Role of Social Media in Marketing among Small Business Free-Samples

Question: Discuss about the Role of Social Media in Marketing among Small Business in Australia. Answer: Introduction One of the greatest determinants of organizational success is the extent to which a business entity promotes its products and services. The stability and width of the market for a particular product or service largely depends on the level to which the clients affiliated to the organization are informed about the existing products and services (Mitchell, 2008). One crucial component of promotional mix is the use of advertising and specifically the various available online platforms for marketing. While most small organizations mainly rely on the use of visual media for instance newspapers and billboards, television and radio, the emergence of technology in most parts of the world has elevated the process of advertisement to yet another level (Nelson, 2007). For instance, the rise and use of mobile computing has encouraged most organizations to employ the use of online platforms in marketing. Such avenues include the use of websites, email as well as the social media. The effectiveness of a marketing strategy is linked to the extent to which the transferred information reaches the target audience. In order to market successfully, the promotional message ought to reach as many clients as possible. This step does not only increase the scope of the marketing strategy but also goes a long way in expanding the organizations market base (Kotler, 2009). The use of social media in marketing has been an effective tool due to the fact that most individuals have access to these sites due to the availabity of mobile computers. This paper outlines the role played by social media in enhancing marketing especially among the small businesses in Australia. With reference to literary sources on the same topic, the paper shall discuss the reasons why most companies in Australia are currently using the social media as one of their core marketing approaches. Literature Review: Role of Social Media in Marketing Baker (2007) in Marketing strategy and management points out that the effectiveness of a marketing tool is a key factor when a business organization is selecting its promotional approaches. This article highlights various other factors which are worth considering when an organization intends to promote its products and services. According to the author, the cost implications involve is another factor worth considering (Erdem, 2008). At the same time, the size of the target audience, the nature of the information being passed as well as the timeline intended to be covered are the other factors worth considering in choosing an advertisement too. As an efficient approach, the media used to transmit information to the receivers ought to take the shortest while to convey the intended message. Additionally, the approach used in marketing ought to be cost effective and hence affordable especially for the small businesses. The author highlights the various approaches used by businesses in a bid to enhance the promotion of their products and services. These include the use television, radio and other written media. He however points out the popularity of mobile computing as one of the core reasons for the use of internet and online platforms in the process of marketing. The author further notes that the use of phones, tablets and computers as IT tools in marketing has offered an appropriate platform through which informed can be passed to the consumers through the social media. Bauer (2007) in the article Consumer behavior as risk taking: Risk taking and information handling, points out that the consumers reception to a given marketing tool determines whether the organization ought to embrace it for future attempts or note. According to the author, the social media could basically be described as the online, and mostly informal, platforms where various categories of users interact with one another to share their views on certain aspects of life. The author gives the examples of Twitter, Facebook, Linked In and social building programs as some of the most commonly used online social platforms. During its emergence, the social medial was basically viewed as an avenue for entertainment. However, the expanding base of users which continues to escalate as days go by has provided a good opportunity for business organizations. These avenues have been used by the organizations to do advertisements and promote their products. As noted by the author, the social media l has played a pivotal role in enhancing marketing especially among the small businesses especially due to its accessibility and cost-effectiveness. The rise in technology has made the necessary devices available to most individuals in the society; consequently, it is easier for the business entities to reach their intended target groups by hosting the information on the social media. This approach is effective as most individuals are likely to interact with this information. Yilmaz (2011) in Source characteristics and advertising effectiveness discusses some of the aspects which make a promotional tool effective. As noted by the author, the rising use of technology and incorporation of information technology into the management of business organizations has led to the improvement in the quality of marketing strategies. The author points out the rising fame of online platforms as a good replacement of the traditional methods formerly used by organizations in marketing. The author points out the use of company websites in addition to the use of social media as some of the effective promotional approaches currently used by most small businesses in Australia. The high level of infrastructure and availability of stable networks has enabled the small businesses to interact with both its employees as well as the clients. Most people in the country have access to good smartphones, iPads, computers, internet services as well as good networks. Instead of the rathe r expensive physical approaches of marketing, the availability of these resources has made the use of online platforms and the social media as the best alternatives. The author equally notes that the social media has done a lot in reducing the cost of advertisement for the small businesses in Australia. Being relatively small in size, the businesses may lack the needed resources to conduct sophisticated marketing approaches; the social media has therefore remained an important cheaper alternative. Comparison and Analysis of the articles Through a careful analysis of the content, the articles reviewed above were chosen in a bid to enhance the discussion of the chosen topic. The articles were sampled from a bigger list of articles and were chosen