SlideShare a Scribd company logo
1 of 19
Download to read offline
Executive Summary 
Understanding diversity and target markets in social media marketing allows businesses to 
personalize brand interactions. In order for businesses to increase consumer involvement with social 
media, companies should present target consumers with products or services that are better suited to 
personality-driven purchasing behaviors. During the holiday season, the increase in advertisements on 
social media increases the challenge to break through the noise: to appeal and remain engaged with 
potential consumers. Users on social media may connect with brands to look for special offers or deals 
(Garibian). Business-to-consumer experiences can be formed through social media because of direct 
communication channels. The holiday season is a time of increased adverti sing and marketing efforts 
put forth by businesses. The study explores opportunities to further consumer involvement with social 
media during the holiday season. The following research objectives will demonstrate ways to promote 
efficiency in social media marketing: 
- Identify the visibility of social media marketing during the holiday season; 
- Investigate consumers’ desired level of involvement through social media; 
- Compare involvement of consumers on social media to business activities; 
- And generate social media market strategies to further engage consumers in the holiday 
season. 
Social media marketing strategies do not effectively foster brand loyalty with consumers during 
the holiday season. Because Millennial consumers surpassed Baby Boomers and Generation X in 
population size, it is important that businesses have a deeper understanding of Millennials’ behavior in 
the marketplace, as well as how social media impacts their purchasing decisions (Petro). This is amplified 
during the holiday season, a critical time for revenue generation and brand building. Consumers’ 
willingness to be introduced new brands reflects the preferred activities on the social media platform. 
From the focus group, JUAN expressed, “When you like a Page on Facebook, it tells you similar pages. I 
like that feature because you can explore.” From the survey, people who endorsed Facebook above 
other social media platforms ranked their most preferred activities as follows: connecting with brands, 
sharing videos, researching products, and discovering special offers. Through this study, data like these 
suggest that marketers should consider social media marketing approaches to create brand interactions. 
With the most wonderful time of the year in mind, every day is a holiday. 
Thank you for your partnership throughout the research process, 
Nic Icaza nicaza@luc.edu 
Louis Jaime ljaime@luc.edu 
Iris Wen iwen@luc.edu 
Advisor: Stacy Neier sneier@luc.edu
Background 
Identify Objectives and Research Question 
With businesses becoming increasingly global, social media marketing has become an 
indispensable and cost efficient tool for product branding, obtaining a representational consumer 
profile, increasing brand exposure, and directly interacting with the target market. Current social media 
marketing strategies are not as effective as they might be to accurately target consumers, generate 
attention-grabbing advertisements, establish brand loyalty, differentiate their brand, and provide a 
consumer experience to increase leisure in the consumer’s life. In order to generate insights that 
improve current business-to-consumer social media marketing strategies, cultivate innovation, and 
exceed revenue goals, an opportunity was found to collect data with the intention to discover 
opportunities that further consumer involvement with social media during the holiday season. 
Framing the research question around the holiday season, the busiest shopping time of the year, 
would result in significant data findings for businesses. Additionally, by providing businesses with 
consumer profile insights, social media trends, and the likes and dislikes of business -to-consumer social 
media interactions, this research lends support to more effectively spend advertising budgets (Vranica). 
The increase in communication between family and friends during the holiday season could be of value 
to businesses; the approach of word-of-mouth marketing could be a greater asset when paired with 
positive outcomes like offering transparency, building a sphere of influence, creating brand exposure, 
and providing open conversations (Debono). 
In order to evoke valuable insights for business-to-consumer activity, the following research 
objectives were proposed: identify the visibility of social media marketing during the holiday season; 
investigate consumer’s desired level of involvement through social media; compare involvement of 
consumers on social media to business activities; and generate social media market strategies to further 
engage consumers in the holiday season. The research objectives were selected to reliably address the 
research question: What opportunities are there to further consumer involvement with social media 
during the holiday season? Results could potentially lend insights to social medi a users’ habits and 
desires, allow for companies to more efficiently target consumers during the holiday season, and create 
a more engaging experience - with lifetime value - between consumers and brands. The research 
objectives were structured with the intent to search for potential areas of development through the 
integration of consumer content and brand interactions. 
Literature Search 
Consumers exposed to a brand’s social media platform show greater brand loyalty: “Of 
consumers participating in social media, those exposed to a brand’s social media spend 20 percent more 
time online compared to those exposed to only social media relevant to a brand’s category” (Copeland). 
According to Aaker (1991), brand loyalty leads to reduced costs and new customers. Al so, brand loyalty 
has shown a distinctive resistance to its customers and competitors’ strategies. Finally, customer loyalty 
can be attributed to positive word-of-mouth (Dick). Active social networkers are twelve percent more 
likely to shop online than the average internet user (Nielsen). Greater search engine optimization can 
reflect companies’ interest in increasing their social media marketing. However, significant growth for 
marketers is still to be gained considering the top three advantages: increasing exposure, traffic, and
building new business partnerships (Stelzner). Further, women are more likely than men to be users of 
social media, and urban-living users show higher activity than rural internet users (Duggan). Duggan’s 
insight demonstrates potential areas of growth in a market segment that has a strong internet presence. 
What is unknown, however, is the impact such trends show on marketing interactions, specifically, 
timed during the holiday season. 
Social media platforms are saturated with photos, videos, personal blogs, and check-ins. As a 
result, marketers are assumed to gain more insight on the day-to-day activity of consumers. From a 
2012 survey administered by Domo and Column Five Media, 684,478 pieces of content are shared 
through Facebook, 100,000 Tweets sent per minute, and 48 hours of video content are uploaded to 
YouTube per minute (Tepper). During the holiday season, 54 percent of consumers used social media to 
look for sales and discounts, also, researched gift ideas. Further, sharing and commenting on stores and 
sales were ranked second and third to the usage of social media, respectively (“Usage of Social Media 
for Holiday Shopping in 2012”). Since communication is an encompassing part of all social media 
platforms, the usage of social media for gift ideas showed a surprising 41 percent of social media users 
shared product reviews with friends online (“Usage of Social Media for Holiday Shopping in 2012”). 
Data Collection and Design Process 
The design process began with the problem formulation in order to distinguish the need for 
applicable methods to involve social media into consumers’ involvement during the holiday season. The 
holiday season was specified to last from Black Friday through the first two weeks of January. An 
exploratory, qualitative research design included seeking secondary data from news articles, databases, 
and reports to supplement the primary data. A focus group moderator guide and in-depth interview 
guide were also constructed based on findings from the secondary data. Semi-structured observations 
were included to collect additional qualitative data. Lastly, descriptive research consisted of a 
quantitative, cross-sectional survey. The survey was constructed through Qualtrics. 
The sampling frame most representative of the target population was determined to be 
consumers who use social media during the holiday season. The sample frame focused on urban 
environment consumers. In particular, demographics varied in income, educational background, ethnic 
background, household compositions, and gender. The sample plan is a non-probability, convenience 
sample where participants are readily accessible and willing to contribute. 
Managerial Implications 
The value in social media is assessed through the organization’s ability to foster consumer 
relationships. Social media users connect through their habits and desires, and social media marketing 
can promote brand visibility and increase engagement. During the holiday season, social media 
consumption can provide brand awareness and convey brand identity. This includes brand innovations, 
lead generation, and business-to-consumer communication. Associations existing between consumer 
involvement with social media and consumption patterns appear through the research, thus allowing 
organizations to better define their target audience for social media activity during holiday season. This 
allows the most engaged consumers to contribute to brand innovation.
The research shares insights with companies to improve current social media platforms 
and customize new channels. Branding the company through social media deepens relationships 
between businesses and consumers. 
Solution 
Data Collection Instruments 
Qualtrics Survey 
The survey was designed to seek quantitative, primary data. Qualtrics, an online survey 
tool, allowing the survey to be distributed through Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and e -mail. 
Word-of-mouth was also used to encourage participation. The survey was administered the weekend 
before Thanksgiving 2013 through the second weekend of January 2014. Prior to administering the 
surveys, the questions were determined to cover only variables relevant to the research question and 
research objectives. Questions were written and assessed for phrasing and logic (Lloyd). In particular, 
common question errors, such as double barreled, non-exhaustive, and nonspecific questions were 
addressed to ensure transparency and produce “clean” data. The ‘test survey’ feature within Qualtrics 
was also used to verify that the questions were free of error before distribution. Thus, pre -testing was 
achieved to ensure a quality study. 
Qualtrics’ built-in interactive capabilities supported the respondents’ participation by decreasing 
survey fatigue and allowing for a “gamified” experience. Survey blocking was used to create sections 
corresponding to each of the four research objectives. Within the survey block, the funnel approach was 
implemented to begin with broad questions and drill down to more narrow questions. This reduced the 
likelihood of participants being intimidated by specific questions early into the questionnaire. To further 
reduce unwanted bailout, the survey was structured to incorporate a variety of question types, so 
participants did not encounter unnecessary repetition. Within the survey, twenty-six questions were 
asked including 19 nominal, 2 ordinal, 2 interval, and 2 ratio questions. The questionnaire strategically 
includes fewer ordinal and ratio type questions. Because ratio questions allow for free responses, the 
results provided may generate less accurate data since the responses are open ended. Ordinal questions 
also provide less accurate data because they require that survey respondents rank data, but fail to 
consider the degree to which one choice is preferred over another. Nominal and interval questions 
provide the cleanest, most reliable results. Additionally, nominal questions were emphasized the most 
for the sake of the areas of interest within the research. 
Focus Group Moderator Guide 
After the 2013 holiday season ended, six individuals were recruited for the focus group. Two 
female and four male informants interacted with a moderator. The focus group moderator guide 
opened a discussion regarding the research objectives amongst specific individuals who fit within the 
sampling frame, while provoking discussion of topics that were inadequately covered through the 
Qualtrics survey. Three main question types exist within the focus group moderator guide: engagement, 
exploration, and exit. Engagement questions were used to solicit general insights from participants while 
exploration questions investigated more specific consumer perceptions. The exit question asked for
additional input that informants may have and closes the discussion. The moderator guide borrowed not 
only the drill down approach from the survey, but the organization of questions within the 
corresponding research objectives. Each question was open-ended, which allowed the informants to 
respond according to their own volition. 
In-depth Interview Guide 
The in-depth interview guide was written to further collect insights on potential areas of interest 
relevant to the research objectives that were not addressed through the questionnaire or focus group. 
The in-depth interviews emphasized findings related to memorable advertising and promotions, brand 
awareness, and how the holiday season shapes social media activity. The overall goal of the IDIs was to 
promote greater flexibility in responses and allow data to emerge as informants responded. Individual 
respondents, therefore, were provided with an open environment to speak. The guide was also 
designed with interviewing across different platforms in mind. IDIs were carried out through Skype, over 
the phone, and in person. 
Semi- Structured Observations 
Semi-structured observational data for brands seen on social media was also collected. This data 
was collected periodically throughout the days of Black Friday (November 29, 2013), Cyber Monday 
(December 2, 2013), and Christmas Eve (December 24, 2013). The observational setting was any 
environment with internet accessibility and included, but was not limited to, social media platforms of 
Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram. The context of the observations were not l imited 
to what kind of interactions occurred on social media sites; what companies were doing to draw 
consumers’ attention and awareness; how consumers’ interact with each and with brands; and how 
consumers’ reach their social media on these holiday shopping days. Since the interactions happened on 
the web, the physical settings observed included how activities in-stores reflect online (possibly shown 
through a picture or video); what kind of products people were attracted to; who was going out to find 
the promotions in-store; what activity online would make someone think that the social media user is 
shopping online or in-stores; and what type of promotions were occurring in online interactions. 
In terms of social or interpersonal settings, data collection also addressed how brands and 
consumers interacted on multiple platforms; whether different platforms had different advertisements, 
possibly stimulating different responses; how people participated in these holiday shopping events; and 
how people made it visible to the social media networks they are active on. Lastly, observations were 
made from online environment. This included layouts on the web; color schemes; trends or hashtags; 
alternative branding approaches to fit the holiday season; and any online attributes that could have 
garnered attention from the consumer. The semi-structured observations will be made three times on 
the three dates proposed. 
Sampling and Data Collection 
Sampling Frame 
The sampling frame for the data collection includes families, couples, and individuals over the 
age of eighteen based near an urban environment. The target population included people who used 
social media during the holiday season. Because the survey was distributed through the researchers’
social media sites, email, and word-of-mouth, not all population elements had a fair chance to 
participate in the research. The primary data collection began Saturday, November 23, 2013, and 
concluded Sunday, January 19, 2014. The holiday season addressed in the research question is identified 
to run from the weekend prior to Thanksgiving through the second week of the new year. Given that 
time frame, the survey was distributed first and was closed Monday, January 18, 2014. The focus group 
and in-depth interviews were conducted Sunday January 19, 2014. The quality of the data collection is 
reflected in the non-biased questions and the goal of reducing participant bailout. 
Quality 
The data collection was based on willing participants who were active on social media. There 
was no incentive offered to participants, therefore reducing ulterior motives to participate. By 
distributing a survey, conducting a focus group, and administering in-depth interviews, the research 
group collected primary data through diverse methods which more accurately represented the larger 
population. By doing so, a checks and balance type correspondence was initiated in the data analysis: a 
funnel approach was used to generate questions. The survey was the initial source in generating 
questions; based on the data patterns observed in the study, the design of the focus group was 
constructed; furthermore, the in-depth interview guide questions were based on specifications made 
from gaps in the focus group. During the research process, secondary sources were used to support the 
data. Qualtrics data was migrated into SPSS, the raw data was coded, and the software was used to 
aggregate results. The coding of raw Qualtrics output data through office edits involved assigning 
numeric values to text responses and commanding SPSS to replace “pindots” or system-missing with 
complete data by recoding missing variables into new values. Through Qualtrics, survey protection was 
