Social Media as a Marketing Tool

Overview of Social Media Types

A social networking service is a “website or online service that facilitates” a platform to build social networks or social relationships among people who share similar interests, activities, backgrounds or real-life connections (Dictionary.com). A social networking service allows the users to create a profile, which is a representation of each user, his or her social links, and a variety of additional services that they may use or recommend for others to use. Most social networking services are web-based and provide means for users to interact over the Internet in electronic ways, such as e-mail and instant messaging. These web-based social networking services also allow users to create a list of users with whom to share connections. They also allow the users to view and cross the connections within the system, and add these users to their profile or “friends list.” Social networking sites are varied and they incorporate new information and communication tools such as mobile connectivity, photo/video/sharing and blogging. Social networking sites allow users to share ideas, pictures, posts, activities, events, and interests with people in their network. Social networking service is more commonly referred to as social media.

Social media is very popular among the generation today. The definition of social media, according to Merriam- Webster (2015), is “forms of electronic communication (as Web sites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (as videos).” The main types of social networking services or social media sites are those that contain category places, a means to connect with friends, and/or a recommendation system linked to trust. The best types of social media sites combine category places, means to connect, and ways to recommend other sites products and services. The most popular social media sites that combine...