Use of Social Media for Small Businesses

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Acknowledgement

I would like to take this chance for thanking my research facilitator, friends and family for support they provided & their belief in me as well as guidance they provided without that I would have never been able to do this research.

DECLARATION

I, (Your name), would like to declare that all contents included in this dissertation stand for my individual work without any aid, and this dissertation has not been submitted for any examination at academic as well as professional level previously. It is also representing my very own views & not essentially that are associated with university.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

Abstract

In this research, we try to explore the notion of social media in a holistic context. The focus of the research is on Small Businesses. The research also analyzes many aspects of social media and tries to gauge its effect on the practical marketing for different businesses. Finally, the research describes various factors, which are responsible for the triumph of social media, and tries to describe the overall effect of the said phenomenon on small business enterprises.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Background of the study1

Rationale2

Aims and Objectives4

Significance of the Study5

Research Questions6

Hypothesis6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW7

Introduction7

Background8

Facebook9

Twitter13

Blogging20

Linkedin21

Word of mouth22

Influence & passivity in social media23

ROI (Return on Investment)24

Branding25

Customer Relation Management (CRM)27

Chapter 1: Introduction

Background of the study

In the current era, social media has turned into an omnipresent and significant phenomenon for social networking and apportioning of content. Still, the content that is brought forth via these websites continues to be undeveloped for the most part. Social media brings forth colossal riches of real-time capacity at an unremitting value.

Particularly, emphasis is laid on social networking websites like that of Twitter.com and Facebook.com in order to estimate the growing trend of using the social media as a tool for marketing business enterprises.

Also, the consequent enhancement that businesses have faced because of this new media of communication, especially pertaining to small businesses are attempted to be discovered. These days, the new media i.e. internet-relied media of communication has altered the entire face of marketing which was previously carried out through traditional channels.

The World Wide Web splits up many forcible roadblocks. Even small-scale corporations no more campaign in distant territorial dominions. As the name of the brand and cognizance exceed boundaries, both nationally and internationally, business enterprises have the chance to heighten the profits returned from applications on e-commerce. Social media websites can assist businesses achieve exactly that.

Social media websites are the centre of online social intercommunicating actions - not just for young people but also for a grown-up audience looking for honest reassessments of business services and productions. Social networking is productive in making a buzz about nearly any topic. Businesses capitalize on this prospect to spring up a network and achieve growth in sales (Tax & Brown 1998, 60-76).

Rationale

Social media is developing at a volatile pace, with millions of individuals across the globe bringing forth and apportioning content on a scale of measurement that was scarcely conceivable sometime ...