As a result of
the rapid change and evolution of the technological world we find ourselves in
an age where everything from paying bills, shopping online, chatting with
friends, sharing photos and videos, booking travel and so on can be done with a
simple hand held device from nearly anywhere in the world.
With these
advances in these everyday activities its no wonder Social Media Marketing
(SMM) now plays such a crucial role in the everyday function of businesses as
well. Whether it be the big companies such as Woolworths, Commonwealth Bank and
Medibank to the small and medium enterprises (SME's) in your local area,
whether they have a bricks and mortar stores or are operating purely online,
social media is now an integral part of a companies success factors.
Social media
platforms allow people to share content such as text, image, videos, music etc.
with people within their network, who can then share it on to their own network
of friends. Social media marketing is where companies utilise these tools as
apart of their overall marketing strategy.
Companies who
engage in social media marketing effectively and connectedly via multiple
vehicles may find that they have a far
greater reach of customers, that they are selling more, raising more brand
awareness and therefore in a stronger position than perhaps competitors who do
not engage in social media marketing effectively or at all.
Some may be
thinking, platforms? Content? what does this all mean?
Well according
to the textbook by Tuten and Soloman 'Social
Media Marketing' the world of social media can be divided into a framework of 'four
zones' as illustrated in figure 1 below.
Figure 1: 4 zones of social media
These four zones then have 'vehicles' which these activities can be
conducted through; some examples of these vehicles are illustrated in figure 2
below.
Figure 2: 4 zones of social media with
examples of vehicles
Many companies will utilize
multiple vehicle platforms in order to get an effective spread of social media
coverage. It doesn't have to be every vehicle everyday but it should be consistent and it should all be
tied in and connected.
Understanding the basics such as using multiple platforms, publishing content with your audience
in mind, listening feedback, delivering value through participate and that it ties in which your overall brand marketing among
other things is crucial to educate yourself on.
