Social Network and Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example

?The influence of social network media on consumer behaviour Introduction Today’s marketers are influencing consumers in a sophisticated manner. Thisis due to the fact that each company tries to stimulate needs or demands for there line of products due to fierce competition. In line with this, companies spend so much time and effort in understanding consumer behaviour because in doing so, they would be able to integrate their competitive strategies in order to stimulate needs for their offerings. This makes sense because consumers are said to respond to stimuli. Such response is said to be affected by consumers’ behavior. Thus, it is clear by this line of argument that consumers’ behaviours need to be substantially understood in order to successfully convey the message about the product. In this level of information, buyer behaviour is important consideration. According to Kotler et al (1999), buyer behaviour is in line with consumers’ ability to choose and consume. These consumers can be identified as individuals or households with the capacity to pay for something for personal consumption. Thus, in today’s marketing system, marketers are able to use different media to effectively convey the message about their products directly to the consumers. In today’s marketing activities, there are different messages imparted by the media for the prospective customers with regards to a specific line of offerings. This means that the media remain one of the most effective channels where information or messages about a certain line of products can substantially and effectively reach to prospective customers. Thus, it would make sense to essentially create information channeled through the media because in that way detailed information about an offering can reach to the consumers. Today, the existence of social networks brings forward the ability of marketers to integrate information on the different line of offerings directly to the consumers with and without the latter knowing so much about it in detail. In its general context, social network is consisting of individuals who are considered actors with sets of relations defined among them (Wasserman and Faust, 1994). These individuals may be friends or belong to a certain organisation with one common interests and dislikes. These individuals may be also looking for someone else who could be their ultimate partners in life in the future. These individuals may be those who have common and basic interest on particular subjects such as religion, technology, sexual relationships and others. Knowing that a social network is concerned about all these things, it is easy for marketers to create remarkable moves in order to design strategies that fit to the needs of target buyers. The existence of social network media seems to be increasing and even users of them are increasing in number. This only proves that connecting people from all over the world is such a good strategy that will link consumers together in one particular purpose in the first place. This is to know their buying behaviour in a universal context. In particular, this paper talks about the influence of social network media on consumer behavior. In detail, this would talk about the impact of social network media on consumers’ personality, attitude, culture, perception and more and how these in particular defined their buying behaviour. Characteristics affecting consumer behaviour According to Kotler et al. (1999), there are characteristics of buyers that can influence their buying behaviour and these include cultural, social, personal and psychological. Integrating these characteristics in the social network media would therefore make a sound move among marketers who always seem busy to study and influence buyers’ behaviours. This shows the importance to understand each of these characteristics in the context of social network media. This brings forward the ability to analyse up to what level are these concepts of consumer behaviour integrated in the social networks. Buyer’s social characteristic and social networks It seems the existence of social network media is encompassed by these different buyers’ characteristics that could influence their buying behaviour. In the first place, the social characteristic includes groups, family, and roles and status (Kotler et al., 1999). In a group for instance, there are those that could influence a person especially if family, friends or neighbours who could be influential are included in the circle. Definitely in the context of social network media, Facebook for instance is composed of different groups or people in all walks of life. It is easy to interact with old friends in this case who happened to have the same level of interest with that from a searching friend. There is a level of influence that can be possibly created if ever they would talk about their favorites or interests in life. This sounds that a social network such as Facebook, Twitter and Friendster are perfect venues to interact with friends or express thoughts and ideas on a certain issue or thing. In doing so, it is easy to influence someone to change lifestyle or view on certain issue, product or anything else. It is a fact that Facebook, Twitter, Friendster and other social networks are widely used channels for marketers to reach out their consumers. In fact, there are integrated marketing communications initiated through these social networks and their continuing existence just proves the fact that there is a good positive outcome for these activities among marketers and their organisations. This means exactly that people are being influenced in the social networks especially on their buying process. Those users of the social networks are substantially bombarded with different ideas and what would seem to matter to them are sets of information given by those influential groups, persons or friends. All of these are important elements that are undeniably found in the context of social networks. Due to their presence, it is important to understand that people are indeed being influenced by and in the social networks. Buyer’s cultural characteristic and social networks The cultural context of social networks is another important element that can be substantially viewed based on the general context of the theory of consumer behaviour. Cultural characteristic is an important element integrated in the social networks because in the first place, not everyone can understand each other as far as different nationalities are concerned. People come from different races and such only points out the fact that not everyone has entirely the same culture with others. Culture defines a person’s values, perceptions, wants and behaviours (Kotler et al., 1999; Boone and Kurtz, 2006; Feldman, 2003). Thus, integrating cultural element in the social network in the first place is a significant attempt to influence a person’s behaiour. Considering that social networks are widely used effective channels among marketers for their products, then there is a great concern of influencing buyers ‘ behaviours through the cultural context in the first place. Buyer’s personal and psychological characteristics and social networks Lifestyle, age, occupation, economic circumstances and personality and self-concept are important elements in a buyers’ personal characteristic (Kotler et al. 1999). It is clear that in social networks, these elements are present knowing that one may be able to view online profiles and it involves likes, dislikes, age, occupation and other personal–related information of the user. These are included because based on theoretical concept of buyer’s behaviour they are substantial element needed and marketers have given the chance to access important profiles that may be able to aid them in their goal to influence consumer’s behaviour. Since as stated earlier these social networks have been increasing in number, then there are ample opportunities for marketers to stimulate buyer’s behaviour and buying decision process. On the other hand, the theories of motivation by Freud, Maslow and the concepts of perception, learning, beliefs and attitudes are important elements in the buyer’s psychological make up (Kotler et al., 1999; Boone and Kurtz, 2006). These elements are in fact substantially included in the social networks. This can be manifested by the fact that these social networks are designed to develop motivation among users to go out from their shell and interact into the whole wide world. This brings them to a large area of possibility and opening their minds to new things they never encountered before. In doing so, parts of themselves are opened to new things or possibilities that could substantially influence their buying behaviour. After all, social networks would bring one to a wide area of possibility and the whole thing is made out of fun, entertainment and in the context of socialisation process. Conclusion Marketing activities have become sophisticated in its nature and they find their way to social networks. Everything seems become so easy for marketing activities to penetrate in the social networks. This is due to the fact that social networks are designed in the first place to include aspects of buyers’ behaviours. The wide understanding of buyer’s characteristics is widely considered in the social networks. Their manifestations are clear enough to distinguish because they can all be substantially found as important elements in the existence of social networks. In fact, social networks would not have become so effective and increased in number if buyers’ different characteristics are not given with great area of concern. Thus, social networks are modern marketing areas for marketers to be explored as far as stimulating the needs of consumers is concerned. References Boone, L. E., and Kurtz, D. L. (2006) Contemporary marketing. USA: South-Western. Feldman, R. S. (2003) Essentials of Understanding Psychology. Massachusetts: McGraw Hill. Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., Saunders, J., and Wong, V. (1999) Principles of Marketing. Milan: Prentice Hall. Wasserman, S. and Faust, K. (1994) Social Network Analysis: Methods and Applications. USA: Cambridge University Press. Read More