Chapter 16: Managing Digital Communications

Chapter 16: Managing Digital Communications

Social Media

• Means for consumers to share text, images, audio, and video information with each other and with other companies, and vice versa.

Social Media Platforms

• Three main platforms for social media:
1. Online communities and forums-created by consumers or groups of consumers with no commercial interest or company affiliation.
2. Blogs- regularly update online journals or diaries, have become an important outlet for word of mouth.
3. Social networks- An important force in both business-to-consumer and business-to-business marketing.

Using Social Media

• Social media are rarely the sole source of marketing communications for a brand.
• Social media may not be as effective in attracting new users and driving brand penetration.
• Brands and products vary widely in how social they are online.
• Consumers are most likely to engage with media, charities, and fashion and least likely to engage in consumer goods.
• Consumers may use social media to get useful information or deals to enjoy brand-created content, a much smaller percentage way to engage in two-way conversations with brands.
• Marketers must recognize that when it comes to social media, only some consumers want to engage with some brands and, even then, only some of the time.

Word of Mouth- Social media are one example of online word of mouth. Word of mouth (WOM) powerful marketing tool.

• Forms of Word of Mouth
• Viral Marketing- a form of a online WOM or "word of mouse;" that encourages consumers to pass along company-developed products and services or audio, video, or written information to others online.

Creating Word-of Mouth Buzz

• Certain steps can improve the likelihood of starting positive buzz:
• Identify influential individuals and companies and devote extra effort to them
• Supply key people with product samples
• Work through community influential
• Develop word-of-mouth referral channels to build business
• Provide compelling information that customers want to pass along.

Measuring the Effects of Word of Mouth

• Many marketers concentrate on the online effects of WOM given ease of tracking them through advertising, PR, and digital agencies.