Social Media Marketing Strategies & Impact on Small Businesses - MAC

This case study analyzes the impact of social media marketing on small businesses, focusing on MAC Cosmetics. It investigates the strategies employed by MAC leaders to gain a competitive edge and the challenges they faced while utilizing social media marketing. The study examines the effectiveness of various platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, and multichannel marketing in promoting MAC's products and engaging with customers. It also highlights the difficulties in defining marketing goals, identifying the right platforms, understanding the target audience, declining organic reach, and managing increasing ad costs. The research methodology includes positivism philosophy, inductive research approach, and descriptive research design, using questionnaires to gather data. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of social media for introducing new products, connecting with potential customers, and the need for businesses to address challenges in targeting and platform selection to maximize their social media marketing efforts.

Proposal

INTRODUCTION
Social media plays an important role in marketing. It helps in making relationship with
customers. Small businesses use this medium as a marketing tool. Unluckily, some small
businesses facing problems and they have no plan to action for using it. There are countless
opportunities by going into it. Many of them do not have adequate knowledge about social
media and how much it is useful to attract customers thy missed many possibilities. In today's
world majority of the customers are now shifting towards online platforms. By the use of social
media marketing small businesses can create their customer base easily. It is a virtual social
structure which connects business and customers. If a small business have presence on social
platforms it is easy for them to have directly interaction with their potential customers. Social
media marketing is flattering an important feature of boost businesses through online platforms.
TASK
Research Aim - The aim of this project is to analysis of the impact of social media marketing on
small businesses. A case study on the MAC.
Research Objectives
To attain this aim, the following objectives have been planned-
 To investigate the impact of social media marketing on small businesses
 To identify several strategies used by the leaders of MAC to get competitive benefits in
the marketplace
 To evaluate the problems that faced by the leaders of MAC while utilising social media
marketing strategy on small businesses
Research Questions
 What are the impact of social media marketing on small businesses?
 What are the competitive benefits in marketplace used by the leaders of MAC?
 What are the problems faced by the MAC at the time of using social media marketing
strategies on small businesses?

Literature Review
To investigate the impact of social media marketing on small businesses
According to the view point of Arrigo, (2018)Social media is a key marketing platform. It
facilitates channel which directly connects organisation and individuals. As there is increasing
marketers so social media is very effective for them. For every business it is very important to
take initiative and create a social media platforms so that the potential customers can reach out
their business and can have direct interaction with them. For small business having presence on
social networks can help in establishing organisation image by posting information and content
regarding their business. Many small businesses grab this opportunity and some missed out this
opportunity because they do know how much it can impactful for their business. Social media
helps in reach out to potential customers. Social media marketing efforts have increased
vulnerability of their business. It helps in knowing future customers better. Through media
marketing customers get to know about their business presence and products and services they
are offering. In marketing social media is becoming buzz in this. Creating social platforms is
must for business now a days. It is a effective tool in marketing for small business. In beginning
of the business they have not enough money to invest in huge promotions but social media can
become face of their business to the larger audience in the market.
To identify several strategies used by the leaders of MAC to get competitive benefits in the
marketplace
On the view point of Chatterjee and Kar (2020)Social media strategy of MAC cosmetics helps
the organisation in order to take competitive advantage and victory over its rivals. It is a leader
in the market in beauty sector. M.A.C has a very strong social network where they continue
share photos, videos, contents of their products. There are various marketing tool in social media
which are as follows,
Facebook marketing:- M.A.C do promotion of its latest beauty products through many medium
one of the medium is Facebook. They beautifully shows their products their in order to provide
information about their latest products. They have more than 15 million followers on Facebook
so they can directly reach out their 15 million followers and potential customers.
Twitter marketing:- It is the growing social media platforms that allows organisation to share
their information. M.A.C has its brand image over all social platforms. Through twitter the

respective company has able to be updated about latest trends, products and content related to
their business. The company has approx 2 million followers on twitter. They handle 2 million
followers by providing them true and accurate information about their products. They spread
new related to specials, news and discounts on twitter account it helps them to be upgraded as
most of their customers are on twitter account.
YouTube marketing:- As now a days most of the individuals uses you tube, it is easy for the
company to promote its products on this platforms. It is a powerful social media tool which can
connects number of customers to the company. At you tube M.A.C uploads make-up videos and
and campaign videos. Features of their products and upcoming trends in this industry all these
thing they share on their you tube channels. They have 3 lakh followers on their you tube
handle.
Content marketing:- M.A.C offers various make up videos and their tutorials. In content
marketing the management of the company is provide all the valuable information as product
description for their customers. It helps company in creating a loyal fan base.
Instagram marketing:- It is a rapidly growing social media tool. On Instagram the management
of the company has upload images and short videos of their products, campaigns, models and
make up tutorials by expertise. By this M.A.C has able to connects more than 12 million
audience on their Instagram handle.
Public relation:- The respective company has able to connects with its potential customers by
regularly update its products and they keep spread awareness about their newly launched
products by publishing articles through different medium.
Multichannel marketing:- The management of the respective company has introduced a new
campaign where they combined link between direct mail and QR code when customer click on
the link through email they get the access of MAC application directly and by this they can earn
rewards and coupons.
To evaluate the problems that faced by the leaders of MAC while utilising social media
marketing strategy on small businesses
On the view point of Shareef and et. al., (2019)M.A.C is on the biggest brand among all beauty
brands. They have million of followers on social media platforms ,when they implemented the
strategies at beginning they also faced many challenges which are as follows,