enabled by preventing ballot box stuffing. Separate sources of distribution were used to collect survey 
responses, providing a variety of participants and opening the survey to broader geographic inclusion. A 
focus group moderator guide was created to encourage questions and keep the participant s’ input in 
line with the research questions. An in-depth interview guide was produced for flexibility to reach 
greater insights on the consumer. From the survey, a majority of the questions were written as nominal 
and ordinal questions; these categorical question types produce more reliable data. 
Underrepresented Populations 
Underrepresented populations include consumers that do not use social media. The research 
design is also limited in that all social media platforms were not included in the survey design. 
Measuring social media platforms that overlap (for example, users connecting their Instagram to their 
Twitter and Facebook) also has limitations as some users may not consider themselves active on a 
certain social media site but still post through a separate platform. The demographic under the age of 
eighteen is also not represented in this study, although they are part of the greater population using 
social media. Consumers over the age of 35 were less represented in the study; therefore, this study can 
be generalized to ages 18 to 34. Finally, the survey also showed lack of high-income participants and 
participants in rural settings. Therefore, the findings are most conclusive for young urban adults earning 
a mid-range income. Such limitations, however, were expected due to the non-probability, convenience 
sample design which best suited the research question and objectives.
“Ethical Dilemmas” 
Ethical dilemmas faced in the research include the objectivity of the research, selective 
audience, and the rapid changes made in social media. The objectivity of the research is limited because 
the changing pace of social media and its discrepancies in the use of social media. The insights gained 
through the primary data can be subjective to the participant who may view him or herself as a user on 
social media, whereas a brand trying to gain awareness could view the user as a possible customer. The 
personal insights and usage of social media of the researchers may congest the study and misrepresent 
the possibilities outside the data. Because the majority of the data collected through the survey was 
through social media, the participants themselves may hold themselves bias to their usage and activity 
on social media. These biases could cause the individual a greater interest in the matter, thus self-motivation 
may affect the data and its possible skewness toward those who view social media positively. 
With the majority of social media users on the most visited platforms, Facebook and Twitter, the limited 
insights may be only appropriate to address commonly visited platforms (Brenner). 
Conclusion 
Identify the visibility of social media marketing during the holiday season 
With the average attention span decreasing from 12 seconds in 2000, to 8 seconds in 2013, 
traditional marketing approaches have diminished in effectiveness (Weinreich)(Nahai).These emerging 
societal changes, along with a difference in consumer identity from previous generations to Millennials, 
have created additional hurdles for social media marketing during the holiday season (Nahai). Over the 
last 8 years, social media usage among U.S. adults has increased by 800 percent (Olenski). Statistics 
suggest that in 2013, 72 percent of U.S. adults were using social media, a movement that increases the 
importance of successful with social media marketing for raising brand awareness, influencing the 
purchasing behavior of consumers, and building business-to-consumer relationships (Olenski). 
When determining if businesses are successfully targeting and conveying the values of their 
brand to consumers during the holiday season through social media, the data indicated that only 49.3 
percent of people have been led to make a gift purchase by social media. Of the 49.3 percent, 56 
percent identified as female, 24 percent identified as male and 20 percent prefered not to report their 
gender. Additionally, of these consumers, 53 percent said that they are between 18 to 34 years of age, 
comprising a representation of 28.7 percent of the United States population (United States of America). 
The questionnaire identifies the time periods that male and female consumers used social media 
throughout the holiday season. The crosstabulation of “What is your gend er?” and “During which time 
frame, throughout the holiday season, do you use social media the most?” exposed a preference from 
6:00 P.M. to 12:00 A.M. for both genders. For females, 68.1 percent of the sample size stated that it was 
the time period they used social media the most, while only 41.5 percent of the male sample size stated 
similarly. 
During the focus group, insightful qualitative data was generated by participants when asked, 
“What has been the most effective way for a brand to communicate with you through social media?” 
and, “Which platform was it on?” Of the six participants, Facebook and Pinterest were mentioned the 
most. Focus group participants stated that effective ways businesses have communicated with them in
the past were through direct marketing, discounts and deals, free products for liking a business profile, 
having been tagged in a promotional photo by a business, and through a user-friendly product 
presentation on the business’s profile. Contrary to the focus group, question 4 of the questionnaire, 
“Which of the following ways will you use social media during the holiday season?” generated findings 
that indicated 70.4 percent of people would not use social media during the holiday season to discover 
special offers, and 83.6 percent would not use social media to connect with brands. These quantitative 
and qualitative findings present valuable insights for businesses and suggests that by initiating contact 
with discounts or free products, social media users will perceive value in the brand. 
When consumers were asked “Please rank the following social media platforms in order of 
visitionation,” 48 percent of the sample size indicated Facebook as the most visited platform. Of the 48 
percent, 54.8 percent stated that using social media during the holidays has led them to make a gift 
purchase. From ranking platforms by order of visitation, survey participants showed that 85.7 percent of 
consumers who listed Pinterest as their second most visited platform, confirmed that using social media 
during the holidays led them to make a gift purchase. In connection, 73.7 percent of Instagram users 
who ranked the social media platform second, and 81.3 percent of users who ranked it third stated, that 
using social media during the holidays also led them to make a gift purchase. This suggests that visual 
social media channels have a powerful medium for influencing the purchasing behavior of consumer 
activity and a fostering environment for brand awareness during the holiday season. 
To generate qualitative data on how consumers are able to recall business-to-consumer 
activities, the focus group moderator asked participants to “Describe an ad seen on social media" and 
"What makes you remember this ad?” Although participants eventually shared insights for the 
aforementioned questions, observations of non-verbal cues suggested that participants encountered 
difficulty when asked to recall a social media advertisement; informants did not respond immediately, 
but paused to think about their response. Therefore, an additional question strategically probed to 
include holiday advertisements beyond social media. Even with the addition of the probe, Steven simply 
responded, “I can’t” when asked “Tell me about some advertisements you remember from the holiday 
season.” Blaine’s response was followed by laughter. This indicates that consumers are not spending 
enough time for the ads to make an impression on them. Consumer recall is no better at the holiday 
season than it is at any other time during the year. These qualitative findings, coupled with with 
statistical findings, indicate a four second decline in the average attention span suggesting social media 
marketing strategies fail to retain the attention of consumers (Weinreich). 
Investigate consumer’s desired level of involvement through social media 
Through asking questions rooted in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, specific motivators can be 
associated with varying consumer behaviors. Such questions probed for data regarding how consumers 
are driven to fulfill their needs. Survey respondents were asked to indicate how important “Excitement” 
and “Self-fulfillment,” among other motivators, are in their daily lives. Fifty-four percent of respondents 
expressed that self-fulfillment was either important or very important in their daily lives. A cross-tab 
extending from these questions shows that 43.3 percent of those who have the most followers on 
Facebook find self-fulfillment very important in their daily lives, but only 33 percent find excitement very 
important. Conversely, 16.7 percent of participants who indicate that they have the most followers on
Twitter than other social media sites find self-fulfillment very important, while 50 percent find 
excitement very important. This could reflect the nature of the specific platforms, with Facebook 
satisfying a role as a personal extension of the user and Twitter providing quick, low-involvement 
connectivity. “Excitement” may also be associated with the number of social media accounts a user 
engages on; 55.3 percent of these respondents indicated having 5 or more social networking profiles. 
Fifty-one percent of survey takers who used social media to generate gift ideas during the 
holidays used Facebook to participate in gift idea research. Similarly, 56.8 percent and 35.0 percent used 
Pinterest and Twitter, respectively, to complete gift idea research. Cross-tabs further revealed varying 
desired levels of social media involvement across different devices. Eighty-one percent of primary tablet 
users connected with family during the holidays, yet only 72.7 percent connected with friends. 
Conversely, smartphone and computer users were more likely to connect with friends via social media 
during the holidays than with family. Seventy-seven percent of smartphone users and 67.7 percent of 
computer users connected with family during the holidays via social media; and 84.2 percent of 
smartphone users and 83.9 percent of computer users connected with friends. Thirty -six percent who 
prefer to access social media through their tablets also connected with brands during the 2013 holiday 
season, compared to just 17.1 percent for smartphone users and 9.7 percent through computers. 
Primary data generated from Qualtrics also points to consumer desires to find savings through 
social media interactions. Thirty-six percent of respondents who used smartphones the most to connect 
with their profiles, also sought special offers during the holidays. Although survey data indicates that 58 
percent of consumers who used social media to generate gift ideas during the season did not research 
products, they did find special offers through social media. The data reflects the “dealer -chic” trend, in 
which the ubiquity of connected devices along with consumer price consciousness has led to an 
insurgence of thrifty consumers who seek to maximize their consumption, finding the best goods and 
services at the best prices (“12 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2012”). 
From a 2013 Statista report on social media marketing in the U.S., consumers were asked to 
respond to a series of questions relating to brand interactions and different applications of social media 
platforms. When asked which method was preferred for communicating with a business about its goods 
and services, only 14 percent preferred social media versus 56 percent through e-mail. Forty-one 
percent of respondents wish to receive information and advertisements for companies and retailers 
through Facebook, compared to 18 percent through Twitter. When responding to the uses of social 
media for holiday gift ideas, 41 percent said they used reviews, followed by 19 percent indicating they 
use wish-lists on sites like Amazon.com; only 11 percent discussed items on social media with friends, 
and 9 percent looked at the gift recipient’s page (Forte). 
The previously mentioned findings were further corroborated by in-depth interview responses. 
During an in-depth interview, Karen mentioned a lack of personal evangelism for different brands and 
products with which she is connected through social media. “Although I like quite a few brands on 
Facebook, I don’t usually tell my friends to ‘like’ these pages or to buy the products. I’m sure some do 
that on their own,” she said of online word-of-mouth influences. “Sometimes friends will ‘share’ a 
coupon or page that I can use or look at before buyi ng a product,” she also added, affirming the notion 
of “dealer-chic” consumers, and further acknowledging that ‘prosumers’ actively spread branded 
messages.
Compare involvement of consumers on social media to business activities 
In the past ten years, there has been a consistent growth in e-commerce; in 2013, retail e-commerce 
sales during the holiday months of November and December totalled $46.55 billion, an 
increase of over $4 billion dollars to the previous year (comScore). In the survey, participants between 
the ages of 26 to 34 show the most interest in using social media to create a holiday wish list. The 
growing social media users between the ages of 35 to 54 show interest in using social media to sharing 
holiday offers. More shoppers are hoping to join the e-commerce growth. Some incentives that are 
influential to a consumer’s decision to buy gifts online includes free shipping, discounted items 
compared to in-store prices, avoiding crowds, and ease to use website (“2011 US Holiday Shopping 
Survey”). Since half of all social media users under the age of 35 follow their friends’ business 
recommendations, business-to-consumer activities on social media can have a significant impact on 
word-of-mouth marketing practiced online (Baur). “There about 131 million U.S. Facebook users 
between the ages of 18-64,” which is a large audience that marketers can captivate (Griffith). 
The top three primary benefits of social media have been increased awareness to the 
organization, products, or services among target customers; increased traffic to website; and more 
favorable perceptions of our organization, products, or services (Harvard Business Review Analytic 
Services). While brands are learning how to engage on social media, 95.7 percent of participants 
between the ages of 18 and 25 use social to communicate with friends (this was the top reason to use 
social media within this age group). In the 35 to 54 age group, 41.7 percent use social media to discover 
special offers; this was a higher percent than other age groups. The relationship between the business 
activity and the consumer on social media can be connected through targeting customers through 
strategic marketing plans. Some businesses are hesitant to join the social media network, at the same 
time others have quickly made new marketing positions and moved spending to include social media 
marketing to their brand. Of 2,100 companies surveyed in Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, 
The New Conversation: Taking Social Media from Talk to Action, 58 percent of companies currently using 
social media likely engage on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube (Harvard Business Review Analytic 
Services). Of the companies that believe they are “getting there” with their social media strategy, 69 
percent admit to a learning curve but predict the use of social media will increase (Harvard Business 
Review Analytic Services). In the survey, participants were asked to write in the top three mobile 
applications used. The results for the most written in appl ications were all social media sites: Facebook, 
Instagram, and Twitter. The elicit response reflected a primacy effect which the survey takers used free-recall 
to fill-in his or her answers. The answers likely reflected the latest application used. The results of 
the survey show the interest in social media and its active use of users. 
During semi-structured observations in the 2013 holiday season, an exponential increase in 
Twitter activity was revealed, specifically on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Through observations 
made of brands that the researchers follow, companies are using diverse methods to engage customers. 
Through observations made on Twitter, #BlackFriday was trending beginning Thanksgiving Day. 
Hashtagging was the most common by Big Box retailers and category killers: for example, #BestBuy, 
#Walmart, and #Target. These retailers appeared multiple times and had a consistent appearance on the 
newsfeed on Facebook and Twitter on Black Friday. Many pictures showed long lines for the steep deals 
for the holiday shoppers. Brand marketers are aware of social media’s uses to drive brand awareness 
rather than direct sales (Cohen). The use of social media extends the reach of connecting with the target
audience, paid social media advertising is growing cause to the interest in marketing budgets 
(Rueter). #CyberMonday was linked to brands’ deals displayed on Facebook and Twitter. The responses 
on Twitter to tweets with deals attached with #CyberMonday. 
According to IBM, on Cyber Monday alone, sales grew by 20.6 percent from 2012; specifically, 
mobile sales lead 17 percent of total online sales: this has been increasing 55.4 percent annually (The 
Wall Street Journal). From the primary data collected from the Qualtrics survey, 49.3 percent have had 
social media lead to a gift purchase during the holiday season. Half the participants access social media 
through their smartphone, followed by 20.4 percent through a computer, and 7.2 percent through a 
tablet (22.4 percent did not respond). From insights brought by IBM, smartphones draw high online 
traffic in comparison to tablets which draw more sales (The Wall Street Journal). Primary data suggested 
that social media users who use a tablet to access their accounts have a higher purchasing rate than 
smartphone users. Businesses have increased interest in online shopping and their social media efforts. 
