The Impact of Social Media and New Media on Business Promoting - Term Paper Example

?Introduction The concept of new media and responses from consumer behavior has begun to alter the way in which many are approaching brand building and relationships created. The development from marketers has created an alternative approach to brand building as well as how the responses are received by consumers. The effect is one which is used specifically with social media. This particular tool is adding in new power between marketers and customers of brands while developing a different alternative to how one is approaching the brand development. With this particular approach, there is a change to the marketers and the control which is over the brands as well as how consumers respond. However, the dynamics associated with social and new media also present new opportunities for marketers to begin changing the expectations with marketing. This development is one that is causing marketers to reexamine their approach to new media as well as the associations that are a part of the behaviors which are being created. Social Media and Marketing The development of social media and the use of new media have allowed marketers to take a completely new approach to the brands that are developed. This is based on the understanding that the consumer responses hold more weight than before. More important, the social media brand name which is communicated to others creates direct responses from those that are working within the market. For this to work correctly, a hybrid model of the promotional mix is used. This is based on developing network platforms and promotional tools that engage customers. The risk within this comes from the responses from consumer behavior and the open network which often leads to a loss of control over the brand name. If a consumer has a bad review of the company and other problems occur, then there is a lack of development and understanding with the social media. This response is furthered with the communication that is now open and used for promotions in the marketplace. These responses have developed into a different understanding and development of marketing communication in the marketplace (Mangold, Faulds, 2009:51). The social and new media created then leads into a mixture of promotions which works as a medium for marketers. The medium; however, includes specialized dynamics that alter the way in which one is working within the social media. This is combined with the technological models and advertising that is within the virtual world. The main approach which needs to be created is to allow the consumers to communicate the main message which helps to build the brand identity of the products used. The main approach then furthers into the purchasing intention that is required with the products developed as well as the way in which this presentation is offered in virtual worlds. The challenge with the new medium becomes based on the communication levels which are used and the way in which the promotional platforms hold specific dynamics. As these dynamics alter, there is a specific association with how these work in terms of purchasing intention and development. The medium that is established then focuses on connecting the right customers and monitoring ways for the new media to promote what is needed in terms of communication for a specific product (Barnes, 2007: 13). Understanding Consumer Behavior The main alteration which has occurred with the social media portals is the consumer behavior that is a part of the social media. There is a specific culture which has influenced the approach toward specific brand names and the results which have become a part of this. The culture which is associated with this is developed with the understanding of global advertising and marketing that creates the culture and understanding. The consumer behavior for social media is to gain information, specifically from influences of peer groups. Word of mouth that is a part of the global culture and the associations which are related to the business and media then develop a different understanding of the products and expectations. The opening into a global culture also changes the level of competition for most marketers and businesses. More important, the perceptions and the standards for specific products and services alter. This is based on the understanding of the brand name and how this relates to the various cultures which are beginning to mix with the associations on the Internet. This development is then placed into the intellectual, business, cultural and social circles that are responding on the Internet (Mooij, 2010: 5). The consumer behavior that is most often associated with the marketers and the brands which are created comes with the word of mouth marketing (WOMM) that is used online. The influence that is created comes from the culture of consumers talking to other consumers. This particular concept holds more power with the new media and online marketplace than other forms of advertising and development. Specifically, the marketing campaign that is used is based on the cultural word of mouth that is based first on evaluation of the product. From these reviews, embracing, endorsement and explanation of the products is provided. The culture is then based on information and opinion that either causes other consumers to embrace or reject the product. This particular tool is changing the information available, responses from consumers and the ability for consumers to begin moving forward with the explanations and expectations that are within the communication which is used. By doing this, there is a different understanding of the marketing and communications, as well as the strategies which are taken with the marketing promotion that is developed (Kozinets, Valck, Wojnicki, Wilner, 2010: 219). Changes in Marketing The new culture of consumers, dynamics of social media and the responses from marketers are leading to significant changes in how brands are developed and advertised. The approach which is now being developed is dependent on the consumer being the participant, as opposed to the target audience. There are few barriers that are associated with the different products and brand names, specifically which is leveraging the control that is used with the marketing. This is combined with the understanding of how the behaviors from consumers have more control with the word of mouth advertising and the dynamics of offering information