Critical Essay and Reflection

Journal of Economics and Business Research, ISSN: 2068 - 3537, E – ISSN (online) 2069 – 9476, ISSN – L = 2068 – 3537 Year XX, No. 2, 2014, pp. 155-164

Social Media Marketing to Increase Brand Awareness

M. Bîja, R. Balaş

Monica Bîja Faculty of Economics

"Aurel Vlaicu" University of Arad, Romania

Raluca Balaş

Economic College, Arad

Abstract Social networks are becoming more and more

widespread and they are literally conquering the World

Wide Web. Facebook has managed to arrive even in poor

and remote territories which apparently have nothing to

do with our always on the move modern world.

However, only on the African continent there are more

than 100 million active Facebook users who represent

50% of the African population having access to Internet.

Thus, it would be huge marketing mistake for businesses

not to take into consideration this opportunity to get in

touch with prospective customers (Neti, 2011). Social

media is hot and has turned into a “must” for businesses

looking for brand awareness. Therefore, the techniques

used to attract customers by means of social networks

have gained quite a high degree of sophistry (Neti,

2011). In an age in which the average internet user

accesses his/her social network account at least fourteen

times a day, companies cannot afford to be absent from

this medium. The aim of the present paper is to present

the concept and characteristics of social media and how

it can be used in order to increase brand awareness.

M. Bîja, R. Balaş

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Keywords: social media marketing, social networks, social media strategies, brand awareness.

Introduction Kietzmann J.H. (2001) explains that consumers used the Internet

for its content: they read it, they watched it, and they used it in order to

purchase various products and services. Nowadays, more and more

consumers are utilizing content sharing sites, blogs, social networking

and wikis - to create, modify, share and discuss Internet content. This

represents the social media phenomenon, which can have an enormous

impact on a business’ reputation, sales and why not on its survival in an

environment getting fiercer and fiercer as days pass by.

The Social Media Marketing is not such a new phenomenon as

many might be tempted to believe. It did not begin yesterday or the day

before yesterday. It is actually more than ten years old. The entire

phenomenon began with the launch of LinkedIn in 2003. But since this

is a network targeted mainly to businesses its popularity is much lower

than that of the social networks dedicated to the public at large

(Pradiptarini, 2011).

LinkedIn was soon followed by MySpace and Facebook in 2004.

The hysteria of sharing pictures, videos and thoughts on line was

augmented by the launch of YouTube in 2005 and of Twitter in 2006

(Pradiptarini, 2011). These are the main players on the market. They are

doubled by some minor ones like LiveJournal (highly popular among

Russian speaking internet users), MyLife, MySpace, Reddit, Tumblr,

Netlog (popular in Turkey, Europe and the Arab World), Pinterest,

SumbleUpon. Google decided to enter the game in 2011 with its social

network platform named Google Plus, better known to users as

Google+. According to reports revealed in 2013, Google+ had 300

million monthly users; quite far from the 1.32 billion monthly active

users reported by Facebook in June 2014.

Companies and businesses did not remain indifferent to the

increasing popularity of social media sites. A study conducted by

Burson and Marsteller pointed out that 86% of the 100 most important

companies present on the Fortune 500 list had an active account on at

least one of the most popular social media sites (Pradiptarini, 2011).

The study also revealed that companies prefer Twitter over Facebook.

Social media marketing to increase brand awareness

Research issue The 2014 Manufacturing Content Marketing Report conducted

by CMI showed that manufacturing marketers used the social media

platforms less than their B2B marketing counterparts. The report also

pointed out that the most important goal for manufacturing marketers

was brand awareness. Moreover, the marketing divisions of companies

expressed their need to connect with customers in a new and engaging

way (Grieshammer, 2014).

Thus, it is not an exaggeration to say that social media marketing

might soon become a vital part of the 21 st century marketing mix. The

absence of social profiles on the “Big Three” (Facebook, Twitter and

Google+) would definitely be a strategic mistake for businesses which

want greater exposure and popularity on the digital market (Angelova,

2013).

