Strategies to Implement Social Media Marketing in Small Businesses

The lack of consumer engagement can have adverse effects on business outcomes. Small business managers (SBMs) and owners who fail to engage consumers are at a higher risk of failure. Rooted in the theory of diffusion of innovation theory, the purpose of this qualitative exploratory multiple case study was to explore strategies SBMs use to develop and effectively implement marketing strategies to improve consumers\u27 engagement. The participants comprised six business managers of six successful small businesses in Maryland who effectively used social media marketing strategies to engage consumers for at least 5 years. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and a review of the companies’ documents. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis, and three themes emerged: (a) content design and engineering, (b) platforms selection and implementation, and (c) leadership engagement and tools. A key recommendation is for SBMs to market content using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. The implications for positive social change include the potential for business leaders to promote business success and community growth, leading to better living standards by providing employment opportunities to people

One Good Tweet Deserves Another: Essays on Firm Response to Positive Word of Mouth through Social Media

abstract: In two thematically related chapters, I explore the benefits incurred as companies actively respond to consumers who share positive word of mouth in digital environments (eWOM). This research takes a multi-method approach by first addressing the psychological impact of company response on the sharing consumer, followed by an examination of real behavioral consequences in a social media setting. Across six studies in Chapter 1, I find support for a conceptual model indicating that consumers who receive a company response to their positive eWOM experience greater satisfaction compared to no response, leading to increased intentions to engage in future positive eWOM on behalf of the company, both through social media and online review websites. Furthermore, I find that consumer perceptions of response personalization lead to judgments of company effort and that these two elements mediate the effect of response on consumer satisfaction. In Chapter 2, using a dataset of firm responses to positive consumer feedback on Twitter (tweets) from 79 apparel retailers, I find that company responses to positive consumer tweets can generate consumer engagement behavior in the form of continued interaction. Company responses that use consumer-oriented language increase the likelihood of consumer interactivity. However, this effectiveness depends on whether the consumer's audience is the company or their broader network of followers. I also show that, in some conditions, companies achieve higher consumer engagement by personalizing responses with the consumer's name. Together, the findings from these two chapters point to the need for companies to strategically practice positive eWOM management, both to promote consumer engagement behaviors and to avoid the negative outcomes associated with unresponsiveness.Dissertation/ThesisDoctoral Dissertation Business Administration 201

The influence of social media advertising on consumer brand preferences and consumption: a case of advertisers and students' perspectives on energy drinks

Published ThesisIn spite of the growing literature on social media advertising, little is known about the influence of social media platforms on student preferences and consumption of energy drinks (ED). Moreover, scant academic research exists that examines how advertisers use social media platforms for advertising and communicating about brands consumed by students. This study examines how students navigate such platforms to make informed choices about energy drinks. Drawing on an interpretivist epistemology and qualitative research approach, interview guides for advertisers and students were used to establish the influence of social media advertising on consumer brand preferences. Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with students and four interviews were conducted with advertisers. Although students expressed some negative sentiments about Monster energy drinks, they had positive affirmations of Play energy drinks, which they perceived to boost their energy levels. Advertisers conceived social media advertising as an invaluable tool when seeking to understand how students feel about their products, their preferences and consumption of energy drinks. As such, the results demonstrated that Electronic-Word-of-Mouth (EWOM) via social media platforms (especially via Facebook) influenced student preferences for brands moderately. This study recommends several interventions to improve the growth of social media advertising in order to widen the consumption of energy drink brands amongst the youth. In view of students’ moderate use of social media for making informed choices and decisions about brands, advertisers are encouraged to proactively develop and nurture dynamic and persistent relationships with consumers such as students through fostering durable social media interactions. This study provides a crucial point of departure for investigating the motivations for the growing popularity of social media advertising, and for developing effective strategies for fostering lasting bonds between particular brands and consumers

5th International Conference on Advanced Research Methods and Analytics (CARMA 2023)

Research methods in economics and social sciences are evolving with the increasing availability of Internet and Big Data sources of information. As these sources, methods, and applications become more interdisciplinary, the 5th International Conference on Advanced Research Methods and Analytics (CARMA) is a forum for researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas and advances on how emerging research methods and sources are applied to different fields of social sciences as well as to discuss current and future challenges.Martínez Torres, MDR.; Toral Marín, S. (2023). 5th International Conference on Advanced Research Methods and Analytics (CARMA 2023). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/CARMA2023.2023.1700

An Investigation of Engagement in the Context of Employer Branding and Social Media

The purpose of the study is to examine how companies are applying employer branding in social media and how these activities affect potential employees’ engagement. Engagement on social media has been analyzed according to the cognitive, emotional and behavioral dimensions using a mixed method content analysis

