Impacts of Social Media on College and the Car Industry Paper Example

The social media is a collection of different online platforms that create a social network; as a result, it is used for interactions, collaboration, and sharing of information. There are different websites and applications established to facilitate various communication channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. The social media is a communication tool that has significantly transformed the way people connect in the modern days in comparison to the traditional forms of communication (Hudson 27). Traditional forms of online communication include the use of comment fields. The online communication platforms have various applications that can be broadly categorized into entertainment, education, and business. All these functionalities revolve around the sharing of opinions, photos, and events. The proliferation of online platforms makes social media an integral part of life. Colleges and the car industry are examples of sectors that have primarily utilized the social media platforms. In this regard, social media has positively impacted the activities and operations taking place in both colleges and the car sector.

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The car industry and colleges have adopted the use of social media marketing campaigns to attract more customers. The marketing campaigns on social media are a cost-effective means of reaching a broad group of people. This marketing strategy does not discriminate against certain age groups or demographics. Additionally, there are no constraints as to the information shared by companies on online platforms. As a result, a significant number of companies are increasing their budget allocations towards investing in social media marketing (Hudson 27). The online communication platforms have been considered as a primary means of achieving organizational goals. The shift of media landscape from television and newspaper as the primary advertising mechanisms to social media has positively impacted business operation in the automobile industry and colleges.

Customer relationship marketing that utilizes social media establishes interactions between advertisements on online platforms and potential buyers. On that note, the customers are given an opportunity to like the products on the online platforms while the firm markets its products. Real-time market data concerning the goods or services offered by the car company or college institute is displayed on the social media platforms. As a result, up-to-date information is available for the customers to base their purchasing decisions. Additionally, the potential buyers and existing buyers can review and address any issues or experiences on the platforms since they are a faster and reliable means of communication. However, the online platforms can destroy a company's reputation is negative feedbacks is the norm of their online pages. Therefore, respective college or car company administrators respond quickly to any aired concerns to maintain or rebuild customer confidence.

Firms' have adopted marketing strategies such as social media optimization. This strategy displays the college or car company's products on online communication platforms; as a result, attracting new website users to the respective company's online pages such as websites. Social media have been used as platforms where online buyers retrieve needed information. The buyers browse through their technological devices to search for information regarding cars on the internet. Therefore, college and car companies that have invested in social media optimization have an increased probability of realizing more sales due to increased website visits compared to companies with low social media optimization. The firms that successfully share social media links on the sharing buttons and RSS feeds have effectively implemented a competitive marketing strategy. Additionally, college and car companies can utilize blogs, tweets, and status update to influence customers into buying their products.

Social media platforms provide a two-way means of communication that enhances customer-business engagement; as a result, improving on customer relationship. The establishment of a positive relationship with the customers through social media builds on the firm's reputation and brand quality (Hudson et al. 27). The use of social media has a ripple effect on brand quality; as a result, an increase in demand for goods and services in car companies and colleges is realized. The use of social media marketing in colleges is an effective way of advertising especially since most of the youths utilize these platforms for communication purposes. Consequently, the probability of customer base increase is high due to the social media's influencing power on customer purchasing decisions. Therefore, car firms and colleges should primarily adopt the use of social media in their organizations.

Social media addresses business problems by giving the employees of an organization a platform in which they can air their views or complains and access crucial information regarding the organization's operations. Therefore, organizations can use social media to promote teamwork since it establishes a bond that is further built through consistent communications (Cao et al. 539). However, policies are laid down by organizations to control inappropriate behaviors that would adversely affect business operation. By a different token, social networking is used for market and operations research aimed at streamlining the potential customer's market and business operations. Moreover, the college and automotive industry could utilize social media for crowdsourcing purposes. In this regard, social networking blends information technology with business operations as per the recommendations made by the general public including customers.

Social media has had a significant impact on the buying process of automotive and services in the automobile industry and colleges respectively. Human characteristics are a crucial element in the determination of customer experience and satisfaction before and after purchases are made. In this regard, the use of social media to promote customer satisfaction depends on factors such as uncertainty avoidance and brand relationships. According to Hudson et al. (37), a positive correlation was depicted between social media interactions and marketing outcomes. In particular, a high brand relationship quality was yielded through the use of social media marketing. Additionally, recommendations are an influential primary factor in online car shopping and enrollment in colleges. As a result, some potential consumers rely on information from friends to decide on the online car purchase.

The use of social media has increased student engagement in the colleges; as a result, developing positive relationships (Mastrodicasa and Metellus 26). Most college students commonly use Facebook to interact with each other. As a result, strong ties have been formed resulting in unison move towards achieving strategized goals. Additionally, the students remain informed at all times since the administration can also use this platforms to pass critical information. By a different token, some students have used the platforms to analyze and share information on important class projects.

Ownership of technological devices plays a crucial role in determining the impact online communication platforms have on colleges and the car industry. The use of technology in colleges has substantially risen to include almost all students. Technology advancement has resulted in 86%, 47%, and 90% ownership of smartphones, tablets, and laptops respectively (Dahlstrom and Bichsel 14). By a similar token, the rise in the use of technological advancements depicts the increased use of social media platforms. In this regard, social media has positively impacted college institutions and car industries on various aspects. Besides the positive impacts realized, the use of social media has its challenges. For instance, unlimited use of social media platforms among employees in organizations can result in incitements; as a result, decreased productivity. In colleges, social media use can result in low-performance outcome among students if misused (Gilpin 1). As a result, college administrators play a significant role in managing the impacts the social media has on the college students to ensure deviation from learning objectives is not encountered.

Conclusion

Conclusively, social media has positively impacted the car industry through marketing and advancements in the buying processes. The use of online platforms has increased the customer reach as college and car company's administrators compel buyers to make a purchase; as a result, increasing sales and revenue realized. The use of social media in the car industry and colleges has been on the rise spurred by the rapid developments in technology. Potential buyers have used online communication platforms to inform their purchasing decisions. Communication in social media platforms entail the use of photos, private messages, and wall posts to convey information among individuals. In this regard, the positive use of online platforms in colleges and car companies include through customer relationship marketing, social media optimization, and knowledge sharing among others. Therefore, the significance of the online platforms outweighs its negative impacts.

Works Cited

Cao, Xiongfei, Guo, Xitong, Vogel, Duog, and Zhang, Xi. Exploring the influence of social media on employee work performance. Internet Research 26.2 (2016): 529-545.

Dahlstrom, Eden, and Bichsel, Jacqueline. ECAR study of undergraduate students and information technology. Louisville: EDUCAUSE Center for analysis and research. 2014.

Gilpin, Caroline. Will Social Media Help or Hurt Your College and Career Goals? New York Times. 2017. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/learning/will-social-media-help-or-hurt-your-college-and-career-goals.html

Hudson, Simon, Huang, LI, Roth, Martin, and Madden, Thomas. The influence of social media interactions on consumer-brand relationships: A three-country study of brand perceptions and marketing behaviors. International Journal of Research in Marketing 33.1 (2015): 27-41.

Mastrodicasa, Jeanna, and Metellus, Paul. The impact of social media on college students. Journal of College & Character 14.1 (2013): 21-29.