Literature review

Heidi Cohen (marketer for Citibank and The Economists)

explains that it is quite difficult to define social media marketing since

the social media environment continues its expansion and change. Lisa

Buyer (employee of The Buyer Group) defines social media as the most

interactive, transparent and at the same time the most engaging form of

public relations. It is a combination between real time content and

authentic communication.

Michelle Chmielewski (working for Sythesio) considers that

social media marketing is not about individuals but about what people

do in order to communicate by any possible digital means.

For SisiraNeti, social media marketing means engaging with

consumers online. The websites which permit users to share opinions,

ideas, content and encourage interaction can be ranked within the

category of social media sites.

Marjoria Clayman from Clayman Advertising Inc. considers

social media as a new marketing tool which permits marketers to

understand clients in a way that was not possible previously. Clayman

believes that social media marketing marks the beginning of the

marketing revolution; it does not represent its end.

Waad Assaad and Jorge Marx Gómez (2011) warn that

marketing done by means of social networking sites is not at all a

substitute for traditional marketing. Thus, marketers should consider it

M. Bîja, R. Balaş

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an additional channel which has its own unique characteristics and can

be used in order to complement other marketing actions.

Lazer and Kelly’s (1973) define social marketing as "concerned

with the application of marketing knowledge, concepts and techniques

to enhance social, as well as economic ends. It is also concerned with

the analysis of the social consequences of marketing policies, decisions

and activities."

Sisira Neti points out that social media marketing is a strategic

and methodical process which can be used in order to increase the

company’s reputation and brand awareness among consumers.

Social Media Marketing commonly known as SMM refers to a

series of techniques which target social networks and their users in

order to increase brand awareness or to advertise a certain product.

Marketers perceive SMM as a more targeted advertising. For this reason

it is considered as being highly effective in the creation of brand

awareness.

Burke (2006) defines social networking sites as: “… a loose

affiliation of people who interact through websites. The web enables

any person to build a vast number of relationships with others,

regardless of geographical distance.”

Research methodology

Why Social Media? Social media marketing has numerous

benefits such as: brand credibility, increase in sales, increased exposure,

strong online presence which enhances the company’s reliability,

reduced market costs, rapid access to consumer feedback and a strong

business-client relationship.

Neil Patel (co-founder of Crazy Egg, Hello Bar and

KISSmetrics) informs us that 33% of consumers make use of social

media networks in order to gather new information on various products,

services and brands. He also reveals that 86% of the marketers

acknowledge the role and importance of social media marketing for

their business. The vast majority of the businesses using a social media

platform within their marketing plan have experienced an increase of

their exposure. Moreover, 82% of costumers have said that they have

more confidence in a business if it is active on a social media platform.

Pettey (2008) states that businesses and companies would be

naive if they dismissed the amount of site traffic, generated by social

Social media marketing to increase brand awareness

networks. At the beginning, online social platforms targeted a young

audience (teenagers and young people in their early and mid-twenties),

but now they are attracting other demographic groups as well. As a

consequence, the online environment is filled with career-based social

networks, shopping based social networks, as well as employee groups

(Pettey, 2008).

Sachoff (2008) believes that social networks offer companies

huge amount of information about its customer base. The social media

gives the marketers the possibility to personalize their brand and to

spread their message in a more efficient and relaxed manner.

Huge companies like IBM, Dell or Burger King have understood

the potential of SMM. Thus, IBM is the owner of about 100 blogs and

of various islands in the popular virtual game “Second Life”. The

company has several official Twitter accounts and it is highly active on

YouTube and Slide Share (Zarrella, 2010).

Social media is not a platform or a recipe for instant success. It

is a tool which can be used in order to obtain success if hard work is

done.

Effective Social Media Marketing Techniques

Weston (2008) is convinced that brand awareness is extremely

important for social network marketing. For him the widgets are the

perfect tools to create a visible presence in the online environment. He

states that widgets offer businesses the possibility to market themselves

and add value to their business ecosystem (Bolotaeva, 2011). According

to Weston (2008) brand awareness can be raised only if employers

encourage their employees to involve themselves in the network

marketing and create an online community. Nonetheless, these activities

need to be monitored in order to prevent abuse of any type.

