Marketing has evolved over centuries, but never has an impact as unprecedented as this taken place, nor has the scale of this change ever been seen before. This is due to the advent of internet technologies. There is one tool in particular that has not only caught the attention of major marketers, but has seen an incredible adoption rate across all business sizes. I'm referring to the irrepressible emergence of social media.
Social media such as Facebook and Twitter have been adopted by many large corporations for marketing and promotion, but small businesses have been slow to follow suit, typically because of limited resources to devote to mastering this new marketing media. (Bakeman & Hanson, 2012)
Looking Back
If we take a brief look back at the arrival of social media we can appreciate why it was never in the contention as a marketing form for smaller businesses. In its earliest forms, social media simply took the form of online diary entries, or blogging. Internet was not considered a vital medium for marketing and thus blogging was seen as having very little value. Furthermore, for small businesses who would not be on the lookout for new media as actively as larger corporations, internet would have had very little to offer. (Bakeman & Hanson, 2012)
Crucially, adoption rates soared and access to faster internet speeds further pushed the social media format on consumers and businesses alike. Sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube became hotbeds, not just for hanging out, but for discussing and even reviewing products. Larger corporations identified this trend early and followed suit by developing their own profiles on these social networking platforms. As a result, the SME was left in the wake. But it is not simply lack of adoption that can prevent an SME from adapting social media into their marketing endeavours.
Why an SME may avoid Social Media
There are a number of barriers that prevented smaller businesses from adopting social media as a marketing tool.
· Only large companies have the resources and expertise to employ web designers and marketing agencies
· Initially attractive due to being a relatively cheap medium, social media marketing requires significant time and resources to be executed effectively.
· Social media tools are currently not designed to integrate seamlessly into SME operations.
· Lack of employee aptitude or availability for social media activities. I.e. A social media campaign should receive undivided commitment from dedicated staff
· Social media requires constant two-way communication in order to be maintained correctly. (Bakeman & Hanson, 2012).
To summarise, there are many difficulties that face SMEs when considering the implementation of Social Media as a marketing tool. Based on the development of the medium over time and approach needed to utilise the platforms properly, the structure and behaviour of a typical SMEs inhibits the successful development of a social media campaign. In the next post, I aim to provide the reader with a useful guide to implementing a social media campaign from an SME perspective.
Social media such as Facebook and Twitter have been adopted by many large corporations for marketing and promotion, but small businesses have been slow to follow suit, typically because of limited resources to devote to mastering this new marketing media. (Bakeman & Hanson, 2012)
Looking Back
If we take a brief look back at the arrival of social media we can appreciate why it was never in the contention as a marketing form for smaller businesses. In its earliest forms, social media simply took the form of online diary entries, or blogging. Internet was not considered a vital medium for marketing and thus blogging was seen as having very little value. Furthermore, for small businesses who would not be on the lookout for new media as actively as larger corporations, internet would have had very little to offer. (Bakeman & Hanson, 2012)
Crucially, adoption rates soared and access to faster internet speeds further pushed the social media format on consumers and businesses alike. Sites such as Facebook, MySpace and YouTube became hotbeds, not just for hanging out, but for discussing and even reviewing products. Larger corporations identified this trend early and followed suit by developing their own profiles on these social networking platforms. As a result, the SME was left in the wake. But it is not simply lack of adoption that can prevent an SME from adapting social media into their marketing endeavours.
Why an SME may avoid Social Media
There are a number of barriers that prevented smaller businesses from adopting social media as a marketing tool.
· Only large companies have the resources and expertise to employ web designers and marketing agencies
· Initially attractive due to being a relatively cheap medium, social media marketing requires significant time and resources to be executed effectively.
· Social media tools are currently not designed to integrate seamlessly into SME operations.
· Lack of employee aptitude or availability for social media activities. I.e. A social media campaign should receive undivided commitment from dedicated staff
· Social media requires constant two-way communication in order to be maintained correctly. (Bakeman & Hanson, 2012).
To summarise, there are many difficulties that face SMEs when considering the implementation of Social Media as a marketing tool. Based on the development of the medium over time and approach needed to utilise the platforms properly, the structure and behaviour of a typical SMEs inhibits the successful development of a social media campaign. In the next post, I aim to provide the reader with a useful guide to implementing a social media campaign from an SME perspective.
Bakeman, M. M. & Hanson, L., 2012. Bringing Social Media to Small Business:A Role for Employees and Students in Technology Diffusion. Business Education Innovation Journal, 4(2), pp. 106-111.