ch 4: Social Media: Living in the Connected World

1.2. Define social media marketing (SMM).

**SMM** uses the social media portals to create a positive influence on consumers or business customers toward an organization's brand, products, public image, or website.

3.2. What are the main characteristics of an effective executive summary?

An effective executive summary explains the who, what, when, where, how, and why of the plan and provides compelling reasons why the plan should be adopted.

5.2. What is the one major drawback to social media as it pertains to scheduling?

Because social media operates around the clock, marketers rarely have down time.

Competency 3061.1.2: The graduate describes the uses of digital and social media to enhance marketing strategies.

Chapter 4 Learning Objectives: 1. Define social media platforms. 2. Define social media tools. 3. Describe why social media is important to marketers. 4. Describe how social media affects consumer buying decisions. 5. Describe the ways that consumers and businesses use social media. 6. Identify the elements of a social media marketing plan.

4 Discuss the **importance** of setting goals and developing strategies, including targeting an audience, for a **social media marketing** initiative.

Clear goals help marketers set the **SMM** campaign in the right direction. Flexible goals enable firms to adapt to changing circumstances. **Social media marketing** efforts customize their approach to targeted audiences more than any other type of marketing because they are interactive, so it is **important** for marketers to link the targeted audience with the goals of the initiative. Once these decisions are made, marketers must develop strategies, such as which **media platforms** and **tools** to use, who will participate, and how to make it easy for customers to participate in the conversation—all within the parameters of the plan's goals.

2 **Describe the ways in which consumers and businesses use social media for their buying decisions.**

Consumers use social media to learn about new goods and services, conduct research and share information, and make final purchase decisions. Businesses use social media to gather relevant market insights, improve search rankings, and form new business partnerships.

5.1. What is content marketing?

Content marketing involves creating and distributing relevant and targeted material to attract and engage an audience, with the goal of driving them to a desired action.

5 Identify the seven qualities of effective social media content and the rules of engagement with social media.

Effective content has the following qualities: 1. a strong brand focus; 2. emphasis on the audience instead of the organization; 3. targeted keywords; 4. relevant information; 5. shareworthy text and images; 6. invitations to the audience to generate its own content; and 7. offers for discounts or deals. The rules of engagement include: follow site-specific rules and guidelines; use social media channels as they were intended; and think before posting—or deleting.

4.3. What vital question do marketers ask when developing strategies for an **SMM** plan?

Marketers ask "How do we engage the audience in a conversation?"

4.2. In order to target an audience, what three types of information do marketers gather?

Marketers collect information on demographics, what the group needs or wants, and which of the firm's products and social media will meet those needs.

2.1. Why do online shoppers often begin with search engines?

Search engines provide the greatest amount of information about products and companies.

1 Explain social media and the differences between **social media platforms** and **social media tools**.

Social media is defined collectively as the different forms of electronic communication through which users can create online communities to exchange information, ideas, messages, and other content such as videos and music. A **social media platform** is a type of software or technology that allows users to build, integrate, or facilitate a community, provide interaction among users, and generate user-authored content. Social-networking sites and bookmarking sites are **social media platforms**. **Social media tools** enable users to communicate with each other online. Examples include apps and QR codes.

1.1 What are social-networking sites?

Social-networking sites are the websites that provide virtual communities for people to share daily activities, post opinions on various topics, and increase their circle of friends.

3.1. What function does the **SMM** plan serve?

The **SMM** plan documents in writing the goals, strategies, target audience, budget, tactics for implementation, and methods for monitoring and managing the campaign's effectiveness.

3 Outline the four key **elements** of a written **social media marketing plan**.

The formal social media marketing plan contains 1. an executive summary explaining the "who, what, when, where, how, and why" of the plan; 2. a brief overview of market conditions and other factors; 3. a competitive analysis; and 4. a body including goals and strategies, target audience, budget with expected returns, and methods for implementing and managing the effort.

2.2. Why might B2B firms have a difficult time developing a loyal fan base via social media marketing?

The nature of the relationships between B2B marketers and their customers is different from that of marketers and consumers. Each business must benefit a firm's overall strategy instead of the needs or wants of an individual, and once a relationship between firms is established, it can be more difficult to alter.

5.3. What is the function of rules of engagement in social media marketing?

The rules of engagement for social media are meant to make the exchange between marketers and their target audience a positive one.

4.1. Identify the two main distinctions between traditional marketing and a **SMM** campaign.

While traditional marketing seeks to control the content and message received by an audience, SMM activity solicits the audience's participation in the message. Successful SMM efforts require the audience's trust, whereas traditional marketing may or may not.