Social media marketing refers to a network of online communities that generate exposure, opportunity and potential sales for businesses. Social media campaigns generate brand exposure; social media tools drive traffic to blogs and web sites, increasing public awareness of a new product and service. Popular social media marketing sites are Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Social media marketing is a cost-effective way for businesses to reach a broad consumer base. It accomplishes more, at reasonable cost, than print advertising tried to accomplish for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Well-placed ads generate positive brand image and brand awareness on social media platforms, for example, ads on Facebook fan and group pages. Businesses also use social media marketing to promote web sites, and to track customer demographics, buying habits and behaviors.