Internet And Electronic Marketing - Case Study Example

Table of Contents Table of Contents 1 1.1 Aim 2 1.2 Scope 2 2.0 Company Overview 2 2.1 Background 2 2.2 Products 3 2.3 Business Model on Facebook. 3 3.0 Investigation and Analysis of the Face Book Page 3 3.1 Resources 3 3.2 Activities 3 3.3 Friends 4 3.4 Consumer Generated Contents 4 4.0 Befriending the company on social networks 6 4.1 Consumer Trust and Loyalty 6 4.2 Marketing and Media Fragmentation 6 4.3Viral Marketing 7 4.4 Facebook and Customer Relation Management (CRM) 8 5.0 Advise For A Small Business Facebook Design. 8 5.1 Recommendation 1 9 5.2 Recommendation 2 9 5.3 Recommendation 3 9 6.0 Conclusion 9 7.0 Recommendation 10 9.0 Appendices 14 Appendix1- Screen shot of Facebook page 14 1.0 Introduction 1.1 Aim This study aims at looking into the role of the social media and the part it plays in marketing of goods and services. It has become an essential tool and arguably a convenient way to make an enterprise visible. The social media has become particularly popular with the younger generation and even the older generation has adapted to this technological advancement. Attempt will thus be made to understand the whole system and how interactive platforms like Facebook, have twisted marketing of products in the modern world. 1.2 Scope More than ever before consumers can trust the web for their shopping needs to an extent that they can comfortably order, bargaining and even wait for a product to be delivered right from the comfort of their homes or offices. Similarly, companies have found reliable companions on the web and this has changed the way they also interact with their customers. It has also become easy to interact by way of getting feedback (Hart & William, 2008) 2.0 Company Overview 2.1 Background Sony Corporation started its operations at around 1946 in Tokyo Japan. Over the years, the company has grown and spread with branches in several countries. There are four major components under Sony Corporation dealing with electronics, game, network services and medical business. According to the information on the Corporations Facebook page it has been on Face book since May 2010. It is however not clear when the company went online 2.2 Products Sony Corporation is primarily an electronics provider dealing with home appliances like television sets, radios refrigerators as well as industrial products .There has been a development of wide range of products and in recent times, the company has built data storage facilities like memory cards and flash disks. The company is also a manufacturer of computers and digital audio equipment and has moved to manufacture of mobile phones (Sony Corporation, 2012). 2.3 Business Model on Facebook. In the recent times like most other electronics manufacturers, has delved into the production of mobile phones, laptops and cameras and this is perhaps one of its most prominent products on social media market place today. Various pages has been created for a variety of products on Facebook as opposed to having all the information on the company’s website or Facebook page. 3.0 Investigation and Analysis of the Face Book Page 3.1 Resources The company capitalizes on the use of photos for marketing of its products on Facebook. One of the most conspicuous of its pages where photographs have been used to pass the intended massage is that of the Sony Xperia brand phone. Here, photos of the phone are superbly displayed accompanied by emphatic advertising messages .This phone can be termed as one of Sony’s newest brands whose features seem best suitable for the young people. 3.2 Activities In addition to the photos posted on these pages, there are videos that, according to the descriptions given, have been recorded using the mobile phones on display. 3.3 Friends About three million people have liked this page an indication that they follow the product; this can be translated as a good reception for the company by the consumers. Several comments have also been posted on this page further showing an interest by consumers for Sony product 3.4 Consumer Generated Contents Largely, the Sony Xperia Facebook page provides consumers with a platform where they can get a glimpse of the product’s features as well as post a comment. Besides, consumers are able to indicate whether they like the product. This can be used as a measure of popularity for the product and if the comments posted on the page are anything to go by, there is no doubt that the company has achieved a great deal in popularizing the phone to Facebook users (Frey, 2012). This therefore is an indication that the power of the social media cannot be looked down upon as far as advertising and marketing of products is concerned. The Facebook page for Sony U.S is well been outlined with an impressive photo of a joyful group of young people who seem to be in a celebratory mood. Facebook users who have subscribed to “like” the product. In these products, photos have been used to communicate the main message. The first notable characteristic that catches the consumer’s attention on visiting this page is an attractive display of photos that elicits an urge to get more details on the product. In this case, it may be said that the first impression that the company’s products create is generally positive and helps in awakening the customer’s desire for more information. Marketing of a product is all about provision of information and Sony has endeavored to do this more through the pictures where the photos shown have been displayed from all sides and in all sizes. Despite the limitations that maybe encountered in that the Facebook page may just provide limited information, the message has been adequately packaged to inform the consumer on some features of the product (Drost, 2011) The reaction posted on a Facebook wall does say a lot to both the consumer and the entrepreneur. One of the most commendable things about this medium is that there is almost instant feedback especially by the consumer once the product has been posted. For this reason, the company is able to know some of the concerns that customers may have in regard to the product. For instance, on the page of the Sony Xperia phone, concerned customers have asked various questions regarding the product some