Summary of the Key Points
Social networks have begun to play a significant role in the lives of individuals. This aspect implies the need to use this technology in the marketing field, as it can provide many advantages. However, before starting to implement any measures, organizations need to conduct a thorough study of this area to avoid encountering problems. An article by Chen and Lin titled “Understanding the Effect of Social Media Marketing Activities: The Mediation of Social Identification, Perceived Value, and Satisfaction” provides valuable insight into social media marketing. This is because the authors study social identification, perceived value, and satisfaction.
The chosen scientific research was based on the study of the contribution of social media marketing activity. The authors emphasize that “there were few discussions of the benefits created by community members from the member perspective aimed at analyzing the connotations of social community value, as well as its influence on members” (Chen & Lin, 2019, p. 23). After conducting a study based on interviews with users of social networks, several important conclusions were highlighted in the article.
The first is that social media marketing strategies contribute to social identification and perceived value. This factor, in turn, was reflected in “satisfaction, continuity intention, participation intention, and purchase intention” (Chen & Lin, 2019, p. 29). The following conclusion is the need for a detailed and careful attitude to the content and timing of marketing activities. Moreover, they should ensure greater consumer involvement in creating policies to increase engagement and loyalty.
Relationship to Key Concepts
The article chosen for this work relates to various key concepts examined in this course and provides implications for marketing practitioners. First, he focused on such an essential component of any marketing strategy as consumers. Perreault et al. (2016), “To better understand what it takes to satisfy a customer, it is useful to take the customer’s point of view” (p. 20). Thus, as emphasized in this source and article, the individuals to whom the marketing strategy will be directed play a crucial role. To achieve the most tremendous success and productivity, companies should study society’s needs, desires, and needs. Social networks can be considered the most helpful tool for performing these actions, as they provide an opportunity to obtain the most reliable and authentic information directly from consumers.
Furthermore, based on the fundamental concepts of the course, the empirical work studied emphasizes that social networks have gained significant importance for society and have changed how individuals perceive and consume information. Chen and Lin (2019) emphasize that “in this age of social media, companies must consider how to control message content and publication timing and frequency to achieve marketing goals” (p. 29). The main application for marketing practitioners that can be deduced from this statement is the need for careful curation and monitoring of what the company wants to convey through its marketing strategy. In addition, it implies the examination of modern social networks to obtain information as to which language may be most appealing to customers and how it can be incorporated into the strategy.
Thus, the main concept of the course and the article is to pay attention to consumers as the main value for the company. It is highlighted that “firms that embrace the marketing concept seek ways to build a profitable long-term relationship with each customer” (Perreault et al., 2016, p. 22). Organizations should turn to building a connection with the community to achieve this kind of interaction when developing a marketing strategy for social networks. This will provide an opportunity to gain knowledge about why they chose this particular organization and its product, which will give awareness of other competing brands. This measure positively affects engagement and the level of loyalty of consumers and the brand itself.
Personal Reaction and Recommendations
The study of the article by Chen and Lin provided a deeper understanding of the role of social identification, perceived value, and satisfaction in social media marketing. The description of these aspects contributes to the formation of several effective recommendations. Hence, the first of them is paying attention to perceived value and how it affects the success of a marketing company. Social identification is reflected in the formation of brand-related behavior through interaction with the community.
Thus, managers need to study this aspect to gain complete information about possible changes in the company to meet the target audience. Another recommendation for the article may be “management of online brand strategies can help brand business performance and inspire community members to reject competing brands” (Chen and Lin, 2019, p. 29). This should happen through the marketing company’s messages and timings aimed at retaining the company’s customer base. In conclusion, the article under discussion provides valuable information that can be used to improve social media marketing.
References
Chen, S. C., & Lin, C. P. (2019). Understanding the effect of social media marketing activities: The mediation of social identification, perceived value, and satisfaction. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 140, 22-32. Web.
Perreault, W., Cannon, J., & McCarthy, E. J. (2016). Essentials of marketing (15th ed.). McGraw Hill.