MKTG 347/ Week 1: Social Media Basics

Today I have checked Facebook about three times, scrolled through my Twitter feed and of course took the time to check what's going on through Instagram. While many of us tend to use social media for personal reasons, such as keeping up on who's dating who this week, social media is a powerful tool when it comes to the world of marketing.

According to LinkedIn, social media marketing skills was one of the top skills that helped job seekers get hired in 2013. Most of us have been exposed to some form of social media, but there are a few key points to look out for when using social media sites to reach your market.

Know the ROI: Having Facebook ad campaigns and paid advertisments on other social media sites is a great way to get your product out there, but it is important to know the return on investment.This just means to be aware of  impact your social media marketing is making compared to the the money spent in order to accomplish that goal.

Consider the Target Market; One of the first steps in the process of social media marketing should be to determine if you are trying to market to consumers or other businesses. Business to business marketing will have a different approach than business to consumer marketing. The content will vary. For instance, a fun and catchy ad posted on Facebook would be useful for business to consumer marketing, whereas an informational article posted on LinkedIn would be more suitable for business to business.

Create Awareness: The purpose of digital marketing is to engage your audience through social media by means of promotions, videos, contests, etc. Once people are aware of your product and/or service, they can share what they know by word of mouth through their own social media channels.

In addition to using social media to spread the word, you ca also use them to listen. When people dislike something, chances are they will share their experience with others through sites such as Facebook or Twitter. So, instead of just using it to spread awareness, you can use these sites to listen to potential customers and improve.

Know the Channels: Two of the most common websites used to create awareness through social media are Facebook and Twitter, but there are others as well which include:
YouTube
Google+
Yahoo! Answers
Pinterest
LinkedIn
Instagram
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If you haven't heard of these websites. it is important to take the time to become familiar with them so that you can improve your online presence.

Experience with social media marketing is an important skill to have when entering the marketing field today. Even if it is completely unknown territory, simply becoming familiar with the websites above will get you started on the right track.