Contemporary developments of social media

Contemporary Developments in Social Media

5 benefits a company could get from social media
1. Increase brand awareness
One of the main benefits of social media marketing is the easiest to recognize: Social media is an excellent way to introduce people to a brand. Despite the Field of Dreams notion some business owners have that "if you build it, they will come," if people are unaware of a business or a website's existence, they can't shop there (Kevin Costner was dealing with ghosts, who have a lot of free time to meander around cornfields). Because social networks are used by more than two-thirds of the country, and given the way content spreads vitally to others, social media is the perfect channel to promote a brand to potential customers. Relevance reported that 78 percent of small businesses attract new customers through social media.

2. Legitimize a brand 
Another way social media marketing helps with customer acquisition is by establishing a brand as legitimate. When Internet consumers discover a business or retailer they want to use but know little about, they often check their social media page to learn more about it. Many small businesses have static websites that change little, if at all, after being initially set up by the designer. Social media pages, on the other hand, should be constantly updated with new posts, comments, etc. A website establishes that a brand exists, but a social media page establishes that the brand is active. Similarly, the number of fans shows how popular a brand is and Facebook reviews can reassure buyers by showing them that other consumers like a business. Research from Ballihoo found that 63 percent of consumers who search for local businesses online are more likely to use businesses with information on social media sites.

3. Increase sales
In the end, social media marketing needs to help increase sales and revenue. That's why it's called social media marketing and not simply social media public relations. To be fair, improving brand awareness and legitimizing a brand should, by themselves, help increase sales. But there are ways to use social media to directly steer consumers toward the sales funnel. For fans of the business, business owners can write posts that link to products, sales, etc. Marketers can also use promoted content and advertisements to sell products to target audiences who haven't become fans of a brand yet. The ability to target particular audiences is one of the greatest benefits of social media marketing. Social networks know a lot about consumer interests and demographics, so even though there are hundreds of millions of fans, marketers can accurately target the right people with the right message.

4. Improve customer service
Another benefit of social media that's easy to overlook is customer service. Even if a business has a dedicated customer service department, telephone number, or email, it's important to handle issues via the method of communication the consumer prefers. The fact that people use social media to ask customer service questions is reason enough for businesses to ensure their ability to help customers through social media. This also goes back to establishing a brand. One of the key concerns of consumers when they shop online is the responsiveness of customer service. People want to be assured that if they have a problem, they can easily find help. By being receptive to customer needs, business owners can increase customer loyalty to a brand.

5. Distribute content
Social media should be a part of any content marketing distribution system. Social media accounts for a huge portion of referral traffic on the web. People are looking for content that interests them and they want to share it online. A joint study by AOL and Nielsen found that people spend more than 50 percent of their time online with content and an additional 30 percent of their time on social channels where content can be shared. Business owners who want to gain customers through content marketing need to use social media and promoted content to make that happen.


5 benefits individuals could get from social media

1. Build relationships.

2. Share your expertise

3. Increase your visibility.

4. Educate yourself.

5. Connect anytime

Pros of using social media in the classroom

1. SOCIAL MEDIA SITES CAN INCREASE STUDENT COLLABORATION

Social media sites provide an avenue for students to easily contact one another regarding school projects, group assignments or for help on homework assignments.

2. USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE CLASSROOM CAN ENCOURAGE MORE PARTICIPATION

Students who do not participate regularly in class may feel they can express their thoughts through social media.   Although this should not completely replace in class participation it can help build the students’ confidence and encourage them to find their voice and be able to participate in class.

3. SOCIAL MEDIA SITES CAN BE USEFUL FOR HOMEWORK HELP

When students have questions about a class assignment they can easily post a message asking if anyone can help.  They can also write a specific question to the teacher on a wall that other students can see.  This allows the whole class to have access to the feedback from the teacher.

4. SHARE RESOURCES QUICKLY WHEN USING SOCIAL MEDIA IN THE CLASSROOM

If the teacher needs to direct students to a particular online resource they can easily share the site through social media sites like twitter.  If the teacher wants the class to visit a particular site all they have to do is tweet the website and the entire class can view it with one click.

5. SOCIAL MEDIA HELPS KEEP PARENTS, TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ALL ON THE SAME PAGE

It is very useful for teachers to be able to post on social media sites about class activities, homework assignments and even school events.  This helps the teachers, parents and students all stay on the same page about what is going on at school.  Sites like facebook also allow teachers to easily communicate through private messages to parents and students without having to leave phone messages and wait for a call back.