1.2 What Is Social Media Marketing?

We all understand what the term “social media” means today. The term refers to the apps or software platforms (mostly on our phones) that enable us to connect and share media content with friends and others in many different ways. But to really understand how these apps work and why they are billion-dollar businesses that connect billions of users every day, we need to understand the need they are filling. We need to dive into both the “social” component of social media (the user experience) as well as the “marketing” side of the platform (the way advertisers access and engage with a platform’s users).

At their root, social media platforms are just like other digital innovations. Using the power of technology, these companies are providing an easier, more efficient way for us to meet a need or accomplish a specific task. Think about it this way: Facebook made it cheaper and easier to stay connected to friends and family. Airbnb made it easier to rent rooms or houses for short-term stays. Twitter made it easier to stay up-to-date with news and information. Google made it easier to find information online. Uber made it easier to get a ride across town. Duolingo made it easier to learn a foreign language. At their core, social media platforms have made it easier to be socially connected to our communities.

Perhaps the fact that social media platforms followed the same “industry disruption” model of innovation that made other digital start-ups successful is the reason for their phenomenal financial success. Or perhaps it’s true that social media marketing takes advantage of the trust we share with our friends, which makes it easier to sell new customers on our products or services.

What we know is true about social media marketing is that it works. It provides more accurate targeting in terms of purchase interests, intent, and trust than any previous media platform. It is cost-effective. It allows for seamless follow-up messaging, retargeting, and community building. It puts reviews and testimonials from actual customers in front of potential customers at exactly the right moment. Being able to reach the RIGHT prospect, at the RIGHT time, with the RIGHT message is marketing nirvana. Social media platforms do just that.