
Source: source: statista.com
6.6 The most popular social media platforms
When it comes to social media marketing, selecting only one platform is not necessary. In fact, it can be quite beneficial for a business to engage in more than one. But with so many available, it's more about which platforms are best for attracting the targeted audience of the organization or advertiser. This section will outline the best platforms for social media marketing while also providing a brief discussion on which audiences are best.
The social media platforms to be discussed in this section include:
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
Other
Here is a small overview of each platform:
Facebook: With over 3.05 billion (on 26/02/2024) billion monthly active users, Facebook remains one of the most popular social media platforms. It offers a wide range of advertising options, including targeted ads based on user demographics and interests.
Twitter (x) : Twitter is known for its real-time communication and engagement. It is popular among users looking for news, updates, and trending topics. Businesses can use Twitter to share updates, engage with followers, and participate in conversations. (“X” is Twitter's rebranded identity, envisioned by Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion, as the new “everything app.” On July 23, Twitter replaced the iconic blue bird logo with a stylized“X” logo and removed the Twitter name from its websites, apps, and headquarters.)
TikTok: TikTok has rapidly grown in popularity, particularly among younger demographics. It is a video-sharing platform where users can create short, engaging videos. Businesses can leverage TikTok for creative and viral marketing campaigns.
Instagram: Instagram is a visually-driven platform focused on photos and videos. It is popular among users interested in lifestyle, fashion, beauty, and travel. Businesses can use Instagram to showcase products, behind-the-scenes content, and user-generated content.
YouTube: YouTube is the largest video-sharing platform with billions of users worldwide. It offers opportunities for businesses to create video content, tutorials, product reviews, and advertisements. YouTube also allows for monetization through ads and sponsorships.
LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a professional networking platform aimed at professionals and businesses. It is ideal for B2B marketing, networking, recruitment, and thought leadership. Businesses can use LinkedIn to share industry insights, job openings, and company updates.
Other: This category encompasses emerging platforms, niche communities, and specialized forums. Depending on the target audience and industry, businesses may explore platforms such as Pinterest, Snapchat, Reddit, and niche forums relevant to their niche.
It's important for businesses to analyze their target audience demographics, interests, and behavior to determine the most effective social media platforms for their marketing efforts. Additionally, staying updated on the latest trends and features of each platform can help businesses maximize their social media marketing strategies.
6.7 Facebook
Facebook is the largest social media platform in use today. With over 3 billion users worldwide (26/02/2024), this is truly a global network. It operates by giving each individual or business its own page, which is used to post and share a variety of media, such as photos and videos, as well as articles and links to external websites. This platform also offers the opportunity for users to write and post various things, which are referred to as a status. A status update generally involves describing a particular moment in life or sharing a joke or anecdote, for example.
Aside from providing information about the business, it also provides an opportunity for customers to share testimonials or experiences and inquire about products or services offered, and build brand recognition and loyalty. Facebook makes it easy for users to share content, leading to increased exposure in the local market, while also being relevant globally.
FACT
Users of Facebook are found all over the world (over 67 million just in the UK). The average user is between the ages of 25-34 In January 2024, 53.3 percent of Facebook users in the United Kingdom were women, and 46.7 percent were men.
Source: statista.com , google.com
6.8 Twitter (X)
Twitter is a social media platform that allows users to send short messages of no more than 280 characters and usually contains key terms or filters, known as hashtags (#).
“X” is Twitter's rebranded identity, envisioned by Elon Musk, who acquired Twitter in 2022 for $44 billion, as the new “everything app.” On July 23, Twitter replaced the iconic blue bird logo with a stylized “X” logo and removed the Twitter name from its websites, apps, and headquarters.
Hashtags (#) included messages are known as tweets, and they can also include photos, videos, or articles. These tweets are then made available to the wider public, as they are a part of Google's search engine results, but generally are only viewed by a profile's followers. It can also be linked to a Facebook account, making any tweets visible to a company - or user's - Facebook page. And, just like Facebook, profiles can be owned by an individual or a business.
Twitter (X) has become an essential part of many companies' customer service strategies.
This is because responses can be generated relatively quickly, depending on the availability of a representative in charge of managing the profile. In some cases, this line of support can be made available to a customer all day, every day. The prompt response that often accompanies a company's profile leads to increased brand loyalty because the user perceives them as caring for their customers.
This platform tends to be used by larger companies, but it can equally be beneficial to smaller ones. It's also a great way to scope out the competition by following others within the same industry, thus giving a company access to information and promotions about another similar business.
