THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

By now we have all noticed that technological advancement is showing no sign of slowing down. Big companies like Apple continue to introduce new products or update existing ones. In addition, we often hear of new technology trends that emerge and become integrated in our society. 

Social media has revolutionized the distribution and gathering of information and is, without a doubt, one of the greatest tools of new technology to have emerged. There are people who say it is the greatest thing since sliced bread. You can catch up on daily news and gossip or stumble upon a funny cat video just by scrolling through Facebook, twitter or Instagram. But there is more to social media than watching an amusing kitten online. 

For business purposes, smart advertisers research the amount of time people tend to spend online and use the data to implement marketing strategies. The millennial generation have especially become more and more attached to their smartphones and the Internet. Adweek reports that people spend up to 28% of online time on social media. This figure will most definitely increase with continuous advancement in technology and digital media. 

Because social media has become crucial in the delivery of news and information, businesses continue to use sites like twitter, Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat to promote themselves. As a matter of fact, some companies have gone as far as using Tinder for marketing and advertising campaigns. Earlier this year, Domino’s Pizza used the dating app to target singles on Valentine’s Day. Tinder users had the chance to settle for a hot pizza deal if their attempt to get a date fails. Snapchat is one of the constantly developing trends in social media and large organizations are making the most of its growth in order to increase their target audience. Media companies such as CNN, National Geographic, Cosmopolitan, People, Daily Mail and ESPN signed up for the “Discover” feature, which publishes content that is available for exactly 24 hours. Comedy Central has been in the news lately for broadening its material by launching a new weekly series created solely for the Snapchat. This could be a tactical approach by the television channel to increase traffic and improve its presence on Snapchat. 

According to Forbes, advertising strategies that were used in the past will rarely work on the new generation. Advertisers ought to have figured out that the clever way to reach majority of their target audience is with new media technology. These days, consumers (especially millennials) spend a lot of time on their smartphones, tablets or laptops. As a result, they are more likely to check these devices for news and information than go out of their way to buy a newspaper or magazine. From the customers’ perspective, new technology is cheap, flexible and convenient to use.  

It is essential for corporations, businesses and advertisers to think like their consumers to be able to effectively target them.  Every company ought to have social media presence in order to engage and interact with its target audience. If you want to harness the power of digital marketing for your business, contact us at 866.977.4728.

September 10, 2015