Proposal
Introduction
a. Social media have turned the world into a global village. The vast internet connections across the world has enabled for quick transfer of information from one part of the world to the other regardless of the locations.
b. Social media play a major role in all aspects of modern businesses. Communications have been turned into interactive dialogues among individuals, communities and organizations resulting to reliable propagation of information (San Antonio, 2011).
c. Web-based and mobile-based technologies and other multiple forms of internet connections have had a major impact on businesses. Organizations based on the latest technologies have an edge over those using the outdated technologies. Current social media are more advantageous to businesses because of a number of benefits it offers.
d. Social media can be considered the best gift to modern businesses in the present generation.
Thesis Statement
There have been debates as to whether social media’s benefits outweigh the imbedding disadvantages. The truth is that the advantages overwhelm the social media related disadvantages.
Definitions
a. Social media refer to as a social interaction among human beings where they create and exchange or share ideas and information in networks and virtual communities.
b. Many people have different understandings regarding social media depending on the type of social media site they are using, but they all have similar functions.
Ways in which social media are benefiting modern businesses.
a) Effective advertisements are possible over the social media. Social media sites such as twitter, Facebook, Myspace and many others have huge audiences. Advertisements through reach a good number of customers (Sharlyn, 2009).
b) Social media can be applied in conducting research studies.
i. Fund requirements are low, and the organization is capable of finding its target market with minimal efforts. Better interaction over the internet assists in product or service improvements.
ii. Customer suggestions and complaints can be collected over the social media and factored into a business production process. The result will be improved services and products.
c) People can be reached out easily regardless of where they are based (Bosari, 2012).
i. Internet connections are present all over the world.
ii. Significant portions of the world population make use of social media on a regular basis.
d) Social media provide a chance for relationship building. It is advantageous since it helps in turning customers to royal ones.
e) Demands and needs of customers can be tracked over the social media. Therefore, social media lead to improved customer service.
f) Quick and effective business expansions are possible courtesy of social media. Video conferencing and other forms play a great role regarding business expansions (Qualman, 2012).
g) Social media help businesses in finding new customers and expanding the audience.
h) It is an important tool of improving market intelligence hence getting a competitive edge over competitors.
i) It increases website traffic hence improves search rankings.
j) Enormous brand awareness is possible over the social media with minimal cost.
Disadvantages of the social media
a) Some customers may post negative comments regarding your products and services, which might turn away some customers.
b) It is readily effective for loyal customers. To attract new business or markets, many efforts are necessary which may turn out to be expensive.
c) A lot of time and efforts are consumed in updating social media accounts and responding to customer queries (Carr, 2010).
Conclusion
a) From the aforementioned facts regarding social media, it is evident that it has a more beneficial effect in modern businesses.
b) Businesses based on modern social media as a way of reaching customers have a competitive advantage over their rivals.
c) Business organizations that are not using social media are advised to invest in this program due to a number of benefits it offers. It is the current trend hence inevitable if a business seeks to remain relevant.
Annotated Bibliography
Rodriguez, Andi. "Social media plays vital, but not solo, role." San Antonio Business Journal (2011): n. pag. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/print-edition/2011/05/13/social-media-plays-vital-but-not.html?page=all. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
The article is trying to explain the advantages of social media in modern marketing arena. It is assumed to be another player of promoting the brands foundation. A number of day-to-day media, public and community relations are effected over the social media. According to the author, social media platform offers a rich opportunity of reaching new customers hence increasing a business’ customer base. It offers an interface between the brand and its supporters. Caracas, a veteran at san Antonio- based agency (Guerra DeBerry Coody) notes that the technology affords enormous opportunities for engagement. She says its advantages are noted when social media are used in tandem with other business/marketing components like promotions, public relations and advertising. Pitfalls are bound to come when much emphasis is placed on social media. Good marketing business is based on harmony rather than working in isolation. Therefore, the article is relevant to the research topic since it finds social media as a rich business opportunity for modern businesses.
