International Marketing Strategies
Thesis Statement
In the process of using social media marketing as a tool of marketing, organisations found themselves in great trouble due to various challenges that the practice is prone to. These challenges, according to Kabani (2013) may be as a result of poor and ineffective marketing strategies that are developed by these organisations. Some of the challenges faced in the use of social marketing include inability to scale, security and control, consistency, reporting and centralisation of the organisational effort. It is therefore, important for organisations to come up with proper and effective strategies to curb the above challenges. For instance, in dealing with inability to scale issue, Anderson (2010) recommended that the organisation should allow people to contribute through the use of one voice or creating a system that ensures that each team member of the social media assign their content. Similarly, in the process of curbing the problem of security and control, the organisation should ensure that each social media holder has his or her social media account. In dealing with the issue of consistency, the organisation using social media a tool of marketing should ensure that the communicated information is checked before it is passed to customers and other members of the organization. According to Burton and Soboleva (2011), when dealing with the issue of reporting, organisations need to they tailor the organisational reporting based on the organisation strategies. Moreover, the best solution to centralisation is to ensure that all the information use the appropriate channel of communication that is controllable by the organisation as found by Brown (2012). Therefore, in order for an effective use of social media marketing to be realised, organisations must use the above solutions based on the problem faced.
Social Media Marketing
According to Burton and Soboleva (2011), social media marketing is defined as the process that is used by various organisations to gain website attention of their market target through the use of various social media. There are various types of social sites that organisations may choose to enhance their international marketing. The choice of media site depends on the purpose of the marketing and the target group for the marketing. For instance, organisations such as hotels may use facebook to conduct their marketing because the site allows sharing of photos, updates among other activities. Hence, in the process of choosing the best site for social marketing, organisations need to considered these sites and use the most appropriate that meets the requirement of the firm (Sashi, 2012). In the process of ensuring an effective social media marketing, Klein and Spiegel (2013) found that organisations need to use more than one social site for their marketing. This will allow them to reach and attract more customers globally. Additionally, organisations need to understand various benefits and weaknesses of social media marketing in order to focus on the most appropriate method and approach.
Strengths Social Media Marketing
Through the use of social media marketing, organisations have realised various importance that have triggered better development within these organisations. According to Viktor (2011), the use of social media market acts an access point to organisational customers. Despite their geographic locations, the use of media helps organisations to reach and attract clients from different locations. In support on the access of clients through the use of social media without the consideration of location is Gensler et al (2013) who also found that many of the customers today have access to internet and are able to do their search and inquiry online. Moreover, use of social media marketing is easy for customers as they are able to access organisations information online without having to move to the sites. Therefore, for organisations with the aim of attracting customers globally, the only appropriate approach is through the use of social media marketing.
Another important of social media marketing is that it helps organisations to enhance communication within their clients and workers as revealed by Anderson (2010). Through the use of social media marketing, organisation with effective websites and private social sites are able to put all the information of the firm that customers may need. Therefore, in the process of accessing this information, customers have the right to access this information and even comment on them. According to Michaelidou et al (2011), organisation sites are also important as they allow organisational customers to select and order their goods and services online. The approach of the use of social media marketing; therefore, saves customers time and money required for their movement and purchases.
The use f social media marketing enhances relationship and communication that exist between the organisation and their customers. In most cases, organisations are using media in communicating and gathering of information from their clients. This information from the clients is important to the organisation in various ways. For instance, it is through the information from customers that organisations know the reaction of their clients on their production and service delivery. Funk (2012) also found that the information gathered from customers is vital in decision making. Organisational leaders use this information in making both short-termed and long-termed, which are essential for organisation change and development. Moreover, through the use of social media marketing, organisations have easy time in allocating residential locations of their customers during product and service delivery. Customers’ allocation is made easy through the use of online charts and communication via the organisational site during delivery (Muller, 2012). Therefore, the use of social media marketing has made inquiries, shopping and communication easy as compared to the older days.
Weaknesses of Social Media Marketing
Despite having many benefits to both organisations and their clients, the use of social media marketing also has certain weaknesses that organisations need to consider in order to maintain their survival within the international market. For instance, the use of social media marketing requires proper management and control of the organisational social sites. Internet services are prone to hacking and unauthorised persons may take such advantages of hacking organisational sites and take control of the communication services. According to Zarrella (2009), most of the people involved in hacking of organisation sites are employed and paid by the organisation competitors. Therefore, organisations must come up with better strategies and plans in ensuring all the communication are done between the organisation and clients without any interference (Kabani, 2013).
Most of the clients use the current technology in communication. Based on the speed at which communication is realised currently, many customers require that they get instance feedback from their products and service providers. This makes social media marketing to demand personal engagement as compared to the traditional methods of marketing. As found by Brown (2012), organisations that use social media marketing need to dedicate their time by ensuring that communication from their clients is responded to promptly. Likewise, Anjum (2013) found that the use of social media marketing prone to various technological failures and mistakes. For instance, during server failure, organisations that depend on social media as their main hub of communication and interaction with their clients would find it difficult to respond to their customers demand.
