Unit 12 – Marketing through Social Media
Around the world, social media has become popular. Hundreds of millions of people use
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linked ln. People use these websites and others to
provide updates on their personal lives. They let their friends and family members see
what they are doing. These days, companies also use social media. For the most part,
they promote their products to customers.
The term for this is social media marketing (SMM). Businesses use SMM by creating
content and by sharing it on social media. For example, they may post short articles and
updates. Others may make videos promoting to their products. And companies often
provide links and have discussions on social media. These actions can help businesses a
great deal. They allow companies to improve their sales and profits.
One benefit of SMM is that it brings businesses closer to their customers. This lets them
interact directly with businesses. Then, companies can see what they are doing right and
wrong. For instance, a travel agency that posts pictures of the tours it leads may get
positive comments from customers. But a restaurant that serves food people do
not like may get complaints. In both cases, the companies benefit. They learn what their
customers like and dislike. So they can improve the quality of their service.
Another good point of SMM is that it can let people learn about a business. A
company's website may get small amounts of traffic. But thousands or millions of people
may view a post on Facebook or a tweet on Twitter that goes viral. That can increase a
company's customer base. And that what every marketer wants to happen.