Social media are various interactive technologies which allow the generation or sharing/ exchange of ideas, interests, opinions, and other types of creative expression through virtual communities and social networks. These are usually defined as a collection of technologies designed to enable people to share and get connected through online community. It started as online community which was initially used as an activity to share knowledge, information and interaction. But as the technology evolved it was used to create business opportunities as well. Today, social networking sites are being used by businesses in order to enhance and strengthen their brand, increase traffic to websites, generate sales leads, and build customer relationships.
The growth of social media has contributed towards the overall success of the global business market in the coming years. According to a recent estimate, this upcoming decade is expected to witness a huge number of organisations making use of these services for their business ventures. With the increasing competition in the market and the changing landscape of the web, it is imperative that businesses consider all avenues available for their marketing. Social networking sites have emerged as one of the most potent marketing platforms today. This will be further experienced in the coming years with companies concentrating more on optimizing the social media impact for their business goals.
Social media users can access the largest social media networks, read, submit and share content, create accounts, chat and integrate several services like shopping carts and blogs. Users can join communities, create profiles, upload pictures and videos, comment on other users’ posts and vote on other submissions. The possibilities are limitless. Businesses can make use of this medium to reach out to their consumers, communicate with their customers and provide content. Moreover, social networking sites are also the ideal place for start-ups to showcase their products and services to potential customers and establish strong professional image.
Nowadays, several new and sophisticated platforms are being developed for business to use for reaching out to a wider audience. These platforms include mobile apps and smart phones that provide a platform where people can easily access the network. Even if they are not internet savvy, they can still access and engage with the digital marketing network of the company through these channels. As the audience gains access to the platform, they can easily interact with the company or share content with others. There are various other innovative ways that these platforms provide for enhancing the online presence of the company like blogging, discussion boards, video uploading, publishing and sharing, voting and tagging.
What makes the current platform of Facebook so special is that it has been loaded with almost one billion users. It is the largest social media networks which is accessible to every user in the world. It provides a platform where people can talk, create, share, send messages, games and many other things. One of the major reasons why it is gaining popularity is because of its easy usage and contribution possibilities. Businesses using the Facebook platform can make use of the myriad options available like creating and submitting content, chatting, gaming and various other interactive features.
The most popular social media marketing tool being used by companies today is the Facebook Influencers program. This enables businesses to get in touch with their target audience by letting them become influencers. All companies engaged with the platform can become influencers and let others add their comments, suggestions and posts on their pages. The company can also add their URL addresses on their status and blogs to let others know more about their products and services. The strategy has been quite successful thus far and the possibilities are yet to be explored.
