WK 2 DQ 2

LISA POST

Social media is on the rise and has taken over print advertising.  Newspapers and magazines are slowly becoming a thing of the past because of the digital age in which one now lives.  According to Socialnomics 2017, 2/3 of video will be seen through mobile usage by the year 2018 (equalman, 2016).  Because of the growth rate of mobile usage, a brand’s awareness of how to keep up in this technological market is essential.  There are three critical aspects where a company needs to direct their focus to succeed in the use of social media for advertising: selecting the appropriate medium for their customers, producing a formal policy on social media privacy for their leaders and employees, and integrating other media into their marketing plan.

            When a company chooses the social medium appropriate for their type of advertising, it must consider its primary customers.  According to Tyler Becker, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest contain users aged 25-34-years-old; SnapChat, Vine, and Tumblr have users aged 18-24; and LinkedIn has users aged 35-44 (2015).   Once a brand decides their demographic, a company seeking to broaden their visibility on social media should consider the target customers along with the monthly active users of the site.  The more active users, the better the possibility of successful advertising. 

For example, Pampers is a company focused on selling to new families.  On average, women give birth to their first child between the ages of 25 and 34 years old (Donahue, 2017).  If Pampers were to seek out the best social medium for their company, a site with high active users aged 25-34 would best suit the company’s advertising needs and reach the correct demographic.  Research shows “the 25-34 demographic uses all social media sites around the same percentage though SnapChat, Instagram, and Pinterest rank in the highest usage amid the age group” (Noble, n.d.).

Another consideration made by a brand when approaching social media is privacy.  In the digital age, there is none.  It is vital for all leaders and employees to be aware of this.  It can be a hard idea to grasp, however, maintaining the integrity and reputation of a brand is essential.  Research shows “in the days before social media, negative company experiences might stay within an individual's circle of friends; now, stories of bad customer service and disappointing products can run quickly through social media networks” (Lovering, 2017).  To ensure confidentiality, employee compliance, and excellent customer relations, a company’s creation of a formal policy regarding social media is a necessity. 

Finally, brand creativity and social media integration are inherent to capture the attention of potential consumers.  For example, Westin Hotels started a marketing campaign for people in colder climates.  When consumers used the Weather Channel app on their mobile devices, a banner would pop up stating “Click here to warm up.”  When the user clicks on the banner, an animated frost covers their screen prompting the customer to wipe it away.  As they remove the frost, they are met with glamourous tropical location views outside of Westin hotels (Grewal & Levy, 2015. p 384).  Westin’s smart campaign uses the Weather Channel app to attract cold consumers to click on an interactive banner leading to their site where reservations can then be made.  This type of integration and innovation is a brilliant way the hotel company works to find the correct client base for the services they offer. 

In conclusion, with the growing use of video and smartphone mobility, social media campaigns are essential to the profitability and advertising for companies.  Research shows “93% of buying decisions are based on social media” making it impossible for businesses to ignore the significant effects social media now holds on the growth of a company (equalman, 2016).  To thrive in social media, a brand’s movement toward social media advertising begins with the consideration of client demographics, formal social media policies, and media and marketing integration.    

References

Becker, T. (2015, April 9). The 9 major social networks broken down by age.  Social media

            week. Retrieved from

 https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2015/04/9-major-social-networks-age/

Donahue, R. (2017, May 19). Here’s the age to expect your Facebook feed to fill up with baby

            pics.  Allure. Retrieved from

https://www.allure.com/story/average-age-first-time-united-states-mothers

Equalman, E. [equalman]. (2016, October 26). Socialnomics 2017. [Video file]. Retrieved from

            https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWa8-43kE-Q

Lovering, C. (2017). Negative effects of social media on business.  Chron. Retrieved from

            http://smallbusiness.chron.com/negative-effects-social-media-business-25682.html

Noble, O. (n.d.). Social networking demographics: Know your audience.  Slice communications.  

            Retrieved from

            http://slicecommunications.com/social-network-demographics-know-your-audience/