Abstract:

The evolution of the web and internet has created a wide range of opportunities for social networking platforms to grow. Today, multiple different platforms have emerged allowing users to communicate and connect with each other online. The social networking platforms of Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn, in particular play a crucial role in how individuals communicate in society. With the increasing developments of these social media platforms, individuals can now communicate with people with similar interests, creating an online community. The formation of these online communities on social media, provides benefits to businesses through allowing them to identify their target market effectively, while also allowing for greater consumer communication than ever before. This paper will focus on the relationship between businesses’ success with the implications of social media. This paper will discuss the relevant concepts and methods currently used on social media to assist businesses to create better connections with their consumers and improve their reputation and loyalty. 

Communities are constantly growing with the emergence new technological trends and the involvement of social media, changing the way people communicate and connect on the online world. These social media communities involve multiple people from around the world who come together based on similar interests and the sense of belonging. Social media refers to a group of individuals coming together to form an online community through the technological implications of Web 2.0, allowing for users to create content and communicate (Dinh & Lee, 2021). The formation of communities online, particularly on social media, has changed the way businesses view marketing in society, through the new approaches to targeting and reaching the desired target market (Dinh & Lee, 2021). Through the high reliance on implementing social media to reach the target audience, communication, and interactions with consumers on social networking sites such as Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter have become increasingly important (Dinh & Lee, 2021).  Social media is a continuously evolving online platform that has developed a growing range of social media branding and marketing strategies that are available to assist businesses and help them adapt to the online changing environment. Thus, the formation of social media communities has dramatically benefited businesses in creating more personalised content further having an influence over the consumer’s purchase decisions. In this paper, I will discuss the ways in which marketers can manipulate social media platforms to create more user generated content, through the use of influencers leading to brand loyalty and reputation, and how social media can have an influence on consumer attitudes and decision making.

 The role of influencers on social media for marketing purposes spikes businesses’ consumer market and trust. Social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter are becoming the main forum in which individuals communicate and maintain their social interactions with friends, family, and business. As social media platforms develop, influencers are becoming increasingly popular when it comes to brand marketing. People idolise influencers as trendy icons and the ideal role models for social reflections and materialism, which influences their purchase intentions and decisions (Dinh & Lee, 2021). Companies are having to focus almost entirely on their interactions and communication with their consumers to ensure success and so standards can be met (Dinh & Lee, 2021). Social media allows for this close engagement with consumers, which suggests that companies that manipulate the use of social media as a part of their marketing strategy allow for increased communication with consumers. Manipulating the use of social media influencers for businesses, can increase the communication with their ideal consumer, allowing for more specified promotions, advertisements, and products to be created (Dinh & Lee, 2021). This in turn, can assist with increasing the number of sales in the future, and the reputation of the business through the close contact with consumers. Individuals perceive influencer’s as being trustworthy and reliable due to their friendly and relatable nature on the internet, which can further increase the trust and interest towards a business’ (Dinh & Lee, 2021). This is demonstrated through the success of using influencers in social media marketing escalating, driving 80% of businesses to manipulate the use of social media (Dinh & Lee, 2021). The social media concept of FOMO refers to the psychological concept when individuals feel like they are missing out (Dinh & Lee, 2021). This concept can be applied when incorporating influencers, as individuals may feel like they are missing out or not keeping up to social standards if they don’t purchase what influencers promote. Influencers can also develop emotional connections with consumers through the way they choose to interact with their following, such as posting content that their following can relate to, which allows for them to gain a greater persuasive power over their fans (Sanchez-Fernandez, 2020). Thus, allows for businesses to establish stronger communication with their consumers, provide more thorough information, and create a stronger influence over their behavioural intentions (Sanchez-Fernandez, 2020). Therefore, influencers can have positive impact on individual’s behavioural purchase intentions, through personal connections and social reflections, which demonstrates that it is a successful tool for businesses to incorporate into their marketing strategy. 

Social media communities created through influencers drives businesses to pursue social media marketing, to increase the reputation and loyalty of their brand. The success of manipulating the use of social media into business’ marketing strategies has shifted 97% of businesses to use social media platforms as their main form of marketing (Ismail, 2017). This suggests the link between social media and marketing as being the most successful way for businesses to reach their target audience through the formation of communities. These communities that are created using influencers, allows consumers to gain further trust for the brand. The importance of building consumer-brand relationships is the main factor contributing to the success, reputation, and trust of a brand on social media (Ismail, 2017). Achieving brand loyalty in a social media setting is a difficult process as it requires implementing consumer relationship strategies as a large aspect of the marketing strategy. This process is not easily interpreted by a range of businesses, although once incorporated correctly particularly using influencers, businesses can create an emotional bond with their clients, further leading to increased brand loyalty and reputation. Bonds are created with consumers through the use of influencers, providing their personal opinions on the brand, upcoming sales, and discounts which are exclusive to their followers (Ismail, 2017). Thus, allows the consumer to be more thoroughly engaged with the brand through the special treatment, which may result in the consumer recommending the business to others as well as repeated purchases (Hassan & Sohail, 2020). This regular contact, favourable treatments, and thorough communication provided from brands influence a consumer’s perception of the business, further resulting in an increase in reputation and brand loyalty across social media communities.

