Social media is an expression used to describe the type of media that is based on conversation and interaction between people online. It is propagated through social interaction, using highly approachable and scalable publishing techniques like web-based technologies to transform and broadcast media monologues into social media dialogues. It bears following characteristics:
• Participation & Engagement: social media encourages inputs and feedback from everyone who is interested. It deforms the line between media and audience.
• Openness: the majority of social media services are open to feedback and participation. They encourage making choices, comments and the sharing of information. There are scarcely any barriers to accessing and making use of content – password-protected content is frowned on.
• Conversation: whereas traditional media is about broadcast, social media is a two-way conversation.
• Community: social media let communities to form quickly and communicate effectively. Common interests, such as a love of photography, a political issue or a favourite TV show are shared between communities.
• Connectedness: Most kinds of social media thrive on their connectedness, making use of links to other sites, resources and people
Social media have become demanding to big and small businesses. . In fact, social media has impacted the way organizations communicate with the customers. This platform is easily accessible by anyone who can have internet access, and it has open ways for the organizations to increase their brand awareness and interact with customers to satisfy their needs and wants. Therefore, marketing within social media is about building a relationship and conversation with the audience, where the simple message delivery is changed by ongoing exchange of perceptions and ideas between company and the consumer. Credible brands are making optimum use of social media to reach customers and to build or maintain reputation and due to its continuous growth; the ability to reach more consumers globally has also increased. Also, social media serves as a very reasonably priced platform for the organizations and they can employ it for the following purposes.
• Customer service, e.g. direct response to customer complaints
• Broadcasting updates, announcements, news, e.g. additional PR resource
• Promotions
• Behind the scenes look at the organization
• Advertising
Varied kinds of platform can be used by organizations for all these purposes. For example, if the goal is for customer service and broadcasting updates Facebook will proof useful while for the purpose of promotions Twitter should be utilized. You Tube could give the more closer and inner look at the organization. Hence the success factor largely depends on the goals of the organization. Social media is an enormous advertising platform. Organizations are able to mark individuals based upon specific interests shared on social media. Social media can be said to have three components:
• Concept (art, information, or meme).
• Media (physical, electronic, or verbal).
• Social interface (intimate direct, electronic broadcast or syndication, or other physical media such as print).
