How do businesses use social media in their B2C marketing?

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SOCIAL MEDIA1

Section 11

1.1 Introduction1

1.2 Rationale1

1.3 Research questions2

Section 23

2.1 Social media3

2.2 Social media advertising4

2.3 Importance7

2.4 Benefits8

2.4.1 Branding9

2.4.2 Reputation management9

2.4.3 Customer service and feedback10

2.4.4 Lead generation12

2.4.5 Educational asset12

2.4.5 Competitive analysis12

2.5 Kotler and Armstrongs theory13

2.6 Social Media Usage among Consumers14

2.7 Social media as a marketing strategy16

2.8 Attracting customer through social media16

2.8.1 Considerations When You Use Social Media to Attract Customers18

2.3 Social Marketing via YouTube21

2.10 Social Marketing via Facebook21

2.11 Social Marketing via Twitter23

2.12 Social media and customer relationship25

Section 327

3.1 Conclusion27

ENDNOTES29

SOCIAL MEDIA

Section 1

1.1 Introduction

With this subject the researcher wants to look at how companies market their businesses and products to customers and potential customers through social media. the researcher will also look at the suitability of this channel for building reputation and building brands. Marketing in social media can be so many things. Political parties, organizations, companies and individuals use these social networks to market themselves to potential voters, customers and partners.

1.2 Rationale

Traditional marketing through newspapers, television and radio has long been and remains a form of marketing, many companies take advantage of. The last 10-15 years there has been considerable focus on relationship marketing in many companies. This means that companies are creating a relationship with their customers that allows them to get a closer connection to their customers and that can lead to loyal customers. In the last three years, social media, social networks like Facebook, Twitter, My Space and other networks such as blogs and YouTube, have become popular for many companies in their marketing to create a relationship with their potential customers.

The prevalence of companies using such media is now the largest in the United States, but in the United Kingdom there are more and more companies trying to take advantage of this marketing form. There are also media companies that offer training to companies in the use of social media in their marketing. Despite this, this form of marketing has had little research. Currently there are not many companies that have used this method as long as they can find out if it is profitable or not. Given that there many American scientists predict that this marketing method is the future of companies. The researcher will examine how British companies are using social media in their marketing and are social media suitable as a marketing channel for branding.

1.3 Research questions

The research aims to address the following questions

How business use Social Media in marketing to attract their customers (B2C marketing)?

How branding and company goodwill affect the customer choice of products?

How social media helps in building relationship with the customers?

Section 2

2.1 Social media

Advertising on the social media is an application which is still in its developmental stages. While there are many eager participants and while the social media provides enormous potential as an advertising channel, it has to this point provided an inhospitable environment for growth. Advertising has nevertheless become a significant presence on the medium and is certain to play a large part in the ...