Lorna Janes Facebook Profile, and Consumer-Generated Content of Social Media - Case Study Example

The Principal Question to Answer Is: How Do Social Media and Consumer- Generated Content Change the Way Marketers Operate? Executive Summary The use of internet in business has risen tremendously over the recent years. This is due to the communication strengths which are associated with it. Key among the major features in the internet which business has placed a lot of importance on is the social media. The report will focus on the use of Facebook by Lorna Jane, which is a fashion retailer. The report will give a brief overview of Facebook, which is currently the largest social network in the world. The report will also give a brief history of Lorna Jane. The report will discuss Lorna Jane’s use of Facebook under the following sub topics Friends- friends are the members which Lorna Jane has been able to attract in its Facebook page. The number can be known by the number of likes which a page has. Target Segment- this is the target audience of Lorna Jane’s Facebook page. Facilities- they are the several Facebook features which are at the disposal of Lorna Jane Resources- they are concerned with the content which Lorna Jane places on its Facebook page. Online sales- concerned with e-commerce trends on the Facebook page. Consumer generated content- this is Facebook’s content which is generated by the users. The report will also discuss about the reasons why Facebook consumers befriend companies. Towards the end, the report will give recommendations to a business organization which wants to start a Facebook page. Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 The Principal Question to Answer Is: How Do Social Media and Consumer- Generated Content Change the Way Marketers Operate? 3 1.0Introduction 3 2.0Facebook 3 3.0Overview of Lorna Jane 4 4.0Analysis 5 4.1Lorna Jane’s Facebook Profile (https://www.facebook.com/lornajane.active?fref=ts) 5 4.1.1 Friends 7 4.1.2 Target Segment 7 4.1.3 Facilities and Resources 8 4.1.4 Resources 8 4.1.5 Online sales 9 4.1.6 Consumer Generated Content 9 4.2 Why would Consumers befriend Lorna Jane on Facebook? 10 4.2.1 Consumer Trust 10 4.2.2 Market 11 4.2.3 Media Fragmentation 11 4.2.3 Connection through Social Media 11 4.3.3 How Lorna Jane Builds and Maintains Customer Relationship on Facebook 12 5.0Recommendations 13 6.0 Conclusion 13 References 15 Table of Figures Figure 1 Lorna Jane’s Profile (Facebook 2013) 6 The Principal Question to Answer Is: How Do Social Media and Consumer- Generated Content Change the Way Marketers Operate? 1.0 Introduction In the modern business world, the internet has become a very powerful communication and trading tool (Eid & Trueman 2002, p.54). The use of the internet in marketing and e-commerce are some of the areas which have benefited highly from the internet. Owing to its ability to reach out to a large number of people concurrently, the internet has over the recent years become a major tool which every business which concerned about its sustainability must integrate in its processes. With the development of the internet technologies, social media has developed emerged as a powerful networking tool (Geho & Dangelo 2012, p.61). Social media leads to the creation of virtual communities and societies; where people engage with each other virtually. On this point, it is important to acknowledge that social media has taken the world by a storm; with about 2 billion people in the world being active in at least one of the social media. Facebook is the biggest social media, with about a billion members and followed by Twitter, which has about half a billion members. The use of the social media has revolutionized the way organizations communicate market and relate with the market. Precisely put, the limit of use of a social media by an organization is limited to the organization’s ambitions and innovation. The following report will take a deep insight into the use of Facebook, which is the biggest social media by Lorna Jane, which is a major fashion retailer in the world. 2.0 Facebook Facebook is a social media network which allows people to interact over an internet platform (Facebook 2013, p.1). It leads to the creation of virtual relationships hence leading to virtual societies. Owing to its huge following Facebook has attracted a lot of business organizations; who are interested in reaching out to the numbers. Facebook has become a powerful social media marketing tool. Organizations are able to create pages where they engage the public in healthy communication leading to creation of god relationships between an organization and the market (Champoux, Durgee & McGlynn 2012, p.23). They are also able to message individual people or even chat with them, which leads to personalized communication. Ideally, every organization seeking to survive in the modern digital page has to have a strong web presence and specifically so in the social media. It has to attract friends (members) to its pages, hence being able to reach out to more people; which ultimately lead to a successful return on social media investment. This report will analyze how Lorna Jane has been able to use various Facebook features in its marketing and communication practices. 