Matt+Lieberman+RP+Post+5

Thus far I have learned a plethora about my topic and it is easy to conclude that social media as a whole has heavily affected marketing. Americans tend to believe that the sole use of social media is just to communicate with peers but in reality it is shifting to the primary use of marketing for businesses. Forbes.com states that in 2014 investment in social media will become a necessity. It is evident how its use clearly will enhance business. Heather Whaling believes that there are 5 key reasons how social media directly improves business. One reason that she points out that I find interesting is that through the use of social media, businesses are able to bypass middle men and now have the ability to reach their target audience directly. They are now able to have direct interactions to their audience and also save money by doing so. One of the most significant uses of social media for advertising is that company’s are able to collect consumer data through social media and advertise specifically to select people of their choice. They are able to collect specific consumer data through the use of APIs, which is explained in detail by Jason Bowden. Conventional wisdom has it that personal social media posts are private but in actuality businesses have easy access to personal information and interests with the use of APIs (Application Programming Interface). Marketing through social media is not only being utilized by big business but also by authors looking to promote their work as well. In an interview, fiction author Linda Pennell discusses how she often uses various social media sites in order to promote her new novels. It is quite interesting to me to hear her opinion on which social media marketing tactics are the most effective. It appears depending on the product certain strategies are more beneficial than others.