Yu-Kai Chou (a Gamification Consultancy partner) points out

that most people wrongly consider Social Media Marketing as being one

gigantic technique. It is of utmost importance to understand the fact that

different companies and budgets need different social media techniques.

A company having a low budget cannot afford to have videos and ads

shown all over the place on the display network. Business owners have

to understand that SMM requires patience. A blog or a Facebook

account cannot attract thousands of visitors per day in just two or three

months. It is true that SMM helps you reach your target audience faster

M. Bîja, R. Balaş

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than a billboard placed near the highway, but the reach cannot be

obtained at the speed of sound.

In order to increase brand awareness by means of social media,

it is very important to set clear goals which are easy to control. Such

goals include: how many times per day or per week to post on the social

media platform, how fast to answer to the customers’ questions and

inquiries and how much content to produce.

The fact that “content is king” is a well-known fact in the social

media environment. Interesting and engaging content is extremely

important for the brand reach. If the company blog has new, original

and insightful information, there are higher changes for it to be shared

by more people.

The branding strategies and tactics have changed a lot in the last

years. Marketers over the world had to learn an entire new textbook

filled with new rules which change constantly as the new technologies

and social media platforms evolve. It is becoming more and more

difficult to reach new customers and audiences in the absence of an

efficient social media strategy and an engaging and solid content.

According to the data obtained by iMedia Connection seventy percent

of the marketers acknowledge the importance of content marketing by

recognizing that it actually increased their brand awareness.

Richard Reed (founder of Innocent) advises the newbie’s in the

domain of Social Media Marketing to keep in mind that every business

started small and also not to forget to think like a publisher. For

example, Innocent has launched on the market recipe books which have

managed to influence a lot the growth of their brand. Due to their

content, Innocent is not perceived only as a company trying to make

money but as one whose purpose is to help people live longer and

healthier lives.

But Innocent has not limited its actions to the recipe books. It

has a very popular blog which is characterized by extremely valuable

content which engages the audience. Furthermore, the Innocent

Community Manager, Joe McEwan says that it is very important to find

a suitable tone of voice. This voice has to be natural, hones and

engaging. Marketers must bear in mind that they address to people, to

individuals, not to some robots. Thus, the clients’ needs, goals and

challenges need to be identified.

Social media marketing to increase brand awareness

Lilach Bullock considers that shareable content is the key to

success when it comes to social media marketing. If the audience is

given what it wants and needs, the brand awareness increases. There

will be an organic engagement due to people sharing the content with

friends and co-workers.

The co-founder of Upworthy, Eli Pariser, believes that a good

head line is the one making the difference between 1,000 and 10,000

reading a certain blog post. Eli Pariser explains that at Upworthy the

writers have to come with 25 headlines for every piece of content they

produce. The curators select four headlines and the editors the last two

ones which are used to experiment with.

The content should be shared more than once. The greatest

benefit of this action is that the company’s or the business’s site gets

more traffic because the content reaches people living in different time

zones. Moreover, new followers can be reached in this way.

Brand awareness can be increased only if the marketer chooses

the right social media sites. Thus, Pinterest is perfect for companies

which sell products for women. However, it is the worst media site for

advertising DIY items such as saws or drills. Wholesale companies

should use LinkedIn while retailing companies should forget about it.

Popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Google+ or YouTube

bring benefits to all companies, whether small, medium or big. A blog is

a must in the era of SMM.

According to Business Insider photos represent the most

engaging posts on any social network. The audience and the customers

should be offered links, texts, audio and video files but the photos and

the infographics have a value that should not be underestimated. People

remember better what they see and therefore there are higher chances

for a visual add to gather more appreciation and be distributed by more

people.

