ENGL 1102 April 2, 2014, 2014 Title? The internet is a giant billboard. And more than 75% of internet users also use the massively popular portion of the internet known as social media or social networking. These sites continues to grow at a ridiculous rate. With hundreds of millions on social media it has become the new frontier for the marketing world (Planning in the age of Facebook 408). Some think that social media is risky area to advertise on and it is creating bad customers. That is an opinion of those looking in on social networking from the outside not from within. Social media is a valuable marketing tool that can be successful if used correctly.
With the internet being the ruthless place it is and the amount of freedom people have to post whatever they please. Internet users can anonymously post whatever pleases them through an online pseudonym like a screen name or a twitter handle (Sanette 193). With this one could see how social media may seem like a shark tank to marketing agencies. Some companies dive in without thinking only to get chewed up. McDonalds for example initiated a twitter campaign using the hashtag #McDStories. A hashtag is a feature on twitter that allows users to tag their tweet with a topic. Twitter users can click on the hashtag and they can see other tweets with the same hashtag. The original intent was for customers to tweet about a positive experience had at a McDonalds fast food restaurant. Most versed social networking users could guess what happened to the campaign. It was taken over by people sharing negative experiences and by Comment [AP1]: Proof read closer Comment [AP2]: Nice metaphor to start out the paper! Comment [AP3]: Again, proof read. Comment [AP4]: I dont think this needs citation. its like citing that the sky is sometimes blue. Comment [AP5]: Ha! trolls bashing McDonalds. ( Social Media is creating bad customers). Even with McDonalds failure social medias value as a successful marketing tool has been proven in the past by other companies who took more precaution. Burger Kings whopper sacrifice ad campaign on Facebook was hugely successful. Facebook users could delete 10 Facebook friends for a free whopper at Burger King. The Facebook application was so successful it had to be shut down(The Social Media Marketing book). Even small companies like Blendtek have made it big by using social media to make viral videos that advertise their product. Blendtek made videos that showed the power of their blenders by blending things like cellphones and wood. The videos went viral making the company well known within a short period of time (The Social Media Marketing book). As time goes on more and more big companies are moving there advertisement focus to the marketing frontier of social media. Like Pepsi, the widely popular cola company, decided not to advertise in the super bowl and use the extra money to advertise in social media (socialnomics 5). Pepsi dropping one of the biggest advertising events in America exemplifies the opportunity in marketing in social media. Social medias most valuable asset for marketing is its ability to communicate with customers. While taking feedback through social media, businesses can also spot emerging market trends to get a head start (SOCIAL MEDIA'S INFLUENCE). Social media also allows consumers to communicate to other consumers worldwide. In fact a study about health communications in social media showed that social media has increased connectivity and direct participation (Journal of Medical Internet Research). The biggest advertisement on social media is the costumers themselves, they create a mass network of people conversing on the internet. Erik Qualman says it best in his book its like word of mouth on steroids (Socialnomics page xvii). Word of mouth is one of the oldest forms of advertising. Studies of Comment [AP6]: Or is social media giving disappointed customers a stage? Comment [AP7]: This seems odd. What does deleting fb friends have to do with BK? Seems like an odd campaign. Comment [AP8]: This is all very interesting, but Im at a loss for the ultimate point here. Comment [AP9]: Your in-text citation is incorrect. Reference that handbook you were supposed to get for this class. word of mouth show that receiving positive word of mouth about a product or service the likelihood of a purchase. (Language Abstraction in Word of Mouth). If companies can maintain their positive image on social media they can keep the power of influence on consumers. Companies can look their customers tweets and see what peoples actual opinions are and respond to them. For instance after tweeting about how good my meal was at Firehouse Subs I was surprised to find Firehouse Subs replied to my tweet to thank me for choosing Firehouse subs. This made me feel appreciated, which was their goal. Or a company could respond to a negative post by apologizing and offering some sort of incentive to return. Then taking action to solve the issue that occurred. Social networking can also be used to market job opportunities or for individuals to market themselves for employment. This can be done on the business-orientated social networking site called LinkedIn. Many CEOs have personal and corporate LinkedIn accounts. LinkedIn allows one to connect with business contacts while also being able to view contacts connections with other business people. This allows more exposure for themselves and for their company thus advertising it. Stories about industry trends and news can also be found on LinkedIn (The North American). With the majority of internet users being active in social media making it the largest network of opinion and word of mouth yet. The success and transition in social media marketing. Social media is undoubtable a valuable source for marketing
- social scientists observed that social media have increased individuals connectivity and enabled users direct participation. (Social Media Use in the United States: Implications for Health Communication)
Work Cited Sanette Nel The Comparative and International Law Journal of Southern Africa, Vol. 40, No. 2 (JULY 2007), pp. 193-214 "Social Media is Creatin Bad Customers." Sensei Marketing. N.p., 09 Nov 2012. Web. 7 Apr 2014. <http://www.senseimarketing.com/social-media-is-creating-bad-customers/>. SOCIAL MEDIA'S INFLUENCE ON BUSINESS-TO-BUSINESS SALES PERFORMANCE Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management 2012 0885-3134 32(3): 365-378 M.E. Sharpe Inc.
"Social Media Use in the United States: Implications for Health Communication." Journal of Medical Internet Research. 11.4 (2009): n. page. Print.
The Effect of Customers' Social Media Participation on Customer Visit Frequency and Profitability: An Empirical Investigation Rishika Rishika, Ashish Kumar, Ramkumar Janakiraman and Ram Bezawada Information Systems Research, Vol. 24, No. 1, Special Issue on Social Media and Business Transformation (March 2013), pp. 108-127
Qualman, Erik. Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business. 2nd. John Wiley & Sons Inc., 2013. xvii. eBook.
The Social Media Marketing Book By Dan Zarrella Language Abstraction in Word of Mouth Gaby A. C. Schellekens, Peeter W. J. Verlegh, and Ale Smidts Journal of Consumer Research, Vol. 37, No. 2 (August 2010), pp. 207-223 Planning in the age of Facebook: the role of social networking in planning processes Jennifer S. Evans-Cowley GeoJournal, Vol. 75, No. 5 (2010), pp. 407-420 The North American Third-Party Logistics Industry in 2011: The Provider CEO Perspective Dr. Robert C. Lieb and Dr. Kristin J. Lieb Transportation Journal, Vol. 51, No. 3 (Summer 2012), pp. 353-367
Joe, Youve done some really interesting and engaging research here. I think youve done a good job compiling some compelling information that really sheds light on some of the inner workings of social media marketing. The biggest area of concern here is your lack of a real thesis. Some of the stories about bad marketing campaigns are really great, but Im wondering who your ideal audience is and what it is that you are attempting to argue. As it is, this seems like a compilation of static information, where you are acting as a passive reporter, as opposed to an active participant in the conversation. Who would disagree that marketing via social media is effective or can easily blow up in the companys face? But really, there have been bad campaign ads since before the internet. You really need to find an area of conflict with which to have a more specific and purposeful conversation.