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Unit 6 Assignment

Purdue University Global

MT358-01 Social Media Marketing

May 04, 2021

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The following steps are to learn how to reach more foreign markets to grow our

success within the fruit basket franchise. We will discuss social media marketing

concepts through B2B (Business to Business) and B2C (Business to

Consumer) marketing strategies to reach a global market. Our market-oriented mission

statement for entering the new market using social media is: Through social media

marketing, we will look at how to increase sales in a foreign market by developing a

social media marketing strategy. We will first look at a few statistics and determine

where to focus our growth into the foreign market.

At the end of 2020, the data shows that 64.2% of the world population is currently

using social media (Internet world stats, 2019). We want to reach that complete 64.2%

of the world, but we will start by focusing on one area to reach our business and

customer markets goals successfully. Looking to focus specifically on Asia, for they

present the best opportunities for its large population worldwide. The statistics on sites

like Facebook and LinkedIn the usage for LinkedIn sits around 740 million people, and

Facebook has 2.74 billion in only one month (Cooper, 2021). Their internet usage

compared to the world is at 51.8% in 2020 (Internet world stats, 2019). To reach this

market, having specific and measurable social media goals for the business include

selecting the right platforms, increasing web traffic, and increasing product revenue.

There will also be measurable social media goals on the consumer markets that would

increase brand awareness and community engagement.

Social media has become an important way to communicate for brands. You are

able to build brand awareness, engage you are your customer base, and gain more

customers through your social media marketing through the B2C (Business to
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Consumer) marketing strategies. On all platform's statistics have shown that 48% of

customers want to answer the question before making a purchase; 46% think there is

value in promotions and contests for the items they are interested in (Barker, 2021).

Analysis has shown that social media tools like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, are

the three best tools for reaching the consumer market. Facebook offers constant

engagement with many opportunities for B2C marketing, with 97% of marketers using

this platform. Then there is Twitter with is all about short rapid communication where

65% of marketers are taking advantage of B2C marketing. Instagram is the newest of

sites and is most popular among teens and young millennials. There is 60% of

marketers using Instagram (Barker, 2021).

Social media marketing is about connecting with the customer, and having

relationships between B2B (Business to Business) is essential. Do not ignore social

insights; learning about your competitors through what their customers say can be a

strategic business decision (Sehl, 2020). By having a strong B2B social media plan, you

can outline your opportunities through S.W.O.T. (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities,

threats) analysis to create competitiveness in the market. When selecting your

platforms, you want to be where everyone else is. According to polls done by Hootsuite,

the social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook may be the best choice for

reaching business markets (Sehl, 2020). On the polling site called Hootsuite (Cooper,

2021) shows that 96% of B2B content is marketed on LinkedIn, with Facebook right

behind at 82%. This shows that brands will do well to be linked to these social media

sites.
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Environmental influences present a significant factor that can affect social media

and can be considered a significant influence. By identifying these factors through a

P.E.S.T.E.L. analysis, we will touch on the six segments of the general environment:

political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal (Ketchen, Short, Try,

& Edwards, 2014)

Political – Social media has become a stage to discuss political factors, corrupt

practices, and government policies. The more post, the more communication

spreads. This has become a tool for political parties to gain support but also a

downfall due to the fake news (Frue, 2020).

Economical – Not only were social media platforms created to connect to your

friends and family but for businesses to grow. Most platforms provide the option

for ads to push out your brand and boost your followers. This is how many

platforms make their money due to having free subscriptions (Frue, 2020).

Social – A way to connect with friends a family from afar through messages,

photos, videos, and just everyday moments. There are also groups you can join

to connect with individuals all over the world.

Technological – Every social media platform relies on the internet, and without

this technology, this would not exist. There will always be room for improvement

to increase security, and the newest way to connect and share will be created.

Environmental/ Demographics – This will be reasonably low for any emissions

will be within their data centers (Frue, 2020).

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Legal – Social media has the opportunity to advocate and improve legal factors

over the internet. There are opportunities to improve patent laws, increase

support for free Wi-Fi, and increase online data regulations (Frue, 2020).

Market target strategies for business and consumer markets will be looking at the

unique groups of people interested in the product we have to offer and what they are

willing to spend their money on to get it. (Murphy, 2020). The first step is going to be

looking at your product and understanding the different qualities it can provide

compared to the competition. We provide personal cards and extra decorations to make

the product fun and edible with our fruit baskets. We could also target holidays,

birthdays, corporate events, or retirements to reach both B2B and B2C markets on a

corporate and individual level.

When looking at our company's marketing mix, this refers to the actions or tactics

we use to promote the brand and increase product sales. Looking at the four Ps:

product, promotion, price, and place, they can apply to both the business and consumer

markets (Marketing Voices, 2017).

Product – Fruit baskets are made with our freshest produce and are made in

many sizes-small, medium and large with the option of bouquet style or in a

watermelon bowl.

Promotion – Using specific social media platforms and getting the audience

through desirable events, including birthdays, holidays, and mothers' day.

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Price – Considering how much an individual would pay for a gift around the

holidays and looking at the cost of your material will help determine the desired

cost of the product.

