 Profile
Social media marketing is poised to eclipse conventional marketing efforts as a result of the many advantages it offers businesses, among them the opportunity to interact with potential customers, the ability to access demographic data and target a select audience, and the astonishing buzz uniquely packaged content can generate. More than simply inviting users of sites like MySpace and Twitter to participate in a brand experience, social media marketing engages them in an ongoing conversation about their needs and the products and services marketed to meet them. By inviting consumers to share their opinions on Facebook fan pages or by allowing them to review their purchases publically, businesses tap into market opinion and often receive positive testimonials for almost no cost. In the past, marketers focused their efforts on key consumers or tastemakers; now, that focus has broadened to include all media-literate individuals: the millions upon millions of users of Facebook and other sites. Status on social networks can be gauged by the number of connections made or the number of friends or followers attracted, as well as the amount of new content a user generates in a given period. The data reveal that the number of voices participating in conversations about companies has increased exponentially. As a result, when content produced by a company—a humorous video promoting a new cell phone model, for example—attracts attention, it can go viral, passing from user to user until it has become a new culture reference point. Of course, entering into the public consciousness is a marketer’s dream.
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