that are seeking assistance on some operations of the product. Under such circumstance, the company is able to know whether it is best positioned to set up an online help centre for the company or device another method to respond to the queries of the customer( Pennington,2007).Communication on Facebook from consumer to company is done through likes and comments posted. Largely, the number of people who have liked a product is translated to a positive reception of the product while the comments posted may help to highlight points of improvement for the product as well as commending what may be good about it. This way, the company is able to know whether this marketing strategy works for the product that is being marketed (Peacock, 2008). The company first creates an impression to the consumer before embarking on the real transaction deal. Facebook marketing can be seen as largely a matter of connections. There is therefore a high likelihood that the number of people who like or comment on a product will tell others about it. This then creates a large chain that knows about a certain product .Out of this population, there is a likelihood that there are a sizeable number of prospective consumers .As this system recycles , the message is passed across and this enlarges the circle of prospective buyers. For the company, this is a very strong marketing point and one that may translate to high volumes in sales 4.0 Befriending the company on social networks 4.1 Consumer Trust and Loyalty There are several benefits that arise from the posts made on social media by would- be consumers. Some of them are measurable in the sense that the company may evaluate the number of friends versus the volume of sales and draw conclusions in regard to the sales. Similarly, the company may be able to establish a person or group of people that are particularly loyal to its commodities. For instance, a person who consistently posts a comment or like for a product may be viewed as loyal if the message is geared towards encouraging the company or commending it in one way or the other. At the same time, the comments received on Facebook will reveal whether and how much consumers trust the institutions’ products. Social media is mostly about feedback back and forth. When a company receives several positive messages and the sales volumes correspond to some extent with the messages received, it may be viewed as a measure of trust and believe in the company and for the product (Cappel & Huang, 2007). 4.2 Marketing and Media Fragmentation One of the prominent challenges that faces social network marketing today is fragmentation. Basically media fragmentation refers to the existence of several platforms through which a message can be passed. This challenge has various facets one of them being the dilemma of the marketer to choose the medium that perfectly fits his product (Miller, 2009). However, it may also prove to be an advantage in that the more the number of platforms a marketer is able to place his product on, the higher the likelihood of reaching more people of different cluster. Media fragmentation helps the marketer to pass the word about the product faster than in a single medium situation. At the same time, people on these different fora are able to discuss a product and communicate to a company their thoughts from different angles. Generally, media fragmentation may be seen as a very important marketing tool for most products. A marketer relying on a variety of media faces a challenge in that in most cases, products are designed to suit a given market. It may not be easy for the marketer to know exactly what class of consumers use a given media unless through a survey. For instance, while Sony products may seem to have had a certain degree of success in reaching the Facebook users; it might not be the same for consumers on LinkedIn or Twitter. 4.3Viral Marketing Another aspect of social networking marketing that has gained popularity is viral marketing. Viral marketing primarily deals with creating a message that is attractive and touching enough to elicit debate on the given medium. This strategy has been applied with a certain level of success on some products (Thurow, 2008). Naturally, when people create debate on a subject it is healthy for a product since it helps to popularize the product whether the reception is positive or otherwise. Viral marketing is most important in passing the word from one person to the other and has several benefits. First, it helps to spread the word faster than most strategies (Dave et al. 2009). This is because messages can be sent to several friends who in turn resend them severally. The other advantage is that it creates almost an instant response from the media users. This means that the message is consumed as soon as it is placed on the social media and therefore the marketer can count on immediate response (Frey, 2012). Viral marketing may also be seen as a relatively cheaper way of marketing since the most important component is to create a message that sparkles debate and the word easily gets around. Conventional methods of marketing in most cases require comprehensive strategizing and advertising as well as a substantial amount of time. Social media networking and viral marketing in particular allow a company to market a number of products almost at the same time. As consumers look for the message on a particular product they might have heard of they are will be able to review and give opinion on other product that may be posted on the company’s page. Sony Corporation has been able to achieve this by placing several products on the one page that contains the main product that they wish to market (Robert, 1997) 4.4 Facebook and Customer Relation Management (CRM) In modern times, companies are increasingly facing the challenge of customer relation management mostly because consumer have been highly enlightened on their rights and privileges and therefore continue to demand more action from the sellers. Given that Facebook is a powerful tool of advertising and one that may reach a large number of people, there is need to be cautious on the message that is put forward. Although the message needs to be sensational and debatable, there is also need to ensure that it does not cause harm to the company and the product being marketed (Montgomery, 2001). One challenge presented by the social media and Facebook in particular is that it is difficult to reverse the damage. 