Social media affects marketing in various ways. Due to the limitation of the assignment, only two of these ways will be exploited in the essay. The two ways are how social media affects marketing through communication and also how it affects marketing through advertising. Social media has revolutionized both communication and advertising, two main components of marketing. Coursaris, Wietske, and Balogh explain that the revolution has made the concepts that much easier to understand and manipulate (15).
The first concept that links social media and marketing is communication. Rutkin explains that social media has made it easier for marketers to not only communicate, but to communicate the right message, and pass the intended message (22). Xia and Pedraza-Jiménez explain that social media has made two-way communication easier and faster, thus, enhanced marketing options (207). The scholars explain that the ease of feedback, and reply to feedback that social media encourages allows for marketers to get the trends needed to increase their sales.
Secondly, social media has also encouraged target audience specification and communication. Romero asserts that people in social media form and join groups that they feel they identify with (64). For instance, some groups talk about cars; in such groups, a car company or a mechanic can market his or her goods without paying for it. It is not only cheap, but it targets the specific client that the company or person is after. On the same note, social media has also made marketing communication easier for smaller, and startup, companies as it creates a huge platform that the said companies can tap into. Muiña et al. explain that in this manner, companies can expand into new markets (28).
The second mention concept that links social media and marketing is adverting. Romero argues that social media has affected adverting and in so doing, affected marketing in various ways (67). One such way is by making advertising cheap. Traditional advertising like billboards, television, and radio have been described as being very expensive. Social media cuts across by making advertising-free, and for those marketers that desire more comprehensive advertising, they are charged a relatively small fee compared to the traditional platforms. Also, advertising has been made easier as it is wholesome. Due to the characteristics of the internet, marketers can place long adverts, as many times as they want without paying much money.
Gregor and Gotwald explain that social media has also made advertising easier as it reaches bigger masses than the traditional media (41). The fact that the internet and social media platforms can be accessed through many devices, including mobile phones, has made advertising a constant thing in online marketing today. The target-specific advertising also makes it easy to advertise the right product to the right people using the right mechanisms and trends.
In conclusion, there are numerous ways in which social media has affected marketing. Two of the most common aspects that have been linked and affected and, in turn, affected online marketing are communication and advertising. Social media has affected communication by making it easier to communicate with the right target audience, in turn, making marketing easier and more precise. On the same note, social media has also had an impact on marketing through advertising. Whereas traditional platforms are very expensive, social media is not only significantly affordable but can at times be completely free.
Works Cited
Coursaris, Constantinos K., Wietske van Osch, and Balogh Brigitte A. “Informing Brand Messaging Strategies Via Social Media Analytics.” Online Information Review 40.1 (2016): 6-24. Print.
Gregor, Bogdan, and Gotwald Beata. “Potential of Social Media and Mobile Marketing in Marketing Communication Management in Health Care Institutions.” Contemporary Management Quarterly / Wspólczesne Zarzadzanie 12.3 (2013): 38-49. Print.
Muiña, Fernando E. García, Eva Pelechano Barahona, and José E. Navas López. “Knowledge Complexity and Sustained Competitive Advantages.” Cuadernos De Economía Y Dirección De La Empresa (CEDE) 37 (2008): 7-32. Print.
Romero, Nuria. “Social Reading and the Creation of Customer Loyalty Clubs or Communities to Improve Communication with our Users and Reduce Costs in Marketing and Advertising.” Bottom Line: Managing Library Finances 25.2 (2012): 63-67. Print.
Rutkin, Aviva. “The Social Network Where It Literally Pays to Post.” New Scientist 227.3039 (2015): 22. Print.
Xia, He, and Pedraza-Jiménez Rafael. “Chinese Social Media Strategies: Communication Key Features from a Business Perspective.” El Profesional De La Información 24.2 (2015): 200-209. Print.