Opportunities of Social Media Marketing
Apart from the threats and weaknesses, there also exist various opportunities that organisation that relay on social marketing as their method and approach of reaching customers enjoys (Meyerson, 2010). For instance, through the use of social media marketing, doing marketing research by organisations is made easy as it is easy for organisations to determine and understand the need of their clients. The use of social media marketing is also essential in knowing customers decision on the products and services offered. Funk (2012) also revealed that social media marketing enhances relationship between organisations and their customers. Another opportunity that organisations realise through the use of social media marketing is that they are able get and recruit various positions within the organisations through better connecting with their customers and other members of the organisation.
Moreover, the use of social media also gives organisations the opportunity to attract and penetrate into the community easily. For instance, through the use of social media marketing, organisations may decide to involve in various activities such as charity organisations within the selected communities (Burton & Soboleva, 2011). Through such initiatives, these organisations have upper hand in attracting and maintaining their customers. Moreover, such organisations may have easy time in introducing new products and services in the market easily.
Threats of Social Media Marketing
One of the threats of the practice of social media marketing is that the process is open making it easy for competitors to monitor other organisations. For instance, a competitor may act as a customer of the organisation and gather vital information that would later be used to bring down the organisation. Therefore, in order for organisations to ensure they enjoy and benefit from the use of social media marketing, they need to control access to organisational information. Meyerson (2010) suggested that only information that needs to be communicated should be communicated without leaking any other private information of the organisation. Another threat to social media marketing is the existence of ineffective rules and regulations and policies that control the use of media. This will avoid the leaking of internal information to the public as realised in many occasions currently as found by Bolton et al (2013).
Customers’ understanding of Social Media Marketing
Just like organisations have various views on the impacts of social media marketing, the process also has impact on end users of the produced goods and services. Through the introduction and use of social media marketing, Mills (2012) revealed that customers benefit in many ways. For instance, social media marketing help customers to get instance response from their products and services providers in order to make instant decision on their purchases. This is opposed to the older days when customers would not know products and services prices unless they visit their service providers personally. In the process of conducting online inquiries and purchases, customers are advantaged on time and money that they may have spent in visiting market places for purchases.
Another understanding of social media marketing by customers is that the practice is helpful because it provide customers with the opportunity to choose from the variety of products and services of their choices as they are able to get the require information such as prices of the products and services before they make decision on their purchases. According to Anderson (2010), most customers today ensure that they compare various products and services from different organisations before settling on the products and service to consume. Therefore, social media marketing help customers to choose products and services of their choices as long they are convinced by their products and service providers through the information provided. Consequently, Muller (2012) stressed that it is important for organisation that practice social media marketing to provide adequate information to their customers for their products to attract and maintain many customers.
On the slip side, Quagliariello (2010) warned that customers should be caution on the use of social media as it limits their chances of getting and using quality and affordable products. For instance, through the use of social media marketing, customers are unable to determine the quality of the products and services displayed and may order fake products and services where online purchasing is done. Although the process may be seen as cheap and quick in terms of price and time, it was have consequences on the products purchased. Therefore, clients are advised on to make purchases online after ensuring that products and services they go for are genuine, durable and user friendly. On the other hand, organisations are also advised to take advantage of their competitors who may involve in selling fake products and services by offering quality and affordable products and services to their customers through online purchases (Brown, 2012).
Social Media activity of Hilton Hotel
Every organisation has various ways and approaches in ensuring that the organisation objective of attracting and maintaining their customers globally is achieved. Just like any other organisations, Hilton Hotel through the management, is not taking any chances towards the use of social media in attracting and maintaining their customers. According to Quagliariello (2013) revealed that Hilton Hotel has various programs for social marketing that has helped it compete with other competitors as far as social media marketing is concerned. In order to ensure effective social media marketing, Hilton Hotel has recently completed expansion of worth $150 million so as to response to the increase demand of their products and services.
Although the process of having effective social media marketing has been one of the bigger challenges of Hilton Hotel, the organisation has faced these challenges with a lot of courage. For instance, Quagliariello (2013) revealed that the organisation as embarked on the use of different social sites such as facebook and twitter in marketing their products to their customers. It is also through the use of social media that the organisation has developed different private social sites that they use to communicate with their customers on services and products offered as found by Quagliariello (2013). Apart from having continuous communication with their clients online through the social sites used, Hilton Hotel has also based its marketing on sharing of pictures and videos of the hotels on the services and products that they offer.
Another social media marketing approach that Hilton Hotel is using in promoting social media marketing is through offering of promotions and other valuable attracting products and services to their customers. For instance, Quagliariello (2013) found that the organisation has come up with various promotion approaches such as the use of contest that online customers are encouraged to participate in and winners get travelling rewards among other rewards. Through such initiative, the organisation has managed to keep an effective communication with their customers. Moreover, through the use of social media such as twitter, the organisation has managed to provide their operational updates to their customers based on their own desire and customers request. Quagliariello (2013) echoed that any information that does not touch on the private information of the organisation as provided to information seekers immediately without any worry. Therefore, customers are encouraged by the management of Hilton Hotel to use these sites in getting daily updates and any necessary information required.
