Academic and Business Research: Social Media Marketing in Australia

This academic report examines the advantages and disadvantages of social media marketing within the context of Austar Telecommunication Company in Australia. The report begins with an introduction to social media and its significance in the current business environment, highlighting its role in connecting with consumers and sharing information. The project objectives include analyzing the concepts, advantages, and disadvantages of social media in business and recommending strategies for improvement. A literature review explores the meaning of social media, its benefits such as cost-effective marketing and enhanced brand awareness, and its drawbacks including negative impacts from user posts and time consumption. The report suggests strategies like listening to consumers and building strong employee-consumer relationships to improve social media application. The conclusion emphasizes the direct impact of social media on business growth and its role in promoting goods and services.

Running Head: ACADEMIC AND BUSINESS RESEARCH
Advantages and Disadvantages of using social media marketing: In context of Austar
Telecommunication Company, Australia

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Table of Contents
Assignment I..............................................................................................................................3
Introduction............................................................................................................................3
Project objective.....................................................................................................................3
Project Scope..........................................................................................................................4
Literature review....................................................................................................................4
Introduction.........................................................................................................................4
To identify the meaning and concept of social media........................................................4
To discover the advantages of using social media in business...........................................5
To identify the disadvantages of using social media in business.......................................7
To recommend the strategies for improving the application of social media in business. .8
Conclusion..........................................................................................................................8
References..................................................................................................................................9

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Assignment I
Introduction
The social media consists of various web-based communication techniques that are implied
by organization and people to share their adequate information. It also supports to directly
communicate with others.
In the current scenario, many social networks are used by the organization for sharing their
data. These social networks are Twitter, Whats App, Pinterest, Snapchat, Facebook,
LinkedIn, and Instagram. In the current business scenario, more than 46 billion people use
social media to interact with each other and share their information on the web. It is also
found that Facebook is most popular website because it has more than 1.86 billion users at
the international level (Jussila, et al., 2014). On behalf of the current scenario, it is analyzed
that a large number of young people use the social media to directly share their data to others.
Social media plays an imperative role in the current business situation. An organization is
required to inspire a large number of consumers for operating the business in the
marketplace. At the same time, it is also found that the consumers can be inspired by using
the social media to operate the business successfully. An organization can use social media to
share the adequate information towards their product and service to consumers. As a result,
the company can gain their productivity and profitability in less time and cost. A large
number of firms is used social media to sell their goods and services to attract a large number
of consumers towards their product and services (Poell, 2014).
Project objective
The main aim of this research is to address the advantages and disadvantages of using social
media in business.
 To analyses the meaning and concepts of social media.
 To identify the advantages of using social media in business.

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 To explore disadvantages of using social media in business.
 To recommend the strategies to improve the application of social media in business
Project Scope
This research proposal is significant to create depth understanding towards the advantages
and disadvantages of using the social media in business. The application of social media in
the business can be motivating subject for the research. The best knowledge towards the
application of social media can improve the performance of the organization and enhance the
professional life in the upcoming period. This research proposal is effective for the researcher
to get a feasible result in future. In the current scenario, an organization implies the social
media to maintain the efficacy of organization and staff member. This research proposal can
be imperative for the organization to make an effective decision and improve the social media
practices in their firm (Ventola, 2014). This research proposal can be imperative for the
researcher due to gaining their knowledge towards different tools and techniques of social
media. Consequently, it can support to improve the productivity of company and
organization.
Literature review
Introduction
This chapter helps the researcher and reader to gain their understanding regarding the
application of social media in the business. It discusses advantages and disadvantages of
social media practices. Moreover, this section also helps the researcher to make effective
strategies for improving the use of social media in business.
To identify the meaning and concept of social media
As per the view of Wamba and Carter (2016), the social media is known for supporting the
firm by inspiring many consumers towards their product and services of corporate. The social

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media is used to share information through online commination. Consequently, an
organization could make a favorable relationship with consumers and employees.
It is stated that there are many social media methods that are used by organization and people
such as Facebook, LinkInd, Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. As a result, it can help the
company to share their information towards the product and services to the potential
consumers and improve their existing situation.
To discover the advantages of using social media in business
According to Tsimonis and Dimitriadis (2014), social media is a cost-effective digital
marketing tool to spread the awareness about the goods and services to the targeted people. It
can enhance the performance of an organization by increasing the level of brand awareness in
the market. It is also stated that the implementation of social media approaches help an
organization to enhance their brand awareness by engaging large number of customers
towards their product and services. An organization can use social media to introduce their
product and services among a large number of consumers. Through social media, company
directly communicates with consumer and understand their need to offer appropriate product
and services and retain them for long period.
Luo et al. (2015) argued that an organization cannot be successful in lack of social media
practices in their business. In addition, it is also analyzed that company can use the ranking
system by which they identify the consumer who visits on their official sites. It can
demonstrate the number of consumers who are interested in the company’s product and
services. Hence, it can be said that the social media can be an imperative strategy to enhance
the sale of company and increase the consumer loyalty. It offers a new opportunity to the
company for gaining their number of consumers in less time and gain the competitive benefit.
The social media can also be helpful for creating depth understanding about different thought
of people.

