Summary

CHAPTER 7. SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING
Section 1.
PROMOTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Before throwing in time and money to set up a social media ad campaign, it is important to
focus on what the company wants to achieve and find out where the target customers are and how to
get their attention. The following is a guide adapted from Eloqua’s “The Grande Guide to Social
Advertising” 31 , and “Controlled infection! Spreading the brand message through viral marketing”
from Kelly School of Business. 32
1. Choose the Right Platform. Researching on which networks potential buyers frequent for
community interaction and information is the initial step for the social media marketing plan.
For example, if the company sells fashion goods and target women in the US, Pinterest
would be a good network to go into.
2. Think: Focus. Social advertisement is more about targeting efficiency than mass
awareness. Therefore it is important to think about the exact people the company wants their
message to reach: who they are, where do they live, what do they do for work and fun, their
interest, hobbies, etc. Fine-tune the campaign to target them and only them.
3. Keep it Short. As mentioned in Chapter two, people on social media are surrounded by
new content every minute, so messages have to be short to capture their attention within a
short time. A clear call to action, hyper-personalization (messages tailored specifically to
them), and intriguing or humorous messages are always great.
4. Maximize Keywords. Use keywords that will bring in traffic by looking into what
competitors use and what people search for when they are looking for the related product or
service.
5. Tell Viewers What to Do. People are more likely to engage with the brand if they were told
31 "Eloqua Grande Guide to Social Advertising." Eloqua. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 June 2013.
.
32 Dobele, A, D Toleman, and M Beverland. "Controlled Infection! Spreading The Brand Message
Through Viral Marketing." Business Horizons 48.2 (2005): 143-149.
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