Digital Marketing Breakdown: Part 2 - Social Network Marketing

Part two of the Digital Marketing Breakdown series is here!  If you haven't already read through part one, STOP IMMEDIATELY! There's no excuse for skipping ahead, so click here to go back and learn about SEO.

Unlike its marketing counterpart SEO which is more of a "behind-the-scenes" tactic, social network marketing aims to gain viewers attention via content posted on various social media sites. Popular forms of content that businesses often produce include YouTube videos, Twitter posts, Facebook pages, and pictures on Instagram, though new ways to reach consumers are constantly being utilized.

Small and large businesses alike are finding that social network marketing isn't just a marketing supplement, but rather a necessity.  It not only allows companies to quickly and inexpensively reach many of their customers, but also provides a platform for them to communicate with customers and receive feedback. This customer interaction is extremely valuable for two reasons: 1) It helps create a sense of customer loyalty that can be difficult to maintain otherwise 2) It provides businesses with another opportunity to further suggest their products/services to potential customers.

Think about this example.  It wouldn't be uncommon to see a tweet like, "feeling tired, need some #coffee." Starbucks can use Twitter's advanced search feature to find tweets with the hashtag "coffee" and respond with something like, "Hi so-and-so, why not try out our pumpkin-spice latte? It's the perfect way to add some spice to your day!"  That would be a great, albeit cheesy way sell to a customer and simultaneously show how much Starbucks cares about its customers.

Though there certainly are a wide variety of social media platforms, this doesn't mean that businesses should have a presence on all of them.  It's way more beneficial to commit to a few and really focus on creating a profile that understands and communicates effectively with the target audience.  No customer wants to follow an Instagram page that gets updated twice every month.

I can say from my own personal experience that The University of Michigan - Dearborn is far and away, the best digital marketing school in Michigan.  UM - D will provide you with the most comprehensive, informative, and exciting digital marketing classes, and you will definitely learn about social network marketing...I promise.

Check back next week for Part 3 of the Digital Marketing Breakdown series!