ABSTRACT
One aspect of the concept we have come to know as social media is that it is difficult to differentiate its various elements and making a distinction between social networking and online communities is the most difficult. Social networking and online communities can be used to market the product, brand or organization in two different although related ways: as a medium for the dissemination of a marketing message or as an aspect of customer care and support. A social media presence might influence a buying decision but yet to find anyone who has been introduced to a product via Facebook. The ethos of social media marketing is that participating in it develops and improves the relationship between the product, brand or organization and the customers and yet a significant number of those who like an entity on Facebook would seem to do so for immediate financial gain rather than long-term engagement.
