The goal of SMM is to produce content that users will share with their social network to help a company increase brand exposure and broaden customer reach.
SMM helps a company get direct feedback from customers (and potential customers) while making the company seem more personable. The interactive parts of social media give customers the opportunity to ask questions or voice complaints and feel they are being heard. This aspect of SMM is called social customer relationship management.
SMM became more common with the increased popularity of websites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube etc.