The 2013 holiday season showed a significant increase in online shopping, and the reflection in 
advertising spending was evident. U.S. online advertising spending jumped from $17.03 billion in 2012 
to $20.07 billion in 2013 as reported by Interactive Advertising Bureau (Rueter). The majority of tweets 
posted with a picture or video were observed were posted through a smartphone. Deals posted on 
company Twitters were also retweeted through a mobile device on the dates observed. Cyber Monday 
photos were comprised of screenshots from smartphones or tablets. Geographically the posts were 
from all over the United States with the greatest frequency of pictures coming 5th Avenue in New York 
City and Michigan Avenue in Chicago. 
Word Cloud: 
“Task: Please use your social media platforms and think of your role as a consumer through 
these sites. This role can be defined by behaviors and activities associated with how you engage 
on these platforms. Please pull out any brands, products, and activities used through the holiday 
season. The words should portray what you want or need from social media sites. This can 
include interactions with brands, desires for social media uses, and personalization of your 
online consumer identity.” 
Through the focus group activity, a word cloud was produced. The words generated were 
Anthropologie, Starbucks, “Like,” connection, entertainment, know-it-all, no-all-caps, customization, 
breaking-news, creative, coffee, on-sale, and uniqueness. The participants in the focus group came up 
with the words from the task mentioned above. 
Word Cloud
Generate social media market strategies to further engage consumers in the holiday season 
During the holiday season, 36.4 percent of survey respondents who are most active on 
Facebook indicated that Facebook led them to making a gift purchase. With 23 percent of Facebook 
users checking their account five or more times each day, it is no surprise Facebook has the highest 
engagement level and takes the most time and attention from the user (Honigman) (Adler). Similarly, 44 
percent of respondents who indicated that Pinterest was their top social media site during the holiday 
season were led to make a purchase from the site. While Pinterest is heavily used by women, Pinterest 
users spend the most on the social media platform over any other platform users’ time (Wallace). 
Pinterest users on average spend one hour and seventeen minutes on the site for each visit (Bennett). 
Pinterest allows virtual pinboards: favorite products, product suggestions, and sharing pins. Retailers can 
post new items instantly: it offers businesses a low-cost, practical approach to reach customers visually 
(Capitol Media Solutions). Sixty percent of those under the age of 30 prefer to share information using 
Facebook (Hart). In an overview by Capitol Media Solutions, “Facebook advertising can be targeted by 
age, interests, geographic region, and lots of other factors.” Facebook also allows advertisements to be
shared if a friend likes the product or service (Capitol Media Solutions). Social media allows messages to 
virally spread. The personalization of social media can offer potential customers recommendations, 
spread promotions, and share events to the target customer. In ways, search engine optimization (SEO) 
takes place in the suggestions on social media platforms like Facebook and Pinterest. SEOs can increase 
the chances of a brand being discovered or connected to the appropriate consumer (Capitol Media 
Solutions). 
Of the surveyed participants, 67.1 percent do not use social media to generate holiday gift ideas. 
78.9 percent also indicated that they do not research products during the holiday season through social 
media. While 62.5 percent of respondents acknowledged that they share photos through social media 
during the season, 84.9 percent don’t share videos. Instagram and Pinterest are a visual platform for 
social media. Instagram allows users to upload photos and videos. Pinterest’s high traffic-driving power 
has an astounding 10 million unique visitors each month (Constine). A consumer’s interest in multiple 
platforms may stem from their reason for engagement. Specifically to brands they follow, Pinterest 
users show interest in learning about products and services, keeping up with brand activities, and 
following for promotions (Garibian); Instagram users on the other hand follow brands to keep up with 
brand-related activities, learn more about products and services, and make purchases (Garibian). 
Twitter users keep up with brand activities and provide feedback, while Facebook users tend to follow 
brands participate in sweepstakes and promotions or complain about a product or service (Garibian). 
Possible implications from this finding could indicate that marketing communications be channeled 
through social media platforms where photo sharing is prevalent, as opposed to video sharing 
platforms. Despite the fact the photos can be shared on all social media channels, the special interest in 
a photo platform separates Pinterest and Instagram users to Twitter and Facebook users. However, 
platforms have shown engagement growth through multi-device accessibility (Adler). 
From the survey, 33.3 percent of survey respondents who selected Twitter as their favorite 
social media platform during the holidays are most active from 9:00 P.M. to 12:00 A.M. Advertising on 
Twitter can be done by targeting specific users or by paying to keep a tweet or trend at the top of the 
newsfeed (Capitol Media Solutions). On Twitter, only 23 percent of all tweets generate a reply (Wallace). 
The best time to tweet is said to be noon and 6 P.M. because it has been studied that the largest activity 
is at those times. Noon is said to be the best time to share things on Facebook (Zarrella). According to 
business-to-consumer engagement happens on both the weekday and the weekends on Twitter; 
however, on Facebook, marketers have 30 percent change to better engage on the weekend (Baer). 
“Facebook attracts roughly seven times the engagement that Twitter does, when looking at both 
smartphone and PC usage, in per-user terms” (Adler). Facebook is also the most preferred social media 
platform in the researcher’s survey: 42.5 percent of respondents of the survey who say Facebook is 
their most preferred social media platform during the season are most active from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 
P.M. and 30.1 percent use the site most from 9:00 P.M. to 12:00 A.M. 
A relevant trend for 2014 that facilitates further engaging consumers is presented by 
Trendwatching and is known as “crowdshaping.” Crowdshaping employs user generated data from 
within the digital space to shape and personalize experiences, both online and in-person, based on the 
aggregation of preferences and behaviors of individual consumers (“Crowd Shaped”). The focus group 
activity led to the generation of the words “personalization,” “customization,” and “uniqueness,” which 
all point to user awareness of brands and industries to produce more rich and engaging experiences,
shaped to the individual consumer. These consumers are not only aware of these capabilities, but also 
seek deeper implementation of them within the context of the holiday season. Karen revealed during 
the in-depth interview that during the holidays, she uses Pinterest most frequently to generate “unique” 
gift ideas and holiday activities. “I may also see what my friends’ ‘likes’ and ‘pins’ are to get inspiration 
for what they might want as a gift.” Crowdshaping is rooted in bridging multiple reference points to 
create this “unique” user experience; providing consumers with this enriched experience both on - and 
offline can function as means of deepening engagement through social media, particularly during the 
holiday season when consumption is at its peak. 
Conclusion to Analysis 
The primary data reflects consumer engagement trends on social media, how businesses 
improve brand identity, and increase awareness through social media. The holiday season leads in sales 
revenue which reflects businesses’ year-round effort to plan, promote, and establish a position in the 
marketplace. In the survey, visibility of social media marketing was present to the majority of 
participants; however, activity on social media did not reflect interactions made through the marketing 
efforts: 70.4 percent of people on social media, during the holiday season, are not looking to discover 
special offers. Nearly 84 percent are not attempting to connect with brands. Data findings suggest that 
visual social media channels are influential with purchasing behavior. Participants that selected 
Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram as the platform most frequently visited, stated that using social 
media during the holiday season led to a gift purchase. Consumers’ desired level of involvement was 
evident when switching between social media platforms. Over half of the consumers who used social 
media to generate gift ideas during the holiday season did not use social media to research products. 
Despite the fact, these participants did use social media to find special offers. 
By comparing personal importance of self-fulfillment and excitement, respondents showed how 
different platforms can generate varying types of involvement. The difference in Facebook, being 
accessible as a personal extension, and Twitter, being a low-involvement means of connectivity, is an 
example of how consumers want to be involved through the platforms they have the most followers. 
Consumers were found to have preferences when it came to receiving information and advertisements 
for companies and retailers: 41 percent preferred Facebook over the 18 percent that preferred Twitter. 
While some businesses are converting to social media marketing at a slower rate than others, those who 
are leaders must learn to effectively reach target customers. 
While the top three responses for mobile applications were all social media platforms 
(Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), it can be concluded that consumers actively check the accounts and 
recall due to the primacy effect. By focusing business efforts on specific consumers, brands can define 
their social media activity during the holiday months. To generate social media market strategies that 
further engage consumers during the holiday season, personalization, customization, and uniqueness 
were terms informants in the focus group used to depict the wants or needs desired from social media 
sites. This shows that consumers seek implementation of exclusiveness within the context of the holiday 
season. Companies associate social media platforms as a tool to increase consumer-to-business 
engagement.
Limitations and Sources of Error 
Sources of error that arose through the research methodology, specifically within the survey 
distribution, would include possible variations in the choice of digital surveys as an alternative to 
physical pen-and-paper surveys. Qualtrics allowed the questionnaire to be optimized for online formats, 
using skip logic, gamification, and interactive question types which translated poorly on pen-and-paper. 
On the other hand, online surveys are known for lower response rates than pen-and-paper surveys. 
Although the total reach of possible sample frame survey cases is unknown, a sample of 152 completed 
surveys is sufficient to detect and report patterns in the data set. 
Regarding focus group and in-depth interview recruitment, limitations ranged from time 
constraints, arranging a location that would accommodate all participants, and privacy concerns due to 
recorded responses. These factors caused unwillingness to participate in the study among potential 
candidates. However, identities of informants are protected through use of pseudonyms.
Works Cited 
"12 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2012." Trendwatching.com. Trendwatching.com, 2011. Web. 22 Jan. 
2014. 
2011 US Holiday Shopping Survey. Rep. Accenture, Oct. 2011. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. 
Aaker, David A. "Measuring Brand Equity Across Products and Markets." Rev. of Managing Brand Equity: 
Capitalizing on the Value of a Brand Name. California Management Review Spring 1996: 102-20. Print. 
Adler, Emily. "Social Media Engagement: The Surprising Facts About How Much Time People Spend On 
The Major Social Networks." Business Insider. Business Insider, 5 Jan. 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. 
Baer, Jay. "B2C Facebook Results Are 30% Above Average on Sundays." Convince and Convert Social 
Media Strategy and Content Marketing Strategy. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Baur, Louie. "5 Reasons That Social Media May Never Die." Techi Fresh Daily Technology News. N.p., 19 
Feb. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Bennett, Shea. "Users Spend More Time On Pinterest Than Twitter, LinkedIn And Google Combined 
[STATS]." Mediabistro. All Twitter, 18 Feb. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Brenner, Joanna. "Pew Internet: Social Networking." Pew Internet. Pew Research Center, 31 Dec. 2013. 
Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Capitol Media Solutions. Holiday Advertising for Brands. Rep. Capitol Media Solutions, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 
2014.
Cohen, Heidi. "7 Actionable Social Media Tactics To Rock Your Marketing Plans." Heidi Cohen. Heidi 
Cohen, 19 Mar. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
comScore. "U.S. Holiday Season Retail E-commerce Sales Figures 2005-2013." Statista. ComScore, Jan. 
2014. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. 
Constine, Josh. "Pinterest Hits 10 Million U.S. Monthly Uniques Faster Than Any Standalone Site Ever - 
comScore." TechCrunch. N.p., 7 Feb. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Copeland, Chris. "The Influenced: Social Media, Search and the Interplay of Consideration and 
Consumption." Scribd. GroupM Search, Oct. 2009. Web. 18 Jan. 2014. 
"Crowd Shaped." Trendwatching.com's Trend Briefing Covering "7 Consumer Trends To Run With In 
2014" Trendwatching.com, 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Debono, James. "13 Reasons Why Using Social Media for Business Is Non-Negotiable!"Socialmedia 
Today. Social Media Today LLC, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Jan. 2014. 
Dick, Alan S., and Kunal Basu. "Customer Loyalty: Toward an Integrated Conceptual Framework." Journal 
of the Academy of Marketing Science 22.2 (1994): 99-113. Print. 
Duggan, Maeve, and Joanna Brenner. The Demographics of Social Media Users- 2012. Rep. Pew 
Research Center, 14 Feb. 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. 
Forte, Gregory. Social Media Marketing in the U.S. Rep. Statista Dossier, Aug. 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. 
Garibian, Lenna. "Digital Influence: Blogs Beat Social Networks for Driving Purchases."MarketingProfs. 
N.p., 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Griffith, Terri L. "Tapping into Social-Media Smarts." The Wall Street Journal (2011): n. pag. 25 Apr. 2011. 
Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
Hart, Steve. "30 Billion Minutes on Social Media But Don't Pick My Personal Data!"Relevanza. N.p., 8 
Apr. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Harvard Business Review Analytic Services. The New Conversation: Taking Social Media from Talk to 
Action. Rep. no. 10815-PDF-ENG. SAS, 1 Aug. 2010. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. 
Honigman, Brian. "The Amazing Social Media Statistics 2012." The Huffington Post. Mediabistro, 3 Dec. 
2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Lloyd, Sam. "The 10 Commandments For Writing Outstanding Survey Questions." Web log post. 
Qualtrics. Qualtrics Labs, Inc., 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Nahai, Nathalie. "5 Things You Need To Know About Marketing To Gen Y." Web log post.Psychology 
Today. Sussex Directories, Inc., 13 May 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Nielsen. State of the Media: The Social Media Report. Rep. Statista, 2011. Web. 18 Jan. 2014. 
Olenski, Steve. "Social Media Usage Up 800% For U.S. Online Adults In Just 8 Years."Forbes. Forbes 
Magazine, 6 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. 
Petro, Greg. "Millennial Engagement And Loyalty -- Make Them Part Of The Process."Forbes. Forbes 
Magazine, 21 Mar. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Rueter, Thad. "U.S. Online Ad Spending Jumps 18% in the First Half of 2013." Internet Retailer. Internet 
Retailer, 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Slagen, Dan. "The Pros and Cons of Twitter Advertising for Small Business." Web log post.Hubspot: 
Inbound Hub. N.p., 16 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
Stelzner, Michael A. 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. Rep. Social Media Examiner, Apr. 
2010. Web. 18 Jan. 2014. 
Tepper, Allegra. "How Much Data Is Created Every Minute?" Mashable. Domo and Column Five Media, 
22 June 2012. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. 
The Wall Street Journal. U.S. Edition. Cyber Monday Goes Mobile With 55 Percent Sales Growth, Reports 
IBM. The Wall Street Journal. IBM Global Communications, 3 Dec. 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. 
United States of America. U.S. Department of Commerce. United States Census Bureau.United States 
Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau, 2012. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. 
"Usage of Social Media for Holiday Shopping in 2012." Statista. EMarketer, Nov. 2012. Web. 22 Jan. 
2014. 
Voleti, Sudhir, Paul Nelson, and Sanjog Misra. Brand Equity as a Revenue Multiplier. Rep. William E. 
Simon Graduate School of Business, 2009. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. 
Vranica, Suzanne. "Retailers Boost Spending on Holiday Advertising." The Wall Street Journal (2009): n. 
pag. 9 Nov. 2009. Web. 18 Jan. 2014. 
Wallace, David. "Social Stereotypes: You Are What You Share." Search Engine Journal. SEJ, 22 Nov. 2012. 
Web. 24 Jan. 2014. 
Weinreich, Harald, Hartmut Obendorf, Eelco Herder, and Matthais Mayer. "Attention Span Statistics." 
Statistic Brain RSS. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, The 
Associate Press, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. 
Zarrella, Dan. "The Science of Social Timing." The Science of Social Timing. Kissmetrics, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 
2014.

More Related Content

What's hot

Role of search and social media in purchase pathway
Role of search and social media in purchase pathwayRole of search and social media in purchase pathway
Role of search and social media in purchase pathwayMitya Voskresensky
 
Social Media Search, Consideration And Consumption
Social Media Search, Consideration And ConsumptionSocial Media Search, Consideration And Consumption
Social Media Search, Consideration And ConsumptionRalph Paglia
 
The power of like. (ComScore, Facebook 2011)
The power of like.  (ComScore, Facebook 2011)The power of like.  (ComScore, Facebook 2011)
The power of like. (ComScore, Facebook 2011)Retelur Marketing
 
Search and Social Media: Examining Behavior and Intent
Search and Social Media: Examining Behavior and IntentSearch and Social Media: Examining Behavior and Intent
Search and Social Media: Examining Behavior and IntentPath of the Blue Eye Project
 
Bowling Green Internet Marketing Class Lecture
Bowling Green Internet Marketing Class LectureBowling Green Internet Marketing Class Lecture
Bowling Green Internet Marketing Class LectureWebbed Marketing
 
Newmicrosoftpowerpointpresentation 140305094726-phpapp01
Newmicrosoftpowerpointpresentation 140305094726-phpapp01Newmicrosoftpowerpointpresentation 140305094726-phpapp01
Newmicrosoftpowerpointpresentation 140305094726-phpapp01Vardhan Jain
 
Value of a Facebook Fan 2013: Summary of Findings
Value of a Facebook Fan 2013: Summary of FindingsValue of a Facebook Fan 2013: Summary of Findings
Value of a Facebook Fan 2013: Summary of FindingsSyncapse
 
Why Search + Social = Success For Brands
Why Search + Social = Success For BrandsWhy Search + Social = Success For Brands
Why Search + Social = Success For BrandsKatie Kluba, MBA
 
Nielsen April 2010 efectividad marketing social media
Nielsen April 2010 efectividad marketing social mediaNielsen April 2010 efectividad marketing social media
Nielsen April 2010 efectividad marketing social mediaDaniel Perez Colomar
 
IBM Social Analytics: The Science behind Social Media Marketing
IBM Social Analytics: The  Science behind Social  Media MarketingIBM Social Analytics: The  Science behind Social  Media Marketing
IBM Social Analytics: The Science behind Social Media MarketingChristoph Goertz
 
Presentation for App Developers
Presentation for App DevelopersPresentation for App Developers
Presentation for App DevelopersMahesh Amarasiri
 
Embracing the Power of Social Media for Broadcast Business Insight
Embracing the Power of Social Media for Broadcast Business InsightEmbracing the Power of Social Media for Broadcast Business Insight
Embracing the Power of Social Media for Broadcast Business InsightCognizant
 
2008 Powered Roi Report Final
2008 Powered Roi Report Final2008 Powered Roi Report Final
2008 Powered Roi Report FinalRalph Paglia
 
Is social media the new direct marketing - 3 march 2011 -- slideshare
Is social media the new direct marketing  - 3 march 2011 -- slideshareIs social media the new direct marketing  - 3 march 2011 -- slideshare
Is social media the new direct marketing - 3 march 2011 -- slideshareRon Jacobs
 
An Integrated Marketing Blueprint to Grow Sales & ROI in 2014
An Integrated Marketing Blueprint to Grow Sales & ROI in 2014An Integrated Marketing Blueprint to Grow Sales & ROI in 2014
An Integrated Marketing Blueprint to Grow Sales & ROI in 2014greatdeformity428
 
Social media marketing (3)
Social media marketing (3)Social media marketing (3)
Social media marketing (3)reshna ullas
 

What's hot (17)

Role of search and social media in purchase pathway
Role of search and social media in purchase pathwayRole of search and social media in purchase pathway
Role of search and social media in purchase pathway
 
Social Media Search, Consideration And Consumption
Social Media Search, Consideration And ConsumptionSocial Media Search, Consideration And Consumption
Social Media Search, Consideration And Consumption
 
The power of like. (ComScore, Facebook 2011)
The power of like.  (ComScore, Facebook 2011)The power of like.  (ComScore, Facebook 2011)
The power of like. (ComScore, Facebook 2011)
 
Search and Social Media: Examining Behavior and Intent
Search and Social Media: Examining Behavior and IntentSearch and Social Media: Examining Behavior and Intent
Search and Social Media: Examining Behavior and Intent
 
Bowling Green Internet Marketing Class Lecture
Bowling Green Internet Marketing Class LectureBowling Green Internet Marketing Class Lecture
Bowling Green Internet Marketing Class Lecture
 
Newmicrosoftpowerpointpresentation 140305094726-phpapp01
Newmicrosoftpowerpointpresentation 140305094726-phpapp01Newmicrosoftpowerpointpresentation 140305094726-phpapp01
Newmicrosoftpowerpointpresentation 140305094726-phpapp01
 
Value of a Facebook Fan 2013: Summary of Findings
Value of a Facebook Fan 2013: Summary of FindingsValue of a Facebook Fan 2013: Summary of Findings
Value of a Facebook Fan 2013: Summary of Findings
 
Why Search + Social = Success For Brands
Why Search + Social = Success For BrandsWhy Search + Social = Success For Brands
Why Search + Social = Success For Brands
 
Nielsen April 2010 efectividad marketing social media
Nielsen April 2010 efectividad marketing social mediaNielsen April 2010 efectividad marketing social media
Nielsen April 2010 efectividad marketing social media
 
IBM Social Analytics: The Science behind Social Media Marketing
IBM Social Analytics: The  Science behind Social  Media MarketingIBM Social Analytics: The  Science behind Social  Media Marketing
IBM Social Analytics: The Science behind Social Media Marketing
 
Presentation for App Developers
Presentation for App DevelopersPresentation for App Developers
Presentation for App Developers
 
Embracing the Power of Social Media for Broadcast Business Insight
Embracing the Power of Social Media for Broadcast Business InsightEmbracing the Power of Social Media for Broadcast Business Insight
Embracing the Power of Social Media for Broadcast Business Insight
 
Alterians
AlteriansAlterians
Alterians
 
2008 Powered Roi Report Final
2008 Powered Roi Report Final2008 Powered Roi Report Final
2008 Powered Roi Report Final
 
Is social media the new direct marketing - 3 march 2011 -- slideshare
Is social media the new direct marketing  - 3 march 2011 -- slideshareIs social media the new direct marketing  - 3 march 2011 -- slideshare
Is social media the new direct marketing - 3 march 2011 -- slideshare
 
An Integrated Marketing Blueprint to Grow Sales & ROI in 2014
An Integrated Marketing Blueprint to Grow Sales & ROI in 2014An Integrated Marketing Blueprint to Grow Sales & ROI in 2014
An Integrated Marketing Blueprint to Grow Sales & ROI in 2014
 
Social media marketing (3)
Social media marketing (3)Social media marketing (3)
Social media marketing (3)
 

Similar to GfK NextGeneration- Social Media Marketing During the Holiday Season

A Review Of Literature On Social Media Marketing Strategies
A Review Of Literature On Social Media Marketing StrategiesA Review Of Literature On Social Media Marketing Strategies
A Review Of Literature On Social Media Marketing StrategiesVernette Whiteside
 
How to converge Media: 3 Steps to Bring Together Paid, Owned & Earned
How to converge Media: 3 Steps to Bring Together Paid, Owned & EarnedHow to converge Media: 3 Steps to Bring Together Paid, Owned & Earned
How to converge Media: 3 Steps to Bring Together Paid, Owned & EarnedAndrea Berberich
 
Role of social media in pr
Role of social media in prRole of social media in pr
Role of social media in prAnkush Bajaj
 
The Transformation of Social Media into Search Engines.pptx
The Transformation of Social Media into Search Engines.pptxThe Transformation of Social Media into Search Engines.pptx
The Transformation of Social Media into Search Engines.pptxKarenBrenner3
 
Social Activation (Tech Trends 2014)
Social Activation (Tech Trends 2014)Social Activation (Tech Trends 2014)
Social Activation (Tech Trends 2014)Celina Burnett
 
Content Marketing Gets Social skyword
Content Marketing Gets Social   skywordContent Marketing Gets Social   skyword
Content Marketing Gets Social skywordEdwin Warfield
 
EffectivenessofSocialmediamarketing.docx
EffectivenessofSocialmediamarketing.docxEffectivenessofSocialmediamarketing.docx
EffectivenessofSocialmediamarketing.docxbala krishna
 
AMITY SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION DISSERTATION IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING O...
AMITY SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION DISSERTATION IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING O...AMITY SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION DISSERTATION IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING O...
AMITY SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION DISSERTATION IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING O...Jennifer Strong
 
Creating a One to One Dialogue Through Social Interaction
Creating a One to One Dialogue Through Social InteractionCreating a One to One Dialogue Through Social Interaction
Creating a One to One Dialogue Through Social InteractionC.Y Wong
 
Social media for advertisement
Social media for advertisementSocial media for advertisement
Social media for advertisementKandarp Prajapati
 
Journal fever 5 wendell
Journal fever 5 wendellJournal fever 5 wendell
Journal fever 5 wendellWendell Huang
 
The definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketo
The definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketoThe definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketo
The definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketoTara Boras
 
The definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketo
The definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketoThe definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketo
The definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketoYING LUI ALAN SIU
 
Accenture Social Media PoV - 55m conversations in 55 days
Accenture Social Media PoV - 55m conversations in 55 days Accenture Social Media PoV - 55m conversations in 55 days
Accenture Social Media PoV - 55m conversations in 55 days Mac Karlekar
 
Social media marketing
Social media  marketingSocial media  marketing
Social media marketingniraj joshi
 
social media marketinf
social media marketinfsocial media marketinf
social media marketinfSrideviHV
 
Social Media Marketing Benefits.docx
Social Media Marketing Benefits.docxSocial Media Marketing Benefits.docx
Social Media Marketing Benefits.docxsweetAnaya
 
Marketo - The Definitive Guide to Social Media Marketing
Marketo - The Definitive Guide to Social Media MarketingMarketo - The Definitive Guide to Social Media Marketing
Marketo - The Definitive Guide to Social Media MarketingAmbachtelijke Marketing
 
Social Media Marketing Paper (2)
Social Media Marketing Paper (2)Social Media Marketing Paper (2)
Social Media Marketing Paper (2)guest55b505d
 

Similar to GfK NextGeneration- Social Media Marketing During the Holiday Season (20)

A Review Of Literature On Social Media Marketing Strategies
A Review Of Literature On Social Media Marketing StrategiesA Review Of Literature On Social Media Marketing Strategies
A Review Of Literature On Social Media Marketing Strategies
 
How to converge Media: 3 Steps to Bring Together Paid, Owned & Earned
How to converge Media: 3 Steps to Bring Together Paid, Owned & EarnedHow to converge Media: 3 Steps to Bring Together Paid, Owned & Earned
How to converge Media: 3 Steps to Bring Together Paid, Owned & Earned
 
Role of social media in pr
Role of social media in prRole of social media in pr
Role of social media in pr
 
The Transformation of Social Media into Search Engines.pptx
The Transformation of Social Media into Search Engines.pptxThe Transformation of Social Media into Search Engines.pptx
The Transformation of Social Media into Search Engines.pptx
 
Social Activation (Tech Trends 2014)
Social Activation (Tech Trends 2014)Social Activation (Tech Trends 2014)
Social Activation (Tech Trends 2014)
 
Content Marketing Gets Social skyword
Content Marketing Gets Social   skywordContent Marketing Gets Social   skyword
Content Marketing Gets Social skyword
 
EffectivenessofSocialmediamarketing.docx
EffectivenessofSocialmediamarketing.docxEffectivenessofSocialmediamarketing.docx
EffectivenessofSocialmediamarketing.docx
 
AMITY SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION DISSERTATION IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING O...
AMITY SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION DISSERTATION IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING O...AMITY SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION DISSERTATION IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING O...
AMITY SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION DISSERTATION IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING O...
 
Creating a One to One Dialogue Through Social Interaction
Creating a One to One Dialogue Through Social InteractionCreating a One to One Dialogue Through Social Interaction
Creating a One to One Dialogue Through Social Interaction
 
Social media for advertisement
Social media for advertisementSocial media for advertisement
Social media for advertisement
 
Journal fever 5 wendell
Journal fever 5 wendellJournal fever 5 wendell
Journal fever 5 wendell
 
The definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketo
The definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketoThe definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketo
The definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketo
 
The definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketo
The definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketoThe definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketo
The definitive-guide-to-social-media-marketing-marketo
 
Accenture Social Media PoV - 55m conversations in 55 days
Accenture Social Media PoV - 55m conversations in 55 days Accenture Social Media PoV - 55m conversations in 55 days
Accenture Social Media PoV - 55m conversations in 55 days
 
Social media marketing
Social media  marketingSocial media  marketing
Social media marketing
 
Marketing 2.0
Marketing 2.0Marketing 2.0
Marketing 2.0
 
social media marketinf
social media marketinfsocial media marketinf
social media marketinf
 
Social Media Marketing Benefits.docx
Social Media Marketing Benefits.docxSocial Media Marketing Benefits.docx
Social Media Marketing Benefits.docx
 
Marketo - The Definitive Guide to Social Media Marketing
Marketo - The Definitive Guide to Social Media MarketingMarketo - The Definitive Guide to Social Media Marketing
Marketo - The Definitive Guide to Social Media Marketing
 
Social Media Marketing Paper (2)
Social Media Marketing Paper (2)Social Media Marketing Paper (2)
Social Media Marketing Paper (2)
 

Recently uploaded

Digital Marketing Analytics: Driving Hotel Success (2016 May report)
Digital Marketing Analytics: Driving Hotel Success (2016 May report)Digital Marketing Analytics: Driving Hotel Success (2016 May report)
Digital Marketing Analytics: Driving Hotel Success (2016 May report)yaeyukimoto
 
Friends of Search '24 - Scaling SEO_ Lessons for All Types of Sites.pptx
Friends of Search '24 - Scaling SEO_ Lessons for All Types of Sites.pptxFriends of Search '24 - Scaling SEO_ Lessons for All Types of Sites.pptx
Friends of Search '24 - Scaling SEO_ Lessons for All Types of Sites.pptxGregory Edwards
 
Podvertise.fm - Founder.University - Pitch Deck 2024
Podvertise.fm - Founder.University - Pitch Deck 2024Podvertise.fm - Founder.University - Pitch Deck 2024
Podvertise.fm - Founder.University - Pitch Deck 2024Nedko Nedkov
 
Dhanuka Agritech Limited - Sales and Marketing Intern
Dhanuka Agritech Limited - Sales and Marketing InternDhanuka Agritech Limited - Sales and Marketing Intern
Dhanuka Agritech Limited - Sales and Marketing Internrisabhpandeyconnect
 
Product Demo: HubSpot's Coolest AI Tools for B2B Tech Companies
Product Demo: HubSpot's Coolest AI Tools for B2B Tech CompaniesProduct Demo: HubSpot's Coolest AI Tools for B2B Tech Companies
Product Demo: HubSpot's Coolest AI Tools for B2B Tech CompaniesKiwi Creative
 
scope in Digital Marketing & advertising
scope in Digital Marketing & advertisingscope in Digital Marketing & advertising
scope in Digital Marketing & advertisingKBS SHOP
 
ToShare_UG 13_03_24_Full_BelgianTrailblazerCommunity.pptx
ToShare_UG 13_03_24_Full_BelgianTrailblazerCommunity.pptxToShare_UG 13_03_24_Full_BelgianTrailblazerCommunity.pptx
ToShare_UG 13_03_24_Full_BelgianTrailblazerCommunity.pptxivanrazine1
 
Elevate Your Design Skills: Enroll in Pune's Premier UI/UX Design Course
Elevate Your Design Skills: Enroll in Pune's Premier UI/UX Design CourseElevate Your Design Skills: Enroll in Pune's Premier UI/UX Design Course
Elevate Your Design Skills: Enroll in Pune's Premier UI/UX Design Courseamirshaikhv21realtyp
 
The best Crypto Marketing Strategies pdf
The best Crypto Marketing Strategies pdfThe best Crypto Marketing Strategies pdf
The best Crypto Marketing Strategies pdfShifali roy
 
Snapshot of Consumer Behaviors of February 2024-EOLiSurvey (EN).pdf
Snapshot of Consumer Behaviors of February 2024-EOLiSurvey (EN).pdfSnapshot of Consumer Behaviors of February 2024-EOLiSurvey (EN).pdf
Snapshot of Consumer Behaviors of February 2024-EOLiSurvey (EN).pdfEastern Online-iSURVEY
 
Converting with Comedy: Research Parallels for CRO
Converting with Comedy: Research Parallels for CROConverting with Comedy: Research Parallels for CRO
Converting with Comedy: Research Parallels for CROVWO
 
A navigation of two creative processes Study
A navigation of two creative processes StudyA navigation of two creative processes Study
A navigation of two creative processes Studystuwilson.co.uk
 
Ice Cream Brand Harmony Study - TINT Emotional Profiling Research
Ice Cream Brand Harmony Study - TINT Emotional Profiling ResearchIce Cream Brand Harmony Study - TINT Emotional Profiling Research
Ice Cream Brand Harmony Study - TINT Emotional Profiling ResearchTINT Marketing
 
Marketing Team of 1, A Framework To Win!
Marketing Team of 1, A Framework To Win!Marketing Team of 1, A Framework To Win!
Marketing Team of 1, A Framework To Win!Joseph Skibbie
 
Friends of Search Future Proof Accounts.pptx
Friends of Search Future Proof Accounts.pptxFriends of Search Future Proof Accounts.pptx
Friends of Search Future Proof Accounts.pptxNavah Hopkins
 
The 2024 Next Gen Attention Study - www.livewire.group
The 2024 Next Gen Attention Study - www.livewire.groupThe 2024 Next Gen Attention Study - www.livewire.group
The 2024 Next Gen Attention Study - www.livewire.groupLivewire
 
Amazon Seller New Product Launch Guide - 2024.pptx
Amazon Seller New Product Launch Guide - 2024.pptxAmazon Seller New Product Launch Guide - 2024.pptx
Amazon Seller New Product Launch Guide - 2024.pptxWill Haire
 
TAM AdEx-A Pixelated view into Digital Advertising Trends for Y 2023.pdf
TAM AdEx-A Pixelated view into Digital Advertising Trends for Y 2023.pdfTAM AdEx-A Pixelated view into Digital Advertising Trends for Y 2023.pdf
TAM AdEx-A Pixelated view into Digital Advertising Trends for Y 2023.pdfSocial Samosa
 
Run more experiments with fewer resources
Run more experiments with fewer resourcesRun more experiments with fewer resources
Run more experiments with fewer resourcesVWO
 
The Creative Marketing campaigns of WeRoad
The Creative Marketing campaigns of WeRoadThe Creative Marketing campaigns of WeRoad
The Creative Marketing campaigns of WeRoadFabio Bin
 

Recently uploaded (20)

Digital Marketing Analytics: Driving Hotel Success (2016 May report)
Digital Marketing Analytics: Driving Hotel Success (2016 May report)Digital Marketing Analytics: Driving Hotel Success (2016 May report)
Digital Marketing Analytics: Driving Hotel Success (2016 May report)
 
Friends of Search '24 - Scaling SEO_ Lessons for All Types of Sites.pptx
Friends of Search '24 - Scaling SEO_ Lessons for All Types of Sites.pptxFriends of Search '24 - Scaling SEO_ Lessons for All Types of Sites.pptx
Friends of Search '24 - Scaling SEO_ Lessons for All Types of Sites.pptx
 
Podvertise.fm - Founder.University - Pitch Deck 2024
Podvertise.fm - Founder.University - Pitch Deck 2024Podvertise.fm - Founder.University - Pitch Deck 2024
Podvertise.fm - Founder.University - Pitch Deck 2024
 
Dhanuka Agritech Limited - Sales and Marketing Intern
Dhanuka Agritech Limited - Sales and Marketing InternDhanuka Agritech Limited - Sales and Marketing Intern
Dhanuka Agritech Limited - Sales and Marketing Intern
 
Product Demo: HubSpot's Coolest AI Tools for B2B Tech Companies
Product Demo: HubSpot's Coolest AI Tools for B2B Tech CompaniesProduct Demo: HubSpot's Coolest AI Tools for B2B Tech Companies
Product Demo: HubSpot's Coolest AI Tools for B2B Tech Companies
 
scope in Digital Marketing & advertising
scope in Digital Marketing & advertisingscope in Digital Marketing & advertising
scope in Digital Marketing & advertising
 
ToShare_UG 13_03_24_Full_BelgianTrailblazerCommunity.pptx
ToShare_UG 13_03_24_Full_BelgianTrailblazerCommunity.pptxToShare_UG 13_03_24_Full_BelgianTrailblazerCommunity.pptx
ToShare_UG 13_03_24_Full_BelgianTrailblazerCommunity.pptx
 
Elevate Your Design Skills: Enroll in Pune's Premier UI/UX Design Course
Elevate Your Design Skills: Enroll in Pune's Premier UI/UX Design CourseElevate Your Design Skills: Enroll in Pune's Premier UI/UX Design Course
Elevate Your Design Skills: Enroll in Pune's Premier UI/UX Design Course
 
The best Crypto Marketing Strategies pdf
The best Crypto Marketing Strategies pdfThe best Crypto Marketing Strategies pdf
The best Crypto Marketing Strategies pdf
 
Snapshot of Consumer Behaviors of February 2024-EOLiSurvey (EN).pdf
Snapshot of Consumer Behaviors of February 2024-EOLiSurvey (EN).pdfSnapshot of Consumer Behaviors of February 2024-EOLiSurvey (EN).pdf
Snapshot of Consumer Behaviors of February 2024-EOLiSurvey (EN).pdf
 
Converting with Comedy: Research Parallels for CRO
Converting with Comedy: Research Parallels for CROConverting with Comedy: Research Parallels for CRO
Converting with Comedy: Research Parallels for CRO
 
A navigation of two creative processes Study
A navigation of two creative processes StudyA navigation of two creative processes Study
A navigation of two creative processes Study
 
Ice Cream Brand Harmony Study - TINT Emotional Profiling Research
Ice Cream Brand Harmony Study - TINT Emotional Profiling ResearchIce Cream Brand Harmony Study - TINT Emotional Profiling Research
Ice Cream Brand Harmony Study - TINT Emotional Profiling Research
 
Marketing Team of 1, A Framework To Win!
Marketing Team of 1, A Framework To Win!Marketing Team of 1, A Framework To Win!
Marketing Team of 1, A Framework To Win!
 
Friends of Search Future Proof Accounts.pptx
Friends of Search Future Proof Accounts.pptxFriends of Search Future Proof Accounts.pptx
Friends of Search Future Proof Accounts.pptx
 
The 2024 Next Gen Attention Study - www.livewire.group
The 2024 Next Gen Attention Study - www.livewire.groupThe 2024 Next Gen Attention Study - www.livewire.group
The 2024 Next Gen Attention Study - www.livewire.group
 
Amazon Seller New Product Launch Guide - 2024.pptx
Amazon Seller New Product Launch Guide - 2024.pptxAmazon Seller New Product Launch Guide - 2024.pptx
Amazon Seller New Product Launch Guide - 2024.pptx
 
TAM AdEx-A Pixelated view into Digital Advertising Trends for Y 2023.pdf
TAM AdEx-A Pixelated view into Digital Advertising Trends for Y 2023.pdfTAM AdEx-A Pixelated view into Digital Advertising Trends for Y 2023.pdf
TAM AdEx-A Pixelated view into Digital Advertising Trends for Y 2023.pdf
 
Run more experiments with fewer resources
Run more experiments with fewer resourcesRun more experiments with fewer resources
Run more experiments with fewer resources
 
The Creative Marketing campaigns of WeRoad
The Creative Marketing campaigns of WeRoadThe Creative Marketing campaigns of WeRoad
The Creative Marketing campaigns of WeRoad
 

GfK NextGeneration- Social Media Marketing During the Holiday Season

  • 1. Executive Summary Understanding diversity and target markets in social media marketing allows businesses to personalize brand interactions. In order for businesses to increase consumer involvement with social media, companies should present target consumers with products or services that are better suited to personality-driven purchasing behaviors. During the holiday season, the increase in advertisements on social media increases the challenge to break through the noise: to appeal and remain engaged with potential consumers. Users on social media may connect with brands to look for special offers or deals (Garibian). Business-to-consumer experiences can be formed through social media because of direct communication channels. The holiday season is a time of increased adverti sing and marketing efforts put forth by businesses. The study explores opportunities to further consumer involvement with social media during the holiday season. The following research objectives will demonstrate ways to promote efficiency in social media marketing: - Identify the visibility of social media marketing during the holiday season; - Investigate consumers’ desired level of involvement through social media; - Compare involvement of consumers on social media to business activities; - And generate social media market strategies to further engage consumers in the holiday season. Social media marketing strategies do not effectively foster brand loyalty with consumers during the holiday season. Because Millennial consumers surpassed Baby Boomers and Generation X in population size, it is important that businesses have a deeper understanding of Millennials’ behavior in the marketplace, as well as how social media impacts their purchasing decisions (Petro). This is amplified during the holiday season, a critical time for revenue generation and brand building. Consumers’ willingness to be introduced new brands reflects the preferred activities on the social media platform. From the focus group, JUAN expressed, “When you like a Page on Facebook, it tells you similar pages. I like that feature because you can explore.” From the survey, people who endorsed Facebook above other social media platforms ranked their most preferred activities as follows: connecting with brands, sharing videos, researching products, and discovering special offers. Through this study, data like these suggest that marketers should consider social media marketing approaches to create brand interactions. With the most wonderful time of the year in mind, every day is a holiday. Thank you for your partnership throughout the research process, Nic Icaza nicaza@luc.edu Louis Jaime ljaime@luc.edu Iris Wen iwen@luc.edu Advisor: Stacy Neier sneier@luc.edu
  • 2. Background Identify Objectives and Research Question With businesses becoming increasingly global, social media marketing has become an indispensable and cost efficient tool for product branding, obtaining a representational consumer profile, increasing brand exposure, and directly interacting with the target market. Current social media marketing strategies are not as effective as they might be to accurately target consumers, generate attention-grabbing advertisements, establish brand loyalty, differentiate their brand, and provide a consumer experience to increase leisure in the consumer’s life. In order to generate insights that improve current business-to-consumer social media marketing strategies, cultivate innovation, and exceed revenue goals, an opportunity was found to collect data with the intention to discover opportunities that further consumer involvement with social media during the holiday season. Framing the research question around the holiday season, the busiest shopping time of the year, would result in significant data findings for businesses. Additionally, by providing businesses with consumer profile insights, social media trends, and the likes and dislikes of business -to-consumer social media interactions, this research lends support to more effectively spend advertising budgets (Vranica). The increase in communication between family and friends during the holiday season could be of value to businesses; the approach of word-of-mouth marketing could be a greater asset when paired with positive outcomes like offering transparency, building a sphere of influence, creating brand exposure, and providing open conversations (Debono). In order to evoke valuable insights for business-to-consumer activity, the following research objectives were proposed: identify the visibility of social media marketing during the holiday season; investigate consumer’s desired level of involvement through social media; compare involvement of consumers on social media to business activities; and generate social media market strategies to further engage consumers in the holiday season. The research objectives were selected to reliably address the research question: What opportunities are there to further consumer involvement with social media during the holiday season? Results could potentially lend insights to social medi a users’ habits and desires, allow for companies to more efficiently target consumers during the holiday season, and create a more engaging experience - with lifetime value - between consumers and brands. The research objectives were structured with the intent to search for potential areas of development through the integration of consumer content and brand interactions. Literature Search Consumers exposed to a brand’s social media platform show greater brand loyalty: “Of consumers participating in social media, those exposed to a brand’s social media spend 20 percent more time online compared to those exposed to only social media relevant to a brand’s category” (Copeland). According to Aaker (1991), brand loyalty leads to reduced costs and new customers. Al so, brand loyalty has shown a distinctive resistance to its customers and competitors’ strategies. Finally, customer loyalty can be attributed to positive word-of-mouth (Dick). Active social networkers are twelve percent more likely to shop online than the average internet user (Nielsen). Greater search engine optimization can reflect companies’ interest in increasing their social media marketing. However, significant growth for marketers is still to be gained considering the top three advantages: increasing exposure, traffic, and
  • 3. building new business partnerships (Stelzner). Further, women are more likely than men to be users of social media, and urban-living users show higher activity than rural internet users (Duggan). Duggan’s insight demonstrates potential areas of growth in a market segment that has a strong internet presence. What is unknown, however, is the impact such trends show on marketing interactions, specifically, timed during the holiday season. Social media platforms are saturated with photos, videos, personal blogs, and check-ins. As a result, marketers are assumed to gain more insight on the day-to-day activity of consumers. From a 2012 survey administered by Domo and Column Five Media, 684,478 pieces of content are shared through Facebook, 100,000 Tweets sent per minute, and 48 hours of video content are uploaded to YouTube per minute (Tepper). During the holiday season, 54 percent of consumers used social media to look for sales and discounts, also, researched gift ideas. Further, sharing and commenting on stores and sales were ranked second and third to the usage of social media, respectively (“Usage of Social Media for Holiday Shopping in 2012”). Since communication is an encompassing part of all social media platforms, the usage of social media for gift ideas showed a surprising 41 percent of social media users shared product reviews with friends online (“Usage of Social Media for Holiday Shopping in 2012”). Data Collection and Design Process The design process began with the problem formulation in order to distinguish the need for applicable methods to involve social media into consumers’ involvement during the holiday season. The holiday season was specified to last from Black Friday through the first two weeks of January. An exploratory, qualitative research design included seeking secondary data from news articles, databases, and reports to supplement the primary data. A focus group moderator guide and in-depth interview guide were also constructed based on findings from the secondary data. Semi-structured observations were included to collect additional qualitative data. Lastly, descriptive research consisted of a quantitative, cross-sectional survey. The survey was constructed through Qualtrics. The sampling frame most representative of the target population was determined to be consumers who use social media during the holiday season. The sample frame focused on urban environment consumers. In particular, demographics varied in income, educational background, ethnic background, household compositions, and gender. The sample plan is a non-probability, convenience sample where participants are readily accessible and willing to contribute. Managerial Implications The value in social media is assessed through the organization’s ability to foster consumer relationships. Social media users connect through their habits and desires, and social media marketing can promote brand visibility and increase engagement. During the holiday season, social media consumption can provide brand awareness and convey brand identity. This includes brand innovations, lead generation, and business-to-consumer communication. Associations existing between consumer involvement with social media and consumption patterns appear through the research, thus allowing organizations to better define their target audience for social media activity during holiday season. This allows the most engaged consumers to contribute to brand innovation.
  • 4. The research shares insights with companies to improve current social media platforms and customize new channels. Branding the company through social media deepens relationships between businesses and consumers. Solution Data Collection Instruments Qualtrics Survey The survey was designed to seek quantitative, primary data. Qualtrics, an online survey tool, allowing the survey to be distributed through Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and e -mail. Word-of-mouth was also used to encourage participation. The survey was administered the weekend before Thanksgiving 2013 through the second weekend of January 2014. Prior to administering the surveys, the questions were determined to cover only variables relevant to the research question and research objectives. Questions were written and assessed for phrasing and logic (Lloyd). In particular, common question errors, such as double barreled, non-exhaustive, and nonspecific questions were addressed to ensure transparency and produce “clean” data. The ‘test survey’ feature within Qualtrics was also used to verify that the questions were free of error before distribution. Thus, pre -testing was achieved to ensure a quality study. Qualtrics’ built-in interactive capabilities supported the respondents’ participation by decreasing survey fatigue and allowing for a “gamified” experience. Survey blocking was used to create sections corresponding to each of the four research objectives. Within the survey block, the funnel approach was implemented to begin with broad questions and drill down to more narrow questions. This reduced the likelihood of participants being intimidated by specific questions early into the questionnaire. To further reduce unwanted bailout, the survey was structured to incorporate a variety of question types, so participants did not encounter unnecessary repetition. Within the survey, twenty-six questions were asked including 19 nominal, 2 ordinal, 2 interval, and 2 ratio questions. The questionnaire strategically includes fewer ordinal and ratio type questions. Because ratio questions allow for free responses, the results provided may generate less accurate data since the responses are open ended. Ordinal questions also provide less accurate data because they require that survey respondents rank data, but fail to consider the degree to which one choice is preferred over another. Nominal and interval questions provide the cleanest, most reliable results. Additionally, nominal questions were emphasized the most for the sake of the areas of interest within the research. Focus Group Moderator Guide After the 2013 holiday season ended, six individuals were recruited for the focus group. Two female and four male informants interacted with a moderator. The focus group moderator guide opened a discussion regarding the research objectives amongst specific individuals who fit within the sampling frame, while provoking discussion of topics that were inadequately covered through the Qualtrics survey. Three main question types exist within the focus group moderator guide: engagement, exploration, and exit. Engagement questions were used to solicit general insights from participants while exploration questions investigated more specific consumer perceptions. The exit question asked for
  • 5. additional input that informants may have and closes the discussion. The moderator guide borrowed not only the drill down approach from the survey, but the organization of questions within the corresponding research objectives. Each question was open-ended, which allowed the informants to respond according to their own volition. In-depth Interview Guide The in-depth interview guide was written to further collect insights on potential areas of interest relevant to the research objectives that were not addressed through the questionnaire or focus group. The in-depth interviews emphasized findings related to memorable advertising and promotions, brand awareness, and how the holiday season shapes social media activity. The overall goal of the IDIs was to promote greater flexibility in responses and allow data to emerge as informants responded. Individual respondents, therefore, were provided with an open environment to speak. The guide was also designed with interviewing across different platforms in mind. IDIs were carried out through Skype, over the phone, and in person. Semi- Structured Observations Semi-structured observational data for brands seen on social media was also collected. This data was collected periodically throughout the days of Black Friday (November 29, 2013), Cyber Monday (December 2, 2013), and Christmas Eve (December 24, 2013). The observational setting was any environment with internet accessibility and included, but was not limited to, social media platforms of Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram. The context of the observations were not l imited to what kind of interactions occurred on social media sites; what companies were doing to draw consumers’ attention and awareness; how consumers’ interact with each and with brands; and how consumers’ reach their social media on these holiday shopping days. Since the interactions happened on the web, the physical settings observed included how activities in-stores reflect online (possibly shown through a picture or video); what kind of products people were attracted to; who was going out to find the promotions in-store; what activity online would make someone think that the social media user is shopping online or in-stores; and what type of promotions were occurring in online interactions. In terms of social or interpersonal settings, data collection also addressed how brands and consumers interacted on multiple platforms; whether different platforms had different advertisements, possibly stimulating different responses; how people participated in these holiday shopping events; and how people made it visible to the social media networks they are active on. Lastly, observations were made from online environment. This included layouts on the web; color schemes; trends or hashtags; alternative branding approaches to fit the holiday season; and any online attributes that could have garnered attention from the consumer. The semi-structured observations will be made three times on the three dates proposed. Sampling and Data Collection Sampling Frame The sampling frame for the data collection includes families, couples, and individuals over the age of eighteen based near an urban environment. The target population included people who used social media during the holiday season. Because the survey was distributed through the researchers’
  • 6. social media sites, email, and word-of-mouth, not all population elements had a fair chance to participate in the research. The primary data collection began Saturday, November 23, 2013, and concluded Sunday, January 19, 2014. The holiday season addressed in the research question is identified to run from the weekend prior to Thanksgiving through the second week of the new year. Given that time frame, the survey was distributed first and was closed Monday, January 18, 2014. The focus group and in-depth interviews were conducted Sunday January 19, 2014. The quality of the data collection is reflected in the non-biased questions and the goal of reducing participant bailout. Quality The data collection was based on willing participants who were active on social media. There was no incentive offered to participants, therefore reducing ulterior motives to participate. By distributing a survey, conducting a focus group, and administering in-depth interviews, the research group collected primary data through diverse methods which more accurately represented the larger population. By doing so, a checks and balance type correspondence was initiated in the data analysis: a funnel approach was used to generate questions. The survey was the initial source in generating questions; based on the data patterns observed in the study, the design of the focus group was constructed; furthermore, the in-depth interview guide questions were based on specifications made from gaps in the focus group. During the research process, secondary sources were used to support the data. Qualtrics data was migrated into SPSS, the raw data was coded, and the software was used to aggregate results. The coding of raw Qualtrics output data through office edits involved assigning numeric values to text responses and commanding SPSS to replace “pindots” or system-missing with complete data by recoding missing variables into new values. Through Qualtrics, survey protection was enabled by preventing ballot box stuffing. Separate sources of distribution were used to collect survey responses, providing a variety of participants and opening the survey to broader geographic inclusion. A focus group moderator guide was created to encourage questions and keep the participant s’ input in line with the research questions. An in-depth interview guide was produced for flexibility to reach greater insights on the consumer. From the survey, a majority of the questions were written as nominal and ordinal questions; these categorical question types produce more reliable data. Underrepresented Populations Underrepresented populations include consumers that do not use social media. The research design is also limited in that all social media platforms were not included in the survey design. Measuring social media platforms that overlap (for example, users connecting their Instagram to their Twitter and Facebook) also has limitations as some users may not consider themselves active on a certain social media site but still post through a separate platform. The demographic under the age of eighteen is also not represented in this study, although they are part of the greater population using social media. Consumers over the age of 35 were less represented in the study; therefore, this study can be generalized to ages 18 to 34. Finally, the survey also showed lack of high-income participants and participants in rural settings. Therefore, the findings are most conclusive for young urban adults earning a mid-range income. Such limitations, however, were expected due to the non-probability, convenience sample design which best suited the research question and objectives.
  • 7. “Ethical Dilemmas” Ethical dilemmas faced in the research include the objectivity of the research, selective audience, and the rapid changes made in social media. The objectivity of the research is limited because the changing pace of social media and its discrepancies in the use of social media. The insights gained through the primary data can be subjective to the participant who may view him or herself as a user on social media, whereas a brand trying to gain awareness could view the user as a possible customer. The personal insights and usage of social media of the researchers may congest the study and misrepresent the possibilities outside the data. Because the majority of the data collected through the survey was through social media, the participants themselves may hold themselves bias to their usage and activity on social media. These biases could cause the individual a greater interest in the matter, thus self-motivation may affect the data and its possible skewness toward those who view social media positively. With the majority of social media users on the most visited platforms, Facebook and Twitter, the limited insights may be only appropriate to address commonly visited platforms (Brenner). Conclusion Identify the visibility of social media marketing during the holiday season With the average attention span decreasing from 12 seconds in 2000, to 8 seconds in 2013, traditional marketing approaches have diminished in effectiveness (Weinreich)(Nahai).These emerging societal changes, along with a difference in consumer identity from previous generations to Millennials, have created additional hurdles for social media marketing during the holiday season (Nahai). Over the last 8 years, social media usage among U.S. adults has increased by 800 percent (Olenski). Statistics suggest that in 2013, 72 percent of U.S. adults were using social media, a movement that increases the importance of successful with social media marketing for raising brand awareness, influencing the purchasing behavior of consumers, and building business-to-consumer relationships (Olenski). When determining if businesses are successfully targeting and conveying the values of their brand to consumers during the holiday season through social media, the data indicated that only 49.3 percent of people have been led to make a gift purchase by social media. Of the 49.3 percent, 56 percent identified as female, 24 percent identified as male and 20 percent prefered not to report their gender. Additionally, of these consumers, 53 percent said that they are between 18 to 34 years of age, comprising a representation of 28.7 percent of the United States population (United States of America). The questionnaire identifies the time periods that male and female consumers used social media throughout the holiday season. The crosstabulation of “What is your gend er?” and “During which time frame, throughout the holiday season, do you use social media the most?” exposed a preference from 6:00 P.M. to 12:00 A.M. for both genders. For females, 68.1 percent of the sample size stated that it was the time period they used social media the most, while only 41.5 percent of the male sample size stated similarly. During the focus group, insightful qualitative data was generated by participants when asked, “What has been the most effective way for a brand to communicate with you through social media?” and, “Which platform was it on?” Of the six participants, Facebook and Pinterest were mentioned the most. Focus group participants stated that effective ways businesses have communicated with them in
  • 8. the past were through direct marketing, discounts and deals, free products for liking a business profile, having been tagged in a promotional photo by a business, and through a user-friendly product presentation on the business’s profile. Contrary to the focus group, question 4 of the questionnaire, “Which of the following ways will you use social media during the holiday season?” generated findings that indicated 70.4 percent of people would not use social media during the holiday season to discover special offers, and 83.6 percent would not use social media to connect with brands. These quantitative and qualitative findings present valuable insights for businesses and suggests that by initiating contact with discounts or free products, social media users will perceive value in the brand. When consumers were asked “Please rank the following social media platforms in order of visitionation,” 48 percent of the sample size indicated Facebook as the most visited platform. Of the 48 percent, 54.8 percent stated that using social media during the holidays has led them to make a gift purchase. From ranking platforms by order of visitation, survey participants showed that 85.7 percent of consumers who listed Pinterest as their second most visited platform, confirmed that using social media during the holidays led them to make a gift purchase. In connection, 73.7 percent of Instagram users who ranked the social media platform second, and 81.3 percent of users who ranked it third stated, that using social media during the holidays also led them to make a gift purchase. This suggests that visual social media channels have a powerful medium for influencing the purchasing behavior of consumer activity and a fostering environment for brand awareness during the holiday season. To generate qualitative data on how consumers are able to recall business-to-consumer activities, the focus group moderator asked participants to “Describe an ad seen on social media" and "What makes you remember this ad?” Although participants eventually shared insights for the aforementioned questions, observations of non-verbal cues suggested that participants encountered difficulty when asked to recall a social media advertisement; informants did not respond immediately, but paused to think about their response. Therefore, an additional question strategically probed to include holiday advertisements beyond social media. Even with the addition of the probe, Steven simply responded, “I can’t” when asked “Tell me about some advertisements you remember from the holiday season.” Blaine’s response was followed by laughter. This indicates that consumers are not spending enough time for the ads to make an impression on them. Consumer recall is no better at the holiday season than it is at any other time during the year. These qualitative findings, coupled with with statistical findings, indicate a four second decline in the average attention span suggesting social media marketing strategies fail to retain the attention of consumers (Weinreich). Investigate consumer’s desired level of involvement through social media Through asking questions rooted in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, specific motivators can be associated with varying consumer behaviors. Such questions probed for data regarding how consumers are driven to fulfill their needs. Survey respondents were asked to indicate how important “Excitement” and “Self-fulfillment,” among other motivators, are in their daily lives. Fifty-four percent of respondents expressed that self-fulfillment was either important or very important in their daily lives. A cross-tab extending from these questions shows that 43.3 percent of those who have the most followers on Facebook find self-fulfillment very important in their daily lives, but only 33 percent find excitement very important. Conversely, 16.7 percent of participants who indicate that they have the most followers on
