2. Definition of Social Media
According to Merriam Webster, Social Media is: forms of electronic
communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging)
through which users create online communities to share information, ideas,
personal messages, and other content (such as videos)
3. Popular Social Media Platforms
- YouTube (American video sharing site launched in 2005)
- Instagram (American photo sharing app launched in 2010)
- TikTok (Chinese video sharing app launched in 2017)
- Twitter (American social network launched in 2006)
- Snapchat (American social network launched in 2011)
4. Tactics of Social Media Marketing
- Passive Approach (promoting products or services in small and unannoying
ways, such as amazon ads).
- Active Approach (a more direct approach, with tactics such as youtube ads
and tv commercials)
- Algorithms (in non-mathematical terms, this is essentially a formula that
decides what the user sees. A platform most famous for this marketing
technique is TikTok, who’s algorithm has been critizised as scaringly
accurate, more in Controversies section).
5. Business Successes Thanks to Social Media
- Enchanted Scrunch: Scrunchy business started on Instagram. Blew up on
TikTok. Founder and owner Dasha Derkach now runs a business with over
170K followers, turning her hobby into a six-figure business.
- CeeCee’s Closet NYC: African American clothing company based out of NYC
that works with independent designers in Nigeria. Has over 158K followers
and 4 million likes on TikTok. Credits her success to the reinterest in African
clothing and culture.
6. Controversies
- Shocking content can sometimes upset the watcher of the ad. This is most
notable with ads for mobile games, like Episodes: Choose Your Story which
depict topics such as abuse and infidelity.
- The algorithms that some social networks use, such as TikTok, are seen as
incredibly controversial, as they use their Terms of Conditions to basically spy
on you, hence why a US ban on TikTok is being discussed.
7. Conclusion
In conclusion, social media platforms are a very useful new tool in marketing,
giving products an outreach of which size hasn’t been seen before. It can turn
small business into massive corporations. This isn’t without controversy, however,
as tactics such as data mining are seen as immoral.
