Social network marketing

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Social Network Marketing (SNM) is a part of online marketing . This includes all marketing activities on the Internet that use social networks such as XING , LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter , StudiVZ etc. as a communication channel. In this sense, the SNM aims to ensure that membership in an online contact network can also serve sales-promoting purposes, in addition to other objectives.

Differentiation from social media marketing

Social Media Marketing (SMM) is very closely related to SNM . Often both terms are used synonymously. However, in addition to the network, the term SMM also includes video and image platforms such as YouTube or Flickr as well as digital information services and rating portals such as habenweiss-was.de , ciao or dooyoo .

Goals and potential

Specifically, social network marketing pursues the following goals:

  • the constant expansion of the network by gaining new contacts as easily as possible
  • the effective maintenance of existing contacts
  • the generation of new customer addresses without financial expenditure
  • the automation of the acquisition with minimal expenditure of time
  • establishing direct relationships with key decision-makers
  • promoting the exchange of ideas for the purpose of inspiration and problem solving
  • the attention-grabbing presentation of a company
  • building an expert status

Overall, the result is an increase in awareness on the market and positioning as a "problem solver". The SNM thus increases the thrust of conventional marketing.

functionality

The social networks usually offer their users at least one personal profile with various visibility settings. It is also possible to receive and send messages to networked members, as well as manage contacts and address books. The users are informed to varying degrees about activities in the network (status information) and functions such as microblogging, the creation of interest groups, forum management and the creation of events are often available.

The acquisition of new customers via social networks can be implemented more easily and cost-effectively with the help of the already integrated functionalities than with traditional methods. For example, there is no need to search for specific target groups, as all existing members can be addressed in social networks. Companies or contact persons can be found using the search function and addressed directly. In the existing profile entries, you can immediately find information about their areas of interest, which results in less wastage when addressing them. Conversely, the advertising company itself can be represented in social networks and customers can find it using a detailed profile. In addition to conventional marketing, SNM has now become an important factor, so that more and more companies are making use of this form of marketing. Social network marketing is not just a supplement to marketing tools, it also needs a wide range of conventional marketing as a basis. The solution to this problem is to combine both types of marketing. There are corresponding approaches for integrating the SNM into conventional marketing.

Link with conventional marketing

Social network marketing (e.g. XING, LinkedIn) can also be combined with conventional marketing (mailings, newsletters, PR, homepage). An example of such a link is inviting customers to social networks. There they can benefit from groups of experts that the company has initiated itself. People who have met in a social network can receive useful and mostly free technical / specialist information that otherwise only customers receive in the form of downloads or a newsletter. This should strengthen customer loyalty and help to position the company as a competent problem solver that others can fall back on immediately if necessary.

The aim of these links between SNM and conventional marketing is to create intensive networks of relationships with customers and interested parties in the form of “give and take”, which form the basis for long-term, sustainable business relationships.

Strategies

When using social networks as marketing instruments, a distinction is made between two basic approaches. In the passive approach , the networks are used as a source of information and to gain feedback. The companies analyze reviews, brand recommendations and blog posts from customers and use these for their own purposes. In this sense, social networks are a medium for inexpensive information gathering that can be used to identify problems and opportunities. This form of data collection can also be extended to individual users and user groups whose interactions provide information about their interests and purchasing behavior. In contrast to traditional methods of market research, information about customer behavior can be called up in real time through social networks, which can be particularly advantageous in dynamic market structures. In the active approach , the social networks are used as communication channels and to expand and maintain the customer base. Using influencers (e.g. popular bloggers) can be an efficient and inexpensive way to advertise new products or services in the marketplace.

literature

  • Stefan Berns, Dirk Hennigsen: The Twitter factor: communication in a nutshell. 2nd Edition. Businessvillage Verlag, 2010, ISBN 978-3-86980-000-4 .
  • Ron Faber, Sönke Prestin: Social Media and Location-Based Marketing. Advertise successfully locally with Google, Facebook, Foursquare, Groupon & Co. Carl Hanser Verlag, Munich 2012, ISBN 978-3-446-42911-6 .
  • Simon Künzler, Andrea Iltgen: Social Networking - Platforms and Potentials. Grin Verlag, 2008, ISBN 978-3-638-95762-5 .
  • Katrin Marquardt: Marketing 2.0: How weblogs and social network sites are changing marketing. VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2010, ISBN 978-3-639-19206-3 .
  • Bernd Ollefs: Marketing communication in online social networks: Current status, development and perspectives. VDM Verlag Dr. Müller, 2009, ISBN 978-3-639-20027-0 .
  • Annette Schwindt: The Facebook book. O'Reilly Verlag, 2010, ISBN 978-3-89721-615-0 .
  • Robert Nabenhauer: I know you - that's why I buy! 2011, ISBN 978-3-03786-005-2 .
  • Robert Nabenhauer: The PreSales customer magnet. 2011, ISBN 978-3-03786-004-5 .
  • Robert Nabenhauer: The PreSales Marketing Practical Guide "Using Xing Successfully". 2011, ISBN 978-3-03786-003-8 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Customer Acquisition: The Fourth Pillar of Social Media
  2. ↑ How to Use Social Media Data for Customer Insight
  3. ↑ 8 Ways to Integrate Social Media with Existing Marketing
  4. ^ A b E. Constantinides, C. Lorenzo, MA Gómez: Social Media: A New Frontier for Retailers? In: European Retail Research. Volume 22, No. 1, 2008, pp. 1-28.
  5. ↑ P. Gillin: The New Influencers, a Marketer's Guide to the new social media. Quill Driver Books, Sanger 2007, ISBN 978-1-884956-65-2 .