Internet Technology, Marketing, and Security - Essay Example

Internet Technology Number] Internet Technology, Marketing, and Security Introduction: In todays era internet is used as a promotional tool by many global and international organizations. Organizations make use of internet to capture market in todays competitive environment. Internet is useful for attracting customers by providing them a great variety of services and relevant information about the products or services. There are specific digital internet sources mostly used for the purpose including official websites, social networking sites, blogs, etc (Silverstein, 2001). Marketing, customer dealing, promotion, and other operational management procedures have become much easier within past few years due to remarkable advent and advancements of internet technology. With the advancements of internet, communication modes have become very fast, diverse, and smart (Silverstein, 2001). The World Wide Web has brought tremendous change in the way businesses are run in multinational corporations. For successful business progress, advertising and marketing are two most important tools and with the revolutionized modern technology internet has become exceedingly popular among businesses of all sizes. Mainly because internet has pull out all businesses from tissue-thin, pages of directory for contact details and advices from friends and family members for establishing businesses (Silverstein, 2001). Now business professionals have an opportunity to learn business and marketing techniques from e-sources. Business professionals are now one click away from the success and popularity they wanted to gain before the age of information technology. Limitless possibilities, dissolved boundaries, and efficient market capturing techniques have made professionals of different size businesses to make use of social media marketing approaches in order, to attain targeted goals. Business websites utilize social marketing strategies to provide relevant information to the customers about the products and services (Silverstein, 2001). All information is presented in an attractive and convincing manner to provide millions of customer with most feasible facilities. The past decade is considered as a decade of Social Media Marketing Service through websites on internet. Within past few years a great number of Social Networking sites have been establish to take astonishing advantages of the emerging technologies. Famous Social Media Marketing websites include Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, MySpace, Orkut, Hi5 etc (Zarrella, 2009). It is a known fact that for advertising and marketing of products or services communication is highly important. These social websites offer incomparable opportunities of communicating and developing links with the people across the globe. These social websites have further contributed to connect every city, states, region, and country of the world. Business entrepreneurs have analyzed various advantages and disadvantages of using social media marketing approaches and there has been a long debate over the topic (Zarrella, 2009). Advantages and Disadvantages: Social Media Marketing websites have provided incredible opportunities to companies of all size to interact with the customers. One of its greatest advantages is that it is free of cost; business professionals do not have to pay for login into Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn accounts, and other social networking websites. They can make an endless list of their followers and provide them information through pictures, videos, and description without any marketing fees. According to current statistics of comScore six out of ten people use social networking websites and there is no other platform in comparison for business entrepreneurs where they could mass audience in an effective manner (Tuten, 2008). Interesting content help new business developers to grab attention of large audience and contribute to increase the visibility of their brand. For Social websites are of different types, such as LinkedIn is consider more professional, while Facebook is friendly and informal in nature and Twitter helps in getting quick updates. There is an additional advantage of these numerous sites because everyone does use all sites, so business entrepreneurs can make use of all sites to get more followers and friends for leading business successfully (Tuten, 2008). Along with several advantages, there are numbers of drawbacks or disadvantages that serve as barrier between business entrepreneurs and successful organizations. Critics claim that advertising or marketing through social networking websites is not free because for generating traffic and revenues for the company, entrepreneurs have to come up with most captivating and interesting ideas (Tuten, 2008). Without interesting content, illustrations and ideas it is difficult to catch people and develop relationships with them. For this purpose, business entrepreneurs have to hire professionals for designing their websites and upload an eye-catching material on it. These professionals charge high fees and commissions (Tuten, 2008). Additionally, it is not only one time investment, but with the emerging demands and uprising competitive one or team of IT professionals has to be always behind an online system of business. Furthermore, it is another considerable disadvantage that there are hundreds of organizations, which use social media marketing strategies so it is difficult to stand out in the crowd effectively. Through internet relationships are develop overnight and getting likes on Facebook page does not mean that business has start flourishing (Tuten, 2008). Social websites are so revealing that they impose security challenges for an organization. Through these websites companys confidential data can be leaked out easily and result in devastating impact for the business (Tuten, 2008). Pepsi Company: Popular brands like Pepsi have embraced internet technology for attain companys goal through implementation of social strategies. Social strategies of Pepsi Company have aimed to develop bond with millennial generation and to become the largest consumer group in the business industry. Currently, Pepsi company has started a campaign with the centrepiece "Live for Now", in which the organization has targeted individuals of age 18-35 years. World news report shows that the Pepsi Company has made use of five effective social media marketing aspects including inbound marketing, geo-local, data aggregation, user-generated content, and consumer engagement (Social Media Today, 2012). For inbound marketing, Pepsis