5.0 Advise For A Small Business Facebook Design. Small businesses should seize the opportunities provided by the internet to assist them explore new markets as well as advance their products. This is likely to open up more opportunities. 5.1 Recommendation 1 It is important that small businesses provide as much details as possible about them once they decide to create a Facebook page (Hart & William, 2008). This will include a brief introduction of the company that will give such details as who they are and what they do. 5.2 Recommendation 2 The business will also need to include a photograph of its products if it deals in tangible products. This will allow the consumer to have an idea of the product even without necessarily seeing it in actual form (Pennington, 2007) 5.3 Recommendation 3 It is also important that the business provides contact details in case anyone may be interested. This will further assist to cultivate faith in the product that has been posted and the company that is marketing the product. 6.0 Conclusion Indisputably, the social media has changed the way business is done in almost all nations of the world. It is evident that the power of the social media cannot be ignored and any entrepreneur who seeks to reach a large number of people may prefer to use Facebook as a reliable medium. From this analysis, the social media has been portrayed as a reliable way of passing the message across and can achieve a great level of success. It can also be deduced that the packaging of the message for the social media has to be striking enough and one that people are not likely to forget easily. There is also need to be careful on the message that is put out on social media. A medium that communicates massively to a large population need to be approached with some sense of caution, it is often said that the media can either make or break an institution (Rayner, 2010). For this reason, effort must be made to ensure that the message that is put out to the public is meant to build the company. It must also be noted that the social media provides information to a particular section of the population. Bearing this in mind, the company must put efforts to ensure that the other part of the population that does not have access to services provided by the social media and the internet in general also access information about its product and keeps them updated. In other words, the mainstream media must also not be ignored as marketing medium (Croll, 2009). 7.0 Recommendation For a large organization, like Sony Inc, it would be important to set up a team that specifically deals with queries that may be raised through the social media. As we have established, marketing through the social media presents companies with a set of challenges. A team that is dedicated to dealing with these queries would help reduce the backlog of questions that may be raised online (Howard, 2005). Customers would feel more confident if their needs are responded to adequately and on good time, thus the need for a team that would carter for that. There is also need for companies not to entirely rely on the social media for their marketing needs. In other words, companies must as well invest in other methods of marketing and advertising to make sure that event, the population that doesn’t have internet knowledge and access are as well covered. There is also need to be trustworthy in giving information to consumers. Scrupulous dealers may want to take advantage of the lack of physical contact and disillusion the consumer. To distance from this genuine operators need to be truthful to the consumer by way of information provision and response to the clients’ needs (Charlesworth, 2009) 8.0 References. Cappel, J. & Huang, Z. (2007). A Usability Analysis of Company Website. Journal of Computer Information Systems, 4 (1), 341-366 Charlesworth, A.(2009). Internet Marketing: A Practical Approach. Maryland: Butterworth- Heinemann. Croll, A. (2009). Complete Web Monitoring. Beijing: O'Reilly. Dave, C., Fiona, E., Richard, M., & Kevin, J. (2009) Internet Marketing: Strategy, Implementation And Practice. New York: Prentice Hall. David, C. (2002).CRM Tools Improve Access, Usability. New York: Hampton Press Doug, L. (2001). The Great Enterprise Balancing Act: Extended Relationship Management. META Group publication. Drost, H. (2011) Viral Media. Strategies Technical Communication Journal, 49(3), 301-313 Frey, M., (2012). Social Media Fragmentation. Retrieved from http://moneyterms.co.uk/media-fragmentation Hart D, & William G (2008). Coming to Content Management: Inventing Infrastructure for Organizational Knowledge Work. New York: Prentice Hall Howard, T., (2005). Viral advertising spreads through marketing plans Journal . Retrieved from http://www.boomtownig.com/2012/internet-marketing/google-boo. Jaakko, S. (2007).Mobile customer relationship management: underlying issues and challenges. Business Process Management Journal 13 (6), 772-724. . Montgomery, A. (2001). Journal Applying Quantitative Marketing Techniques to the Internet Retrieved from http://mattsmarketingblog.com/general/google-book-deal/ Miller, M., (2009). Selling Online 2.0: Migrating from EBay to Amazon, Craigslist, and Your Own E-commerce Website. Indianapolis Peacock, M., (2008). Selling Online with Drupal E-Commerce: Walk through the Creation of an Online Store with Drupal's E-Commerce Module. Birmingham Pennington, L. (2007). Surviving the Design and Implementation of a Content-Management System. Journal of Business & Technical Communication, 4, 134-147 Thurow, S. (2008). Search Engine Visibility. Berkeley, CA: New Riders. Rayner, A (2010). Put the Emphasis on Local Internet Marketing and reach first page on Google. Retrieved from http://www.authormedia.com/category/platform-building-tips/ Robert, A., (1997) Electronic marketing and the consumer Journal. New York: Sage Publications Sony Corporation (2012). SONY make we believe. Retrieved from http://www.sony.com/index.php 9.0 Appendices Appendix1- Screen shot of Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/Sony) Read More