Social Media

Social media and business Name Professor Course Date of submission Social media and business The internet era has brought with it numerous pros in all walks of life be it academic, health business or social. The internet has taken business to an all new level. This includes online shopping, online banking, and online flight booking just to mention a few. Each and every business needs an online presence in order to have an edge over its competitors. The onset of internet improved business a lot but what has really revolutionized the internet business is the social media. The social media sites form hubs for online interactions of people from all walks of life and of all ages. People meet and build relationships via social media. Social media forms a powerful tool for marketing a business and help it achieve its own goals. The most powerful of all is the word of mouth from friends in the social media or recommendations and /or like. There are numerous social media sites nowadays including twitter, facebook, Google plus and LinkedIn. This essay will focus on facebook as a tool for marketing a business. Just like any other form of business strategy, use of social media has its own share of legal matters that need to be managed appropriately for the success of a business. Marketing managers of business using the social platform should have a good knowledge base and be able to wisely employ the legal tools in their marketing strategy. Legal astute is a vital requirement for the success of any business either in the social media or not. This is the existence of an effective communication channel between the top management and the counsel to come up effective solutions to problems. It is an important ability of the management that enables a business organization to stay at par with the changing technology and market and be able to reap from the same (Bagley 2000). The marketing manager, of a firm that uses social media for marketing ,should be able to practice four basic legal astute namely; attitudinal, proactive, judgment, and knowledge component. Attitudinal component revolve around the social consensus and the moral values and the development of the latter. The duties and obligations of the marketing manager are specified under the law. This law holds the marketing manager to their actions and determines if they have played their roles as expected of them. This component of legal astute ensures that the expectations of the society are met and by transparent methods. Therefore it`s the duty of the marketing manger to push for legal and transparent transactions. In addition, the manager needs to ensure that the marketing is not misleading and it recognizes the diverse culture of the prospective customers on the social media (Bagley 2000). The law is not entirely a constraint and hindrance to business since the marketing manager can employ the proactive component of the legal astute to the business advantage. The marketing manager applies the proactive approach to regulation for two major purposes. First is to go around the difficult government regulation and second, to reap from the innovation chances regulation or deregulation. The marketing manager needs business wise advice with the help of the lawyers who should guide them in identifying opportunities and threats to the business. The social media is a business opportunity and if not properly utilized it becomes a real threat. The marketing manger needs to understand this in order to gain from the social media (Bagley 2000). The marketing manager should also use the judgment component to make informed decisions on matters pertaining to marketing on the social media. This is because the law is not tied down to a particular formula and any changes can result to a different legal outcome. Informed decisions and judgment is a key ingredient when dealing with uncertainties that carry legal aspects. Thus the marketing manager cannot advise themselves and require the advice of a counselor. This will stop the manager from falling in legal snares when transaction via the social medi...