social strategist George Smith identifies the common advantages of direct consumer communication. He emphasized that for improved marketing it is needed to provide consumers with direct channels of communication. Pepsi has utilized technology of smart phone in an innovative manner and it started location-based mobile marketing. Micro level targeting of local audience permits brands to hunt customers at every level. Data aggregation technique assisted Pepsi to polish its consumer engagement model to attract new followers and more data related to their expectations from the company (Social Media Today, 2012). Moreover, user generated content is another effect aspect of social marketing that helped Pepsi for their Live for Now campaign. This strategy helps business professionals get reviews, comments and other feedback from the consumers and it helps Pepsi monitor and manage users complain within no shortest time possible. For dynamic customer engagement Pepsi has talked to diversified people in their languages through song selections, live performance, and reality shows etc (Social Media Today, 2012). Sony: Recently, Sony Company has adopted Pinterest strategy through social media marketing websites. For successful implementation of this strategy, the Sony team professionals have started using the platform personally, and they considered it important to find existing brands pins in the virtual market. Through research, professionals came to know about the expectations of their customers and it allows them plan potential approaches. Sony had a soft launched to check effectiveness of it content and growth of followers and an analysis of different types of pins Sony established a plan move ahead. Company professionals made pin board to spotlight what Sony meant to them. In this way, Sony utilized other promotional channels for Pinterest. For further promotion of Pinterest, boards Sony advertise their products through pictures, videos and other details on blogs and other social networking sites (Taylor, 2012). MAC Cosmetics: MAC Cosmetic Company always seek to bring new eyeshade, lip, and nail colours in the market, which definitely come up with improved and long lasting qualities. Now, this company is using almost all social networking websites including Facebook, Twitter, and My space. These websites allow young girls and women to share their views on new and old products. Young and middle aged women have found it most fascinating to select and order cosmetic products online (Clifford, 2012). Customers vote on product they like and they have an opportunity to take talk directly to professionals who can help them resolve their queries regarding products. Women find it convenient to take advices from experts online and get most suitable cosmetic products according to their hair texture, skin tone, and sensitivity. In this way, MAC Company understands what is popular among women and what type of products they want to have for their daily, occasional, and formal use (Clifford, 2012). Future Impact of Social Media on Businesses: Experts have predicted that in the coming years, business professionals will be starting looking beyond the buzzword i.e. Social Media and will focus more on the strategies that are useful for developing engaging communities. Undoubtedly, social media websites serve as effective promotional tools, but without focus on fostering sense of useful client relationships, efforts ultimately turn flat and ineffectual. In the future, the integration of a reliable and suitable social media presence will be considered as an effective approach, rather than tactic. Engagement can further impose threats because it is expected that people will start becoming more comfortable in sharing personal opinions, likes and dislikes and least concerned about the protection of companys confidential data (Silverstein, 2001). Businesses will be negatively affected with the shortage of time and merging of personal life with business matters. For small business entrepreneurs challenges will be tougher because with the rapidly increasing business markets competition will grow and it might become almost impossible to jump in social media pool and make a real identity. These future predictions indicate that there will be more challenges and competition and to meet the needs of time in the coming years business entrepreneurs have to prepare strategies and most efficient approaches to stay and develop in both virtual and real business world (Silverstein, 2001). Skills need to take Advantages of Changes: Experts have suggested that to retain customers and to stand effectively in social media marketing world it is essential for business entrepreneurs to remember that efforts and vision is foremost. Skills of thinking beyond imagination and expectations always work deliberately; it is consider highly important that business professionals make a strong team to work behind screens. It is evident from historical business trends that vision with innovation and proficiency has always brought positive outcomes for the company (Zarrella, 2009). Therefore, it is recommended that business professional seeking reputation, revenues, and loyalty from customers will have to understand their core needs. Mind reading qualities are needed to understand and fulfil the expectations of the customers. Intellectual approaches are required to beat the competitors and other barriers, and it can only be done through appropriate understanding of marketing ethics and approaches to make most of the developing technologies (Zarrella, 2009). References Clifford, F. (2012, June 30). Social Media Are Giving a Voice to Taste Buds. Retrieved August 22, 2012, from Nytimes.: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/31/technology/facebook-twitter-and-foursquare-as-corporate-focus-groups.html Silverstein, B. (2001). Internet Marketing for Information Technology Companies: Proven Online Techniques That Increase Sales and Profits for Hardware, Software, and Networking Companies. Toronto: Maximum Press. Social Media Today. (2012, May 17). 5 Ways Pepsis Use of Social Media is Right On. Retrieved August 22, 2012, from Socialmediatoday.com: http://socialmediatoday.com/synecoretech/509355/5-ways-pepsis-use-social-media-right Taylor, H. (2012, June 9). How Sony uses Pinterest to drive traffic. Retrieved August 22, 2012, from Econsultancy.com: http://econsultancy.com/pk/blog/10080-how-sony-uses-pinterest-to-drive-traffic Tuten, T. (2008). Advertising 2.0: Social Media Marketing in a Web 2.0 World. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group. Zarrella, D. (2009). The Social Media Marketing Book. California: OReilly Media, Inc. Read More