e-Portfolio Post #1 – Social Media Tactics

From business to science, to art, every sector in our job market has changed. Art has developed new ways of creating, from things like memes and animation. Science has new technology to further our knowledge in understanding things like the human body and space. Even business has created different ways to take out lines of credit, with credit cards, refinancing, etc. But with all of these changes, none has changed more frequently than the life of a marketer. Maybe I’m biased, and maybe my insight is not as on point as I may like to think, but there comes a lot of truth to my hypothesis. Marketing, just in the last ten years, has fully changed in ways the average marketer would not have pictured or even imagined. 

Specifically, I believe that one of the craziest ways in which marketing has changed, would be the usage of social media and social media influencers. One of the hardest things a company is tasked with is trying to reach a customer base. Showing that your company has a great product and at an affordable price has never been enough to differentiate yourself from competitors, so a company had to rely on it’s marketing to show potential customers that a company was more than just it’s products. Enter, the idea of the “brand profile” or the way in which a company can appear, sound, behave, and interact, especially online to convey itself and its values.

The difference maker? Social Media. Never before has it been easier for a company to express itself and its values through social media. Now we can see companies in a whole new light, beyond a 2 minute advertisement during the intermission of a TV show. Now companies can engage on the latest trends, interact with customers, promote products and initiatives, and show their charitableness outside of their everyday business activities. Not to mention, they can also align themselves with celebrities and influencers they feel can represent their brand in a positive way.

Ultimately, I feel as if now more than ever, a brand cannot rely solely on it’s products alone anymore, and a new version of marketing has emerged from the technology boom of the last 20 years. Consumers are not only looking for a great product, but also are cognizant of how a company treats its employees and it’s customers, their climate footprint and how they dispose of their waste, and yes, even how their twitter account replies to the latest trends and pop culture references.

Questions:

1.) Can you think of a social media campaign you still think about?

2.) Did a social media campaign ever make you want to try out a product?

3.) What do you think works in terms of social media marketing?

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