Martell Home BuildersSocial Media On Business Communication

Question: Discuss about theMartell Home Buildersfor Social Media On Business Communication. Answer: Introduction Social media is a strategy tool used in the communication and marketing for business. In the 21st century, social media has changed the way of communication among people as well as businesses (EVANS 2010). It creates new approaches for companies in selling their brand and improving the intimate performances. For example, when Martell Home Builders, a company based in Canada, adopted the social media tools, it realized various changes in its business activities. Social media platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest and Tumblr (SHELDON 2017). Social media when used well leads to positive results and can as well cause adverse effects if misused. Every business should implement the use of social media platforms in its communication due to the various benefits it reaps for the organization. Martell Home Builders is a home builder company in Moncton, Canada. It is one of the companies which have adopted the online business through social media and has realized massive benefits from it. In the past, this organization was known to use realtors to get customers to buy their custom homes. However, today, this company has adopted the social media strategy thus it has realized massive profits as well as massive savings (FERRARA, 2013). Social media creates opportunities for the business in every post made. These are opportunities for social media users to convert to brand customers. By building a followers page in social media platforms, a business tends to get new clients who create a chance for the increase in the market for its products or services (GRAY, 2013). Opportunity is one of the most important actions born from social media. There is always a significant increase in conversion of customers in social media significantly. Communication in businesses has gone through various changes today. Technology has made the business communication to take a different direction from the past. In the past 20 years, business was done through face to face, but today, that has been replaced by virtual communication (BISEN, 2009). Many companies are adopting the use of phone calls, emails, and social media tools in their communication. So many virtual relationships in business are formed, and globally, this has been enacted. This new technology has increased more efficiency business performance. Verbal communication in business has decreased primarily due to the evolving and changing technology and social media platforms. Most companies are taking on to Twitter, Facebook and emailing in communicating to their customers and creating a brand loyalty for their products (GUFFEY, 2010). Thus marketing has become more advanced with the introduction of technology. Emailing is regarded more professional in business, and it is u sed in creating the Twitter and Facebook accounts. With emailing, information reaches a large number of clients in a very short while. These are the various ways in which Communication has changed for the last 20 years; the first substantial shift in communication is social media. Within the past 20 years, there has been an emergence of Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram among many other social media platforms. These platforms have become crucial in reaching out to the public and creating business awareness. According to MARTIN (2010), today, about 60% of people all over the world visit social media channels for updates in the current world of operations and other news. Secondly, blogging is another change in communication that has made various improvement in business. Blogging has changed the form of interactions with customers and other brands. Unlike before, where businesses depended on reporters to reach out the public, blogs have changed that notion. It has enabled more engagements with customers and public. Thirdly, measurement is another change that has been enhanced in the last 20 years. In the past, business was not able to measure, for example, how many people have read their reports or bought their articles but with the recent communication technology, one can follow up on the figures. For example in Martell Home Builders, they can know the number of people interested in their Facebook Page, by the number of individuals who have liked the page. Fourthly, this technology has enabled advanced sharing. Today in business, public relations officers can send publications and press releases to reporters through Direct Messages (DMs) in Twitter instantly unlike 20 years before, where they had to mail them directly, consuming the time taken to reach the targeted market. This action has enhanced communication sharing in a big aspect. Lastly but not least, technology has enabled affordability. Organizations can now post publications in social media at no cost unlike in the past 20 years where firms paid massive amounts to advertise in print and mass media (RADU 2014). They way business is undertaken in companies is impacted by these changes. Organizations have taken different paths in doing business since this communication changes evolved. One of the implications of this conversation changes is that it creates a new medium for making sales. In the past, sales were made mainly through stores, but with the social media platforms, organizational products can reach a wider market locally and globally when sold online (FLEISHER, 2007). Secondly, these communication changes have enabled the increase in customer satisfaction since customers can shop online and have their products delivered without going to the stores. With these changes, it allows customers an opportunity to give feedback on a companys products through the online platform as well as post their suggestions on any improvements they need in the business. This strategy enhances the relationship between the firm and its customers. The company thus can manage the connection in a better way. Thirdly, this technological communication changes has largely impacted the working methods in the organization. Such methods where employees can work from their homes as long as they have an internet connection without having to go to the physical location of the company. For example, in this case, Martell Home Builders have completely gone online in their business activities, and its workforce now works from anywhere. This change increases