Definition of social media marketing and a holistic framework

© 2016 Winter AMA Conferences Las Vegas Strategic Social Media Marketing© 2016 Winter AMA Conferences Las Vegas Strategic Social Media Marketing

Elements of Strategic Social Media Marketing:A Holistic Framework

Reto FelixPhilipp A. Rauschnabel

Chris Hinsch

Felix, R.; Rauschnabel, P.A.; Hinsch, C. (2016): Elements of Strategic Social Media Marketing: A Holistic Framework. Journal of Business Research. forthcoming. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.05.001

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.05.001


© 2016 Winter AMA Conferences Las Vegas Strategic Social Media Marketing 2

Summary presentation as presented at the 2016 Winter AMA conference.


INTRODUCTION AND RESEARCH GAP1


Literature Streams on Social Media Marketing

• Increase of Consumers’ Power• Prior research in Marketing provides a good overview of

– The characteristics and challenges of social media (marketing)– How to communicate effectively in social media– How social media influences brands

• Prior research in related disciplines addresses topic such as– Organizational issues in social media– The role of social media guidelines and policies

1. INTRODUCTION AND RESEARCH GAP

Hennig-Thurau et al., 2010; Labrecque et al., 2013; Schultz & Peltier, 2013; Eyrich, Padman, & Sweetser, 2008, Linke & Zerfass, 2013


Strategic Social Media Marketing1. INTRODUCTION AND RESEARCH GAP


Research Gap and Intended Contribution

• Research Gap:– We do not know what strategic Social Media Marketing is– We do not know which other disciplines contribute to strategic Social Media

Marketing

• (Intended) Contribution:– Theory:

• First attempt to develop a framework for strategic issues in social media marketing.

• A better understanding of what strategic social media marketing is• Groundwork to study why some companies are more successful in social media

than others– Managerial: Provides and overview of factors that social media marketing

managers need to address

1. INTRODUCTION AND RESEARCH GAP


METHODOLOGY2.


Qualitative, Discovery-oriented Research Approach

• Methodology:– Qualitative, discovery-oriented approach– Two samples:

• Seven in-depth interviews with social media experts• N=43 qualitative online surveys with social media experts

– Data analysis (following Pratt, Rockmann, & Kaufmann, 2006; Miles & Huberman 1994; Harrison & Rouse, 2015)

• Interpretative approach. • Stage 1: first-order concepts uncovered via open coding across all interviews• Stage 2: axial coding to identify second-order themes (higher level of abstraction).• Stage 3: more frequent iterations between data and theory in order to probe the

patterns that materialized from the data.

2. METHODOLOGY


FINDINGS3.


Overview: Elements of Strategic Social Media Marketing

• Four continua/dimensions of strategic social media marketing

3. FINDINGS

Vision

Mission

Corporate Goals

Corporate Culture

Corporate Resources

Firm

Scope

Structure

CultureGovernance

communication collaborationlaissez

fairedictateddissolved centralized

permeable encapsulated Firm

Modernism

Conservatism

Explorer

Defender

Autocracy

AnarchyNetworks

Hierarchies


Scope: From Defenders to Explorers

Social Media Scope:• Is social media is used predominantly for communication with one

or very few stakeholders, or if it is used comprehensively (both externally and internally) as a genuine tool for collaboration?

3. FINDINGS

Firm Stakeholders

Explorers

• interested in an authentic social media collaboration based, reciprocal interactions

• Address many different stakeholders such as clients, employees, suppliers, and government agents.

Defenders

• use social media primarily as a one-way communication tool

• Objectives: entertain consumers, inform stakeholders


Example Quotes

Social Media Marketing Scope:

3. FINDINGS

“It is all about social. I do not say social media anymore, because this is too restricted [in terms of] media and messages, but I speak of social business.”

“If I had an unlimited budget … I would work towards a social enterprise. Social enterprise means that you are wide open to your customers. One of our clients [an airline from Asia] thinks and lives social media and integrates it into all their processes. Not only into external communication, but also into internal communication.”

Quotes


Culture: Conservatism vs. Modernism

Social Media Marketing Culture:• How much all employees, including the top management, believe in

social media.

3. FINDINGS

Firm Stakeholders

Modernism

• permeable, open, and flexible• Company sees a value in social media

Conservatism

• encapsulated, traditional, ‘mass-advertising-approach’ to social media

• Company does not see a value in social media


Example Quote

Social Media Marketing Culture:

3. FINDINGS

“That is of course the most important thing. Saying that as a first step I have to convince senior management…. I think it is important to understand what is going on, especially concerning senior management, and to attenuate rejection towards change”

Quotes


Example of a CEO-Blog

Social Media Marketing Culture

3. FINDINGS


Structure: Hierarchies vs. Networked

Social Media Marketing Structure:• addresses the organization and departmentalization of the

company’s social media assignment within the firm.

3. FINDINGS

Firm Stakeholders

Networked

• An organizational structure where all employees are responsible for social media.

• A dedicated social media director is no longer necessary.

Hierarchies

• Centralized• Hierarchical approach


Example Quote

Social Media Marketing Structure :

3. FINDINGS

“It is my strong opinion that the ownership of content and the maintenance of social media in general should be assigned to one department only. And in case someone wants to upload or update something, for example, human resources wants to run applications through Twitter, then they have to contact the social media department.”

“In the last step, the social media representative does not exist anymore, because social media has been incorporated into the DNA of the company.”

Quotes


Governance: Autocracy versus Anarchy

Social Media Marketing Governance:• how social media is governed within the firm.

3. FINDINGS

Firm Stakeholders

Anarchy

• laissez-faire mentality where no such rules exist

• departments/employees are free to communicate at will on social media platforms

• Guidelines become important

Autocracy

• control over social media communication is centralized and administered by a single department.


Example Quotes

Social Media Governance:

3. FINDINGS

“The company should have something like social media guidelines that determine certain basic principles and make non-compliant behavior punishable. If this is not defined, it becomes very difficult to deduce the consequences of misbehavior, because the employee can say that he did not know the consequences.”

Quotes


DISCUSSION4


A New Definition of Social Media Marketing

• This research suggests a new definition of social media marketing:

“Social media marketing is an interdisciplinary and cross-functional concept that uses social media (often in combination with other communications channels) to achieve organizational goals by creating value for stakeholders. On a strategic level, social media marketing covers an organization’s decisions about social media marketing scope (ranging from defenders to explorers), culture (ranging from conservatism to modernism), structure (ranging from hierarchies to networks), and governance (ranging from autocracy to anarchy).”

4. DISCUSSION


A New Definition of Social Media Marketing

• To fully understand social media marketing, one must– Incorporate theories and findings from other disciplines, such as HR,

governance, and organizational management.– Understand the role of various stakeholders, especially employees.

4. DISCUSSION


Limitations and Future Research

• Limitations and Future Research– Western/European focus– We identified the continua (dimensions) of strategic social media marketing.

• Next Steps:– Development of a Measurement Scale– Understanding the boundary conditions and ideal positions of strategic social

media marketing (e.g. firm characteristics)– Linking it to social media and/or financial performance

4. DISCUSSION


Thank you!

Felix, R.; Rauschnabel, P.A.; Hinsch, C. (2016): Elements of Strategic Social Media Marketing: A Holistic Framework. Journal of Business Research. forthcoming.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.05.001 www.philipprauschnabel.com



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