Social media marketing is a modern term which is causing some confusion amongst the general populace and shows that as new online trends are developed, new names need to be considered.
Social media follows on from terms like search engine optimisation and site engine marketing, and refers to those websites which are geared towards creating a network of people.
Hence the term social, as it’s all about the social grouping of individuals. Websites like Facebook and LinkedIn have core engines which allow people to communicate within chosen groups and on a larger scale.
So, there’s a great deal of relevance in the term social.
Media is a little weaker, as most think of media being something completely different. Media is mostly the generic title of newspapers and broadcast outlets which report news, but, to be fair, in the widest sense, it’s a platform where views can be aired.
So, in a way, social media is an understandable term, but to make matters worse, the commercial world may understand the term, but doesn’t really get the concept.
The marketing director knows that he, or she should have a Facebook page, and maybe a Twitter, but doesn’t usually know why. It’s mainly, of course, because everyone else has one, but as recent developments have shown, just having a Facebook page can cause a company a great deal of damage and far from increasing sales, or profile, it can quickly destroy a corporate reputation.
So yes, a company needs a social media strategy, but they should ensure that they know what the title means in the first place and then ensure they are set up to organise it properly.