Describe two ways in which marketers can engage in social media. What are the advantages and challenges of social media?

What will be an ideal response?

(Students' answers may vary. The answer given below is indicative.)
Marketers can engage in online communities by using existing social media or setting up their own. Using existing social media seems the easiest. Thus, most brands — large and small — have set up shop on a host of social media sites. Check the Web sites of brands ranging from Coca-Cola, Nike, and Victoria's Secret to the Chicago Bulls or even the U.S. Forest Service and you'll find links to each brand's Facebook, Google, Twitter, YouTube, Flickr, Instagram, or other social media pages. Such social media can create substantial brand communities. For example, the Bulls have more than 17 million Facebook fans; Coca-Cola has an eye-popping 90 million Facebook fans. Beyond these independent social media, many companies have created their own online brand communities. For example, in Nike's Nike+ running community — consisting of more than 20 million runners who together have logged more than 1 billion running miles worldwide — members join together online to upload, track, and compare their performances. Due to its success, Nike has expanded Nike+ to both basketball and general training, each with its own unique community site, app, and corresponding products.

Using social media presents both advantages and challenges. The advantages are that social media are targeted and personal, interactive, immediate and timely, and cost effective. The biggest advantage of social media is their engagement and social sharing capabilities. Social media marketing also presents challenges that include determining how to use and measure them effectively, and the considerable control consumers have over social media content.