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Effects of Social Media on Business and Marketing

Updated on March 16, 2015
Today's social media sites allow businesses to connect with their customers to a degree that was never possible before.
Today's social media sites allow businesses to connect with their customers to a degree that was never possible before. | Source

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have drastically impacted communication in general. Business communication is no different in his respect from personal communication. To remain relevant in today’s business world, you must become comfortable with the use of social media.

Businesses that are unable to make use of social networking effectively could find themselves missing out on a number of promotional advantages and marketing strategies. The next generation of marketing resources made possible through social media sites and services has been a game changer for the way businesses promote themselves and how their customers choose the businesses they wish to support.

Social Media's Societal Impact

Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have offered a style of communication that is often less formal and more organic than more traditional means – even electronic ones like email. The influence friends and associates can have on tastes, lifestyles and even which businesses and services are chosen can be considerable.

Thanks to social networking, businesses who wish to make use of these trends in an effort to find greater advantages within a competitive market are able to do so. Professionals who wish to find a better way to market and promote themselves, startups and new businesses that are in search of a way to generate market buzz and established businesses that wish to improve their customer relationships or seek out new customers and business opportunities are increasingly turning to social media to do so.

Which social media site do you feel is the most useful in today's business world?

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Business and Social Media

Professional and business accounts on popular social media sites function much like their personal counterparts, offering businesses a chance to interact with their clients and customers as well as the exposure necessary to find new ones. Word of mouth advertising has long been valued by businesses that wish to stay competitive and successful; social media sites have simply allowed them a better and more efficient means of pursuing it than was ever available before. The rapid speed and greater degree of influence that promotional information, marketing deals and advertising efforts can enjoy thanks to social networking can make a considerable difference in the level of effectiveness of a business’s marketing efforts.

Ideally, social media should help today's business owners determine exactly what their customers want and how to give it to them.
Ideally, social media should help today's business owners determine exactly what their customers want and how to give it to them. | Source

Social Media's Marketing Impact

While early adopters usually enjoy an advantage when it comes to new ways to do business, the rate of change and advancement and the new users that are making use of the most popular social networking sites every day mean that social media marketing opportunities have yet to reach their full potential. Missing out on the chance to enhance their promotional efforts and resources with a social media strategy can leave businesses operating at a severe disadvantage.

The effective use of social media can help small operations compete with global conglomerates.
The effective use of social media can help small operations compete with global conglomerates. | Source

Other Considerations

The greater business opportunities that have been made possible through social media sites and online communications could prove to be a vital resource for any professionals or businesses who are seeking new and more effective ways to promote themselves. The feedback, level of interaction and potential to create buzz and respond to trends often make promotional efforts via social media a superior choice compared to conventional marketing methods. With new developments in social networking appearing almost on a daily basis, the full potential this communications medium has to offer as a business and promotional tool will only continue to grow, affording greater benefit to professionals and businesses that choose to make use of it.

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