By Lauren Sharpe – Marketing Manager
Social networking provides businesses with new avenues for professional development, marketing and communications. Through a marketing and advertising standpoint, the progression of social media sites creates great strategies for the expansion of both small and large businesses. In this day in age, business development and online marketing is required for the success of one’s business. Social networking provides a system of free advertising, with Forty percent of business coming from online marketing, social networking builds relationships and encourages the repeat in business. Social networking also creates a comfortable entertainment that is accessible to people anytime they are home, at work, or on the go. Social networking gives professionals a creative way to network, and even outside of the business realm, social networking sites are geared towards improving one’s social skills. Social networking contributes to one’s everyday life by giving the consumer the ability to communicate with others on a daily basis.
Four common examples of the most popular social media sites are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. Social networking is any type of communication through the internet medium. In the article, “Be Social-Media Pro,” Hamilton (2010) explains that there is little doubt of social media’s impact on business, with Facebook reaching a milestone of 500 million users, business opportunities are where the people are. LinkedIn is a popular business networking website, which did not create business networking, it just brought business networking online. For example, 250 million professionals are on LinkedIn and it is the largest professional networking website in the world. Twitter is just ahead of LinkedIn with 310 million users who are able to connect with others and receive in the moment updates on what might be of interest to them. Twitter has proved its worth throughout the years by becoming a platform for spreading updates and sharing breaking news the moment it has happened.
In such a fast-paced world, the social media can be a valuable way of sharing ideas and interests that help in keeping its users engaged. Content that is developed specifically for one’s social media audiences on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and elsewhere can have significant impact on businesses when implemented thoughtfully and strategically. For example, since stories are shared mostly through “word of mouth,” smaller news outlets such as blogs can get one’s business the most exposure. People on social networking sites share what interests them the most, making for a connection between a new pool of information and the opinion of the social network users.
Social content allows for direct interaction with consumers and can be shared more than once, which helps to target different audiences.
References: Hamilton, J. (2010). Be social-media pro. Ward’s Dealer Business, 44(8), 4-n/a. Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/734538430?accountid=12924
