Social Networking - Facebook and Twitter

This graph presents the findings of the percentage of individuals who use the Internet in relation to their age and gender. It shows from the age of 16-44 almost 100% of individuals, both male and female, use the Internet. (Source: Internet Access Quarterly Update, 2012 Q2 ONS)

Therefore, not only is the Internet itself a great way to reach out to the public, yet even more specifically, social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter. Both of the events I have chosen for this coursework use both of the social networking sites in order to market and reach out with its target market. The approach seems a lot more interactive with its consumers, a very fast and direct marketing strategy as news and promotions can be uploaded instantly at any time of day.

 

 

 Source:http://www.prmoment.com/685/social-media-census-2011.aspx

This table of statistics hows an astounding 87% of individuals ages 18-29 use social media. Social media user types have been categorised into the 9 C's : Commercialists, Collectors, Connectors, Creators, Critics, Crowd-members, Collaborators, Conversationalists, Currently Inactive.

The vast majority are connected to social media and its networking sites in one form or another, especially in today's society as people can now connect online socially via the use of their mobile phone.

"Online social networks have emerged has the new way in which people connect socially, with the leader currently being Facebook with over 1.2 billion members. Web-based social networking services make it possible to connect people who share interests and activities across political, economic, and geographic borders."   Research Date: 11.12.2012, Source: Browser Media, Socialnomics, MacWorld

Facebook has typically had a monopoly on teen usage; according to Mintel’s Social Networking US August 2011 report, 98% of teens use Facebook." Further more, a Poll Taken in early 2012 found on http://www.statisticbrain.com/social-networking-statistics/ states the averaging amount of tweets per day is 190 million.

Statistics like these prove social networking is a worthy marketing tool, therefore is not surprising that both of my chosen events reached out to the public in this way.

 

As pictured, in 2008 Crufts created their Facebook Page, to date, it now has 100,608 likes from Facebook users and 33,288 people were 'talking' about it - which mean the subject was tagged in a status or post. The page offers comments, pictures, updates, clips and information on the event as it ventured closer to the date of it starting. This kind of marketing strategy reaches out to various audiences, and was the first option to come up when I typed "Crufts" in the Facebook search tool.

 

Similarly, London Fashion Week also has its own Facebook page to market its event to the 276,480 facebook users who "liked" it, and the 7,920 users who tagged it in a post, status or comment. Again, the facebook is used by event organisers to market to the public using pictures, upcoming news and event, headliners, videos, information, etc.

 Twitter is yet another social networking site, averaging at 190,000 tweets made a day by its users. Both of the events I have chosen approached Twitter, created accounts, and marketed to the followers it gained using interactive social media, tweeting to keep them informed of any recent news on the event, any changes that may have occurred, photos and links, line ups, competitions and promotions, etc. Twitter allows users keep up to date with all the tweets made by the page when followed, by coming up on a time line in the order of newest post first. Twitter is often associated with more talk and typing than pictures and videos, therefore conversations can form around the event, questions asked and answered by users and the events page organisers. The twitter account is broadcast and accessible world wide to anyone with a twitter account, therefore the audience for this type of marketing strategy is beyond huge.