Lauby, Sharlyn. "Should Your Company Have a Social Media Policy?" Marshabe27 Apr. 2009: n. pag. Print Mashable. Retrieved from: http://mashable.com/2009/04/27/social-media-policy/
The article tries to answer the question whether businesses should have a social media policy. The article is dived into five sections. The first section explains why companies should have such a policy. There are a number of reasons one of them being the huge audience present in social media. The second sub-section explains what the social media can do to an organization. It helps in strengthening the brand of an organization through increased awareness. The third subsection explains who the policy should cover. Social media are for everyone. It should, therefore, be explained to all employees, not just the marketing department. The fourth subsection explains on the need to train employees about social media. That is, how they should respond to queries and comments from business clients over the social media. This will prepare them for an effective relationship work. The last part explains the right time of policy implementation. According to the writer of the article, the right time is now. If a business seeks competency in business, it should invest in social media with an immediate effect. Based on the above facts, the article relates to the research topic in every aspect.
Bosari, Jessica. "The Developing Role of Social Media in the Modern Business World."Forbes. N.p., 8 Aug. 2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2014. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneywisewomen/2012/08/08/the-developing-role-of-social-media-in-the-modern-business-world/
According to the article, social media have grown into a reliable client development device. It explains important facts about social media in relation to the present business arena which include: almost all businesses in the world apply social media in their marketing platforms; almost 60% of marketers devote their time on social media development, marketing and maintenance; people aged 20-29 years spend over ten hours a week on social media sites like Facebook, twitter etc.; less than 15% businesses don’t apply social media in their marketing strategies and lastly more than half of all businesses have been in the social media business for the last 3 years. The effects of social media are increased business activities like sales. According to the author of the article, the top three social media sites include Facebook, twitter and Google+. Companies should ensure they are present on these social media sites for increased business performance. Since the article analyses the advantages of social media to businesses, it has a great relationship with my research topic.
Qualman, Erik. Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business, 2nd Edition. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Print. Retrieved from: http://www.amazon.com/Socialnomics-Social-Media-Transforms Business/dp/1118232658/ref=pd_sim_b_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=09ZFSCJHKNK9FWGB0Z1F
The book lists the top ten easy opportunities missed by organizations and companies not using social media sites. It explains the necessary building blocks of social media and where it should reside in the organization. The book explains how blocking employees to social media is detrimental to the success of a given organization. It advocates proper training of all employees about social media practices, not just the marketing department. The book further gives live examples of companies benefiting from the use of social media sites and how these earns them a competitive advantage over their rivals. According to the author, social media can transform the way your organization relates with its customers in many ways. To this extent, there exists a strong relationship between the research topic and the book ideas regarding the effects of social media in present business era.
Carr, Nicholas G. The Shallows: How the Internet Is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember. London: Atlantic, 2010. Print.
Works Cited
Bosari, Jessica. "The Developing Role of Social Media in the Modern Business World."Forbes. N.p., 8 Aug. 2012. Web. 24 Oct. 2014. Retrieved from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/moneywisewomen/2012/08/08/the-developing-role-of-social-media-in-the-modern-business-world/
Carr, Nicholas G. The Shallows: How the Internet Is Changing the Way We Think, Read and Remember. London: Atlantic, 2010. Print.
Lauby, Sharlyn. "Should Your Company Have a Social Media Policy?" Marshabe27 Apr. 2009: n. pag. Print Mashable. Retrieved from: http://mashable.com/2009/04/27/social-media-policy/
Qualman, Erik. Socialnomics: How Social Media Transforms the Way We Live and Do Business, 2nd Edition. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons, 2013. Print.
Rodriguez, Andi. "Social media plays vital, but not solo, role." San Antonio Business Journal (2011): n. pag. http://www.bizjournals.com/sanantonio/print-edition/2011/05/13/social-media-plays-vital-but-not.html?page=all. Web. 24 Oct. 2014.
