<P> Social networks are, in many cases, viewed as a great tool for avoiding costly market research . They are known for providing a short, fast, and direct way to reach an audience through a person who is widely known . For example, an athlete who gets endorsed by a sporting goods company also brings their support base of millions of people who are interested in what they do or how they play and now they want to be a part of this athlete through their endorsements with that particular company . At one point consumers would visit stores to view their products with famous athletes, but now you can view a famous athlete's, such as Cristiano Ronaldo, latest apparel online with the click of a button . He advertises them to you directly through his Twitter, Instagram, and FaceBook accounts . </P> <P> Facebook and LinkedIn are leading social media platforms where users can hyper - target their ads . Hypertargeting not only uses public profile information but also information users submit but hide from others . There are several examples of firms initiating some form of online dialog with the public to foster relations with customers . According to Constantinides, Lorenzo and Gómez Borja (2008) "Business executives like Jonathan Swartz, President and CEO of Sun Microsystems, Steve Jobs CEO of Apple Computers, and McDonalds Vice President Bob Langert post regularly in their CEO blogs, encouraging customers to interact and freely express their feelings, ideas, suggestions, or remarks about their postings, the company or its products". Using customer influencers (for example popular bloggers) can be a very efficient and cost - effective method to launch new products or services Among the political leaders in office, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has the highest number of followers at 40 million, and President Donald Trump ranks second with 25 million followers . Modi employed social media platforms to circumvent traditional media channels to reach out to the young and urban population of India which is estimated to be 200 million . </P> <P> In the context of the social web, engagement means that customers and stakeholders, such as consumer advocacy groups and groups that criticize companies (e.g., lobby groups or advocacy organizations) are active participants rather than passive viewers . Social media use in a business or political context allows all consumers / citizens to express and share an opinion about a company's products, services or business practices, or a government's actions . Each participating customer or non-customer (or citizen) who is participating online via social media becomes part of the marketing department (or a challenge to the marketing effort), as other customers read their positive or negative comments or reviews . Getting consumers and potential consumers (or citizens) to be engaged online is fundamental to successful social media marketing . With the advent of social media marketing, it has become increasingly important to gain customer interest in products and services, which can eventually be translated into buying behavior (or voting or donating behavior in a political context). New online marketing concepts of engagement and loyalty have emerged which aim to build customer participation and brand reputation . </P> <P> Engagement in social media for the purpose of a social media strategy is divided into two parts . The first is proactive, regular posting of new online content (digital photos, digital videos, text) and conversations, as well as the sharing of content and information from others via weblinks . The second part is reactive conversations with social media users responding to those who reach out to your social media profiles through commenting or messaging Traditional media such as TV news shows are limited to one - way interaction with customers or' push and tell' where only specific information is given to the customer with few or limited mechanisms to obtain customer feedback . Traditional media such as paper newspapers, of course, do give readers the option of sending a letter to the editor, but this is a relatively slow process, as the editorial board has to review the letter and decide if it is appropriate for publication . On the other hand, social media is participative and open, as participants are able to instantly share their views on brands, products, and services . Traditional media gave control of message to the marketer, whereas social media shifts the balance to the consumer (or citizen). </P>

Identify two companies that are successfully using social media to improve their business