To say that social media has revolutionized internet marketing as we know is would be an understatement. The emergence of sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Craigslist, and MySpace just to mention a few has significantly changed the way search marketing works today. Basically, a social search engine lists businesses and products and goes a step further by allowing consumers to review them. Social sites have evolved to become forms of directories where consumers search for answers and recommendations from other users’ experiences with the companies, products, or services. Below are 3 ways social media is changing the way search marketing works.
Reviews And Ratings
Some years back, product and service ratings and reviews were an exclusive domain of publishers such as consumer reports and online sites, remember CNET. Social media has changed the way reviews are presented by introducing personalized experiences and accounts from real users of a product or service. Reports by Nielsen and NM Incite surveys indicate that three in every five social media users provide product reviews or ratings at one time or another.
Publicizing Customer Experience
Social media can be describe in a single word as “loud” on the basis of its large and international subscriber base. A shopper’s experience posted on the retailer’s Facebook page can significantly impact the company’s reputation. In social media brand conversations are usually driven by customer experiences publicly posted on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn among others.
Ease Of Use And Minimal Costs
Prior to the rise of social media in marketing, the best consumer brands were designed on a formula referred to as the Madison Avenue method which included sending a well crafted brand message using mass market advertising. Today it has become mandatory for a savvy marketer to engage existing and potential clients through social media sites. Prospects are now turning to social sites like Insider Pages in search of everything from plumbers and cat food to piano tuners. Small businesses are becoming more visible simply by having a presence on social media. There are very minimal costs but the benefits in form of advertising far outweigh the little efforts involved in entering this medium.
Media Gurus such as Irwin Gotlieb WPP’s Group M Global CEO have even acknowledged that the media and advertising world is actually in transition. Irwin Gotlieb addressed this transition in the media world in a Harvard Club session last October.
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