It is also through the use of social media marketing that Hilton Hotel as an organisation use to offer online services to their clients. For instance, through the use of social media marketing, the organisation has managed to provide various online services such as online booking and transaction. According to Muller (2012), Hilton Hotel is offering cheap and affordable online booking of hotels and restaurants globally. Therefore, customers from different parts of the world are able to book and pay for their hotels online without having to move to any Hilton Hotel premises. Hence, customers with the entire requirement needed to be granted these services only need to involve in online communication and transaction for the services to be given to them (Quagliariello, 2013). Additionally, apart from offering these online services to their clients, they also ensure that these services and products are offered at affordable prices as compared to their prices within their working premises.
The use of social media marketing has also been a challenge to Hilton Hotel due to various weaknesses and threats that the organisation faces through the use of social media as a tool of product and services marketing. For instance, the organisation has faced the challenge of competitor’s threats (Anderson, 2010). Some of the competitors do seek information from the organisation by pretending and acting as the organisation clients. Therefore, they try to seek private information of the organisation. However, due to proper management skills practised by the organisation, most of the attempts have failed as they are caught in the act. Another challenge faced by the organisation is the presence of hackers who tend to hack in order to get access to the organisation information (Quagliariello, 2013). Although this is a global issue among many organisations, the organisation has received various threats from their competitors who tend to take the advantage of social media marketing being prone to hacking.
In the process of ensuring that the organisation information is safe from unauthorised access, the organisation has Information Technology experts who are responsible for checking and programming of the organisation database. For instance, through their efforts, it is impossible for access of information regarding the organisation to be accessed without the permission of the organisation (Sashi, 2012). Moreover, although the organisation has also faced some of the disadvantages of the use social media marketing such as failure of the organisational server, it has also come up with better strategies that would ensure continuous communication with customers through the organisation social sites. This has helped the organisation to provide effective communication with their customers, which has enhances their saves within the competitive market.
Benefits of Social Media Marketing to Hilton Hotel
According to Muller (2012), one of the benefits of using social media marketing to Hilton Hotel is that it helps the organisation in reaching customers from various parts of the world. The world has become computerised and most of people are access to internet services. Therefore, in the process of using social sites to reach people, organisations like Hilton Hotel have higher chances of attracting and maintaining their customers. Apart from attracting and maintain their customers, another benefit of social media marketing to the hotel is that it helps in knowing the reactions of the organisational customers towards the organisational production and service delivery.
The information gathered from customers is essential in decision making. Therefore, the hotel has benefited from the communication as they have used the information gathered from their clients in making various decisions of the organisation. Apart from using the information gathered for decision making, another importance of using social media marketing through the use of social sites is that it helps the organisation in promoting communication and better relationship with their customers (Brown, 2012). The process has helped the organisation to maintain their current customers. Similarly, the use of social media marketing has also helped the organisation to attract other customers who may access the organisation sites and some of the communication between clients and organisation.
Moreover, by developing better trust among the organisation customers, Hilton Hotel have finds it easy to introduce new products and services to the market. Sashi (2012) found that the organisation is only required to propose such new ideas and development through online sites in order to gather information on response of customers on the proposed development. In case the results from the customers reaction is positive, then the organisation need to implement such development and plans. However, negative response need to be considered because it is through customers’ acceptance that an organisation can prosper. Therefore, in ensuring that customers trust are gain, organisations need to provide accurate and adequate information to their customers and give them enough time to respond to the issues affecting them. Moreover, organisations must ensure that they respond positively to customers’ complains without any hesitation in order to maintain organisational clients (Klein & Spiegel, 2013).
Limitation of Social Media within Hilton Hotel
In the use of social media marketing, organisations must come up with various strategies to control the use of the social media. For instance, Hilton Hotel as has limitation to the use of their social sites in terms of the information to be passed through the media. According to Quagliariello (2013), only relevant information is to be provided to through the organisation sites in order to prevent leaking of private information to the public. Therefore, competitors are unable to use this information in bringing down the organisation. Moreover, before any information is provided to customers, management of Hilton Hotel must ensure that the person seeking information is a customer but not a competitor. This is to prevent passing the organisation information to persons who may use the information to affect the normal operation of the organisation.
Additionally, another limitation of the organisation is realised through the boundaries that defines the operation of the organisation social site in doing social media marketing. Not all members of the organisation are responsible for the communication with clients’ through the media. However, the organisation has come up with a team of trusted people to facilitate communication between the organisation and the clients through the social sites. Through such initiatives, the organisation is in the position to control the communication and information that is passed and communicated to clients. Therefore, any information that may appear to be private will not be communicated to clients as they can be leaked to the public.
Conclusion
Use of social media marketing is of great importance to organisation through ensuring attraction and maintaining of customers. It is also through the use of social media marketing that organisations use in enhancing effective communication with their customers. Moreover, it is through the use of social media marketing that organisations are able to gather information from customers on the products and services that they offer. Therefore, each and every organisation needs to enforce the use of media marketing towards their product and service delivery. However, in the process of using social media marketing, organisations need to ensure that they provide relevant information to their customers in order to win their trust. Otherwise, the practice of social marketing is important towards organisational development.
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