X/Twitter currently has over 500 million monthly active users, More than 200 million daily users worldwide access X/Twitter daily, Twitter is most popular among users aged 25-34,X/Twitter reaches 12.6% of internet users worldwide, Worldwide, men use X/Twitter more than women, Annual X/Twitter advertising revenue hit $2.98 billion in 2023.
Source: backlinko.com
6.8 TikTok
TikTok is a social media platform that allows users to create and share short-form videos, with the ability to apply various filters, effects, and music to their videos, fostering a vibrant and entertaining environment.
TikTok has over 1 billion users (over 23 million in the UK), and advertisers have recognized the potential of TikTok as a platform to reach a wide audience to promote their products or services. They can target specific demographics, interests, and locations to ensure their ads reach the desired audience.
They can use various ad formats, such as in-feed ads and branded hashtags, to engage with TikTok users. TikTok is mostly used by 18-24-year-olds, so this is the ideal platform for companies wishing to target a younger audience. Females account for over 66% of all TikTok users in the UK (source: Statista).
6.9 Instagram
Instagram is a social media platform that is mainly focused on sharing photos and videos. It uses hashtags, similarly to Twitter, as a means of categorizing each post.
Photos can be uploaded to an account using a mobile device or personal computer, such as a desktop or laptop. Instagram is used successfully by businesses by allowing their followers to catch a glimpse of daily activities within the company. This can include images of new products, and company extracurriculars (such as in-office events or volunteer activities featuring employees).
Essentially, Instagram can be used as a visual Twitter, where instead of posting short text messages, a company can post images to boost awareness of a product, service, or activity associated with the business. Videos and images can also be posted on Instagram Stories. This is a feature within the app that allows users to share photos and videos that disappear after 24 hours. It allows advertisers to deliver engaging content, run ads, and connect with their target audience in a more authentic and visually appealing way.
Instagram Reels is another feature within the Instagram app that can be used by advertisers. It provides users with a creative toolset to produce engaging videos and reach a wider audience. Unlike Stories, they don’t disappear after 24 hours. These tools enable users to add their unique creative flair to their Reels by adding music, applying filters and effects, and much more.
Instagram is said to have over 1 billion users worldwide, with an estimated 35 million within the UK. It has a male-to-female ratio of approximately 52:48 and is widely used by 18-34-year-olds (source: Statista).
6.10 YouTube
It is the number one database of videos covering a range of topics and lengths, posted from all over the world. The ease with which its content can be shared has led to what is now known as a viral video. This is when the rate at which a video is shared far exceeds expectations and is usually out of the control of the owner or creator.
Using YouTube as a means of social media marketing can be done in one of two ways - by placing ads within a video, or by hosting a company-run account. The latter would mean the business behind the account would be able to post content rather than traditional digital advertisements. These unconventional methods can include a range of possibilities including hosting live question-and-answer and/or information sessions, posting interviews relevant to the company, or even creating how-to videos for users to review.
Of course, any of these media would need to make sense for each individual business. Transcribing videos adds an extra element since it would enable the hearing impaired to also make use of this platform.
YouTube has over 2.5 billion users from all around the world. The average age of a user is 25-24 years, with over 54% being male
Source: Statista
6.11 LinkedIn
LinkedIn is typically viewed as the best platform for business-to-business interactions.
It is used as a networking site for the business professional. In terms of marketing, its biggest draw is that it can create opportunities for discussions or share content with related industry members and interested individuals. This leads to increased brand recognition, while also building rapport with competitors and other industry members.
LinkedIn has an estimated 900 million users, of which over 35 million are found in the UK alone (source: LinkedIn). There are more male users than female, with a 57:43 ratio and the average age of an account holder between 25-34 years old (source: Statista).
6.12 Other
Aside from the mediums noted above, there are countless others. But there are two other categories of social media platforms that are often dissociated from the realm of social networking. These include blogs and social bookmarking sites. There are hundreds of millions of blogs found the world over. Blogs are used to provide information on products and/or services, when speaking of a corporate-run one, but can also be based on an individual's interests.
As a means of social media marketing, blogs are often used to pass along information that requires long explanations, and is usually written in a more casual style. However, they can also be sponsored by a business but run by an individual. In either case, blogs will be discussed further in Module 7 of this course.
Social bookmarking sites are websites that share a variety of information that has been posted by users. These include sites such as Reddit or StumbleUpon, although there are several others. Generally speaking, they use links to other websites, while providing users with an opportunity to comment and/or vote on them. This process of voting enables a particular post to become more visible.
