1
Running Head: SOCIAL MEDIA AS A MARKETING TOOL
Social Media as a Marketing Tool
SOCIAL MEDIA AS A MARKETING TOOL 2
Abstract
This paper explores the use of Social Media, Facebook specifically, as a Marketing tool in our
growing online society. The articles suggest the widespread use of Facebook as a cost effective
advantage to businesses that once did not exist.
It is argued that Facebook has used the advantages of cost reduction, product awareness, product
promotion, and customer support to revolutionize how companies once handled marketing.
We conclude that Facebook is considered one of the best ways to market a new product in our
fast changing culture.
SOCIAL MEDIA AS A MARKETING TOOL 3
How it all Started
In 1973, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects started a research program to
form a way for interlinking packet networks of various kinds. Their goal was to develop
communication protocols which would allow networked computers to communicate across
multiple linked networks [ CITATION ABr15 \l 1033 ]. In 1973, the U.S. Defense Department
had no idea that they opened the gateway for Social Media and online marketing thirty years
later. A network that would revenue $12.85 billion in search ads alone in 2015 [ CITATION
Mar15 \l 1033 ]. Social Media has revolutionized the way business interact with customers.
The increase importance of Social Media in daily use has created a world of opportunities
for businesses to connect with their clients. “Social Media is defined as the way in which people
interact to create, share, and/or exchange information and ideas on virtual communities and
