Social media marketing: A study of consumers and marketers

Abstract

 Social media, which began as a means to connect people, has turned into the most significant platform for marketers, supporting them in all facets of marketing. it is a powerful tool for businesses to reach and engage with their target audiences, promote their products and services, and achieve their marketing goals. Social media marketing refers to the utilization of tactics and technologies by marketers to analyse consumer behaviour and acquire knowledge on their preferences and interests via diverse social media platforms. It is the process of promoting a product or service through websites and social media platforms. As marketers continue to experiment in the area to meet the demands of their customers and prospects, social media marketing, which is still in its infancy, will undoubtedly grow and develop. Researchers are also interested in it, and they are looking at its implications and utilisation from a variety of perspectives. Through this research an effort has been made to understand the profile of the consumers using social media according to age, gender and other demographic characteristics. Along with that the study has tried to investigate the social media platforms most widely used by the consumers. It has also attempted to identify the consumer awareness, degree of confidence and trust while purchasing products marketed via social media platforms. Further it has provided insight to determine as to what extent social media influences consumer purchase decisions and also the attitude, perception and responsiveness of the customers towards social media marketing and the ways in which a marketer can make his communication more effective. This research has also shed light on the organisations which are employing SM by categorizing the businesses into various segments according to their social media usage pattern, the activities they undertake online and the benefits they seek from social media marketing. In addition to that efforts were also made to identify the SM platform most widely used by the businesses to target their specific audience. Furthermore, an effort has also made to understand how businesses are using SM in their business practices to enhance effectiveness of relationship with customers. The study also gauged into the advantages and impact of SMM on business routine.