using social media for marketing

using social media for marketing

Most companies set up Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites to attract new customers. The methods they use to entice those clients vary, and some rise beyond others. This paper examines three companies, Cisco, Walmart and Burger King, in which Cisco and Burger King have the features required for a successful business social media page while Walmart needs some improving.

When people think of businesses that use social media for marketing their products, Cisco is not among the companies that come first in mind. However, Cisco has been a pleasant surprise to all social media users. Cisco is a technology company that creates, produces and sells networking hardware, telecommunications products and other high-technology services and equipment. Through its initiative to create a positive attitude for the future, Cisco has emerged as one of the leading marketing company in social media. Its success is attributed to its strategy of welcoming customers to engage in a discussion on how to make the world a better place. The stories that Cisco emphasized in twitter made their technology more real. It portrayed the importance of information technology (IT) infrastructure as a relevant tool to the daily lives of their target audience.

Most companies fail in social media influence because their goals are set on increasing the number of likes, comments and shares. Some even use social media to post pushy sales messages for customers to buy their products. As much as social media is an excellent platform for companies to advertise their products, customer engagement is vital. Walmart, an American multinational retail company that manages a chain of hypermarkets, discount department stores, and grocery stores, is one business that needs improvement in its social media strategies. Looking through its Facebook page, there are a lot of unanswered questions from customers by the company. There are also a lot of pushy promotional offers on their page. Walmart needs to improve on its customer service by not making it all about their products but also give attention to its customers’ inquiry and concerns. Their social media platforms can be an excellent way for them to learn from their customers on how to improve their services and customer experience.

The most appealing social media site was that of Burger king. Their goal in their social media sites is to become a place where customers want to visit and have posts clients enjoy viewing in their timelines. The message is always clear and precise, and they do not use jargon for marketing their products. Burger king is invariably fun in their social media advertising which facilitates their engagement with their customers.

For this assignment, a Facebook page was created for a food company known as ‘foodies’. The social media site was an emulation of the Burger King company Instagram page, which was the most appropriate page that can be created in the future. Some of the feature adopted from the Burger King page include engaging content, attractive photos and explicit messages that can be understood by the clients. The page also consists of an instant reply that automatically responds to customers.

From the above information, it can be argued that the use of social media for business purpose is as much about engagement with customers as it is about sharing content. Social media platforms have become the first places where people go for customer support, product inquiries or acknowledge the good work of businesses (Eckstein,2018). This approach enables companies to create relations with customers and build better products for their customers.

It is also essential to change the tone of the conversation to be positive and uplifting as that of Cisco. Most companies that use social media to reach their target audience dwell so much on promoting their products. However, companies should also focus on the needs and issues affecting society and provide ways to which such problems can be solved. By showing empathy to society’s problem, companies have a higher chance of attracting more customers. This is because it will be a sign that they are not only concerned with the customers buying their products, but they are also concerned about their welfare.

Another lesson derived is that the message posted in social media should be clear and entertaining as that of Burger King. Posting boring messages can result in low customer attraction and thus, low sale of products. The use of jargon can also result in a lack of delivery of information because the customers might interpret the message in the wrong way.

It is also crucial for companies to use various types of social media sites rather than relying on one. If companies only depend on one social media page, they might miss out on the advantages of the others (Quesenberry,2018). The use of different social media pages is also important because it creates room for a more substantial following and reaches out to a larger target audience.

To conclude, social media platforms are not only a place for companies to promote their message; instead, it is also a place for them to engage with their customers. The more they show interest to their customers’ issues, the more they will attract a more considerable following; thus, the more products they will sell.