Defining marketing goals:- If is very important to set marketing goals while planning strategies
for promotion. Te respective company has also faced this problem. M.A.C has failed to describe
its marketing goals. They have no clear understanding what product should be distributed
according to age group and income group. If an company have clear vision of marketing targets
they will able to implement social media marketing very easily. When goals are not well defined
the company will face the problem of measuring marketing performance.
Identifying the right platform:- Another obstacle in social media marketing is selection of
marketing platform where they can target audience. M.A.C has various beauty products but they
does not able to identify right platform for introducing new products. In the market there are all
type of customer available some of them are below age group some are young some are adults so
they failed to identify right potential customers.
Understanding the right audience:- There are some business which is doing excellent in
physical stores but they failed in understanding customers on social media platforms. M.A.C is
top most beauty brand globally. Thy have many offline stores and they have also their social
media presence on different sites like, Facebook, twitter, Instagram, you tube, official MAC app
etc. they do a great job in physical stores they understand well to their customers but on online
store they do able to target any their customers according to many factors. On offline stores
they focus on customers needs and demands and in online stores they focus on selling of
products.
Declining organic reach and engagement rates: - The company is failed to balance between
objectives and budget. The cost occurs in paid advertisement is increasing simultaneously. Some
of the social media platforms of the respective company is inorganic they are struggling in reach
out to its potential customers by organic reach.
Increasing ad cost:- M.A.C has millions of customers and it is a very big brand it is not a big
deal for company to invest on promotion but sometimes it becomes very challenging for the
company to pay ad cost which demand very high amount of fund. It is very tough to invest in
paid ad and recover profit out of that.
Research Methodology Research philosophies – It linked to the way of gathering an analysation of the data in
order to demonstrate the field. It cover two field of philosophies in research like
interpretivism and positivism. After that, both of it are effective philosophies that will

support in completing the research. In respect to the above research, positivism
philosophy will be utilise that will support in gathering information that is free from
respective thinking. In relation to this, it will help in research in attaining the quantitative
result that make sure it certainly and attribute by getting effective data according to
facilities of above discussion. Research Approach – In order to complete this research this method that will support as
per to evaluating the data. As there are two important concept of the investigation such as
inductive and deductive that will use in evaluating the data that is efficiently based on
effective way. On the other hand, to present way on investigation, monitoring will
concentrates in utilisation of inductive term of methods to manage observance in manner
of research. Research Choice – It is a suitable component of this methodological analysis that
involves two components such as quantitative and qualitative. Research Strategy – As there are several sort of techniques that can be executed for
presenting the investigation in respect to analyse whole group then sampling will be
utilised in it. In respect to this, in terms of both approaches research quantitative and
qualitative it is supportable and help in gathering several data as per to make study more
efficient and quantitative. Research Design – It linked with the tools and orientation that are adopted by
investigator and separated into two factors like exploratory and descriptive. In context to
this, following research descriptive design will use due to which it help in understanding
by identifying the questions that are based on their research. Likewise, it will allows the
researcher in respect to perform on this course in an efficient way.
 Sampling – It will relates to the method of choosing the samples from the whole
population that is engaged in this and it will involves two manners such as probability
and non probability.
Questionnaire
Q1. As per to you, do you know about the concept of social media
marketing strategies?
Frequency

a. yes 25
b. no 5
Q2. According to you what can be the significance of social media
marketing strategies?
Frequency
a. Optimum term of issues within management 10
b. High term of advertising and promotion platforms 20
Gantt Chart

CONCLUSION
In this following case study it has been concluded the importance of social media networks for
the company. Social media marketing is very important for introducing a newly launched
product to the potential customers, this is the best marketing tool for connecting individuals.
Further it focused on impact of social media marketing on small businesses, identify several
strategies used by the leaders of MAC to get competitive benefits in the marketplace such as,
Facebook marketing, multichannel marketing, public relation and many more and challenges

faced by the leaders of MAC while utilizing social media marketing on small businesses some of
them are, problem of finding targeted audience, to target right platform etc.
REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Arrigo, E., 2018. Social media marketing in luxury brands: A systematic literature review and
implications for management research. Management Research Review.
Chatterjee, S. and Kar, A.K., 2020. Why do small and medium enterprises use social media
marketing and what is the impact: Empirical insights from India. International Journal
of Information Management, 53, p.102103.
Shareef and et. al., 2019. Social media marketing: Comparative effect of advertisement
sources. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 46, pp.58-69.