BUS203 Study Guide

Unit 7: Social Media Marketing

7a. Understand why a company should use social media

  • Why should a company use social media?
  • What is the difference between social media and traditional media?
  • Why is social media considered two-way communication?

Social media is big and growing. It is a means that enables consumers to use the Internet to communicate with companies and other customers. Unlike traditional media, social media permits two-way communication. Think about social media and how the customer can interact with the brand or message. Social media will often build a relationship with the customer by engaging with the customer on the item purchased or item the customer is interested in purchasing. Many companies use social media as a way to promote their brand.

Today, successful companies incorporate traditional media and social media as part of their communication. The two types of media work together to provide communication to the customer. Communication on social media includes owned, paid, and earned. Traditional media is primarily paid but can contain some earned through public relations.

Owned media is what the company has control over. It controls the content, but the company does not have control over the interaction with the customer that it is engaging with. Owned media includes websites, blogs, emails, newsletters, and mobile apps. A company is responsible for creating and maintaining this media. Owned media uses a pull marketing strategy. The content attracts customers to the website, blog, etc.

Paid social media includes advertisements or sponsored marketing messages. This includes pay-per-click advertising, influencer-generated content, or display ads. Paid social media allows a company to target specific customer segments. For example, if you offer a weight loss product, the advertising can target customers interested in losing weight. This type of targeting allows the company to spend its budget wisely, reaching the right customer.

Earned social media involves third-party reviews, editorial mentions, user-generated content, brand mentions, and social sharing. Earned media provides word-of-mouth recommendations or discussions about a product or brand. The customer freely shares information about the brand. This is not content that the company has paid for or owns but has earned it.

It is important to use social media with a purpose and plan. It is a way to create impressions, build equity, and sell products or services.

Think about your own company. How are they using social media? What about your competitors? What seems to be getting the most attention or attracting customers?

To review, read Old to New Media.

 

7b. identify the types of content marketing

  • What is content marketing?
  • What type of content is useful for social media marketing?
  • What is user-generated content?
  • Why are keywords important?

The content in marketing generates interest and keeps customers engaged on your website. It needs to be systematic and planned. This includes photos, blogs, videos, and text posts or tweets.

The goal of content is to showcase the company's expertise in their product or service. It is to be a helpful expert or authority on the topic.

Content needs to be developed and built on keywords. Keywords for the brand or company need to be identified and properly used. If someone is searching for a plumber and lives in Dallas, Texas, they might search for the "best plumber in Dallas, Texas". Information like this will guide keywords. Developing keywords is not one-and-done; rather, it is an ongoing process.

Content marketing is the foundation for establishing trust between a company and the customer. When customers trust the content, they are more willing to share it.

Think about this. What content are you willing to share? Why?

To review, read Content Marketing Strategy.

 

7c. Describe email marketing and its use

  • What is email marketing?
  • What is the distinct advantage of using email marketing compared to social media?

Email marketing is one of the more effective ways to reach customers. It is a way of reaching many people at one time. Email is owned media; thus, you control the content and own the email list. You can use email in conjunction with social media. You should use email to continue engagement with your audience. The marketer might offer a discount on a product or service. They could offer a free e-book or anything that the customer would consider valuable.

The goal is to engage with the customer and continue a relationship. It is important to remember the end goal of an email. Typical goals might include sales, conversion, or creating web traffic.

Sending too many emails will cause the emails to be deleted, becoming a wasted effort. The marketer must find the right balance regarding the frequency of communicating with its customers. The marketer must also give the customer a reason to open the email. The subject line is a critical component of the email. The subject line will encourage the customer to open the email. Even if the content is compelling, if the subject line does not draw a customer to open the message, they will never see the good content.

To review, read Email and Mobile Direct Marketing.

 

7d. identify the major social media platforms and their attributes

  • What is the difference between Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest?
  • What is a good way to describe the tone and culture of LinkedIn if Facebook's personality is "friends, family, fun, photos, and fake"?
  • Why would a brand use one social media platform over another?

There are over 100 different social media platforms. We are going to review just a few of the top sites.

Facebook is the largest social media platform with over two billion active users. It is one of the most used platforms. The Facebook algorithm, Edgerank rewards posts that are liked, shared, and ones where someone comments. Facebook is focused on fun, family, friends, and faith. Companies should avoid political messages on this site. Facebook also has a strong advertising component which allows a marketer to be very targeted in who they want to reach.

LinkedIn is a business networking site. It is a good place for a company to leverage its business. When someone shares a post or article to their profile, the posts show up in the news feed of those connected with that person. LinkedIn has a more serious or business-focused tone, so the messages should reflect that tone.

Twitter contains noise and news and is not a suitable venue for marketing unless that is where your customers are. Twitter limits the message to 280 characters. You can embed a video in the message that leads the reader back to your website. You do not need to be connected with someone, as anyone can see a tweet. Also, anyone can send you a message without being a "friend".

Instagram is owned by Facebook. It is a photo-sharing site. There is an opportunity to create content that engages your followers through short videos or photographs. It is designed to be used on a mobile phone or tablet. You cannot just post text; a picture must accompany all posts.

YouTube is owned by Google. It is a platform where users can upload or share videos. YouTube's platform is set up so a company can set up a channel. The challenge is producing engaging videos that keep the viewer's interest. How-to videos have been very popular on YouTube. To encourage people to produce videos, there is now a way for someone to be paid when a certain number of people follow the person or brand and then log a set number of viewing hours. Creating the best video and keeping the viewer engaged is an enticement for those who want to earn money with their videos.

Pinterest is strong with certain niches such as do-it-yourself and online shopping. Shoppers use Pinterest to browse the internet and "pin" items they want to buy onto "boards". For example, do-it-yourselfers use Pinterest to share ideas on how to create things, and home cookers share recipes and cooking tips. A brand posts images on Pinterest with links back to their website for purchase.

Another aspect of communicating with consumers is through blogs. Blogs are a type of content communication that can be incorporated into social media platforms. The best blogs will generate traffic to the company's website and build community.

Can you think of a social media site that allows you to create and share? Now think of one that treats you like "eyeballs". What is the difference?

To review, read Social Media Platforms.

 

Unit 7 Vocabulary

This vocabulary list includes terms that might help you with the review items above and some terms you should be familiar with to be successful in completing the final exam for the course.

Try to think of the reason why each term is included.

  • blogs
  • content marketing
  • crowdsourcing
  • earned media
  • email marketing
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • keywords
  • LinkedIn
  • owned media
  • paid media
  • Pinterest
  • social media
  • Twitter
  • user-generated content
  • YouTube