Is Social Media Worth the Cost?

While social media became a hit with brands because of free publicity, advertisers are beginning to notice that nothing comes for free. To get their message out to large audiences, brands are having to put more money into social media advertising, as stated in an article.

Therefore, is social media worth the high costs?

My answer is yes. Currently, only 10% of advertising from companies goes into social media platforms. This percentage is staggering to me, considering the popularity of social media is increasing more and more every day.

Take the history of television, for example. When the television set was first introduced, people were unsure how to use it. Overtime, companies began to add commercials into regular programming to promote their brand. Today, a single 30-second SuperBowl advertisement can cost companies millions of dollars.

The same is true for social media. As time goes on, we as a society will learn how to use it in better, faster, and more efficient ways. As this trend continues, companies need to be able to dish out high costs to keep up with the times.

However, this trend also has it's exceptions. Companies need to look at their target market and the relationship that market has with social media. For companies like Apple or H&M, their products are very popular among young adults. Young adults, in return, tend to be very involved with social media. These brands need to be ready to shift their marketing toward social media. In contrast, brands like AARP do not need to invest in social media marketing for many more years, until their audience moves toward social media as well.