Place – An all-online audience through a webpage with options for delivery or

shipped the same day.

Social media segmentation strategies look at both business and consumer

markets. We use this when sending different emails, creating buyer pricing, and

understanding our customers (Needle, 2021). Looking at the shared characteristics of

the online demographic can help you be more specific with targeting your information to

them. This starts by understanding other businesses and how they are reaching their

audience and understanding your customer base to appeal to their interests. There are

tools on sites like Facebook and LinkedIn that offer the capability to select your

targeting demographic when you make a post to gear your brand to a specific business

connection or customer group (Needle, 2021). Once you have successfully used

segmentation, determines when it worked and what did not work. Use this to help you

understand your audience to use segmentation accurately.

Marketing positioning strategies for business and consumer markets consider the

organization's strengths and weaknesses and compare it to its competitors. This

strategy is defined by looking at the brand you offer and its uniqueness to the customer

base (Hopper, 2021). After taking a look at your product quality and competitive price

points, you want to position yourself in the right value point to not put you in a position

where you can back up your claims. First, take a look at your characteristics. What
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makes you stand out? Next, competitive prices do not aim to be the cheapest because

your value is important for your quality. Also, take a look at what else your product could

offer. Could this have other used? Then lastly, healthy competition is needed because

seeing how your company is comparing their product marketing with the competitors is

helpful when distinguishing those differences (Hopper, 2021).

Getting started is the hardest part, but implementing your social media marketing

strategy will be simple once you have your plan. Following the guides laid out to you

and the strategies above, your business and consumer markets will succeed. Start

simple by creating a template for yourself that lays out what you are looking for by

asking yourself the why, who, what, where, and when you will create your social media

platform (Lua, 2021).

Why – This is where you are asking the reason/s you want to start a social media

platform for your business, taking a look at your goals, and understanding your

brand.

Who – Your audience, once this is determined and you know whom your selling

to, everything else will fall into place.

What – Theme, looking at ways to attract the who and explain the why.

Where – The platform, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter

When - First, determine your first few posts to help you get into the platforms.

Then find the time that works best for you.

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Social media marketing is not a sprint to the finish line but more of the slow

nurturing growth of a plant. Taking time to evaluate your social media marketing

strategy results is necessary for your goals to grow your business on social media.

Never lose sight of your goals and objectives. Make sure your plans are on track to

meet those goals constantly. You can start by tracking your follower growth with the

volume you have grown with your social media followers. You can also pull data for

likes and reactions to a specific post you made to see what people are saying. Then

lastly, review how many of the people visiting your webpage are from the platforms you

reach out on (Crowdfire, 2019). Taking time to do the evaluation often will continuously

help you stay up to date with information and present you with a strong social media

platform.
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Reference

Barker, S. (2021, March 19). 7 best channels for B2C social media marketing in 2021.

Retrieved April 27, 2021, from https://shanebarker.com/blog/best-channels-b2c-

social-media-marketing/

Cooper, P. (2021, April 13). 140+ Social Media statistics that matter to marketers in

2021. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-

statistics-for-social-media-managers/#Facebook_statistics

Crowdfire. (2019, April 16). How to evaluate your social media marketing efforts closely!

Retrieved May 04, 2021, from https://blog.crowdfireapp.com/how-to-evaluate-

your-social-media-marketing-efforts-closely-e7e8a7dcf782

Frue, K.. (2020, September 13). Pestle/pestel analysis of Facebook: How politics and

regulations affect the social media giant. Retrieved April 27, 2021, from

https://pestleanalysis.com/pestle-analysis-of-facebook/

Internet world stats. (2019). http://www.internetworldstats.com

Hopper, D. (2021, April 14). Positioning: 5 Strategies to Stand Out From Your

Competitors. Retrieved May 03, 2021, from https://medium.com/swlh/positioning-

5-strategies-to-stand-out-from-your-competitors-bb3ba93e4a69

Ketchen, D., Short, J., Try, D., & Edwards, J. (2014, September 12). Evaluating the

general environment. Retrieved April 27, 2021, from

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https://opentextbc.ca/strategicmanagement/chapter/evaluating-the-general-

environment/

Lua, A. (2021, January 06). Social Media Marketing Strategy: The Complete Guide for

Marketers. Retrieved May 04, 2021, from https://buffer.com/library/social-media-

marketing-strategy/

Marketing Voices. (2017, December 17). The Four Ps for B2B Marketers: A Step-by-

Step Guide. Retrieved April 29, 2021, from

https://www.toolbox.com/marketing/customer-experience/articles/the-four-ps-for-

b2b-marketers-a-step-by-step-guide/

Murphy, D. (2020, January 30). Target market strategy - finding your ideal clients.

Retrieved April 29, 2021, from https://masterful-marketing.com/target-market-

strategy/

Needle, F. (2021, February 04). 8 simple ways to segment your social media audience.

Retrieved April 29, 2021, from https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/segment-

social-media-audience

Sehl, K. (2020, October 21). Essential tips and tools for b2b social media marketing.

Retrieved April 25, 2021, from https://blog.hootsuite.com/b2b-social-media/