The rise of social media marketing has completely shifted the entire landscape of online marketing mainly because consumers now have a voice and the ability to communicate their input regarding the pros and cons, suggestions, and concerns of a specific product or service through social media. So basically due to social media being used as marketing tools for businesses, the online business world has developed from a monologue between brands and their consumers to a dialogue between brands and their consumers. Social Media Marketing is a relatively new form of online marketing where small businesses and large corporations use social network sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and LinkedIn as direct communication and marketing channels. Companies use these social media channels to generate data and information about their target market and communicate information to their target market regarding their products and or services. When did social media marketing begin?
In 1969 was when social media marketing began. The company CompuServe created the first ever commercial service online.
What were some monumental events that impacted the growth of Social Media Marketing?- In 1971- first Email
- In 1978- BBS Bulletin Board Systems were created.
- In 1989 the world Wide Web was created.
- In 1994 the first blog was created by links.net
- In 1999 blogger was launched
- In 2002 the social media network site Friendster was launched. This social media network racked up 90 million registered users and over 60 million visitors every month.
- Facebook was launched in 2004 initially for Harvard student use only. As the word spread so did Facebook. The Facebook network eventually expanded into other schools, then to secondary schools, then to businesses, and then to everyone.
- Youtube was launched in 2005.
- Twitter was launched in 2006.
- Social media networks go mobile in 2007. Friendfeed and tumbler were also launched in the same year making the mobile use of social media more convenient and efficient for the users.
- In 2008 viral video proves its power due to a video clip of a Burger King Employee bathing in a company washroom sink(gross). The video sparked awareness of social media by users regarding videos uploaded on social media sites like youtube and vevo.
- The movie "Bruno" dies three days following the release of the film in 2009 due to negative reviews, comments, and word of mouth via social media networks. This event was an eye opener that showed the power consumers have over brands by using social media.
Here is a short video clip of a 2010 NFL Superbowl ad for Old Spice Deodorant. I know many of you have already seen the ad numerous times and can agree it is absolutely hilarious and makes no sense at all, but this specific ad is a perfect example on how effective social media marketing has truly become. Within 24 hours over 5.9 million Youtube users responded to the video through comments and "likes".
I have discussed with you guys some of the key events that have impacted the rapid growth of social media marketing. It all began with slow working ineffcient blogs and has grown into an instant ability for users to network with friends and families and for corporations to alcommunicate instantly with their desired consumers. So where do you guys think social media marketing is heading? What do you think the online landscape for social media will look like even 5 years from now?
Thanks for reading my post guys! Happy Thanksgiving!
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Happy thanksgiving bro! Hope you are murdering turkey now. The rise of social media marketing do influence our awareness and the way we behave nowadays. I think the essence of studying about lots of courses of social marketing ( like web marketing ) is to learn how to adapt to this new trend of development and make our marketing action measurable to contribute to our target market much more effectively and achieve organizational goals eventually.
ReplyDeletei think once people and businesses realized how many consumers they could reach through social media, its use skyrocketed. its an awesome way to potentially reach millions of people for alot cheaper than it would have been if using conventional advertising. the post was very well organized and easy to read, nice job.
ReplyDeleteAdding to this point. Yes, social media is cost-effective and it does reach the masses in a quick manner. In 5 years, I fear social media will be extremely diverse. Meaning, there will be so many avenues to choose from that companies could have a difficult and costly time sorting through everything.
DeleteDefiantly Social media expresses communicate with, customers and possible consumers. It identifies the "brand" and helps you to distribute the business message in easy and conversation. However the downfall it must be part of our daily life, attention must be paid for successful result.
ReplyDeleteha ha ha @ the Old spice commercials. Anyways social media changed the world in many ways and there will be no looking back. It is exceptionally helpful with helping us complete tasks faster and with communicating with family friends coworkers etc. Great Blog
ReplyDeleteAmazing how social media has taken over the means of marketing and advertising in the last decade. With such a large audience of consumers on each site continually viewing these web pages on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, its almost certain that the use of social media by businesses will continue to grow.
ReplyDeleteI think one of the most effective uses of social media is creating shareable content, like the old spice commercial. This is also the most difficult to create. To be shareable the content has to be interesting enough that consumers would want to show others.
ReplyDeleteAs a consumer I would have to say that the dialog between consumer and business is very important to maintain a genuine positive relationship. With the internet being so vastly used and promoted company's really take into consideration the consumer generated content. The information they are pulling from social media websites really impacts how they do business and how they market to their target audience.
ReplyDeleteSocial Media has taken over today's society, you're always connected, either through the computer or the phone. We're never far away from our Twitter or Facebook accounts. This, for marketers spells good news as they have much more opportunity to reach their target market.
ReplyDeleteAwesome post! There is a reason that social media is on such a rise, and most businesses are somehow connected to it. With social media you are creating 24 hour access to your business, which lets consumers view your company whenever they choose. Also businesses can be promoted from word of mouth on social media sites. I think social media is just going to keep rising.
ReplyDeleteSocial media is a crucial component to every marketers agenda. Almost everyone in Canada is at arm's length to a social media center in their daily lives. Nowadays, visibility and success of a business can be partly measured by it's online presence. Makes the door-to-door salesmen seem like an archaic notion!
ReplyDeleteSocial media is a way through which companies can reach their target market easily. Social media enables companies to promote their products free or at low price with ease without facing any problems. Well explained post , Great Job Brad.
ReplyDeleteIts amazing to think how far social media has come. At first, the main social media was Myspace, now we have a different social media website for anything you can possibly think of. It is definitely the new wave of marketing and if you miss the train, you're going to be really late and perhaps miss out on important opportunities to generate leads.
ReplyDeleteAt first I was not open minded towards social media, but the usefulness of them is amazing. The first account I ever had was with facebook and the timeline the website has gone through is incredible. Companies have used facebook for advertising purposes
ReplyDeleteThe social media evolution timeline is awe inducing. Before this post, I had never considered that it could have been created before the worldwide web was even designed. To that note the fact that the first e-mail was issued prior to the web itself, I don't even understand the possibility of how that truly works. But alas I am not to in tune with computer technology. Enjoyed the post.
ReplyDeletePeople spend a lot of their time on Social media,Social media it is a very important communication tool for most people, therefore Social media marketing can be very efficient and can help marketers gain website traffic and attention if used in a creative and proper way.
ReplyDeleteExcellent work, Brad. It is obvious that social media is the up-and-coming tool when it comes to communication between B2B and B2C. But this rise will eventually come to a halt, due to either saturation of networking sites and social platforms or simply just over-usage and loss of interest. This doesn't take away from the amazing potential it currently boasts.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Brad, the posts involving social media are defiantly some of my favorite ones too read, I found your post on the Old Spice guy particularly interesting. Old Spice's ability to completly reinvent their brand, shows just how engaging companies can be when Social Media is used properly.
ReplyDeleteSocial Media to market your business is becoming a popular type of marketing for many small businesses and many are benefiting greatly by developing and following a social media marketing strategy. By using Social media you can really give your marketing efforts a big boost and it can help you achieve the success you want not only quicker but more efficiently.
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