THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA AS A BUSINESS PROMOTION INSTRUMENT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Social media is considered as one of the most recent and significant E-marketing tools in the current time. Social media provides accessibility to customers with the purpose of knowing their interests and needs as well as affecting their purchasing decisions. Social media is defined as the websites that connect millions of users from different parts over the world who share same interests, point of view and hobbies. YouTube, Twitter and Facebook are the best examples on social media that is popular for a large proportion of consumers. So they are used for the exchange of ideas and reviews of a particular product, service or a certain brand to gather information and ideas formation as well as making the right purchasing decision. Therefore, social media are considered as one of the modern electronic marketing tools which are different from other means of traditional marketing, therefore marketing via social media nowadays is the broadest, fastest, cheapest and most effective marketing channel where the consumer can obtain information and features of interesting goods easily with the possibility of completing the purchasing & sale process without the buyer's need to go to goods and items place. Social media marketing has been defined as a form of internet marketing that utilizes social networking websites as a marketing tool.(www.whatis.techtarget.com) It is clearly obvious that in the recent years the number of internet users is increasing where studies indicate that 49% of Jordanian households own a personal computer, 57% of households have internet subscriptions, 78% have internet access via mobile broadband (Jordan Department of Statistics) who started to use social media sites to communicate with friends, exchange views and information. There is no doubt that social media sites are growing and developing increasingly in a rapidly changing world. Also, statistics indicate that number of Facebook users in the Arab countries during the year 2013 became (54.5) million users and increased to (81.3) million users by 2014 as well as the number of users in Jordan during 2014 were (3.2) million users (study by the Governance and Innovation Program in Mohammad Bin Rashid College for Government Management). Despite the tremendous development in social media websites and the increase of users number as well as using them as a marketing tool, still the economic feasibility of these social websites needs to be more studied and explored. The best way to define social media is to break it down. Media is an instrument on communication, like a newspaper or a radio, so social media would be a social instrument of communication .In Web 2.0 terms; this would be a website that doesn't just give you information, but interacts with you while giving you that information. This interaction can be as simple as asking for your comments or letting you vote on an article. Social Media sites are characterized by the inherent functionality that facilitates the sharing of information between users within a defined network. The nature of Social Media allows for the initiation of conversation by either party. The size of the network is primarily a reflection of the active participation of the audience, as consumer-generated media represents that vast majority of all content. For consumers the true value of a network is measured by the frequency of engagement of the participants. For marketers, endorsement by consumers in the form of friending /following /subscribing validates their efforts and activates a viral distribution of their brand across channels. (Walker, 2009) Social media as a term is often interchangeable with Web 2.0 and social software. (Dabbagh & kitsantas, 2011). In general terms, social media enable users to share information and collaborate with each other to create web content and utilize it. It refers to users’ activities, practices, and behaviors occurring through media via sharing information, knowledge, and opinions. These technologies are internet-based and they facilitate creativity, information sharing, and collaboration among users indeed, social media puts great emphasis on sharing, participating, and collaborating processes and activities. Social media, social networks and social communities provide a new form of collaboration and communication for users. Examples of social media websites are (Social Bookmarking. (Del.icio.us, Blinklist, Simpy)), Social News. (Digg, Propeller, Reddit), Social Networking. (Facebook, Hi5, Last.FM), Social Photo and Video Sharing. (YouTube, Flickr), Wikis. (Wikipedia, Wikia), and these websites are not the only social media websites. Any website that invites you to interact with the site and with other visitors falls into the definition of social media. (http://webtrends.about.com/ ).

1.2 Statement of research problem

Social Media is a big commitment, and something you have to engage with regularly to see the benefit.  different platforms have a different recommended frequency but they all have one thing in common regularity. So, knowing what to say all the time can be tricky. Having a basic Social Media strategy will help with this by setting out clear reasons why you’re using Social Media in the first place, what you’re hoping to achieve with it, and how you’re going to measure overall success will help you gain clarity on what it is you should be posting on a regular basis. However, with theses there are serious problem been faced by business owners using social media to promote their business and clients trying to purchase the product. These problems are as follows: Identifying the Right Platform, Understanding the Target Audience, Declining Organic Reach and Engagement Rates,

Increasing Ad Cost. All these will be discussed in the study.

1.3 Objectives of the study

The primary objective of the study is as follows:

1.     To find out the impact of social media on business promotion

2.     To find out the right social media tools to use in promoting business.

3.     To find out ways to improve business promotions on social media

1.4 Research questions

The following questions have been prepared for the study

1.     Do you think social media have impacted business promotion positively?

2.     What are the various social media instrument in promoting businesses?

3.     What are the ways to improve business promotion on social media?

1.5 Significance of the study

The significance of this study cannot be underestimated as:

l  This study will examine impact of  social media as a business promotion  instrument.

l  The findings of this research work will undoubtedly provide the much needed information to football club owners, fan clubs, individual  and academia.

1.6 Scope of the study

This study examines impact of social media as a  business promotion instrument.. hence, this study will be delimited to Tecno mobile company

1.7 Limitations of the study

This study was constrained by a number of factors which are as follows:

 just like any other research, ranging from unavailability of needed accurate materials on the topic under study, inability to get data

Financial constraint , was faced by  the researcher ,in getting relevant materials  and  in printing and collation of questionnaires

Time factor: time factor pose another constraint since having to shuttle between writing of the research and also engaging in other academic work making it uneasy for the researcher

1.8 Operational definition of terms

Impact: the action of one object coming forcibly into contact with another.

Social media: is a computer-based technology that facilitates the sharing of ideas, thoughts, and information through the building of virtual networks and communities

Business promotion:  business, promotion is any communication that attempts to influence people to buy products or services. Businesses generally promote their brand, products, and services by identifying a target audience and finding ways to bring their message to that audience.

Instrument: a tool or implement, especially one for precision work.

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