Internet Technology, Marketing, and Security
Duwan Dickerson
Strayer University
Contemporary Business
BUS 508
Penny Wilkins, Ph.D.
December 1, 2013

Evaluate the reasons Social Media Marketing has become exceedingly popular among businesses of all sizes. Social media first began as a way for people to communicate with one another about a various topics. Millions of people around the world use the Internet every day. The web has changed the way in which we communicate with each other on a social level and on a professional level. Marketing and advertising for a business can be costly. Companies realized they can use social media to market their products and build their fan base. Social media has gained tremendous popularity and it continues to grow as time progresses. Companies naturally will uses this as a business practice to leverage their marketing at a minimum or no cost at all.
Facebook and Twitter are social media platforms that are the most commonly used to alert customers about a business sales and promotions. Businesses may use Facebook to create a fan page for their products and services. They can also use the media to encourage feedback from their customer to help improve the way they do business. Twitter can be used by businesses for breaking news by using of 140-character posts that users follow. Blogs can be influential in spreading news and information as they are online journals written by users. YouTube is a repository for podcasts and video clips, with a viewership of millions around the globe (Sandiland). Social bookmarking sites such as Del.icio.us and Digg enable users to share links to information with friends and followers (Sandiland). The majority of the sites are simply a method of sharing information with others but some sites will offer display advertising options.
Competition between businesses for online publicity has become aggressive, which means that strategies such as social media and social marketing have become an essential for small and large businesses. Without the right tools, strategies and investment of time and money, you may also give potential customers over to your competition. So, what does all of this really mean and how can you, the business owner, increase the online visibility of your brand name and identity using social marketing? (Patricia, 2012). Social media marketing programs usually center on efforts to create content that attracts attention and encourages readers to share it with their social networks. A corporate message spreads from user to user and presumably resonates because it appears to come from a trusted, third-party source, as opposed to the brand or company itself. Hence, this form of marketing is driven by word-of-mouth, meaning it results in earned media rather than paid media.
Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of Social Media Marketing for business entrepreneurs. Small businesses use social media networks such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube to connect with their existing and potential customers. These social networks give businesses the opportunity to build and maintain relationships with their customers by sharing tips and blog content, soliciting feedback, engaging them in games, sharing pictures and videos, and driving visitors to their websites. There are various social media sites for business owners to choose from, which can leave small-business owners wondering which social media network will yield the best results for their businesses. Entrepreneurs have to pinpoint their target markets, then research to determine which network their ideal customers use the most.
Learning to use social media can be overwhelming for entrepreneurs and their staffs. While setting up a profile or page may be easy, figuring out the best ways to engage with customers and use social media to help a business achieve its business and marketing goals may be challenging. With no social media strategy