Social media marketing has been around ever since the Internet was created and is now finally reaching its maturity. This new marketing venue has proven to be an effective and inexpensive means to reach target markets, and is proving to be one of the most successful trends in online marketing. Social media involves a number of networks and websites; such as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube – but it goes beyond those few sites. It basically allows users to communicate and share opinions, news, and entertainment in a virtual forum. Businesses are taking advantage of this medium and are using it to their advantage to help build brand awareness and increase their visibility in their respective markets.
Social media marketing, more commonly known as SMM, is the use of various social media platforms and sites to advertise a product or service to an audience. While the traditional terms such as e-commerce and digital advertising are now dominant in academics, social media marketing is fast becoming popular for researchers and practitioners. SMM has proved to be very cost-effective, and can be used by small businesses or large conglomerates depending on the target audience.
To make full use of social media marketing, you must first engage the audience that you intend to target. SMM experts suggest that the best way to do this is to create a profile on your platform, which will allow you to interact directly with the audience and drive direct traffic to your website. The platform must also have a feedback and subscribe system, which allows users to easily report any problematic interactions they may have had. Other important aspects that must be included in a good SMM platform include an easy to use design, high levels of user mobility, ability to integrate social media management tools such as apps and plugins, a content management system, and a dynamic platform that can adapt to changing market conditions.