USE OF ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR PROMOTION OF SMALL COMPANIES

Zaradi zniževanja stroškov in ogromnega števila ljudi, ki imajo profil na spletnih družbenih omrežjih, Facebook profil ima kar 750.000 Slovencev, vidijo podjetja spletna družbena omrežja, kot preprosto rešitev za doseganje njihovih marketinških ciljev. To tehniko uporabi veliko malih podjetij, ki nima velikih vsot namenjenih izključno za promocijo, saj jim predstavlja stroškovno učinkovito rešitev. Vendar se hitro pojavijo problemi, kot so ogromno vloženega časa brez konkretne prodaje, malo število sledilcev, itd. Problemi se pojavljajo večino časa zaradi nepoznavanja delovanja spletnih družbenih omrežij in nedovršene strategije digitalnega marketinga, saj velja narobno prepričanje med podjetniki, da bodo ljudje kar sami prihajali do njih in jim sledili, kadar se pojavijo na spletnih družbenih omrežjih. Realnost je, da morajo podjetja vložiti ogromno časa in kvalitetnega dela za, ter da se veliko direktne prodaje ne zgodi preko spletnih družbenih omrežij. Ta nam bolj služijo kot vir informacij za naše stranke in kot način komuniciranja z njimi. Z tem diplomskim seminarjem smo želeli predstaviti osnove digitalnega marketinga in delovanja spletnih družbenih omrežij za manjša podjetja in podjetnike, ki se srečujejo z problemi pri promociji na njih. Predstavili smo strategije digitalnega marketinga in kakšne možnosti promocije imajo podjetja na svetovnem spletu. Prav tako smo pregledali različna spletna družbena omrežja in njihova delovanja. Izpostavili smo spletna družbena omrežja Facebook in LinkedIn, ter smo jih natančneje analizirali in predstavili prednosti in slabosti le teh. Prav tako smo praktično prikazali vzpostavitev spletnih profilov podjetja TARROS d.o.o. na spletnih družbenih omrežjih LinkedIn in Facebook, ter naredili primerjavo profesionalnosti izgleda profilov.The cost reduction and the amount of people using social media, over 750.000 Slovenes have a Facebook profile, companies see social networks as a simple solution for achieving their marketing goals. This method is especially attractive for small companies, which usually do not have a large budget for marketing, due to its cost effectiveness and apparent ease of use. However problem such as a lot of invested time with no concrete results, a low number of followers and unexpected costs, soon arise. The problems mostly appear as a direct result of, lack of knowledge of social media workings and an incomplete digital marketing strategy. A lot of companies think, that merely their presence on social networks is enough to attract followers and generate sales. The reality is that a lot of time and hard work has to be invested in a social media account, with almost no direct sales results. Social network profiles serve more as a source of information and as an effective way of communicating with the companies customers. This paper has focused on presenting the basics of digital marketing as well as the workings of social media sites to small companies and entrepreneurs, who are encountering problems when promoting on them. We have presented the basics of digital marketing strategies and what kind of marketing options companies have on the Internet. We have also focused on different types of social media and have highlighted Facebook and LinkedIn as the two main research subjects. A detailed analysis and pros and cons have been made for the two mentioned sites. The paper also includes a practical presentation of setting up a profile on Facebook and LinkedIn for the company TARROS d.o.o. and a comparison of a professional look of the page on both social media networks