The Effects of Social Media Campaigns

Different types of Social Media
By: Asthma Helper

In the past several years, social media campaigns have become increasingly popular because of sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter.  In fact, it is quite remarkable that millions of people from all over the world use Facebook today!  With the increasing number of social media users, many ad campaigns have realized the significance of using social media to their advantage.  They use different strategies and techniques to place advertisements on these social media sites to lure consumers into purchasing their products.  Honestly, from the advertisers perspective, this appears to be an ingenious strategy.  One article published by Forbes agrees that using social networking sites to display ads is an excellent idea.  Even looking at the website for this article, one will see several ads displayed around the screen.  This article specifically mentions Proctor and Gamble's Old Spice's technique of using Twitter and Facebook to establish a rapport with their consumers.  Not only could consumers pose questions, they would be answered.  These simple "q and a's" let consumers have a personal connection with the company.  Additionally, Forbe's believe that this is merely the beginning of social media campaigns.  After describing some of their personal favorite social media ad campaigns, they went on to give the qualifications for an effective social media ad.  According to them, it takes creativity, perfect timing, and an understandable or relatable message. 
Being a user of many different social media sites, I must admit that different ads have lured me in.  Although I cannot think of an actual time when I bought something because of an ad, when I have time I check them out.  If nothing else, they are often times at least amusing or interesting.  One ad campaign I do specifically remember is for Starbucks.  On tax day, they offerered free treats through Twitter.  I thought this was a very effective way to get customers into the stores.  Overall, social media will continue to grow as long as social media usage does, which appears to remain strong for a while!