3.0 Overview of Lorna Jane Lorna Jane is a fashion retail store with its home country being located in Australia. The organisation retails fashion wear in Australia and other international markets where it has chain stores. Lorna Jane is a clothing label in itself. It an active wear label whose target market is women (Lorna Jane 2012a, p.1). Lorna Jane presents itself as not simply a clothing label, but a way of life. The company designs, manufactures and sells (retail) a wide range of women’s active wear. Its investment in innovation has enables it to come up with high technology fabrics which have in turn being manufactured in flashy active wear for women (Lorna Jane 2012b, p.1). . This has made Lorna Jane a major women active wear label in the world. The company was founded by Lorna Jane Clarkson in 1993.The company opened its first store in Brisbane. Key to the company’s objectives is to create women’s active wear which integrates design and style, hence being fashionable (Lorna Jane 2013c, p.1). Over the 20 years which the organisation has been in existence, it has embarked on design, manufacture and sale of its products in Australia and also expanded its operations around the world. The company has a strong web presence. It has a well designed website and its is active in the social media (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube). The report will focus on the company’s use of Facebook. 4.0 Analysis 4.1 Lorna Jane’s Facebook Profile (https://www.facebook.com/lornajane.active?fref=ts) A Facebook profile is a web interface which enables a Facebook user to interact with other users online. It gives the user his, her or its identity, stores private data for the user (message and profile information) and also public data (status updates, shared information and pictures). Lorna Jane’s Facebook profile can be viewed from its Facebook page (Facebook pages allows users to befriend more than 5000 people). The following section will analyze the main features in Lorna Jane’s profile. The following figure shows a screen clip of the profile.       Figure 1 Lorna Jane’s Profile (Facebook 2013) 4.1.1 Friends Friends are the Facebook users who are members of an organization’s Facebook page. The number of friends indicates the number of people which an organisation is able to reach out to directly in its Facebook content. A look at Lorna Jane’s profile shows that the company has 677,054 likes which translates to the same number of friends. Evaluating this number from a marketing and communication perspective, it means that Lorna Jane can be able to access 677,054 people on Facebook. Owing to the fact that the likes on pages are driven by the interest in the activities or products which are offered by a specific company, it is therefore encouraging to note that Lorna Jane has been able to reach out to 677,054 people who are interested in fashion. Generally, organizations should try to attract as much traffic and friends to their social media pages. This is done by posting great content on the pages, engaging the public in healthy conversations and attaching social media like buttons on its websites and other internet activities (Sashi 2012, p.253). The more the numbers that an organisation has, the more it successful it will be in its social media investments. 4.1.2 Target Segment The main aim of organization’s activity in social media is to reach out to the market and create a good relationship with it. Ideally, every organisation should aim at attracting the right people to its websites and social media fan pages (Sashi 2012, p.257). The right people should be drawn from the target market. This ensures that the investment on social media is worthwhile. As an example, an organisation like Lorna Jane which deals with fashion should engage with people who are interested in fashion in its Facebook page. This is because of the fact that these people are part of its target market. A look Lorna Jane’s profile page shows that the company aims at reaching out to the target market in its Facebook activities. The page contains numerous pictures which showcase the company’s active wear. There are also several models who are exhibiting the company’s products in their appropriate lines of use, for instance gym, swimming and general workout. From it, it can be concluded that the content in the company’s Facebook page has enabled it to reach out to the target market. 4.1.3 Facilities and Resources In order to interact with the public on the social media, an organisation should make use of several facilities offered by the social site to its advantage (Indrupati & Henari 2012, p.48). Facebook has several facilities which Lorna Jane has used to increase its efficiency in the social media. The company engages its friends and the general public on its wall where it updates interesting stuff which is related to fashion. The company also communicates to its friends over the messaging tool which enables it to give personalized communication to its Facebook page members. The page also has a vast use of the share tool. This enables Loran Jane to divert its Facebook ‘friends’ to other web stuff which is related to fashion. Lastly, the company also uses the application facility whereby it is able to engage its ‘friends’ in personalized communication. 