the convenience of employees in the organization and increases work morale (BOHLANDER, 2009). Fourthly, changes in communication lead to reduced costs in marketing. Cost reduction occur because, through social media platforms, marketing is done freely by posting publications and advertising messages to a large number of people with no cost unlike the other past methods of using print and mass media to promote the business products. This approach would incur the extensive company costs. For example, in this case, Martell Home Builders, used realtor s before to get customers who were costly but now since it adopted the social media strategy it has saved on the costs. The fifth impact of communication changes to business is that it has increased the market share for organizational products. Social media platforms are global, and marketing in this channels enhances the market of business outputs (PRIDE, 2011). This is achieved through the creation of brand awareness through social media platforms. For example, when Martell Home Builders posts the photos of their built homes on their Facebook page, they get likes from many people. Once someone likes their page, they do not leave the website but keeps getting their latest updates. This strategy helps in increasing the market for this company since through social media; it reaches a broad audience. When posting photos of products, visibility is improved, and more readers seem to take interest thus creating a wider market. The sixth impact of technological changes in communication is a production of high-quality communication. The internet contains a pool of knowledge, which helps in determining the quality of communication. For instance, one can translate a text from one language to another thus business can be done through different cultures via online without difficulty. This technology has enabled the retrieval of stored verbal communication in case clarifications are needed somewhere unlike in the past where that was not possible. Lastly, changes in communication have created accessibility globally. Unlike before, currently, people can stream any current news from any country in the world in the comfort of their homes (HEALEY, 2011). Anyone in Asia, for instance, can be able to access all the information pertaining the Martell Home Builders in Canada through the internet, blogs and their social media pages. It is also possible to communicate to them from Asia instead of traveling all the way to their offices. This communication technology has made it possible for this company to overcome competition from other real estate companies, regarding its accessibility. Despite the evolution of the internet and the technological changes that have made communication efficient, some obstacles hinder communication in businesses in the 21st century (ROHM, 2014); Numerous Channels In the 21st century, a lot of pathways for communication have evolved, and business faces the challenge of determining what channel to use to reach a certain market as well as creating the right message for each channel. The main difficulty is that of choosing the right channel for a business strategy. For example, Martell Home Builders decided to use blogging to fulfill their customers needs. This approach enhanced the creation of the blog content and in turn attracted more customers. Evaluation of Social Media Significance. Despite being an easy tool to reach the audience, some social media platforms do not deliver. For example, most Facebook users tend to ignore business promotional messages and do not even consider reading them. Depending on the type of business activities of a company, social media platform deemed to be used is crucial. Twitter and LinkedIn platforms are the best when dealing with advertising business. Business should also be able to design their messages in a way that audiences do not ignore them. Credible Audience Relationship Creating a relationship with customers is another primary challenge faced by businesses. Relationship through social media is accredited if a marketer of a company, gives feedback to the comments of every individual (SMITH 2011). However, due to the overwhelming number of comments and likes in a business post, many companies fail to respond to their audiences. This feedback is through responding to comments, liking their comments or even tweeting them back. Feedback is crucial in every business communication. Content Creation Communication in business faces challenges of creating original and appealing content. Some companies seem to copy other brands content and reusing them. However in the market, quality content should be generated, and originality should be maintained (MADEJ 2010). This material creates uniqueness in business content and attracts audiences and investors. This social media content should be done consistently as well. This is an area where many companies have failed. There needs to be witty in crafting the messages, especially those that are likely to fit the audience. Lacks Branding Personnel When branding on social media, wallpapers in Twitter, banners in Google + and covers photos in Facebook all require different designs. Some businesses need the personnel to do this, implement and create these graphics thus that limits the content of social media. Using a person who is poor in graphics to do it, may lead to the creation of the wrong business logos and brand names sending the wrong message (LEVNAJIC 2014). In diving into social media, this has been a major setback. Conclusion There are many sectors in which social media affects business, but the most crucial of all is the use of social media in the marketing industry. This area is the most important of all because it sells business motives. Social media has both positive and negative impacts on business communication as seen above. Although it has rendered some few obstacles to business communication, the various benefits outweigh the negative consequences. In this 21st century, every business should focus on adopting the social media strategy, as one of the strategies in its business. References BISEN, VP 2009, Business communication. 18th ed. New Delhi: New Age International Ltd. BOHLANDER, G. S. S., 2009. Managing Human Resource Management. 18th ed. s.l.: Cengage Learning. EVANS, L. 2010, Social media marketing: strategies for engaging in Facebook, Twitter other social media. 18th ed. Indianapolis: Ind, Que. 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