substituting websites with social media sites

P01 GROUP 2

PRESENTED BY:DEBRA TONG

TANG TING WAIMICHELLE SEETOH

CHERYL LIMNICHOLAS NGHAI

MARIE HASHIMOTO

Substituting Websites with Social Media Sites

Agenda

Define website and social media siteDifferences between website and social

media siteStrengths of website and social media siteWeaknesses of website and social media siteOpportunities it presentsChallenges encounteredSolutionsAppropriate use of different social media

sitesConclusion

What is a website?

Collation of various web pages containing an abundance of information

Centrally managed group of web pagesSimilar elements – homepage, navigation

menu, footer area with important links and copyright information

Static V.S. dynamic

What is a social media site?

Social instrument for communicationNot only gives information; interactive featuresE.g. commenting, voting/ratingHosted on dynamic websitesTypes:

Social Bookmarking e.g. Del.icio.us Social News e.g. Digg Social Networking e.g. Facebook Social Photo and Video Sharing e.g. Youtube Wikis Blogs

For example

More than 800 mil. active users

Average user has

130 friends on the site

Largest age group – 26 to 34 years old (26.1%)

Many small businesses have their

company page on Facebook

only

Relationship

WEBSITES

SOCIAL MEDIA SITES

Differences

Website Social Media Site

• One-way• Questions• Mostly contributed by company• Businesses• Formal tone & style• Able to purchase product• Immediate/non-immediate response• No invitation• Free access to website

• Two-way/interactive• Opinions and thoughts• Anyone can create and contribute• Individuals• Informal tone & style• Share information• Immediate response (large use of smart phones)• Ability to invite friends• Gain access upon request; login information needed

Strengths

Website Social Media Site

• Better control and security• Able to artificially improve search engine rankings• Need less customer service• More credibility

• Reach out to wider audience faster• Can better understand and respond customers• Higher traffic• Provide up to date information• Enhances brand awareness and image of company• Cost-effective• Low barrier to entry

Weaknesses

Website Social Media Sites

• Not interactive• Not as interesting• Risk of information overload• Can be mislead• Higher start-up costs• Hard to build visitor community• Investing in SEO

• Company’s brand at risk – “word-of-mouth”• Risk of false information• May not target the right market• Misunderstand intentions• Security issues – e.g. hackers• Time consuming; constant updates required

Opportunities of using social media sites

Wider marketing scopeBuild short and long-term relationships with

prospectsEncourages customer satisfaction -> more loyal

customersOpens the doors to building new relationships

but also to valuable feedbackIncorporation of website functions into social

media sites e.g. PaypalAbility to control search engine ranking e.g.

SMO

Challenges of using social media sites

Loss of credibility and reliabilitySecurity issues – difficult to control contentLess professionalLack of control over site e.g. when the social

media site crashesLimited design of websiteUnable to find the right target marketUnable to keep track of no. of site visitors

Solutions

Integrate social media functions into website Real-time chat, commenting, liking, sharing Gives control to company over content and design

Add security measures e.g. https, credibility logos

Include visitor counter function for company pages in social media sites

Have RSS feeds/subscriptions for website to keep customers updated via email

The Starbucks story…

Facebook page

Starbucks is the only retail company that is listed in the Top 10 Facebook pages

Twitter page

Youtube page

My Starbucks Idea

Starbucks store

Starbucks’ main website

When to use what?

Blogging – to position brand and promote others

Micro-blogging (e.g. Twitter) – updates on-the-go, interact with customers in an ongoing dialouge

Facebook – marketing, create hype and awareness for events/campaigns, add photos and videos

Youtube – engage audience through video, vlog

LinkedIn – serves as an online database

In conclusion…

Use social media as a support, but not the basis

Social media helps to engage customers and drive traffic

Best is to have both a website and pages on social media sites