Social Media As A Tool In Marketing Communication Plans
Introduction
Everything in our world today revolves around technology. Social networking sites have become one of the primary ways in which business try to target consumers. One definition of social media marketing describes it as a channel for user centered networking and social interaction. Social media has truly changed the way businesses reach consumers; it is extremely important for companies to be up to date on how to use social networking sites effectively. This review of literature will focus on articles that focus on the development of marketing communication plans for retailers who want to include social media in their marketing mix. This paper will discuss technology used in social media marketing campaigns, as well as consumer attitudes and motives, viral advertising, online brand communities, and user generated media. While reviewing the literature, there was not much information on the benefits to businesses using social media in a marketing communications plan; it mostly discussed theoretical research on what exactly this type of marketing is, and the effects it has on users of social networking sites.
A Framework on Social Media
Before delving any deeper into the topic of social media marketing, it is important to come up with an effective working definition of what social media is. In the new generation of the internet, sometimes referred to as “Web 2. 0”, the focus is on how people are using the technology, not how the technology itself works; users are now creating and sharing information rather than just browsing information. The second generation of the web has become increasingly collaborative. Social media is a defining characteristic of the second generation of the web. Kaplan and Haenlein have crafted a definition for social media which says that they build on the second generation of the internet and allow for exchange and creation of user generated media. There are characteristics of a social networking site according to Cox. They include having personal pages for users, as well as being able to group content by interests and categories, and being able to post and comment on other user’s pages.
Consumer Sentiment
Consumer sentiment is an important topic that I have studied in my marketing courses here at Marist. Consumer sentiment is a qualitative measure of how consumers feel about a certain brand or product. This tool can also be used to evaluate social media marketing techniques used by businesses. People must be readily available and open to using technology in order to be able to have a successful social media marketing campaign. Therefore, businesses with target markets that consist of an older clientele would most likely not want to use social media as they often feel hesitant to adopt this new technology. One feature of Facebook is the ability to create and join groups. People who used these groups were more likely to have a positive sentiment towards marketing and advertising on social media sites. The article he wrote suggests that there is correlation between the use of online groups and positive attitudes towards online marketing efforts by businesses. You can see clearly that pleasure and entertainment are a large part of how users form attitudes towards Facebook advertising. There is a relationship between hedonism (pleasure) and a positive or negative attitude towards these advertisements, as well as how entertaining the ads may be. It is important for social media marketers to consider all of the aspects on this framework; as they work together to form consumer attitudes towards said advertising, and this is the determining factor on whether or not advertisements are effective.
The Rise of Virtual Communities
Not only do Facebook groups have a large impact on social media marketing and consumer sentiment; but they are a good Segway into the topic of virtual communities. Virtual communities are special interest groups where users generate user generated content, and marketers may generate marketer generated content; especially in a virtual community especially for a brand. Brand communities are special because they revolve around specific products; information asymmetry exists in all product categories, and these groups exist to help fill the gaps in consumer information to aid in a purchasing decision. While these communities mix UGC and MGC, the MGC must be truthful and trustworthy. Consumer trust is such an important aspect of a brand community; if the MGC created is not representative of the product, the brand will likely be talked negatively about in the group- at this point, the brands cannot do much other than damage control. Interacting online with other consumers that have interest in the same products as you not only strengthens brand loyalty (when there is positive sentiment) from consumers towards specific brands; consumers have such a large role in the decisions other consumers make because of this. Just as there are factors that contribute towards consumer attitudes towards Facebook advertisements, there is a framework for the success of consumer to consumer interaction. Consumer to consumer interactions are evaluated by security, content, hedonic, quality, price, atmosphere, and convenience. As stated before, these interactions influence consumer purchasing behavior. Examples of these interactions would be someone posting in a virtual community forum if an item is of high quality, or works well; and a good response for the brand would be if another consumer recommended the product, and answered quickly. Consumer engagement with companies and products is extremely important, and companies need to be aware of these factors that affect their online presence in a world where consumers are connected more than ever before.