4.1.4 Resources An organization should also make use of the appropriate resources to ensure that it is able to attract and a maintain numbers in its social media activities (Indrupati & Henari 2012, p.48). Looking at Lorna Jane’s Facebook page, one cannot fail to notice the high resolution pictures, the great looking models and the interesting and catchy information which is uploaded on its wall. These are the resources which Lorna Jane has used to its advantage in aim to ensure that its social media investment is successful. One point which should linger in the minds of social media advertisers is that they have to be able to make Facebook users visit their page. This is only possible if they have content which attracts them. 4.1.5 Online sales After a marketing campaign, an organisation expects to realize its returns on investment in sales. Generally, the expectations of an organisation are that marketing will lead to purchase, hence profits. This explains why many internet marketing campaigns are linked with e-commerce portals where customers can purchase products of their choice. This is the same case with Lorna Jane. On its Facebook page, the company displays the retail prices of several products which its offers in its stores (Facebook 2013, p.1). The page also gives information about discounts, sales and promotions which are in progress/ or which are coming soon. Associated with such content is a link which directs users where they can purchase their products of choice. On this point, it is important to note that business is slowly turning digital. Therefore, there is a need for an organisation to embrace e-commerce in a bid to ensure that it is able to reach out to online shoppers who are increasing by the day (Gordon & Turner 2007, p.356). 4.1.6 Consumer Generated Content Among the things which have made it cheaper to do online marketing is user generated content (Smart Services CRC 2012, p.1). In user generate content, organizations allow users to upload content on their Facebook pages or any other social media. In so doing, an organization is able to cut costs on developing online content. Moreover, user generated content is successful in attracting more people to an organization’s Facebook page. Users feel that they are part of the company and also that their opinions and ideas are valued by the company. This leads to the creation of a healthy relationship between the users and the company. Looking at Lorna Jane’s Facebook page, it is evident that the company does not encourage user generated content. Even though the company is doing great on social media, it can better if it encourages user generated content. Some of the ways in which it can do this is by asking its fans to upload videos and photographs of themselves using Lorna Jane’s products, rewarding the best videos and photos and use of pinterest (Smart Services CRC 2012, p.12). 4.2 Why would Consumers befriend Lorna Jane on Facebook? The following section will analyze several factors which make Facebook users befriend Loran Jane. 4.2.1 Consumer Trust Facebook users normally engage with people whom they can trust. Generally, many people accept Facebook friend request or like requests after an evaluation of the profile of the person or company which wants to befriend one. On this point, it is important to acknowledge that Facebook users normally relate with people whom they can trust. Lorna Jane has been able get so many likes on its Facebook page because the Facebook consumers trust it. Looking at the page, one notices the conversations which the company has engaged with its friends on their wall (Facebook 2013, p.1). Lorna Jane gives support services and customer care on its Facebook page. This has led to the creation of consumer trust which has in turn worked well for the company. On this point, it is important to note that organizations should make their activities on social media trustworthy; so as to compensate for the virtual and ambiguity of the communication and relationship between it and its ‘friends’ (Bruhn, Schonmueller & Schafer 2012, p.771). 4.2.2 Market Lorna Jane targets a specific market in its Facebook page; women. On the page, the company displays various active wears which it designs. Therefore, Loran Jane makes itself visible to any Facebook user who is interested in fashion. Therefore, the Facebook consumers befriend Lorna Jane on a market basis; the Facebook page has what women fashion lovers are looking for in active wear. On this point, it is important to point out that an organization should engage the market on social media with content which connects to a specific target market (Sashi 2012, p.257). This enables it to attract more following, in Facebook’s case friends. 