and receptivity about specific brand products. Changing the role of the consumer also alters the way in which marketers approach the brand marketing and expectations that are developed with the social media campaigns. Creating and distributing responses that are related to the consumption of specific components and the audience that is now a participant in the campaigns requires different dynamics in marketing as well as an understanding of the risks that are associated with the online campaigns (Lefebvre, 2007: 33). The tools which marketers are now required to look at is based on consumer behavior that is now a part of the next generation of business engagement. Consumers are responsible for the main message which is given by the marketers, combined with the understanding that social business and social networking are the main area of engagement. The control which marketers need to be a part of at this time is based specifically on meeting the consumers and allowing them to have the right to responses with the business. The influence that is created with the social business engagements is one which requires the performance and quality of businesses to meet new standards. The control which marketers have is based only on the internal environment and the quality of products. This is also reliant on understanding how to engage consumers in responses that are positive while altering the social media engagement so it works in favor of those that are in the businesses. The social feedback cycles are a consideration by marketers. The communication is now both marketing and consumer generated. The user generated advertising is based on use, form opinion and talk while the marketing generated are based on awareness and consideration. Each of these moves into a cycle of influencing each other with the product in the central region for the marketing. Marketers are required to consider the effects of information, the openness which is associated with this and the way in which they initiate responses through the development of various products (Evans, McKee, 2010: 5). Challenges of Social Media The behaviors as well as expectations from marketers offer several opportunities with the new medium of communication and the ability to initiate different levels of marketing. However, the new media also develops several challenges by marketers, specifically with the brand recognition and way that this associates with the needs and development of marketers. The first is based on how the participatory media directly affects the perceptions and attitudes of consumers. More than ever, there is a sense of transparency that comes from consumer behaviors. Often, these are based on limited perceptions or negative predictors that are a part of one consumer perspective. The dynamics that are from the social media are based specifically on dynamics of behaviors and intention of consumers. If there is a negative response, then the perspective of the consumer will most likely create and initiate different forms of communication. However, if the dynamics are stronger with the brand identity and image, then the response may not have as strong of a word of mouth. This behavior that is associated with the new media leads to an imbalance in how different perspectives are provided and the initiatives taken by specific companies. This leads to a loss of control over the products developed while creating alterations in the true quality of a business because of the personality of consumers (Correa, Hinsley, Zuniga, 2009: 247). Another complexity that is associated with social media and the consumer behavior alterations is from the processing which occurs in terms of social information. There is a specific way in which news, media and other forms of information have used various resources in the past. However, there are now forms of information that are often not processed by consumers. Ignoring pieces of information or the dynamics of social influences changing the highlights of information are some of the ways in which this alters. The dynamics of social media being based on aggregate and moving systems that are dynamic in nature have created specific pieces of information to become more interactive than others. In this way, there is a loss of information of the brand identity while other highlights are created which may not be as effective or important with the brand image. This is combined with independent decisions being made by users which may not be congruent with the expectations and collaborations which are used. Social information processing then becomes a hindrance in terms of marketers developing the correct approach to the brand identity while causing a loss of control with the brand identity which is created (Lerman, 2007: 16). Conclusion The impact of social media and new media is one which has altered the way in which businesses and marketers are approaching their use of the media. The relationship between marketers and customers of brands is one which is creating interaction of the products, as opposed to a target audience being available. The customers have continued this with the dynamics of social media offering interactions and behaviors that allow for social information to be processed. This new medium of information is one which offers marketers new opportunities to advertise in a different medium. However, it also limits the information which is available while creating different approaches to the brands and the way in which this is developed. Understanding the main components with the customers and the brand development while creating more implications with the social media development can help customers to strategically plan and prepare for the changes within the social media and the new dynamics and interactions which are created from consumer behaviors. References Barnes, Stuart. 2007. “Virtual Worlds as a Medium for Advertising.” ACM Digital Library 38 (4). Correa, Teresa, Amber Hinsley, Homero Zunigla. 2010. “Who Interacts on the Web? The Intersection of Users’ Personality and Social Media Use.” Computers in Human Behavior 26 (2). Ellison, NB. 2007. “Social Network Sites: Definition, History, and Scholarship.” Journal of Computer Mediated Communication 31 (2). Evans, Dave, Jake McKee. 2010. Social Media Marketing: The Next Generation of Business Engagement. UK: Wiley Publishing. Gilbert, E. 2009. “Predicting Tie Strength With Social Media.” Journal of Interactive Marketing 47 (2). 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