Ch. 18 -Social Media and Marketing

        The definition of social media is to interaction among people in which they create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas in virtual communities and networks. Social media provides a way for businesses to increase their "word of mouth" advertising. Word of mouth has always been a powerful method of promoting products and services. For example, when I need a phone, I would like to do a research online about how consumers think about the phone not how the company advertizes its phone.

 The objectives of social media

1     .      Listen and learn: listen what is being said about the company and learn from competitors.

2     .     Build relationships and awareness: Increased visibility in search engines will boost the number of visitors who find the website when searching keywords related to the company.

3     .     Promote products and services: give customers a platform to talking about the company’s products and services, which ultimately translates into sales.

4     .     Manage your reputation:  When you are actively involved in social media, you have the opportunity to manage your reputation. You can respond to complaints in a timely manner, encourage people to talk about their good experiences with your company, and keep an eye on what is being said about you in general by your client base.

5     .     Improve customer service: participate in social media discussions and groups helps you see what is going on with your products and find out what people want to see in the products and services you offered.

            Apple has very different marketing strategy in social media. There is not link from its website, and not any discussion group or command board as other companies do. Maybe Apple doesn’t need a social media presence. Its fans are going to drive conversations on their own without using other social media such as tweeter or facebook. The only thing I find that Apple really needs social media is its Apps. Almost every Apps we can find in app store is able to connect to social media where people can share their experiences and suggestions.