Page 45 - Social Media Marketing for Dummies

IN THIS CHAPTER
» Researching consumer online activity

» Tracking your competition

» Creating personas to sharpen your
marketing

» Recognizing new SMM concepts

Chapter 2

Discovering Your SMM

Competitors

hich consumers are using the social web is no longer a subject of much
debate. Rather, the debate has shifted to how consumers are using the
Wsocial web. How many teens are using Facebook actively, what is the
true reach of Twitter, and how aggressively are Instagram and Snapchat growing?
These are the more common questions today. What’s certain is that no one ques-
tions the scale or influence of the social web on culture, communications, and
people’s lives around the world.
The truth is that it’s difficult to say who is using the social web and how. This is
because the term social web is most commonly used to describe how people social-
ize and interact with each other across the web. With every passing day, many
websites are becoming social platforms where visitors can interact and learn from
one another. Even more critically, more and more websites allow you to log in
with your Facebook or Twitter username and password. They then allow you to
share your experience with the social network and, in some cases, customize the
experience based on who you are and on your friends list. Those websites are
becoming social, too. So how can you find out which consumers use the social web
and in what way? The best way is to understand how your company fits into the
big picture and how your competitors are using social media.

CHAPTER 2 Discovering Your SMM Competitors 29