Big Data and Organizational Impacts: A Study of Big Data Ventures

New information technology (IT) ventures are at the forefront of developing IT innovations. In spite of their importance in the advancement of IT and the unique risks of survival that distinguishes them from established firms, the organizational literature on IT has mostly overlooked new IT ventures. Specifically, Big Data industry is a context where new IT ventures actively change the landscape of IT innovations. However, less is known about the factors influencing the economic success of Big Data ventures (BDVs), as well as the established firms that invest in them. To shed light on these factors, three essays are designed and executed. The first essay investigates the value proposition of a BDV’s product/service as an important constituent of its business model and seeks to understand how it affects the capital raised by BDVs in their early stages of development. Then, the second essay is concerned with the role that the network embeddedness of a BDV plays in its success. Building on the notion of Socially-constructed innovations, this essay examines the suitable network structures that help BDVs succeed. Finally, the third essay focuses on a BDV’s strategy in management of its communication with the potential investors on Social media platforms. In this essay, we extend the previous literature that had highlighted the importance of the verbal content of communication on Social media platforms for a new venture’s success and in turn focus on the non-verbal aspects of communication in Social media. Building on the notion of symbolic actions to theorize about non-verbal communication, we focus on the sequence of message narrators in Social media and investigate the different tactics BDVs follow to raise capital

Consulting project: Descubriendo Juntxs

El sector de las capacitaciones es cada vez más valorado por las empresas y busca mejorar el desenvolvimiento de las personas, tanto en lo laboral como lo social o familiar. Sin embargo, la desigualdad es una barrera para ciertas personas al momento de poder recibir este servicio. En ese sentido, es que nace Descubriendo Juntxs, empresa fundada el año 2023 con un importante enfoque social: llevar las capacitaciones a gente en los sectores de más difícil acceso peruano, como puede ser el sector rural. Esta realidad es contrastada por la fundadora de la empresa, Saddit Suice Vilchez, la cual es originaria de la ciudad de Huancayo y ha presenciado la desigualdad que vive mucha gente al momento de acceder a capacitaciones o educación de calidad. Por ende, el foco y motivo de la empresa es buscar mejorar la vida de la gente que no tiene fácil acceso a este servicio, a través de capacitaciones y de manera gratuita. Esta labor social viene siendo financiada por la misma empresa a través de los servicios que brinda a sus clientes. No obstante, el problema identificado es que no existen clientes nuevos para la empresa, lo cual ha generado un bajo flujo de caja y una ausencia de movimiento laboral en Descubriendo Juntxs. En consecuencia, el proceso de consultoría se centró en proponer soluciones a corto y mediano plazo, basadas en un análisis cualitativo y cuantitativo, donde se recopiló información de los clientes anteriores, la cual sirvió para estudiarse y contrastarla con nuevas oportunidades encontradas por el equipo. Después de evaluar las alternativas de solución, se propuso una solución final, la cual contempla una estrategia de negocios que servirá para que Descubriendo Juntxs pueda generar nuevos ingresos y luego expanda su equipo a más personas, poniendo en marcha un plan de marketing, necesario para captar más clientes.The training sector is currently witnessing a heightened appreciation among companies, with a strong emphasis on enhancing individuals' performance across professional, social, and familial domains. Nevertheless, the pervasive issue of inequality acts as a significant impediment for certain individuals in accessing these services. It is in this context that Descubriendo Juntxs was established in 2023, underpinned by a profound social mission: to extend training opportunities to individuals residing in the most underserved regions of Peru, particularly in rural areas. The founder of the company, Saddit Vilchez, hailing from the city of Huancayo, brings a personal understanding of the inequalities many people face in their pursuit of quality training and education. Hence, the company's core purpose and driving force revolve around enhancing the lives of individuals who encounter formidable obstacles in accessing such services, all the while delivering this training free of charge. To sustain this noble social endeavor, the company leverages the revenues generated from the services it provides to its clients. However, a critical challenge has emerged in the form of stagnant client acquisition, resulting in reduced cash flow and a notable absence of labor movement within Descubriendo Juntxs. Consequently, the consulting process has been meticulously crafted to propose short and medium-term solutions. Rooted in both qualitative and quantitative analyses, this approach involved the aggregation of insights from prior clients, which were then meticulously scrutinized and aligned with fresh opportunities identified by the consulting team. Following a thorough evaluation of potential alternatives, a final solution has been outlined. This solution entails the formulation of a business strategy designed to enable Descubriendo Juntxs to secure additional income streams and subsequently expand its team, ushering in an era of growth through the implementation of an essential marketing plan aimed at attracting a broader clientele base

3rd International Conference on Advanced Research Methods and Analytics (CARMA 2020)

Research methods in economics and social sciences are evolving with the increasing availability of Internet and Big Data sources of information.As these sources, methods, and applications become more interdisciplinary, the 3rd International Conference on Advanced Research Methods and Analytics (CARMA) is an excellent forum for researchers and practitioners to exchange ideas and advances on how emerging research methods and sources are applied to different fields of social sciences as well as to discuss current and future challenges.Doménech I De Soria, J.; Vicente Cuervo, MR. (2020). 3rd International Conference on Advanced Research Methods and Analytics (CARMA 2020). Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/149510EDITORIA