chapter 9 : social media marketing 1 : Introduction Social media : ‘The sum total of people who create content online, as well as the people who interact with it or one another’ McConnell and Huba (2007) Social media marketing (SMM) : ‘any online marketing strategy or tactic which uses social media as the medium for its communication ’ Charlesworth (2007) Social networking ‘ … is more than just something to do, it’s also the venue in which they do it’ TNS, TRU & Marketing Evolution (2007) Key impact: The marketer no longer has control over the brand

chapter 9 : social media marketing 2 : Consumer generated content CGC – website content produced by someone who has experienced the product, organization or service and wishes to pass that experience on to others Reviews and ratings, can be on: Websites that publish review forums as a business model Websites that use reviews as additional content that attracts visitors. Retail sites that offer feedback facilities for customers to leave comments on products that are available on that site. Service provider sites that use customer feedback as part of their product presentation

chapter 9 : social media marketing 2 : Consumer generated content People trust their peers more than marketers Marketer’s involvement: Passive - tracking comments as market research Proactive: - Overt: join in or comment on sites after declaring interest - Covert : make comments as a member of the public – a risky practice Online e-fluencers Note also: CGC need not be textual eg video

Four kinds of online community: 1 Communities of interest chapter 9 : social media marketing 3 : Social networks and online communities Difficult to differentiate between the two, but generally accepted to be sites such as MySpace and FaceBook Four kinds of online community: 1 Communities of interest 2 Communities of relationship 3 Communities of transaction Communities of Practice Pitta and Fowler (2005) Cyberbashing sites

Marketing utilization : chapter 9 : social media marketing 3 : Social networks and online communities Marketing utilization : Facilitate : the organization facilitates users in creating profiles and interacting with other members of a community Employ : use social media as a channel for recognized promotional activities eg sponsorship & advertising Join : the organization actively engages in publishing on social media sites by entering into exchanges and interacting with the community

chapter 9 : social media marketing 4 : Virtual worlds Essentially, online games played in 3–D environments with virtual characters – avatars – as themselves inhabiting the virtual world and interacting with other residents eg Second Life Marketing utilization: Join an existing virtual world – Dell, Adidas and Gap have presences in Second Life Set up your own virtual communities eg MTV and Coca– Cola Advertise in the virtual world

chapter 9 : social media marketing 5 : Blogging Developed through being online personal journals to mini websites based around the thoughts or interests of the writer Most are either read only by friends and family of the blogger or abandoned altogether Marketing utilization Monitor others’ blogs and add no comments Monitor others’ blogs and respond only to comments made about your organization, product or brand Participate in conversations on others’ blogs Create and maintain your own blog

chapter 9 : social media marketing 6 : Viral marketing An essential element of social media in that ‘viral’ precipitates social communication Based on the centuries-old practice of word-of-mouth marketing Though viral messages can be non–commercial – a video of a dog on a skate board – in viral marketing it is something about a product, brand or organization that the marketer wishes to be passed on by – hopefully satisfied – customers To be successful the viral normally has to include offline media

chapter 9 : social media marketing 6 : Viral marketing Essentially, the success of any viral marketing depends on three fundamental issues: The originator of the message must benefit from its propagation The sender – that is, anyone who passes the message on to others – is actively seeking, or at least willing to receive, any kudos that comes from forwarding the message. The receiver must perceive value in the message. For example if it is a joke, they should find it funny

Link development and online PR chapter 9 : social media marketing 7 : Online public relations and reputation management Online PR – part of social media marketing? Public relations now open to the public, no longer a close-knit society with journalists as gatekeepers – PR spread though social media Link development and online PR Reputation management – continuation of the impact of CGC. Negative reputation issues might arise online in: Detrimental feedback on forums or review sites Negative blog content – including replies to original post Negative social network groups – not all groups set out to support products or organizations