Social marketing is the application of commercial marketing techniques to influence voluntary behavior change for social good. It uses approaches like branding and loyalty building to promote behaviors that benefit individuals and society, such as reducing obesity, ensuring water security, or preventing malaria. Some key benefits of social marketing include influencing over 60 million online health consumers, building advocacy communities of over 1,200 groups on Facebook, and adoption by 216 US hospitals using social media to engage patients. While specialized skills can help, social marketing can be effectively practiced by anyone with internet skills through tools like social networks, user groups, and community websites. The goals of social marketing are social rather than profit-driven, with a long-term approach to issues like environmentalism and public health.