Social Media Marketing IS the new trend

With rapid changes in technology, marketers are using less traditional marketing tactics for their products and using Social Media Marketing as the new method for businesses to get products out to different audiences. Ways to market on social networks include, posting bulletins, blogs, advertisements, announcements, fliers and selling products and selling products for little or no cost.

 

According to Wikipedia, Social Media Marketing is a form of internet marketing which seeks to achieve branding and marketing communication goals through the participation in various social medias networks such as Myspace, Facebook, etc.

 

Forrester Research states Facebook and MySpace have different demographics. Senior Analyst Jeremiah Owyang says that “Both MySpace and Facebook serves different demographics with a different purpose and different tools. Facebook is more of a ‘lifestyle play’ that allows members to connect with each other.”

 

There are over 60 million active users on Facebook with more than 65 billion pages viewed per month. More than half of users are outside college. Their Fastest growing demographic is 25 and older. However, MySpace positions themselves as more of a media site primarily targeted at youth, who does more work with advertisers. Around 300,000 new people sign up everyday. 85 percent of users are 18 or older. With numbers like this it’s hard to not market to these audiences.

 

 

UNLV student Deonna Reese thinks social media marketing is great tool. Reese realized that she uses social media marketing often to spread word around about things in her community—parties, group meetings and such. She is also friends with her favorite music artists via myspace. “I feel more connected with the artists [through MySpace.] The artists sometimes make blogs and other posts to their pages which I think is interesting. I also like the fact that I can keep up with what the artist is doing with new tour dates, merchandise, new music and things of that nature,” she said.  

 

Another MySpace member, Ryan Blevins does not use MySpace to become friends with big artists, but more for smaller acts. “Smaller artists have sent me friend requests, I’d listen to their music and if I liked it, I would accept their friend request,” he said. Blevins also liked the idea of Social Media Marketing. “I think it’s very helpful. It gives you a broader exposure than you would normally have. It’s like a game of telephone times 20,” he said.

                                                                                                          

R&B recording artist Trey Songz used a poll featured on his MySpace page where his fans voted for the next single from his sophomore album. He also had a competition on MySpace where the fans create the treatment for the single. “I wanted to come up with an original concept where my fans get involved with the making of the video” he said on BET’s 106 & Park.

 

In conclusion, social networking sites such as Facebook and Myspace are the new marketing tools. Social Media Marketing is also a good way to get viewers to look at your site and possibly come back if they like what they see. The point is Social Media Marketing actually works.

 

 here’s an audio clip of what Ryan Blevins thinks about Social Media Marketing: