Essay On Social Media Marketing Strategy

To advance the understanding of social media marketing strategy, we require a proper framework. We conceptualize social media marketing strategy as being combined with two dimensions: a social media dimension and a marketing strategy dimension. After reviewing the literature on two dimensions, we will present the framework of social media marketing strategy and explain each element briefly. But we do not attempt to distinguish strategies from different social media platforms and different context.

2.1 Social media

Social media is considered as a platform where people gather in communities and share information or sentiments (Fournier and Avery 2011; Habibi, Laroche, and Richard 2014). One often-cited definition is by Kaplan and Haenlein (2010),

Day et al. (1990) state that marketing strategy should centralize marketing activities and decisions that serve to the goal of a sustainable competitive advantage. Some researchers define marketing strategy by highlighting the resource allocation and coordination. For instance, Barney (1996) defines strategy as “the pattern of resource allocation that enables firms to maintain or improve their performance” (p. 26). Walker et al. (2006) delineate “the primary focus of marketing strategy is the effective allocation and coordination of marketing resources and activities to realize the firm’s objectives within a specific product-market” (p.

Along with the three levels, he also identifies three marketing dimensions— “marketing as culture, marketing as strategy and marketing as tactics” (Webster 1992, P10). According to Webster (1992), at the corporate level, the role of marketing strategy is to define the overall value proposition based on careful assessment of companies’ key competence and customer needs. It should answer the question of what will firms do and not do as their strategic objectives. Customer orientation is promoted when making decisions. At the business level, the major question of strategy is how to compete in the markets, it gives answers to the market segmentation, targeting and positioning which is based on much more careful and detailed assessment of customers, competitors, companies internal resource and capabilities in specific business segments. The strategic goal in this level is to deliver superior value to their customers when compared to their competitors (Webster 1992). At the functional/ operational level, the elements of marketing strategy are on the ground of marketing mix (4Ps) and customer relationship management. But here Webster (1992) points out that market is taking on a new form, an emphasize on long-term customer relationship should be the core of marketing