Social Media Platforms

Read this chapter. There are over 100 different social media platforms. We are going to review just a few of the top sites. Companies need to understand how customers interact on each social media platform.

Social media platforms (Exercises)

Case study questions

  • Why was Instagram an appropriate choice for Harley-Davidson?
  • Why do you think the brand decided on illustrations?
  • What other platforms would you have considered and why?
  • Are the themes the brand chose relevant to their target audience? Motivate your answer.


Chapter questions

  1. Visit www.guardian.co.uk. List the ways in which this print publication is embracing social media.
  2. Why is transparency so important to marketing using social media? Has this halted or accelerated the use of social media for marketing?
  3. What is the difference between advertising using social media and marketing using social media? What are the benefits of social media to each, and what are the challenges?


Further reading

www.mashable.com – a blog that covers social networking and social media.

http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/ – an online magazine that publishes original research oversees multiple communities for social media marketers.