4.2.3 Media Fragmentation Media fragmentation is a problem which occurs when an organization tries to reach a specific target audience using many types of media, and in the process dividing them with respect to the various media (Caarson 2012, p.1). On Lorna Jane’s case, it occurs when Loran Jane attempts to reach out to women fashion lovers using various social media. It can be noted that Lorna Jane is active in several types of social media’ Facebook, Twitter and YouTube amongst others. Since the company enjoys a substantial following in each of social media on which it is active in, there is a division of audience in between. However, it can be argued that this woks to Loran Jane’s advantage since there are some social media users who are active in one social network and not another. Therefore, the organization is able to reach out to all of them. 4.2.3 Connection through Social Media Consumers also befriend companies in order to connect with them. When a Facebook consume befriends Lorna Jane, he/she is guaranteed that he/she will be able to connect with the company; getting regular updates on new products, discounts and promotions which are underway in the market. Moreover, consumers like being associated with reputable companies. Therefore they always want to befriend them so as to have a sense of belonging to them (Baird & Parasnis 2011, p.31). On this point, it can be acknowledged that the social media provides a virtual connection to the consumers. However, virtual connections turn into physical when they purchase from Loran Jane’s stores or engage in activities organized by the company. Organizations should always ensure that they create a strong connection with the market on social media by engaging them in healthy communication, for instance messaging, chatting and answering questions promptly, hence being able to establish relationship with the market. 4.3.3 How Lorna Jane Builds and Maintains Customer Relationship on Facebook Lorna Jane builds customer relationship in Facebook by updating its ‘friends’ on new products, discounts and promotions in the market. This enables the customers to know what is happening in the Fashion industry and also enables them to take advantage of the offers which Lorna Jane may be offering. The notion that one will be updated on the trends in fashion and in Lorna Jane at large will ensure that a customer befriends it. The consequent regular upload of interesting and catchy content will ensure that the relationship is maintained. Lorna Jane also engages its customers in healthy and real-time conversations n its wall and messaging option (Facebook 2013, p.1). In these platforms, Lorna Jane answers questions from its customers and also takes their opinions on its products. This enables Loran Jane to build and maintain a good customer relationship. 5.0 Recommendations The following section gives recommendations to a business which is just about to start a Facebook Page. Such a business should do the following. Use all the Facebook Facilities well Facebook has several features; the wall, the messaging board, the chatting forum, the sharing option and reply options. All these features will enable it to engage with its target audience more, hence being able to build healthy relationships with them. Each of the functions will enable the business to communicate better with the audience just as it is the case with Lorna Jane. Build and Maintain good customer relationship A good customer relationship is a major factor which determines an organization’s success in the use of social media. In order to build a good relationship with the customers, the business organization will have to communicate effectively with the customers. It will have to respond to customers questions rapidly and effectively, hence being able to clear up any questions that pop up in the minds of the users. Update the Facebook page regularly using interfering and catchy Content In order to keep users interested in a Facebook page, the organization will have to update its contents regularly. Ideally, it should be a daily thing if not hourly. This ensures that the page always have something for its members which in turn keeps them attracted to it. Moreover, the content should be relevant to the target audience. 6.0 Conclusion In conclusion, it is evident that social media has changed how business organization’s operate. It can be acknowledged that social media has the ability to reach out to large numbers of people within a short time. The report has focused on Facebook and its use by Lorna Jane, a reputable fashion retailer. The report has analyzed the company’s Facebook page and how it has been able to use it to reach out to the masses. One of the things which have come out clearly is that an organization has to attract numbers to like its page; Lorna Jane has been able to attract over six hundred thousand members. An organization must also use all the facilities/ features provided by Facebook in order to ensure that it is able to communicate with the target audience effectively. There is also a need to ensure that the content which an organization uploads on its page is relevant to the target audience in addition to being interesting hence maintaining the interest of the audience. There is also a need to incorporate e-commerce, so as to take care of the online shoppers whose numbers are increasing by the day. Lastly, it has been seen that there is a need to encourage user generated content. It enables an organization to cut down on content generation costs in addition to attracting more likes on its page. Another important aspect in the use of Facebook and other social media platforms by organizations is the need to build and maintain good relationships with the target market. This enables an organization to achieve high returns on investments in the social media. Summing up, it can be acknowledged from the report that social media is a powerful marketing and communications tool which modern organization must consider in their internet activities. 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