This document discusses the history and impact of social media on marketing. It traces the origins of social media back to the telegraph in 1844. While early digital networks in the 1960s-1980s allowed data sharing, the first true social media platform launched in 1997. Today, social media is integral to daily life and influences purchasing decisions. It has transformed marketing by allowing free and immediate promotion to billions of users. Though negative feedback is a risk, social media offers major benefits like brand recognition, customer service, and gathering audience data.

1. Social Media in
Marketing
By: Alex Sackrider

2. Social Media from a Business Standpoint
Today’s social networking technology has opened doors for companies to market themselves to an
audience that far exceeds what would have only been dreamed about five years ago. User see and
post billions of posts a month, social media is a free tool to make a presence in consumers lives.
Once one person shares information it is spread through a vine to tons of other users. People are
able to share accurate more personal, reviews on products or services instantly. The resulting wave
of more than 5.3 billion Facebook fans has allowed businesses and organizations to communicate
with their followers at a previously unheard of level of interaction.

3. Early Social Media
Social media began in 1844, with a series of electronic dots and dashes tapped out by hand on a
telegraph machine.The first electronic message from Baltimore to Washington, D.C., was Samuel
Morse checking his scientific achievement with the message: “What hath God wrought?”. Most
origins of today’s internet and social media come from the emergence in 1969 of the Advanced
Research Projects Agency Network — the ARPANET.This early digital network, created by the United
States Department of Defense, allowed scientists at four interconnected universities to share
software, hardware, and other data.In 1987, the National Science Foundation launched a more
complex, nationwide digital network known as the NSFNET. A decade later, in 1997, the first true
social media platform was launched.

4. Social Media Today
In today’s society, the use of social media has become a necessary daily activity. Social media is
typically used for social interaction and access to news and information, and decision making. It is a
valuable communication tool with others locally and worldwide, as well as to share, create, and
spread information. Social media can influence consumers purchase decisions through reviews,
marketing tactics and advertising. Essentially, social media vastly impacts our ability to communicate,
form relationships, access and spread information, and to arrive at the best decision.

5. What Was Marketing Before Social Media?
Digital marketing did, of course, exist prior to the birth of social media. However, this was hugely
limited both in its effectiveness and its application.
Emails were used in outbound marketing and the rise of use in search engines had aided the rise in
the first inbound marketing.
Search engine optimization in the days before social media would largely be regarded today as black
hat techniques. Examples of this would be keyword stuffing, overuse of tags, and content filled with
backlinks.
Non-digital formats were still the dominant form of marketing. Businesses relied heavily on forms
such as telephone marketing, as well as TV, radio, and print advertising.

6. How Social Media Impacted Marketing
Social media’s primary purpose in the early days was as the name suggests; to build social
connections between users. Platforms were there for people to network. Businesses and ads
didn’t have a place in the early news feeds of platforms like facebook and Twitter.
Over time, social media evolved from a place to connect with friends to a place where you
could follow brands, influencers, and celebrities that you resonate with.Following this
paradigm shift, businesses began approaching these platforms in a different way. With the
ability to market to billions of users instantly and for free, why not use social media?

7. Benefits to Social Media in Marketing
● Build brand recognition’
● Start conversations around your brand
● Help understand the target customer interests
● Help gather data about audience
● More responsive customer service
● Drive traffic to website
● Build customer loyalty
● Connect with potential collaborators

8. Disadvantages of Social Media in Marketing
● Negative feedback can ruin the name of a brand, along with being spread
quickly
● Can be time consuming
● Have to rely on ads
● Does not market to every group of people
● Must stay active and engaged on your brands platforms

9. My Overall thoughts
I think it is very fascinating to look at how social media has changed the way we are able to
market products and services for businesses. I believe there are many more benefits than
disadvantages. Most cons come from lack of effort or accountability in businesses. It is quite
easy to use social media, however if you are not an ethical business,have bad service and or
production it will be publically known quickly. Being apart of a family business I know we
would not be the same we are today if we did not have the platforms to share, connect and
communicate with customers and potential employees.

10. Credits
https://online.maryville.edu/blog/evolution-social-media/
https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=4db42c25-9050-4f0d-a943-
1a834e2c9dc6
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2017/05/24/before-
there-was-twitter-there-was-morse-code-remembering-social-medias-true-
inventor/
https://coschedule.com/blog/benefits-of-social-media-marketing-for-business