Viral Advertising
Viral advertising is a phenomenon where campaigns grow in popularity extremely quickly; seemingly overnight, millions of people will have seen a certain campaign. Viral marketing is advantageous because it is a free exposure of the marketer generated content by user sharing to one another. It is important to differentiate viral advertising from user generated content that may go viral; as user generated viral media that goes viral does not have a company associated with it that sponsors a product. In the Kelly article, there are 3 main factors described which contribute to advertisement avoidance on the web; interrupting tasks, clutter, and negative previous experiences with online advertisements. In the study, it was found that most of the ads people saw on social media were inaccurate, and were only remembered because they annoyed the user, or that it was entertaining in some way. This is where viral marketing becomes advantageous; because it entertains users and encourages them to interact with and share the media. Businesses even have hired people to pose as consumers to try and have a more inconspicuous identity on social media, as well as brands have become more creative in what they post online. These user to user transmissions and recommendations of media and products, respectively, are the most valuable form of social currency for brands.
Impact of Culture on Social Media
The technology acceptance model developed in the Cultural Influence on Consumers article discusses the impact that culture has on social media. The technology acceptance model states that perceived usefulness does not translate directly into perceived easiness of use. The study looked into whether or not cultural differences had anything to do with this study; especially if their background influenced the way they perceived certain online advertisements. It was found that culture had an influence on the way people perceived messages online; however this is not what is surprising. What is more important here is the implications of this research. The fact that Pookulangara and Koesler discovered culture affects interpretation of messages is not groundbreaking. But it shines a light on how marketers need to be aware of the fact that just because our world is so globalized, they still need to be extremely culturally aware when marketing globally. Marketing one product in one country does not mean you will market it anywhere near the same way to people in another country. The good thing about social media advertisements is that they have the ability to be targeted to specific geographic areas. The cultures people come from affect their attitudes and sentiments towards products as well; something that should be taken into account when creating affective Facebook, moreover all social, advertisements.
User Generated Content
User generated content serves as a vehicle for users to influence other users in the online community. User generated content allows users of social media to become co-creators for the company in creating marketing material on social networking sites. This helps companies define their brand without having to actually do anything. The benefits are two sided, however. Consumers get better insight into the products; helping reduce asymmetric information, and allowing them to make better purchasing decisions. The businesses do not have to create new content, this content is viewed as more authentic, and it expands their reach on social media. User generated media has led to the demise of the celebrity endorsement, as they are not seen to be credible, and has led to the rise of the need for more dialogue with brands; people may shy away even, from brands who are not active on social media. Content is 5 times more important to consumers now, as they rely heavily on digital media to make purchasing decisions. Social currency, the result of sharing positive information about a brand on social media, greatly affects the brands in question. The more popular a user is, the more affect they have on a brand’s social currency. The six components of social currency are information, affiliation, advocacy, conversation, indemnity, and utility. These arise from interactions between users and cannot be controlled directly by marketing managers and the brands they represent. This is why user generated media is so important to have a positive sentiment associated with; it is the most credible and the most influential.
Conclusion
Social media marketing is so important when promoting and developing both new and old brands. So many shoppers are using social media to research products, watch reviews, converse with others about products, and even watch funny and entertaining advertisements. Consumers have more access to information about products than ever before; allowing many people to make purchasing decisions solely online without touching or feeling products in person. Online brands are a new phenomenon, that, in my opinion, are a result of the increased product information and discussion that happens online in today’s world. Not only do consumers benefit from social media marketing and user generated media surrounding products, but brands do as well. Brands are able to create so much buzz and reach so many people about new product launches in ways easier than ever before. User generated media can be a positive tool for brands to use; when users post positive content, it helps define and develop the brand. They can also take advantage of virtual communities and groups to target certain demographics, psychographics; as well as to see information about what consumers may not like about a brand or product. Social media has made consumer sentiment very transparent.
