Evolution of Social Media Marketing

Abstract

Social media marketing is one of the fastest growing fields of marketing, determining many important changes in contemporary views on marketing activities, clients and market relationships. Progressing technological changes, new tools and applications evoke organizations need to adapt to these new conditions, the new client and new opportunities offered by social media and their unique features. Managers and professionals are required to gain new competences related to unique ways of functioning in social media, allowing and encouraging customers to engage with the media for such activities as: promotional support, cocreation of innovations, brand image creation or after-sales services. An important skill that enables the assessment of the conducted social media actions is the measurement of activities undertaken there. Managers are also in a need to foster their communication and coordination skills. Social media marketing is also an example of deterministic influence of information technologies on potential changes in the marketing - its concept and actions. The main aim of the article was to identify the evolutionary perspective of social media usage in an organization, to indicate the managerial consequences of such new phenomenon and explaining the key metrics of social media efficiency and effectiveness. The dynamic perspective of social media marketing allow to conclude that the early stage of operational usage of new media – fo-cused on supporting of promotional campaigns is gradually changing through tactical – to strategic usage, when social media marketing is perceived as important source of competitive advantage and value creation.