Date of Award

Spring 2020

Document Type

Thesis

Primary Advisor

Dr. Richard Harris

Abstract

This thesis dives into the importance of social media marketing within a business. It starts off with a literature review that explains how much people use social media, how businesses have begun to recognize this trend, and how to turn this trend into a successful marketing strategy. This strategy can be demonstrated through online ads, influencer marketing, and a strong social media presence. The thesis will identify and examine all of these methods. The second part of this thesis is based on an online survey provided to the general public (over 18) in order to discover if the findings in the literature review are correct. The survey shows that people use on average 3 hours on social media a day. And, they visit multiple different social media platforms. One of the most revealing findings in this study was that people are being influenced more by the things they view on social media, because they trust those opinions, then other forms of marketing. Social media marketing has replaced the importance of commercials, billboards, and print ads. The survey received 780 responses and gave a comprehensive understanding on this topic.

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