Social Media Strategic Plan Outline for Apple Inc. (Term Paper Sample)

Social Media Strategic Plan Outline for Apple Inc.
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Social Media Strategic Plan Outline for Apple Inc.
Introduction
The internet social environment is growing and advancing very rapidly following its usage. It is witnessed due to increasing numbers of people of all ages accessing the internet and social media platforms (Ezeife 2017). Besides, the improved connectivity has permitted access to sharing online content such as videos and photos, connecting to friends and families, working online, and also purchasing different products online. Apple Inc. is a company that is specialized in technology and provides several products online ranging from computers, smartphones, watches, and even software. Therefore, a social media strategy is paramount to define how an organization can use its communication and social media platforms following measurable objectives and outcomes. This piece of writing highlights a social media strategic plan outline for Apple Inc. and it provides a customer and competitor analysis for a suitable social media platform.
Customer Profile of Target Market
The target market consists of teenagers, university and college students, and business people.
Teenagers
They are between the ages of 13 to 19 years and have a greater attitude to devices such as iPads and iPods. These iPods are used for listening to music and socializing with friends on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram to mention a few. Also, many gaming applications are present on these devices and look appealing to them. Concisely, these devices have become one of the trends among teenagers because they spend most of the time on these platforms while reading and viewing posts and watching videos.
University and College Students
They fall in the age bracket between 20 and 26 years and consume most of the computer products such as personal computers, iPads, and smartphones. Their exposure to technology devices is high and these devices allow social interaction with friends and in learning educational content like online courses. They find information on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and maintain online status because they want to be updated with something to improve their scope of knowledge.
Business People
These people are present in different business sectors like finance and banking, manufacturing and transportation to mention a few. They can support their standards of living due to payments from salary wages and can also buy the products. The target market is intrigued with online presence such as on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Linked In while using smartphones, computers, and software designs. In contrast, the devices allow efficient communication with clients, organize, finish and send documents easily.
Apple Inc. develops, designs, produces, and sells a wide range of products to target a wide market. These products include Mac Personal Computers, smartphones, Apple watches, iPod devices, smart speakers, and also software. Further, online content in form of videos, photos, campaigns, and promotions is to be offered on social media platforms. Concisely, knowing the target market will allow Apple Inc. to know its customer base and their requirements making it easier to engage them on social media.
Competitive Analysis
Apple Inc. has many competitors since it operates in manufacturing computer, smartphone, and entertainment devices. Dell is one of Apple’s competitors in computer manufacturing and Samsung is another competitor in smartphone manufacturing (Zhang 2018).
SWOT Analysis Table
Company Name

Strengths

Weaknesses

Opportunities

Threats

Apple Inc.

* Has an innovative product line up like Mac Book, iPod, iPad, iPhone to mention a few.
* Has a good distribution system with over 470 stores in different countries.
* Has a reputable brand globally.

* Apple products are incompatible with third-party software or accessories.
* There is a dependency on few products.

* Presence of the growing market.
* Presence of a foundation to support technological advancements.

* Increased market penetration like an android in the smartphone market.

Dell

* It has a brand name to be a world’s computer designer.
* It has a direct to customer business model that is rich in customer service.

* Has no propriety technology as it assembles components from different suppliers.
* It is not attractive to some markets like college students.

* Increased online presence making purchasing convenient for customers.
* There is an increased market for computers.

* Existing competition in computer globally.
* The price difference of brands is reducing.

Samsung Inc.

* It holds a significant share in most product categories.
* Has a wide range of products like tablets, mobile phones, TVs, home appliances computers to mention a few.

* It focuses more on hardware and has a dependence on software from other companies.
* Has limited online distribution channels.

* It has a strong financial position to enter into diversification.
* Technological plans to launch customized products.

* Failure of a product in a line results in brand dilution.
* Increased competition from Chinese products.

Following the SWOT analysis, Apple Inc. is a more reputable brand, has great product designs, and innovative software despite the existing competition from Samsung Inc. and Dell products (Areeff n.d). Samsung Inc. has a more product line hence it can meet various customer requirements. On the other hand, Dell has a well-illustrated online presence on social media platforms making it able to reach customer specifications. Therefore, Apple Inc. should select strong social media platforms to increase its online presence, customer engagement and ensure customer satisfaction.
Goals
Apple’s set goals are intended to guide on actions and measure success and return on investment. These include;
* To attain better customer engagement.
* To increase revenue generated from social media presence and usage.
* To attain a better customer experience with the company products.
Strategies
The eight C’s of strategy development include; Categorize, Comprehend, Converse, Collaborate, Contribute, Connect, Community, and Convert (Ezeife 2017). These goals are to be accomplished by ranking the social media platform that reaches the company’s target audience fast through focusing on websites having an increased number of views. Observation is to be carried out to comprehend the trends on how each social media platform works. Besides, content i