Social Media is rapidly changing the field of marketing. YouTube, Twitter, Face Book, and Linked In are commonly used by companies to create and maintain contact with consumers. Case studies confirm that social media is an effective communication tool to engage, develop and maintain a large customer base.
Some Pros of Internet Marketing
- Forming & maintaining relationships with customers.
- Gaining new customers.
- Open communication between company and consumer.
- Real-time results (as opposed to a survey that would take weeks to collect data.
Some Cons of Internet Marketing
- Not regulated – customers & other companies can post any feelings towards a product, service or brand.
- Power shift – consumers rely on each other for information, such as product review.
Case Study 1 – Coca Cola
Coca Cola actively uses various social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to engage consumers. The link below provides an analysis of two effective social media campaigns operated by the Coca Cola Company. This Case study discusses the Uses & gratification theory, the groundswell theory, as well as the best communication practices and successful strategies for social media marketing.
Uses & gratification theory
Companies want to become someone’s want or need, increasing their appeal to users, increasing the popularity of their brand and increasing sales. This theory was originally used to describe television viewing. As with television, users of the internet can access information at any time they want.
Coca Cola has posted “House Rules” on their Fan page, letting customers know that they can post comments and photos, but that Coca Cola does not necessarily share the same views.
Groundswell Theory
The internet is used for multiple purposes, including entertainment, research, socializing, and gathering information. Originally defined as a social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations. Companies now use social networking websites to market their products and gain customers. Companies that have their own home page can post information regarding their products and personal accounts of customer experiences. Information, however, needs to remain current on these home pages.
Coca-Cola’s home page provides links for their customers to some social networking sites, such as YouTube, Facebook, Twitter. Postings on Facebook and Twitter engage the audience and are conversational, not promotional. They update their videos frequently on YouTube to hold the interest of their audience.
Successful Stragies for social media marketing
- Be Human
- Know what you want from the campaign
- Listen and respond
- Diversify and Pace your content
- Inject yourself into the conversation
- Get feedback in real time
- Know your audience
- Know the platforms
- Create a user-centric experience
Case Study 2: Orabrush
Orabrush produces a tongue cleaner product, and the company’s marketing team was able to turn their YouTube views and Facebook ads into a contract with the biggest of national accounts: Wal-Mart. Their success indicates that social media is changing the corporate marketing model. Orabrush used an unconventional approach; they used social media to launch an ad campaign before they had their packaging, distribution and supply chain in order.
Orabrush’s tactics led to 40 million YouTube views, and 300,000 Facebook fans for a brand that had sold roughly two million units. The company was able to produce their videos at a low cost by using student filmmakers from Brigham Young University. They were able to publicize their product at a low cost, and this publicity created pressure on Wal-Mart store managers to carry Orabrush’s tongue cleaners.
However, using social media to generate publicity before generating substantial sales will only work in categories where the product doesn’t already have a strong social media presence. In addition, the company must be ready to produce large quantities of the product quickly, because retailers like Wal-Mart are working with less lead-time than they once did.