Social Media: A New Marketing Channel

Social Media has grown as a new marketing channel in this world of digitalization. Audiences today are “CONNECTED CONSUMERS”. Almost 70% of World youth is connected to the digital world through the means of internet networking. They communicate, socialise, access news, shop, research and engage with businesses through multiple digital platforms, and many of these are on the go (iPads and Smartphones).

There was a time when phones were only considered as a medium to communicate vocally to one another but the arrival of smartphones has changed the entire definition. As the possibility of consumers of the internet is increasing day by day, so more and more investments are done in Digital marketing sector of a company. Businesses and consumers can form meaningful connections through social media.

Changing Trends

• Letters to Emails
• Brochure to website
• Newspaper to online news
• Seminars to webinars
• Books to EBooks
• Socialising to “SOCIAL NETWORKING”

Since the mode of advertising is Social in earlier days, therefore investments were done in print, radio and other outdoor sectors. With the changing trends, a lot of investments are now being done on social media promotions. This shifting of the budget is done so that a company could connect and engage better with the audience. Most importantly, Social Media is becoming an increasingly important role in consumer decision making.

According to the research analysis, The world spends over 110 billion minutes on social networks and blog sites. That equates 22 percent of all time online. For business point of view, over 40 percent of the world businesses gains new customers through social networks. All these statistics reflects the business generated through the digital world. Online Business can have more control on customer ecosystem because of diversity factor. Social media promotions can build your brand and increase brand awareness. One of the important features of social networking is that it can provide a valuable feedback to your company. Engagement of customers into the company activities increases with social media networking.

Following are the few marketing strategies adopted by various companies for social media promotions:

• Posting videos shot by editors of the company on YouTube would generate realistic ideas in the minds of the customer.

• Publishing your brand advertisement in the main column of online newspaper websites and other relevant online stores.

• Posting meaty comments from presenters at webinars and conferences on Twitter and other popular social media websites is the new mode to promote your brand.

• Voting on magazine cover design and blurbs before the issue goes to press to predict in advance which would sell best on the newsstand.

• Promotional offers and Product giveaways for advertisers and customers is also one of the important aspects of promotion.

• Opinion polls, surveys are the must-do feature of a strategy as it helps in getting customer feedback and generalizing your brand.

Written by Deepak Sharma

An ambivert by nature and a keen business editorial reader. I believe - "Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing"