Can Social Media be used as a Marketing Tool to Influence Consumer Buyer Behaviours in London?

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

Research Background1

Significance of the Research Study2

Statement of Purpose3

Rationale of the Study4

Scope of the Research4

State of the Problem5

Research Aim and Objectives5

Research Questions6

Structure of the Study6

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW7

Marketing9

Social Network Communities10

Characteristics of an Online Community13

Social Networking Websites15

Popular Social Media Networks16

Facebook16

LinkedIn18

MySpace19

Social Media Tools for Sharing20

Online Community and Social Media Marketing21

Consumer Behaviour in Social Networks22

CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY25

Research Philosophy25

Research Design and Approach25

Data Collection Method25

Secondary Method for Data Collection26

Primary Method for Data Collection26

Participants27

Reliability27

Hypotheses27

Validity28

Limitations29

Justification29

Critical Review for the Methods30

REFERENCES31

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Research Background

Almost all of us have grown up in the world that is completely overflowing with the mass media, i.e. billboards, magazines, television, films, advertising, videos, newspapers, music and the internet. Among all of these, advertising, as a sub-set for promotion mix (one of the four Ps in the marketing mix), has the most long-lasting impact on the mind of consumers as it has a broad exposure medium (Katke, 2007).

Marketing has been witnessing dramatic changes since past few years. Various technological innovations, from social mobility and social media networking to the richness of digital media and various other user interface, have continuously changed an d been transformed the ways in which consumers and firms interact and communicate with each other. There has been an enormous shift in the way people have started interacting and communicating with, and responding towards marketing. Many firms felt that with increasing technological innovations and integration of the Internet in daily lives of people, the behaviour of consumers and customers have also been changing towards how they want to communicate (Gretzel & Lee, 2008, 101). With the passage of time, marketing advices seem to be an out-dated form, and the overall face of marketing seems to have a different form.

The digital world of today is expanding into a widening two-way street on which the power balance between the consumer and the marketing fir has been consecutively taking a shift, change and it even sometime perennially morphing. As a consequence, marketers have now started focusing on repackaging and redesigning their messages in order to meet the changing demands of the revolutionizing communication technology. Social media is not just exclusively an American phenomenon, or it is not just a Western term / concept (Beer, 2009, 989). The increasing popularity and the emergence of social media have affected the entire world, and thereby, companies across the globe have started responding this concept.

The way in which marketers have been interacting with their consumers has also changed (Fifield & Gilligan, 2006, 45). Hence, the digital marketing has increasingly become one of the major point concerns for the businesses all across the globe. For attracting more and more consumers, there is a need for marketers to become highly adaptable and responsive. It has been realised that they can achieve success through coming up with real-time innovative ideas for associating with customers, integrating a personalised brand experience and also interactive websites and an enhanced customer ...