ABSTRACT
Effective marketing is holistic in nature. The concept of the marketing mix reinforces this, where each element is interdependent on the others. Social media marketing is an aspect of digital marketing, which is in turn part of the marketing mix. Unless the practitioner is aware of each aspect of social media marketing's role in an overall marketing strategy then they will never become truly effective in practising them. Social media has given marketers a way to connect with consumers in an unprecedented and revolutionary way, but the very newness of this medium is as challenging as it is exciting, particularly to those who aren't 'digital natives'. For social media to be effective, however, if there is a reliance on the users to be willing to pass on a message to others, then they must have a network of acquaintances to whom they can pass it.