As a social marketing tool, companies can opt to either join as an account holder or by placing advertisements within the website, such as those discussed in Module 4. At any rate, these social media sites can play a significant role in highlighting a company's promotional information and interacting with its customer base. The bidirectional approach of most of these platforms gives a unique user experience to both the customer and the business.
6.13 Weighing the pros and cons
After looking at the various types of social media platforms, it is useful to consider the strengths and weaknesses of using this type of marketing strategy. This section will look at some of the benefits and challenges associated with this kind of digital marketing. Like many of the previous marketing tools, social media offers a business the opportunity to advertise or promote a specific aspect of the company to a broad audience, with relatively little cost.
While some platforms may require payment to place additional advertising (such as those outlined in Module 4), in comparison to traditional methods of marketing, these costs are low. The downside to this vast audience is that it becomes easy to lose control over how the business is perceived. This is because when it comes to social media, free speech is at play, meaning anyone can say anything about a product or service, or the brand itself. It can also be difficult to find a balance between just how much to share on these platforms. Monitoring both of these concerns is the best way to maintain positive public opinion.
Interact with customers
Social media enables companies to interact with their customers easily by providing a bidirectional relationship. This leads to improved customer service because social media demands a certain sense of urgency.
The most successful corporate social media accounts are run by companies that respond to their customers quickly, yet professionally. A side benefit of this is that it also tends to build brand loyalty. However, maintaining these efforts can be, and usually is, time-consuming - especially if the account is being managed all hours of the day, every day of the week. This is where larger corporations tend to have an advantage over smaller businesses.
Obtaining data
One of the best aspects of using social media for a business is that obtaining data on those who engage with their platforms is usually fairly straightforward. Many of the noted social media sites provide companies with insights related to their page's traffic. This includes data based on visitors, as well as how they interact with the page.
All of this information can become useful to the business for future campaigns. Yet, with all this available data, defining the rate of return can be tricky. This is because there are so many factors - many of which are out of the hands of the business themselves - that can influence not only a campaign itself but also the brand.
Activity 2
Estimated Time: 10 minutes
Social media customer engagement awareness.
To consider how various companies use social media to boost business and interact with their customer base, go to your social media accounts and search for several brands. Take a few minutes to browse through their account pages. Search for any of the content you feel has been posted as either passive or active marketing strategies. Try to use at least two social media platforms for this activity. The number of brands to observe is left to your discretion.
After spending a few minutes reviewing each page and/or platform, try to answer the questions below:
How easy was it to decipher between passive and active posts? Was one used more frequently than the other? How did this differ between platforms?
Which brands or companies did this better than others? What set them apart from the other brands or companies you looked at? Did any appear to strictly be about promoting business, rather than about building relationships?
Was there anything about these posts that you felt could have been done better or improved? How could this be changed?
This exercise is meant to show the differences between how a company or brand uses social media to build traffic and maintain the customer experience from one platform to the next.
Social media best practices
There are a number of ways to make social media work for a business, without having to do too much.
Yes, placing promotional material will have some impact on a company's bottom line, but as noted in the previous section, it's not the only benefit of using this type of digital advertising.
The following list is a compilation of some of the simplest strategies and best practices for using social media as a marketing tool.
-Post often, by sharing a variety of posts, using reliable sources
-Establish rapport and show appreciation for followers by interacting with and listening to the audience
-Be transparent by engaging with negative feedback in a professional manner instead of deleting or hiding the post or comment
-Keep track of time to identify the best time of the day or week to post
-Make a checklist for before posting, because once it's online, it can't be erased
Have personality, make it fun and/or interesting By looking at the above list, it is easy to decipher that the simplest, and likely best, way to attract followers and therefore build business is to post meaningfully. It is also important to place significant consideration towards those who choose to follow a company, as this is the best way to establish the bidirectional relationships that are the foundation of social media marketing.
Module Summary
This module looked at social media as a marketing strategy. To do this, it first outlined the differences between social media, social networks, and social media marketing. From there, the module went on to describe how social media marketing works, followed by an explanation of the two common forms of social media strategies - passive and active.
The most popular social media platforms were then detailed, by providing information on what they are, how they can work as a form of marketing, and their key demographics/user information. It was also noted that there is a long list of potential platforms, so the module focused on the most frequently used for marketing purposes. These platforms included Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, as well as to other forms - blogs and social bookmarking sites.
The remainder of the module examined the benefits of using social media as a marketing tool, while also contrasting these advantages with the potential challenge of each point provided. It then concluded by listing a number of commonly employed best practices. Upon completion of this module, a thorough knowledge of social media should have been acquired, along with the background necessary to understand which platform works best for a specific demographic.
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