Yu-Kai Chou considers that one of the most effective social

media marketing techniques is to manage efficiently the social media

brand. This management implies creating and keeping up to date a blog,

a Twitter Account, a Facebook fan page or a LinkedIn group. It means

engaging people that are really interested in the products or services of

the company. An efficient brand management has as result followers,

visitors to site and most important of all the customers’ trust and

loyalty. The accounts on social networks allow companies to get in

touch with their target audience and create value for them.

M. Bîja, R. Balaş

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The greatest disadvantage of Social Media Brand Management

is that it consumes a huge amount of time resources. Companies and

marketers opting for this technique need both, persistence and patience.

People need to trust a company or a business before signing-up for a

newsletter or purchasing an item online. Trust is difficult to build and it

might take months or even years.

Social Media Marketing techniques are more efficient if the

marketer creates a social media marketing calendar. This can be used in

order to clearly organize ideas and avoid any repetition of them. Content

calendars can be used in order to make decisions such as what to post,

where to post it and when. Thus, the blog post can be related to various

holidays or to a certain theme.

Madhur Chaturvedi advises marketers to establish a two-way

communication model. He explains that businesses which make usage

of the social media tools just to spread information might not get what

they expect from them. Companies that use social media networks to

communicate with their client and establish a relationship with them

have more to gain. There are various techniques which can be used in

order to make the two-way communication more efficient. This can be

achieved by posting surveys and various questions which are related to

the company, its products or just general interest questions. Customers

and employees can share their photos and stories on the company’s

Facebook or Twitter page. The setting up of dedicated customer service

pages has turned out to be highly efficient.

The competition should not be forgotten. Therefore, it is

advisable to analyse the opponents’ strategies in terms of social media

marketing. The analysis should not overlook the content of the

competitors’ websites, their hyperlinks and the number of their “pals” or

“followers”.

Clients must be offered a choice. The marketer must understand

the communication preferences of his/her audience. There are people

who like Facebook, while others prefer Twitter. Customers should have

the possibility to choose the social platform they like in order to get

more information about a certain business or company. However, the

same information has to be posted on all pages. Free tools like

HootSuite can be used in order to manage and schedule time on all

social media pages.

Social media marketing to increase brand awareness

Pitfalls of Social Media Marketing

Attractive as it might be, social media marketing is nothing

without its weak points, such as: lack of e-commerce knowledge,

aggressive advertising, invasion of the users’ privacy and various legal

issues (Bolotaeva, 2011).

Aggressive advertising might drive costumers away. Pettey

(2008) points out that, companies have to calculate their online

presence, so as to annoy customers. Add scheduling should be a must

while advertising a new product or service. Customers’ emails should

not be invaded night and day with newsletters reminding them of the

latest promotions. Not even the most loyal client is pleased to see

his/her Facebook or Twitter wall invaded by the same ads inviting

him/her to buy a certain product. Pettey (2008) also clarifies the fact

that users will not stay on the platform if the network is perceived as

being too commercial.

There are various legal issues related to social networks. Skul

(2008) points out that there are some media laws referring to the

publishing and sharing of online content. For this reason, companies

have to pay attention to a number of different advertising laws so as not

to infringe one of them.

Lack of brand control is another weakness of social media

marketing. Customers can use the social networks to express their

opinions and experiences with a certain product or service. Their

comments might be positive or on the contrary totally unfavorable.

Companies have very little control on what clients write and share on

social networks (Bolotaeva, 2011).

Conclusions The social media tools can be very powerful and if they are used

in an efficient manner they can raise brand awareness in the online

environment and not only. The social media phenomenon is growing at

an incredible speed. Multinational companies having branches on two or

more continents have recognized the importance and the potential of

social platforms. We have reached a point in which it is impossible to

make a clear distinction between social media and the online

environment.

M. Bîja, R. Balaş

16

Individuals, startups, small, medium-sized and large companies

need to have an online presence if they want to be competitive in

today’s world, in which real time information and news are not an

exception, but a characteristic. The time has come for companies to

adapt their marketing strategies for the online word and to take seriously

the social media platforms.

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Social media marketing to increase brand awareness

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