SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

By: Rameen Kamran

The effect of social media on advertising and marketing is everlasting and has changed the world in many significant ways. Ever since the rise of social media, apps such as Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and Twitter have been the number one source of digital marketing for companies looking to expand their customer base and reach a new audience. This article discusses the business opportunities that social media provides, and how our digital footprint plays a relevant role in creating an online presence for advertisement developments.

3.96 billion people use social media worldwide, meaning that more than 50% of the world is susceptible to online marketing advertisements. Influencers’ main source of content production is through these apps which is how they reach diverse audiences from around the world. They are a source of marketing for huge companies because when these influencers promote certain products through their platform, they reach millions of people. But before I get into the different methods of promotion, we should understand the reasons why social media is a great way to expand a company’s customer base.

• It strengthens communication with existing customers.
• Allows companies to reach new customers.
• Creates a platform to learn more about their market.
• It raises the company profile.
• Improves reputation among competing companies
• Creates a great way to network with peers.

There are also many ways you can use social media to promote your business.

• Create accounts on these networking apps to spread your message and your story through them.
• Work with influencers to boost your products and make them available to more people.
• Have a strong online presence by hiring employees that know the ins and outs of social media apps and can network with other companies.
• Have online giveaways, competitions, and sales.
• Make sure all your products are available through an online website so you can sell internationally.

Digital Effect of Covid-19

As the virus, Covid-19, spreads across the world, there has been an emphasis on digital marketing for many businesses. Since shopping centers remain closed, consumers are reliant on online stores to provide them with their needs and wants. Businesses that have a heavy presence on the internet are excelling during these hard times. They use social media platforms to connect with people and spread information about their products. But as the rise of digital marketing exceeds, there are also many flaws that must be addressed. Companies that offer faux products that resemble products from bigger brands such as Nike, adidas and others are also earning revenue from this pandemic. This issue is very common amongst online shoppers and it is rising during this digital age. The way social media apps understand the types of products and services that we’d be interested in is through collecting our data, which means they track what we search, what apps we spend our time on, and collect evidence about what we’re interested in. This issue brings me to talk about our digital footprint which means what we put online stays online for good. But the good news is that there are steps that can be taken to reduce the size of our digital footprint and become less visible online.

• Clear browser cookies, cache, and history regularly. How often depends on how much you are on the internet.
• Check browser settings. You should only be set to receive cookies from the site you are actually on.
• Create a separate email that you only use to register for websites that require an email address — and which goes straight to junk. Websites sell these addresses all the time and it can greatly increase the amount of unwanted mail you get.
• Deactivate accounts you no longer use (if possible). They can still be found by people, including any embarrassing content.
• Use stealth mode if doing anything important online.

All these tips will help you protect your privacy from data collectors and become less visible online. Digital marketing will continue to grow as social media becomes a prominent source of content in society. It is our task to make sure we use the internet in a safe and responsible manner so our information isn’t distributed without our consent.