Business Features

How Has Social Media Changed Marketing

The widespread availability of affordable internet and internet-capable handheld devices has not only changed how we engage with each personally but has also transformed the way business get to engage with their customers. In the day and age of the digital revolution, businesses can easily reach a global audience through its Facebook page or a viral tweet. Traditionally, customers could be reached through a television ad or a newspaper clipping. These options were far more expensive and required way more time and effort to push out content. That was partly because of the shortcomings of technology.

URstore is one such business that benefits from the tidal changes within marketing. While in the past we would have had to buy a section in a newspaper to reach an audience that would be too broad and not necessarily the demographics we would have wanted to target. But now, through the URstore blog, the Facebook page and the LinkedIn profile we are able to push out content whenever we want plus we get almost real-time response from our consumers. We are fortunate to be a unique organization in which our clients have a vested interest. This is a for a few reasons, one of them being the fact that we give a 10% kickback for all the sales that take place on your own custom clothing online store. Check out how to join this one-of-a-kind community on http://urstore.ca/start.

Following are three ways social media has changed marketing:

1. Social media creates accountability.
Whereas in the past customers had very little say in the workings of a product, today with social media online customer reviews have the ability to make or break a product or a service (and with it the business.) Businesses have no choice but to obey the wishes of its clientele. By the same token, having a loyal customer base can help grow your business by leaps and bounds through word of mouth. More reason why you should make customer satisfaction your numero uno priority!

2. Social media helps the small players stand out in the crowd.
Gillette may be a big brand but thanks to social media, the Dollar Shave Club was able to attract customers and make its mark in the giant pool of billion-dollar multinational companies. The start-up shot up to the top so much so that for weeks upon weeks it was not able to meet the demands of eager customers wanting to try out their products.

3. Social media is real-time engagement with customers.
In the first twenty-four hours of publishing a post on social media related a product or service your business offers, chances are you have reached dozens if not hundreds of potential customers. Your post may receive many impressions but some customers take the time to like your post, comment on it and even share it with their circle of friends. In contrast, traditional marketing was a monologue with no way of measuring who is even listening and no way for customers to respond with yay or nay.