Instagram online communities can assist with increasing the publicity of brands as it brings people with similar interests together to interact online, leading to the discovery of similar likes and brands, further allowing for businesses to reach their intended target market effectively. Publicity is a key goal for businesses as it enhances their sales and interest from consumers. Instagram is the world’s largest and most popular social networking platform and has made it possible for businesses to increase the amount of traction their brand receives through the wide range of services offered (Colliander & Marder, 2018). The main purposes that drives businesses to incorporate social media into their marketing strategy is for consumer research and feedback, publicity, networking, reputation, and consumer engagement (Ismail, 2017). Thus, demonstrates the broad range of services and opportunities that social media provides for businesses to better their overall brand. For example, Vogue is a high fashion brand that has manipulated the use of Instagram to market their products to their consumers, to further broaden their consumer market and publicity of products offered by the brand (Zhu & Chen, 2015). To achieve this, Vogue in 2014, had introduced a concept on Instagram, where if a consumer likes an image of one of their products, they will receive an email with links to the featured products (Zhu & Chen, 2015). This allows for Vogue to effectively target their intended market as well as increasing the size of their potential market, as thousands of people are sent emails from one post, further increasing the exposure and publicity of their brand, and providing customers with ease when shopping.

The concept of snapshot aesthetics is a leading trend in society, pushing brands to have a social approach rather than commercial (Colliander & Marder, 2018). Snapshot aesthetics are social images captured on a mobile phone, which appeals to consumers more than commercial images it is more personal and meaningful through the casual and informal images (Colliander & Marder, 2018). The worldwide brands ASOS, Alexander Wang and Topshop, undertake this approach which has led to an increase in following and consumers purchase decisions, through the publicity and personal connections created (Colliander & Marder, 2018). Snapshot aesthetic approach is an example of brands effectively using social media platforms like Instagram to communicate to consumers. Using this method increases the consumer’s perception of the overall brand and increases the likeliness of them recommending their peers. Overall, publicity and reputation can be achieved using Instagram and snapshot aesthetic trends, resulting in a positive influence over consumer purchase decisions.

Human need satisfaction is a leading concept used by businesses on social media to influence social media communities. Social media platforms have shifted the world of marketing through changing the communication from one way, to two way (Ismail, 2017). This high level of interaction and communication with a business’ consumer market through social media communities, allows for them to gain further trust and have a greater influence over consumer decision making. The human need satisfaction is a concept that is needed in social media marketing, to effectively target the specified social media community, through allowing businesses to produce content that is requested and catered for their direct target audience. Adhering to this concept will include tailoring content processed on social media to favour the consumer’s needs, resulting in overall client satisfaction (Zhu & Chen, 2015). Along with this, consumer decision making and purchase intentions are also influenced through the personal communication created from the brand as well as trust, and interactions (Hassan & Sohail, 2020). There are a range of factors that can influence a consumer’s purchase decision, although brand awareness and emotional attachment have shown to be the most effective ways to influence consumers (Hassan & Sohail, 2020). Marketers that manipulate emotional attachment and the human need satisfaction into their advertising, can engage further with their consumers, leading to a higher chance of influencing the consumers purchasing decisions, resulting in increased purchases and higher success for the production of future campaigns (Hassan & Sohail, 2020). Thus, highlights how the use of social media in marketing can reach consumers on a more emotion level as well as satisfy their needs, resulting in a greater influence over the consumer’s purchase decisions and brand awareness.

The increase in developments of social media platforms on the web have changed the world of marketing for many businesses. Social media has allowed for online communities to be formed which assists in connecting people together with similar interests. The formation of communities of social media platforms have further allowed businesses to provide more personalised content and advertisements, which results in the marketers having a greater influence on the consumer’s decision making. Influencers have played a considerable role in assisting businesses with reaching their target audience, as these individuals act as materialistic role models whom communities on social media look up to. Influencers have a persuasive power over their followers and fans, leading to them having a great influence over the consumer’s decisions. Along with this, influencers can also increase the publicity and loyalty of the brand’s consumers through the trustworthy content and emotional connection created with their followers. The use photographs on Instagram in the form of casual and social aesthetics, have also had an impact on social media communities’ attitudes and purchase decisions due to the relatable and emotional attachment created. The human need satisfaction concept has arisen from increased publicity of businesses using social media, further allowing marketers to target their intended audience through communities, and effectively have an impact on their decision making. Overall, this paper suggests and supports the beneficial link between social media communities and business’ success, although further studies should be examined to develop this assertion amongst all areas of business.

References:

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