Fords social media marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Fords social media marketing - Essay Example Contemporary business strategies evolve along with the introduction of social media as a marketing tool. In their attempt to attain a distinct business edge, companies leverage social media to increase productivity and market appeal.Mangold and Faulds mention that social media marketing is a hybrid mix of various promotional methods, which includes personal selling, word-of-mouth advertising strategy, and consumer relations (358). For instance, social media allows customers to contribute insights for product development, comment on existing products, and recommend their preferred brands to their friends. Consequently, this benefits manufacturers in a way that they will understand the needs of the market, and have direct, virtual interaction with customers. To attain a comprehensive understanding about the use and impact of social media, this paper discusses Ford’s social media marketing strategies through Facebook and Twitter. Throughout this research, this paper hopes to disc uss the risks of Ford’s social media marketing method and identify specific points of development. Advertising Tools Facebook Dale Buss reports that Ford continues to partner with Facebook in advertising its products although the company will change its advertising strategy to address more profitable market trends such as customer support and interaction (paras. 1-3). For instance, Scott Monty, one of Ford’s senior executives, highlights the productivity of its Facebook ads such as paid advertising and integrated content while emphasising the profitability of extending Ford’s ads to allow more customer interaction (Buss paras. 9-10). Specifically, Ford uses Facebook’s advertising tools such as Logout Ads, Instagram, and Social Plugins. Using those Facebook tools allows Ford to increase its interaction with customers. For instance, with those tools, Ford will be able to share company updates with its customers, particularly those about the company’s latest promos, products, and events. Consequently, raising the brand awareness of customers advances the corporate image of Ford, which is also likely to increase sales. Twitter Aside from Facebook, Ford also advertises with Twitter through Promoted Tweets and User-Generated tweets that link to content articles about Ford’s products. In the report by Morrissey, he discovered the profitability of User-Generated tweets through linking one of Ford’s content articles with a third party blogger, Collier. Morrissey reports that Farley had linked one of his tweets to Collier’s article about saving funds through social media marketing; this results to the continued use of content integration between Ford-related contents with third-party bloggers. The profitability of this tool lies in its capacity to reach out to internet-savvy millennials, which comprise 55% of Twitter users (Slutsky paras. 1-2). It is also noteworthy to consider that the said number of Twitter users does not have cars, which makes the strategy a viable option in increasing Ford’s market reach. Consequently, using those tools helps Ford establish interaction with millennials and ensures favorable relations with customers through expanding the market’s avenues for expression. This may result to Ford’s accessibility to different market groups. Advertising Methods Halliday reports that Ford uses social media to strengthen its customer service, particularly in establishing active and profitable interactions with its customers (paras. 1-3). This advertising strategy also allows Ford to reach out to wider demographics, which will help determine and design specific brands that will attract various market groups. Specifically, Halliday reports that Ford maximises the profitability of social media through creating message boards and forums, as well as providing virtual troubleshooting assistance to cater customer queries and suggestions. In the marketing perspective , using social media to generate customer-related information is beneficial for the company,