A More Social World: Marketing Takes a Turn Toward Social Media

Have you noticed recently that every time a commercial comes on TV they tell you to check them out on Facebook? Or what about how everything from the Bentley Shuttle to Subway has a twitter and encourages people to follow them? Well, it’s not just because all of these organizations want to spend more time on the computer. This is the result of the new trend of social media marketing.

Social media marketing is exactly what it sounds like, the process of companies gaining website traffic or attention through the use of social media outlets. Some of the most popular social media websites are Facebook (obviously), Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, Digg, and the newest craze, Pinterest. So why has social media marketing become so popular? Well, look at all the benefits. Before, companies needed to analyze the right place and time to advertise and then figure out if they could afford it. Now they can use free outlets to reach millions of people from all areas of the world instantly.

However, companies are realizing that social media should be used for more than just marketing. It needs to be used for interacting, which is opening up a whole world of opportunities for companies. The channels of communication are no longer one way but open to forming more intimate relationships between companies and their customers.