Marketing Through Social Media

Editor: writerjudd

This guide will explore strategies for using Web 2.0 technology for marketing brands through peer generated content, also known as social media.

Introduction

Consumer demand for media is as varied as consumers themselves. Yet from the beginning, the supply of media available for consumption has been highly limited. The resulting dynamic was as artificial as a balloon filled to capacity in the middle of an otherwise empty room, where the room itself represents the true nature of consumer demand for media.

A balloon assumes the shape it does because the pressure gradient across the walls of the balloon impel the air molecules inside it to seek stasis with their surroundings.

This situation is unnatural for the captive air molecules, but very convenient for those seeking to influence their state in one way or another.

Similarly, consumers have long had to settle for the offerings of three broadcast television networks and one or two local daily newspapers. This situation is unnatural, given the true shape of consumer demand, but very convenient for marketers seeking to expose their target audience to brand messages.

Around 2004, the new internet -- popularly called Web 2.0 -- arrived, and the balloon popped, allowing once captive consumers to scatter, often replacing traditional media sources with web-delivered content generated by their peers. This shift is undeniably good for consumers, but troubling for marketers who must now find new means of presenting their brand messages to audiences that are no longer captive.

The state of the media

The challenge facing marketers

Social media defined

The opportunity facing marketers

PR via social media

Marketing via social media

The Power of RSS

What's ahead

Conclusion

Categories: Help Wanted | Business | Marketing