mainly because of the consistency in the information contained in them. The first article does well in pointing out some of the factors worth considering before choosing a marketing strategy (Aldrich, 2008). The author then goes ahead to discuss the reasons why most business organizations currently use the social media in the corporate world to enhance their management strategies. The flow of facts as indicated by the author makes the article easy to follow. However, the work doesnt exhaustively handle the role that social media has played in marketing but does well in creating the base which is subsequently explored through the other articles. The second article is more profound and the author does well by beginning the discussion with a brief overview of the aspect of the u se of social media in marketing. The simple language and arrangement of ideas through carefully structured paragraphs acts as a major advantage of the article. On the other hand, the article is relatively long which might make its quite a challenge especially for readers not attracted to long texts. The author also bases his arguments on findings from only selected areas in the country which may not offer the exact picture of social media use in marketing. The third article is more descriptive with respect to the topic of discussion. The author delves deep in the aspect of social media and outlines some of the reasons as to why most small businesses currently love it when it comes to marketing. The main facts are made clear at the beginning of each paragraph which makes it easy for the readers to follow the thematic flow. In addition to being information, the authors application of informal language in some sections of the text removes monotony during reading hence making the articl e more interesting and equally entertaining. On the other hand, the article may not be appealing to a wider audience especially the older generation due to the authors choice of language as some individuals prefer a more formal approach to communication (Homburg, 2009). In a nut shell, each of the articles are effective in one way or the other in enhancing the discussion of the main topic in focus. Research Findings Based on the review of literature in addition to the various other approaches used to obtain information with regard to the research topic, a number of aspects can be deduced. To begin with, the social media has remained pivotal in enhancing marketing practices especially among small businesses in Australia due to the fact that it is cost effective (Bettman, 2007). Some of the small business entities for instant Aerosonde Ltd, Adam Energy and Ace Radio may be faced with the challenge of inadequate resources which minimizes their ability to explore other sophisticated options in marketing. The social media, which is relatively cheap, has therefore made marketing quite affordable especially for the business organizations which lack enough funds (Beane, 2007). Secondly, the social media has enhanced the scope of marketing. Business organizations are therefore able to reach a good number of people with the information due to the accessibility of the marketing platforms (Cox, 2007). The rise in the level of technology has made the right tools not only available to the public but also affordable. These may include the mobile computers, phones as well as good internet services. Since most people have access to these gadgets, their access to the online services is equally enhanced. The social media has therefore been an effective online channel through which business organizations can pass information about their products and services to a wide range of audience (Cram, 2008). The social media has also made the process of advertisement more convenient. In the past, the receivers attitudes would negatively affect their reception of the messages. For instance through the use of television especially when the advertisement intrudes their favorite program, they are likely to switch off which hinders effective transmission (Freeman, 2010). However on the social media, the marketing tools are carefully designed so that they dont interfere with the receivers fun. At the same time, the social media allows the business organization a flexible avenue to effectively design their marketing strategies. As a result, the more formal approach can be replaced by a relatively informal use of language which in turn brings both the informative and entertainment value. The social media therefore allows the businesses to stay flexible with the marketing approaches (Galbraith, 2009). The other fact worth noting is that the social media has since made the process of marketing faster. The online platforms are the most readily accessible marketing avenues especially when there is a stable network infrastructure. As a result, the information passed to the consumer and the intended audience through the social media is likely to reach them faster compared to any other marketing approach (Guseman, 2008). Additional, the social media equally ensures that the marketing strategy reaches many people which does not only widen the scope of marketing but also ensures that the process is effective enough. Conclusion The paper discusses the role of social media in marketing among small businesses in Australia. Through extensive review of literature, the discussion reveals some of the core advantages which have accompanied the use of social media in marketing. The rise in technology and the availability of the necessary technological media has been highlighted as the core reason behind the popularity of social media use in marketing. The social media has been crucial in reducing the cost of marketing. At the same time, the use of social media has made the process of marketing more convenient and faster. A good number of people can be reached through the social platforms which makes the marketing approach both wider in scope and quite effective. Due to its crucial place in business organizations, business organizations ought to continuously harness the cheaper and more available marketing alternatives. This in turn reduces the costs that would be associated with conducting these processes within th e business. References Aldrich, H. and D.A (2008) Handbook of organizational design Oxford: Oxford University Press. Baker, M. (2007) Marketing strategy and management. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Bauer, R. (2007) Consumer behavior as risk taking: Risk taking and information handling. Bettman, J. (2007) Perceived risk and its components: a model and empirical test, Journal of Marketing Research 10(2), pp.18490. Beane, T. (2007) Market segmentation: a review, European Journal of Marketing 21(5) 1987, pp.2042. Bettman, J. 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