By: Kyle Dermody
Social media, in my mind, is more of an experience than a necessity. People have been getting along and communicating for thousands of years without social media. Since we don’t need it, why do we use it? I believe that it is merely something that is convenient, rather than essential. Convenience and ease of use are the biggest players in the use of social media.
The learning that I have done about, and the use of social media, has really opened my eyes to the real use of social media. It is just a way to get information to the public cheaply, quickly, and then after the time frame is up, the post essentially disappears. This allows for companies to get their message out at a specific time and also to get a message out about an event or something that is currently taking place. The convenience is the biggest key to the use of social media.
Companies also use social media for promotions in order to gain customers. This is mostly used for, but not limited to, retail businesses. Social Media allows businesses to post coupons and special offers in the form of a picture and allow the consumers to show the picture at checkout and redeem the offer. This is a great example of fast paced marketing at its finest.
Along with the upsides of Social Media, I have also learned the negatives. Companies can easily get their reputation tainted due to one simple slip of a post. When people are upset with a company, they will post on Social Media sites about their bad experience. This could really hurt the company if not taken care of correctly. Most companies have people that take care of these people by apologizing and asking what they could do differently in order to make the next experience better. These companies are the ones who thrive and maintain their social image in the business world.
I plan on using what I have learned about Social Media Marketing in the future by possibly being a Social Media Marketer or using Social Media in order to get a good look at the markets that I would research as a Market Researcher. The way people talk about certain products or services that would be similar to what I’d be working with, could really help the way I look at going about finding ways to make the product better. Therefore, using Social Media could end up being a big part of my future career and help me be successful in that field.