social media marketing – Social Media Marketing

Are you familiar with the social media platform Orkut? Probably not….

Orkut was Googles first social networking platform. It launched in 2004 and lasted for about 10 years before shutting down in 2014. This particular platform was most popular among its Brazilian users as research showed that 90% of the page views were accessed by users in Brazil. This is a staggering number considering just how many members they had. Within 4 months they had 50,000 communities and after just one year this grew to about 1.5 million.

Orkut used a community style structure – how did this attract the changing role of the digital consumer?

There are several ways that Orkut was able to speak to these people. Below are just a few:

The platform was community based so they could find people with like minded interests and ideas
It let users connect with people they knew as well as people they looked up to
It has an invite only membership which made it feel prestigious
The interface was user friendly

Another reason as to why this attractive platform for digital consumers was so popular amongst the Brazilian population is because of Brazil’s strong online presence. They are ranked as one of the strongest markets for online retailers and fifth largest online market in the world.

Knowing and understanding how to make a proper marketing action plan is critical in having a successful business venture. The steps needed for this plan include the following items laid out below. Which do you think Orkut succeeded in and which do you think they fell short?

Goals
Target audience
Social media choice
Resources
Policies
Monitoring
Activity Plan

Where Orkut succeeded in this list is through steps one through 5. They had clear goals, and established target audience, their social media choice was their own platform, they were able to find and use good resources and had established policies. This is what allowed them to grow so quickly and become such a favored platform in Brazil.

Now its important to look at where they fell short. What is most important to you when using social media platforms?

Orkut clearly showed they were able to successfully use a marketing action plan but they did fall short in some key areas as discussed. One of the most important areas they seemingly did not perform well was in the monitoring of the platform. When you use social media aren’t you looking for the platform to evolve with what is trending? Orkut unfortunately failed at doing so. They attracted a large number of consumers early on but then fell short in continuing to satisfy their demands. Through research it was determined that Brazilians are attracted to platforms with online video. This is something that was not easy to do with Orkut. Had they paid attention to the changes of interest in their target audience and addressed this would they still be around today? Had they had a detailed activity plan in place allowing them to really establish a timeline for monitoring their performance would people have stayed interested? It makes you wonder where other platforms such as Facebook would be today.

Mahoney, L. M., & Tang, T. (2017). Strategic Social Media: From Marketing to Social Change. Malden: Wiley Blackwell.

Online based businesses and businesses using social media for their marketing are common place now in 2019, but that was not always the case. In 2010, a group of classmates from the University of Pennsylvania decided to break the mold of business and advertising by opening an eye glass shop, Warby Parker, by utilizing only online distribution. They marketed the idea through YouTube videos and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Below shows business objectives and how to attain and measure using social media.

Image result for social media marketing how to — https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-create-a-social-media-marketing-plan/

Social media technology was a great help in carrying out the new business model for Warby Parker. How many times have you seen an advertisement scrolling Facebook, or a “how-to” video on YouTube that just made you want to try the product? Sometimes it’s what you are looking for and didn’t know the actual product existed or it’s something that you didn’t know you needed until you saw it. Since Warby Parker didn’t have any overhead costs associated with their business they were able to spend more time and money on creating solid products.

Aren’t you more likely to purchase products you see your friends like? Social media allows word of mouth marketing to play a role in their alternative business model also. Nielson reported that 92% of people believe suggestions from friends and family more than advertising. By asking people to post pictures of themselves wearing their glasses on their own social media they were gaining the trust of thousands of people over time. If the company were to use more traditional media environment, they would have faced several challenges. First, they would not have been able to launch their company with only a $2500 investment. This could have potentially increased the cost of the glasses they were selling, as well as impacted the reach the company had with a lower budget.

One of the things Warby Parker had to do in order to be successful was reduce dissonance for consumers that might want to switch. One of the things that would have been conflicting to consumers is having to purchase the glasses without trying them on. This is something we are all so used to – can you imagine wearing something everyday, that changes your entire face and look, without once seeing how it looks on? In order to combat this issue Warby Parker created YouTube videos showing how their business was different but also how to use them. One of the other things the company did to reduce dissonance was to allow the consumers to order up to five pairs of glasses and then return the ones that they didn’t like. Aren’t you more willing to purchase products if you know the returns are simple and easy? This is exactly what the company was going for.

While the business model was new to consumers they were able to be successful. They sold over 500,000 pairs of glasses and also began donating pairs for every one that was purchased. By using social media they were able to gain a following and interest with a much smaller investment and budget than would have otherwise been needed. As companies continue to follow this model we as consumers, are able to get really awesome products for lower costs than the big brick and mortar stores. This is something that gets me excited, does it excite you too?