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In support of this, Marwick and Boyd (2014) stated that the social media is the best way to
improve the search engine ranking of the organization. As a result, a corporate can enhance
their image in the marketplace. The search engine optimization is significant for increasing
the number of consumer on business web. It is also analyzed that there are approximately
58% of entrepreneurs, who have enhanced their search engine rankings by using the social
media. An organization can transfer and continue to develop favorable outcome for the firm.
Accordance to Paton and Johnston (2017), clear visibility helps to increase more
opportunities for organization. As a result, company can improve their financial performance
in limited time. Each image, comment, blog post, and video may direct the viewers on
company’s website and enhances traffic. The social media marketing can permit the company
to provide favorable impression by humanization factor. The company can use the social
media and share their innovative idea, post, and comment to gain their profitability
systematically. It is also analyzed that individuals prefer to start their own business rather
than working in organization. It is analyzed that company should focus on making a
favorable image with consumers for gaining their sale. Moreover, company could make a
positive image in the consumer’s mind by giving the values to customer needs.
In support of this, Scot (2015) explained that the social media can also imperative for
enhancing the satisfaction level of consumers. It is used as a platform for networking and
communication within an organization. Consequently, it can be effective for an organization
to attract consumers towards the product and services and humanize their performance for the
long term. The consumers are aware that, in case they comment and posts on the company
page then they can receive personalize reactions.
As per the view of Fuchs (2017), the social media can also gain the loyalty of consumer
towards the product and services of an organization. An organization is focused on the
development of loyal consumer base. The consumer satisfaction can be spread from one hand

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to other. At the same time, the company is engaging with the customers to make bonding
with them and increase the brand loyalty in future.
To identify the disadvantages of using social media in business
On the other side, Bargiela-Chiappini and Nickerson (2014) stated that that social media has
a negative impact on the growth of the business. Under the social media, everyone is free to
post whatever they want to share about their experience of product and services. It is
analyzed that the satisfied consumer can leave their positive response on the web. Beside this,
the consumer who is unhappy with the post of company can also be able to share their
experience of goods and services on the web. It can decline the sale of company by making a
negative image among consumer’s mind.
Junco (2014) argued that the practices of social media techniques in business can be time-
consuming and costly as it could also be a negative impact on the growth of business. The
organization should take more effort to improve the social media practices within the
organization. It is also analyzed that in case, an organization has limited human resources
then, it can be complex for them to effectively use the social media. Human resources are
asset of the company because they communicate with consumers and respond on their post.
In addition to this, it is analyzed that employees can play an imperative role in making an
effective relationship with the consumer through social media. Besides this, lack of human
resources can be a negative impact on the performance of the organization.
In support of this, Munar et al. (2014) explained that the social media is an easy tool to
express the feeling, opinion, and perception of consumers. Consequently, it can directly
impact on the growth of business. At the same time, it is also analyzed that one wrong post of
the company can decline their performance in the marketplace and make a negative image in
the consumer’s mind. Therefore, it can be said that the social media can be ineffective tool in
order to gain the higher profit of an organization.

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To recommend the strategies for improving the application of social media in business
In the view of Lipschultz (2017), company should start to listen to the consumers rather than
promoting their product and services. Since, social media provide an open-ended way to
converse and employ with the consumers. The company should put their time on the social
media and gain their understanding towards the need and requirements of the consumers. As
a result, it can gain the productivity of the organization. It can also help to understand the
preference of consumers along with gaining consumer’s loyalty and trust towards the brand
of the company.
On the other hand, Zhou et al. (2014) stated that company should make an effective strategy
that is followed by the employees to build a strong relationship with the consumers. As a
result, the company can enhance their brand image in the marketplace and gain their
profitability. In addition, the company should build a goal in the context of social media to
spread the awareness of product and services among the consumers. It can be supportive to
meet the specified goal in less time and cost. In addition, it can also be suggested that an
organization should make a plan, set network, time, and cost before implementing any social
media. Since, an appropriate selection of social media tool can support to increase the growth
of business.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it can be concluded that the practices of social media can direct
impact on the business growth. It can also be summarized that the social media can be
supportive to promote the goods and services of the company. It can also help to address all
the issues of product and services of the company. As a result, the company can get favorable
image after the solving of issues. Moreover, it can also be illustrated that the practices of
social media can help to generate the profit in less time and cost.

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References
Bargiela-Chiappini, F., and Nickerson, C. R. (2014) Writing Business: Genres, media, and
discourses. UK: Routledge.
Fuchs, C. (2017) Social media: A critical introduction. USA: Sage.
Junco, R. (2014) Engaging students through social media: Evidence-based practices for use
in student affairs. USA: John Wiley and Sons.
Jussila, J. J., Kärkkäinen, H., and Aramo-Immonen, H. (2014) ‘Social media utilization in
business-to-business relationships of technology industry firms’, Computers in Human
Behavior, 30, pp. 606-613.
Lipschultz, J. H. (2017) Social media communication: Concepts, practices, data, law, and
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Luo, N., Zhang, M., and Liu, W. (2015) ‘The effects of value co-creation practices on
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Marwick, A. E., and Boyd, D. (2014) ‘Networked privacy: How teenagers negotiate context
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Poell, T. (2014) ‘Social media and the transformation of activist communication: exploring
the social media ecology of the 2010 Toronto G20 protests’, Information, Communication
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Scott, D. M. (2015) The new rules of marketing and PR: How to use social media, online
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