In my opinion social media platforms were created with the
intent, at least initially, for personal use. The idea behind most platforms is
a way to keep in touch with people in an easier and real time manner. From
there I believe that, like most good ideas, people discovered more was to put
their spin on what social media is and what is popular to certain masses or
niches. As a result we now have everything from picture sharing to live video
broadcasting on or integrated into many of these platforms.
Although I believe that social media platforms were created
for personal use, the evolution of technology has made it cost effective to
use social media as a viable marketing platform. Consider that marketing
research is based off of data. What more powerful place to get data than on the
internet. If analyzed and utilized correctly the information that is available
about how individuals use social media can be invaluable to the success of your
business. I do agree that social media tends to be more personable and
effective when utilized by small to medium businesses. That’s not to say that
larger businesses and corporations could not use this as a form of marketing.
There are simply other hurdles to consider that may in turn make it not worth
the cost to implement.
I would conclude that there are no specific social media
platforms that you could say every business needs to participate in. A business
does not need to market in a manner that show the world that they are keeping
up with the Jones. There needs to be a viable reason to use the given platform
and also needs to be cost effective.
