Marketing as we all know has changed due to the digitization of worldwide data since the early 2000s. Because digitalization has changed how and who we do business with, the term “marketing” will always be accompanied by the word “digital.” In general, various forms of digital marketing have been used by businesses including content, email and affiliate marketing. If you’ve taken digital marketing courses online, you’re probably aware that social media is an important component of digital marketing, leading to the creation of a new type of marketing: social media marketing.
Social media marketing is the practice of advertising a company’s products and services through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Posting and publishing on your company’s social media profile, communicating with the audience, and running adverts are all examples of this sort of marketing. Wendy’s humorous hostility on Twitter is likely something you’ve seen, or at least heard about. Unlike any other official social media page, Wendy’s took a risk in 2017 and began roasting other users on the platform.
Users of Twitter seemed to enjoy it, and it turned out to be an excellent marketing technique for the firm. In the fourth quarter of 2017, the company’s net income increased by 5.3 times over the same period in 2016. Because of the growth in social platform users over the last decade, this demonstrates that using social media for marketing is becoming a more useful tool.
With every advantage, however, comes a disadvantage. Continue reading to discover the benefits and drawbacks of adopting social media marketing for your business.
PROS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Low cost
Unlike other forms of marketing, you only need a free account on your preferred social networking platform to get started. You might gradually increase your following without incurring any fees. There may be paid choices to increase your profile if you desire to upgrade and develop your profile. There are two easy ways to do that: scheduling platforms and/or the use of content creation software, which are both low cost but extremely beneficial.
Large audience
Around 56% of the world’s population uses social media on a regular basis. Although this may not appear to be a large number, it represents roughly 4.5 billion individuals. As a result, social media can be an excellent tool for reaching audiences all over the world.
Easy interaction
Wendy’s Twitter account demonstrates that social media is a terrific way for organizations and viewers to communicate in informal contexts. This may make audiences feel less intimidated since social media is a place where everyone can be a bit laid back. Besides, it’s a public secret that everyone spends more time on social media than on their email inbox.
CONS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Negative feedback
When you use social media, everything you post — and every response to your content – is visible to everyone. This could be a double-edged sword for businesses using social media. Negative feedback and criticism may start flooding your page, and there really isn’t much you can do about it. Not to mention the fact that trolls can be found just about anywhere on the internet. This might harm your company’s reputation online. However, the same is also true for positive feedback and engagements. Duolingo, for example, is well-known for being abrasive with its app users when it comes to learning a language using their software. They did, however, leverage their “bad” reputation to establish a following on the video app TikTok, where they currently have 2.5 million followers.
Not for everyone
While fast-food restaurants like Wendy’s on Twitter and language learning apps like Duolingo on TikTok are thriving with their social media marketing strategies, their method may not be appropriate for every business. When creating your social media presence, you must keep your target audience in mind. You would not want to see a legal firm roasting clients or competitors on social media.
Competitiveness
Social media has been around for quite some time. As a result, while dealing with social media, networking is a very beneficial tool. It will be difficult for your organization to establish itself in any social media network if you do not already have a platform.
CONCLUSION
If you know how to utilize social media marketing effectively, it can be a powerful tool for your business. To thrive, you must understand how to leverage each platform to brand your firm and establish professional boundaries. With the advent of the internet, there are endless possibilities for how to promote your company. If you’re interested in the future of digital marketing, completing a digital marketing certificate program would be a great investment for your career.
Written by Jaxine Kurniawan
Ashton College 