Social Media Advertising And Marketing - Case Study Example

The paper "Social Media Advertising And Marketing" is a perfect example of a Marketing Case Study. This review of literature is based on selected journal articles, books and other relevant sources that explore the topic of advertising and marketing on social media. This review is an essential part of the whole research and provides the background for the study and also provides valuable information on how similar research can be carried out successfully. By carrying out a critical and in-depth analysis of similar research, the review provides a path that can be used to answer the many questions audiences might ask about social media advertising and marketing. The literature review also assists greatly in informing the hypothesis that will be tested in the actual research.

This research starts by introducing relevant terms that will be used throughout the research on social media. After defining the terms, the review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of Social media advertising. Secondly, it discusses the concept of social networks and the increasingly popular trend of using social media as an advertising medium. Thirdly, the review analyses advertisement effectiveness and various measures that can be used to evaluate the performance of advertisements.

The review concludes that social media advertising holds much potential for organizations seeking to grow their sales volumes and retain existing customers. The power of social media advertising comes from the ability to leverage social networks to increase the credibility and the trust given to advertisements. Social media advertisements also provide an opportunity for advertisers to tailor their messages to individual members of social media networks. However, the effectiveness of social media advertising is still poorly investigated. This review suggests several dimensions of social media advertising effectiveness that should be the subject of future research in this area.

• • What is ‘Advertising’?

Advertising is a marketing communication tactic that falls under promotion; Promotion is the fourth P among the four P’s of the marketing mix. Advertising comes in as part of the marketing communication program that passes on desired messages to potential and existing customers. According to Kotler and Keller (2011), advertising serves the important function of informing consumers about the benefits of a product. Promotion is the name marketers give to communication with customers regarding the benefits of a product and why it is good for them to purchase the product. Various tools are used as part of marketing organizations' promotional mix. These tools include:

• Public Relation
• Offline and Online Advertising
• Personal Selling
• Sponsorships
• Sales promotions

Advertising is one of the most effective promotional tools that marketers can use to persuade their target customers to purchase their products. Hinson (2005) asserts that Personal Selling is one of the most effective methods of selling products. However, not all marketers are able to reach their customers physically, this renders personal selling an impractical method of promoting products. Advertising exists to make up for this limitation of personal selling as advertising can reach vast audiences. With advertising, marketers can make potential consumers of their product aware of the benefits of the product or service regardless of their geographical location. Advertising has evolved greatly since the first print ads were used to promotes goods and services. Advertising was traditionally referred to as salesmanship in print (Kotler and Keller 2011). However, print advertising was still limited in reach and was ineffective against a largely illiterate audience. This limitation was overcome when TV and Radio became the choice of media for advertisers. TV and Radio could reach broader audiences and could communicate in languages that were easily understood by the audience. In the early stages, advertisers were most interested in reaching the largest number of people possible. Nowadays, advertisers have to also worry about the effectiveness of the advertising strategy they choose.