Social media today is becoming one of the most popular forms of communication. Whether this is viewed as a good or bad thing, technology is evolving and with that comes an evolution in the ways people connect. Personally, I use social media in many different ways and for many different reasons. I use it mainly to reach out and connect with my local and non local friends and family. It makes it much easier to keep in touch with those people that are in a different part of the world. Facebook, for example is a platform I use to keep in touch with people that I have not seen in awhile. To be able to see the pictures they post of where they are in their life and how they doing is a bonus to calling them and just being able to hear their voice. I also use social media to keep up with the news and current events. I am educated almost every time I open up a platform by some sort of article or video or picture describing a current event or article in the news. This is much more convenient for me opposed to having to sit in front of the television at a certain time to listen to the news. It’s also a great way to keep up with the news as it is happening.
The last and I believe most important reason I use social media is as a form of creative expression. Instagram for example, my favorite platform to use is a great way to express your life in pictures and show off your personality. I love to post pictures of places around the world that I have traveled to. By doing this, I can show and encourage others to explore different places and open their minds to the beauty of the world that is beyond where they are familiar with. I also love to post pictures with friends and family so that I can look back and keep those memories forever. Besides pictures, social media is a great way for people to express their opinions. Twitter for example, is an excellent way for people to get their voice out to the public. It grabs peoples attention and is a good way to make people aware of and attract people to a new idea or thought you may have.
This leads to social media also being a great way for businesses to advertise and promote their company. By using social media as a company, you are able to market your product, service, or brand by reaching to an enormous population and potentially start a viral marketing campaign. According to The Content Factory on the web, “People view Twitter and Facebook as social networks, not marketing machines. As a result, they’re less likely to hear what you have to say. This translates to serious web traffic when you link to your site and posts that market themselves as your friends and followers share what you’ve posted.”(The Content Factory, 2017) This should scream sales to any business. Social media marketing gives you the opportunity to constantly have your name and product out in front of potential buyers who are just a click away. They are able to reach out to customers that they didnt even know existed and even attract consumers that are not even in the target market. They are also able to bond and communicate with consumers much easier such as getting feedback on a product/ service and are able to respond to problems immediately. According to The Content Factory on the web, “A report published by Texas Tech University found that brands with active social media profiles have more loyal customers. It’s easy to imagine why: when you’re engaging and interacting on social media you become less like a corporation and more like what you truly are – a unified group of people who share a vision.” (The Content Factory, 2017) It is a great way to become connected a build a relationship with your customers. All in all, businesses use social media to turn communication into interactive conversation. It is easily accessible and it’s the meeting point of today’s internet audience. In my opinion, social media opens endless possibilities of direct access to consumers without any third party interference and is one of the most important parts of a business today.
Please feel free to comment and share your opinions!
Digital PR. Social Media and Content Marketing for startups and small Businesses. The Content Factory. (2017, January). Retrieved January 20, 2017, from http://www.contentfac.com/9-reasons-social-media-marketing-should-top-your-to-do-list
Nicole B. 
Hi Nicole, I love that you use instagram to share with people the places you have been and seen. Not a lot of people can afford to travel but at least they can live through you. I also agree with you that if a brand is on social media it makes them more personable and in turn that makes a consumer more likely to listen to what they have to say.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicole, this is a very intriguing article. I find it very interesting how you addressed web traffic. From personal experience it definitely is difficult for companies to stand out in consumers digital lives. So many companies today are focused on digital-based marketing that there is a lot of ‘white noise’ in the advertising world.
Peter Walbrandt
LikeLiked by 1 person
Nicole,
This is a really well done and thought out post. Great job!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you!
LikeLike
Social media is all about creative expression, especially with Instagram – It changes the whole dynamic of expressing yourself. That translates huge into the business side of things where we are just beginning to see the payoffs.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Social Media is really helpful when you are trying to create your own marketing campaign. Especially the newcomers in the world of business who try to market their brand, thoughts, products and company, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Instagram helps the most. I prefer Facebook more than any but still, their connection to the public is tremendous.
LikeLike