Question

What are the types of social marketing available and when/why would you use each one?

Answer 1

Solution:

Social marketing is an approach used to develop activities aimed at changing or maintaining people’s behavior for the benefit of individuals and society as a whole.

Combining ideas from commercial marketing and the social sciences, social marketing is a proven tool for influencing behavior in a sustainable and cost-effective way.

It helps you to decide:

Which people to work with

What behavior to influence

How to go about it

How to measure it

Social marketing is not the same as social media marketing.

Here’s our list of 10 types of social media and what they’re used for:

1. Social networks—Connect with people
2. Media sharing networks—Share photos, videos, and other media
3. Discussion forums—Share news and ideas
4. Bookmarking and content curation networks—Discover, save, and share new content
5. Consumer review networks—Find and review businesses
6. Blogging and publishing networks—Publish content online
7. Interest-based networks—Share interests and hobbies
8. Social shopping networks—Shop online
9. Sharing economy networks—Trade goods and services
10. Anonymous social networks—Communicate anonymously

1. Social networks

Examples: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

Why people use these networks: To connect with people (and brands) online.

How they can benefit your business: Let us count the ways. Market research, brand awareness, lead generation, relationship building, customer service… the list is pretty much endless.

2. Media sharing networks

Examples: Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube

Why people use these networks: To find and share photos, video, live video, and other media online.

How they can benefit your business: Like the major relationship networks, these sites are invaluable for brand awareness, lead generation, audience engagement, and most of your other social marketing goals.

3. Discussion forums

Examples: reddit, Quora, Digg

Why people use these networks: To find, discuss, and share news, information, and opinions.

How they can benefit your business: These networks can be excellent resources for market research. Done right, you can also advertise on them, though you’ll need to be careful to keep your ads and posts separate.

4. Bookmarking and content curation networks

Examples: Pinterest, Flipboard

Why people use these networks: To discover, save, share, and discuss new and trending content and media.

How they can benefit your business: These networks can be highly effectivefor driving brand awareness, customer engagement, and website traffic.

5. Consumer review networks

Examples: Yelp, Zomato, TripAdvisor

Why people use these networks: To find, review, and share information about brands, products, and services, as well as restaurants, travel destinations, and more.

How they can benefit your business: Positive reviews bring social proof to your claims. Handled well, you can resolve issues with unhappy customers.