  • 9. Twitter than other social media sites find self-fulfillment very important, while 50 percent find excitement very important. This could reflect the nature of the specific platforms, with Facebook satisfying a role as a personal extension of the user and Twitter providing quick, low-involvement connectivity. “Excitement” may also be associated with the number of social media accounts a user engages on; 55.3 percent of these respondents indicated having 5 or more social networking profiles. Fifty-one percent of survey takers who used social media to generate gift ideas during the holidays used Facebook to participate in gift idea research. Similarly, 56.8 percent and 35.0 percent used Pinterest and Twitter, respectively, to complete gift idea research. Cross-tabs further revealed varying desired levels of social media involvement across different devices. Eighty-one percent of primary tablet users connected with family during the holidays, yet only 72.7 percent connected with friends. Conversely, smartphone and computer users were more likely to connect with friends via social media during the holidays than with family. Seventy-seven percent of smartphone users and 67.7 percent of computer users connected with family during the holidays via social media; and 84.2 percent of smartphone users and 83.9 percent of computer users connected with friends. Thirty -six percent who prefer to access social media through their tablets also connected with brands during the 2013 holiday season, compared to just 17.1 percent for smartphone users and 9.7 percent through computers. Primary data generated from Qualtrics also points to consumer desires to find savings through social media interactions. Thirty-six percent of respondents who used smartphones the most to connect with their profiles, also sought special offers during the holidays. Although survey data indicates that 58 percent of consumers who used social media to generate gift ideas during the season did not research products, they did find special offers through social media. The data reflects the “dealer -chic” trend, in which the ubiquity of connected devices along with consumer price consciousness has led to an insurgence of thrifty consumers who seek to maximize their consumption, finding the best goods and services at the best prices (“12 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2012”). From a 2013 Statista report on social media marketing in the U.S., consumers were asked to respond to a series of questions relating to brand interactions and different applications of social media platforms. When asked which method was preferred for communicating with a business about its goods and services, only 14 percent preferred social media versus 56 percent through e-mail. Forty-one percent of respondents wish to receive information and advertisements for companies and retailers through Facebook, compared to 18 percent through Twitter. When responding to the uses of social media for holiday gift ideas, 41 percent said they used reviews, followed by 19 percent indicating they use wish-lists on sites like Amazon.com; only 11 percent discussed items on social media with friends, and 9 percent looked at the gift recipient’s page (Forte). The previously mentioned findings were further corroborated by in-depth interview responses. During an in-depth interview, Karen mentioned a lack of personal evangelism for different brands and products with which she is connected through social media. “Although I like quite a few brands on Facebook, I don’t usually tell my friends to ‘like’ these pages or to buy the products. I’m sure some do that on their own,” she said of online word-of-mouth influences. “Sometimes friends will ‘share’ a coupon or page that I can use or look at before buyi ng a product,” she also added, affirming the notion of “dealer-chic” consumers, and further acknowledging that ‘prosumers’ actively spread branded messages.
  • 10. Compare involvement of consumers on social media to business activities In the past ten years, there has been a consistent growth in e-commerce; in 2013, retail e-commerce sales during the holiday months of November and December totalled $46.55 billion, an increase of over $4 billion dollars to the previous year (comScore). In the survey, participants between the ages of 26 to 34 show the most interest in using social media to create a holiday wish list. The growing social media users between the ages of 35 to 54 show interest in using social media to sharing holiday offers. More shoppers are hoping to join the e-commerce growth. Some incentives that are influential to a consumer’s decision to buy gifts online includes free shipping, discounted items compared to in-store prices, avoiding crowds, and ease to use website (“2011 US Holiday Shopping Survey”). Since half of all social media users under the age of 35 follow their friends’ business recommendations, business-to-consumer activities on social media can have a significant impact on word-of-mouth marketing practiced online (Baur). “There about 131 million U.S. Facebook users between the ages of 18-64,” which is a large audience that marketers can captivate (Griffith). The top three primary benefits of social media have been increased awareness to the organization, products, or services among target customers; increased traffic to website; and more favorable perceptions of our organization, products, or services (Harvard Business Review Analytic Services). While brands are learning how to engage on social media, 95.7 percent of participants between the ages of 18 and 25 use social to communicate with friends (this was the top reason to use social media within this age group). In the 35 to 54 age group, 41.7 percent use social media to discover special offers; this was a higher percent than other age groups. The relationship between the business activity and the consumer on social media can be connected through targeting customers through strategic marketing plans. Some businesses are hesitant to join the social media network, at the same time others have quickly made new marketing positions and moved spending to include social media marketing to their brand. Of 2,100 companies surveyed in Harvard Business Review Analytic Services, The New Conversation: Taking Social Media from Talk to Action, 58 percent of companies currently using social media likely engage on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube (Harvard Business Review Analytic Services). Of the companies that believe they are “getting there” with their social media strategy, 69 percent admit to a learning curve but predict the use of social media will increase (Harvard Business Review Analytic Services). In the survey, participants were asked to write in the top three mobile applications used. The results for the most written in appl ications were all social media sites: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The elicit response reflected a primacy effect which the survey takers used free-recall to fill-in his or her answers. The answers likely reflected the latest application used. The results of the survey show the interest in social media and its active use of users. During semi-structured observations in the 2013 holiday season, an exponential increase in Twitter activity was revealed, specifically on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Through observations made of brands that the researchers follow, companies are using diverse methods to engage customers. Through observations made on Twitter, #BlackFriday was trending beginning Thanksgiving Day. Hashtagging was the most common by Big Box retailers and category killers: for example, #BestBuy, #Walmart, and #Target. These retailers appeared multiple times and had a consistent appearance on the newsfeed on Facebook and Twitter on Black Friday. Many pictures showed long lines for the steep deals for the holiday shoppers. Brand marketers are aware of social media’s uses to drive brand awareness rather than direct sales (Cohen). The use of social media extends the reach of connecting with the target
  • 11. audience, paid social media advertising is growing cause to the interest in marketing budgets (Rueter). #CyberMonday was linked to brands’ deals displayed on Facebook and Twitter. The responses on Twitter to tweets with deals attached with #CyberMonday. According to IBM, on Cyber Monday alone, sales grew by 20.6 percent from 2012; specifically, mobile sales lead 17 percent of total online sales: this has been increasing 55.4 percent annually (The Wall Street Journal). From the primary data collected from the Qualtrics survey, 49.3 percent have had social media lead to a gift purchase during the holiday season. Half the participants access social media through their smartphone, followed by 20.4 percent through a computer, and 7.2 percent through a tablet (22.4 percent did not respond). From insights brought by IBM, smartphones draw high online traffic in comparison to tablets which draw more sales (The Wall Street Journal). Primary data suggested that social media users who use a tablet to access their accounts have a higher purchasing rate than smartphone users. Businesses have increased interest in online shopping and their social media efforts. The 2013 holiday season showed a significant increase in online shopping, and the reflection in advertising spending was evident. U.S. online advertising spending jumped from $17.03 billion in 2012 to $20.07 billion in 2013 as reported by Interactive Advertising Bureau (Rueter). The majority of tweets posted with a picture or video were observed were posted through a smartphone. Deals posted on company Twitters were also retweeted through a mobile device on the dates observed. Cyber Monday photos were comprised of screenshots from smartphones or tablets. Geographically the posts were from all over the United States with the greatest frequency of pictures coming 5th Avenue in New York City and Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Word Cloud: “Task: Please use your social media platforms and think of your role as a consumer through these sites. This role can be defined by behaviors and activities associated with how you engage on these platforms. Please pull out any brands, products, and activities used through the holiday season. The words should portray what you want or need from social media sites. This can include interactions with brands, desires for social media uses, and personalization of your online consumer identity.” Through the focus group activity, a word cloud was produced. The words generated were Anthropologie, Starbucks, “Like,” connection, entertainment, know-it-all, no-all-caps, customization, breaking-news, creative, coffee, on-sale, and uniqueness. The participants in the focus group came up with the words from the task mentioned above. Word Cloud
  • 12. Generate social media market strategies to further engage consumers in the holiday season During the holiday season, 36.4 percent of survey respondents who are most active on Facebook indicated that Facebook led them to making a gift purchase. With 23 percent of Facebook users checking their account five or more times each day, it is no surprise Facebook has the highest engagement level and takes the most time and attention from the user (Honigman) (Adler). Similarly, 44 percent of respondents who indicated that Pinterest was their top social media site during the holiday season were led to make a purchase from the site. While Pinterest is heavily used by women, Pinterest users spend the most on the social media platform over any other platform users’ time (Wallace). Pinterest users on average spend one hour and seventeen minutes on the site for each visit (Bennett). Pinterest allows virtual pinboards: favorite products, product suggestions, and sharing pins. Retailers can post new items instantly: it offers businesses a low-cost, practical approach to reach customers visually (Capitol Media Solutions). Sixty percent of those under the age of 30 prefer to share information using Facebook (Hart). In an overview by Capitol Media Solutions, “Facebook advertising can be targeted by age, interests, geographic region, and lots of other factors.” Facebook also allows advertisements to be
  • 13. shared if a friend likes the product or service (Capitol Media Solutions). Social media allows messages to virally spread. The personalization of social media can offer potential customers recommendations, spread promotions, and share events to the target customer. In ways, search engine optimization (SEO) takes place in the suggestions on social media platforms like Facebook and Pinterest. SEOs can increase the chances of a brand being discovered or connected to the appropriate consumer (Capitol Media Solutions). Of the surveyed participants, 67.1 percent do not use social media to generate holiday gift ideas. 78.9 percent also indicated that they do not research products during the holiday season through social media. While 62.5 percent of respondents acknowledged that they share photos through social media during the season, 84.9 percent don’t share videos. Instagram and Pinterest are a visual platform for social media. Instagram allows users to upload photos and videos. Pinterest’s high traffic-driving power has an astounding 10 million unique visitors each month (Constine). A consumer’s interest in multiple platforms may stem from their reason for engagement. Specifically to brands they follow, Pinterest users show interest in learning about products and services, keeping up with brand activities, and following for promotions (Garibian); Instagram users on the other hand follow brands to keep up with brand-related activities, learn more about products and services, and make purchases (Garibian). Twitter users keep up with brand activities and provide feedback, while Facebook users tend to follow brands participate in sweepstakes and promotions or complain about a product or service (Garibian). Possible implications from this finding could indicate that marketing communications be channeled through social media platforms where photo sharing is prevalent, as opposed to video sharing platforms. Despite the fact the photos can be shared on all social media channels, the special interest in a photo platform separates Pinterest and Instagram users to Twitter and Facebook users. However, platforms have shown engagement growth through multi-device accessibility (Adler). From the survey, 33.3 percent of survey respondents who selected Twitter as their favorite social media platform during the holidays are most active from 9:00 P.M. to 12:00 A.M. Advertising on Twitter can be done by targeting specific users or by paying to keep a tweet or trend at the top of the newsfeed (Capitol Media Solutions). On Twitter, only 23 percent of all tweets generate a reply (Wallace). The best time to tweet is said to be noon and 6 P.M. because it has been studied that the largest activity is at those times. Noon is said to be the best time to share things on Facebook (Zarrella). According to business-to-consumer engagement happens on both the weekday and the weekends on Twitter; however, on Facebook, marketers have 30 percent change to better engage on the weekend (Baer). “Facebook attracts roughly seven times the engagement that Twitter does, when looking at both smartphone and PC usage, in per-user terms” (Adler). Facebook is also the most preferred social media platform in the researcher’s survey: 42.5 percent of respondents of the survey who say Facebook is their most preferred social media platform during the season are most active from 6:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. and 30.1 percent use the site most from 9:00 P.M. to 12:00 A.M. A relevant trend for 2014 that facilitates further engaging consumers is presented by Trendwatching and is known as “crowdshaping.” Crowdshaping employs user generated data from within the digital space to shape and personalize experiences, both online and in-person, based on the aggregation of preferences and behaviors of individual consumers (“Crowd Shaped”). The focus group activity led to the generation of the words “personalization,” “customization,” and “uniqueness,” which all point to user awareness of brands and industries to produce more rich and engaging experiences,
  • 14. shaped to the individual consumer. These consumers are not only aware of these capabilities, but also seek deeper implementation of them within the context of the holiday season. Karen revealed during the in-depth interview that during the holidays, she uses Pinterest most frequently to generate “unique” gift ideas and holiday activities. “I may also see what my friends’ ‘likes’ and ‘pins’ are to get inspiration for what they might want as a gift.” Crowdshaping is rooted in bridging multiple reference points to create this “unique” user experience; providing consumers with this enriched experience both on - and offline can function as means of deepening engagement through social media, particularly during the holiday season when consumption is at its peak. Conclusion to Analysis The primary data reflects consumer engagement trends on social media, how businesses improve brand identity, and increase awareness through social media. The holiday season leads in sales revenue which reflects businesses’ year-round effort to plan, promote, and establish a position in the marketplace. In the survey, visibility of social media marketing was present to the majority of participants; however, activity on social media did not reflect interactions made through the marketing efforts: 70.4 percent of people on social media, during the holiday season, are not looking to discover special offers. Nearly 84 percent are not attempting to connect with brands. Data findings suggest that visual social media channels are influential with purchasing behavior. Participants that selected Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram as the platform most frequently visited, stated that using social media during the holiday season led to a gift purchase. Consumers’ desired level of involvement was evident when switching between social media platforms. Over half of the consumers who used social media to generate gift ideas during the holiday season did not use social media to research products. Despite the fact, these participants did use social media to find special offers. By comparing personal importance of self-fulfillment and excitement, respondents showed how different platforms can generate varying types of involvement. The difference in Facebook, being accessible as a personal extension, and Twitter, being a low-involvement means of connectivity, is an example of how consumers want to be involved through the platforms they have the most followers. Consumers were found to have preferences when it came to receiving information and advertisements for companies and retailers: 41 percent preferred Facebook over the 18 percent that preferred Twitter. While some businesses are converting to social media marketing at a slower rate than others, those who are leaders must learn to effectively reach target customers. While the top three responses for mobile applications were all social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter), it can be concluded that consumers actively check the accounts and recall due to the primacy effect. By focusing business efforts on specific consumers, brands can define their social media activity during the holiday months. To generate social media market strategies that further engage consumers during the holiday season, personalization, customization, and uniqueness were terms informants in the focus group used to depict the wants or needs desired from social media sites. This shows that consumers seek implementation of exclusiveness within the context of the holiday season. Companies associate social media platforms as a tool to increase consumer-to-business engagement.
  • 15. Limitations and Sources of Error Sources of error that arose through the research methodology, specifically within the survey distribution, would include possible variations in the choice of digital surveys as an alternative to physical pen-and-paper surveys. Qualtrics allowed the questionnaire to be optimized for online formats, using skip logic, gamification, and interactive question types which translated poorly on pen-and-paper. On the other hand, online surveys are known for lower response rates than pen-and-paper surveys. Although the total reach of possible sample frame survey cases is unknown, a sample of 152 completed surveys is sufficient to detect and report patterns in the data set. Regarding focus group and in-depth interview recruitment, limitations ranged from time constraints, arranging a location that would accommodate all participants, and privacy concerns due to recorded responses. These factors caused unwillingness to participate in the study among potential candidates. However, identities of informants are protected through use of pseudonyms.
  • 16. Works Cited "12 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2012." Trendwatching.com. Trendwatching.com, 2011. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. 2011 US Holiday Shopping Survey. Rep. Accenture, Oct. 2011. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. Aaker, David A. "Measuring Brand Equity Across Products and Markets." Rev. of Managing Brand Equity: Capitalizing on the Value of a Brand Name. California Management Review Spring 1996: 102-20. Print. Adler, Emily. "Social Media Engagement: The Surprising Facts About How Much Time People Spend On The Major Social Networks." Business Insider. Business Insider, 5 Jan. 2014. Web. 21 Jan. 2014. Baer, Jay. "B2C Facebook Results Are 30% Above Average on Sundays." Convince and Convert Social Media Strategy and Content Marketing Strategy. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Baur, Louie. "5 Reasons That Social Media May Never Die." Techi Fresh Daily Technology News. N.p., 19 Feb. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Bennett, Shea. "Users Spend More Time On Pinterest Than Twitter, LinkedIn And Google Combined [STATS]." Mediabistro. All Twitter, 18 Feb. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Brenner, Joanna. "Pew Internet: Social Networking." Pew Internet. Pew Research Center, 31 Dec. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Capitol Media Solutions. Holiday Advertising for Brands. Rep. Capitol Media Solutions, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
  • 17. Cohen, Heidi. "7 Actionable Social Media Tactics To Rock Your Marketing Plans." Heidi Cohen. Heidi Cohen, 19 Mar. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. comScore. "U.S. Holiday Season Retail E-commerce Sales Figures 2005-2013." Statista. ComScore, Jan. 2014. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. Constine, Josh. "Pinterest Hits 10 Million U.S. Monthly Uniques Faster Than Any Standalone Site Ever - comScore." TechCrunch. N.p., 7 Feb. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Copeland, Chris. "The Influenced: Social Media, Search and the Interplay of Consideration and Consumption." Scribd. GroupM Search, Oct. 2009. Web. 18 Jan. 2014. "Crowd Shaped." Trendwatching.com's Trend Briefing Covering "7 Consumer Trends To Run With In 2014" Trendwatching.com, 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Debono, James. "13 Reasons Why Using Social Media for Business Is Non-Negotiable!"Socialmedia Today. Social Media Today LLC, 30 Mar. 2012. Web. 18 Jan. 2014. Dick, Alan S., and Kunal Basu. "Customer Loyalty: Toward an Integrated Conceptual Framework." Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science 22.2 (1994): 99-113. Print. Duggan, Maeve, and Joanna Brenner. The Demographics of Social Media Users- 2012. Rep. Pew Research Center, 14 Feb. 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. Forte, Gregory. Social Media Marketing in the U.S. Rep. Statista Dossier, Aug. 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. Garibian, Lenna. "Digital Influence: Blogs Beat Social Networks for Driving Purchases."MarketingProfs. N.p., 18 Mar. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Griffith, Terri L. "Tapping into Social-Media Smarts." The Wall Street Journal (2011): n. pag. 25 Apr. 2011. Web. 22 Jan. 2014.
  • 18. Hart, Steve. "30 Billion Minutes on Social Media But Don't Pick My Personal Data!"Relevanza. N.p., 8 Apr. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Harvard Business Review Analytic Services. The New Conversation: Taking Social Media from Talk to Action. Rep. no. 10815-PDF-ENG. SAS, 1 Aug. 2010. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. Honigman, Brian. "The Amazing Social Media Statistics 2012." The Huffington Post. Mediabistro, 3 Dec. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Lloyd, Sam. "The 10 Commandments For Writing Outstanding Survey Questions." Web log post. Qualtrics. Qualtrics Labs, Inc., 28 Jan. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Nahai, Nathalie. "5 Things You Need To Know About Marketing To Gen Y." Web log post.Psychology Today. Sussex Directories, Inc., 13 May 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Nielsen. State of the Media: The Social Media Report. Rep. Statista, 2011. Web. 18 Jan. 2014. Olenski, Steve. "Social Media Usage Up 800% For U.S. Online Adults In Just 8 Years."Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 6 Sept. 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. Petro, Greg. "Millennial Engagement And Loyalty -- Make Them Part Of The Process."Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 21 Mar. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Rueter, Thad. "U.S. Online Ad Spending Jumps 18% in the First Half of 2013." Internet Retailer. Internet Retailer, 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Slagen, Dan. "The Pros and Cons of Twitter Advertising for Small Business." Web log post.Hubspot: Inbound Hub. N.p., 16 Apr. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.
  • 19. Stelzner, Michael A. 2010 Social Media Marketing Industry Report. Rep. Social Media Examiner, Apr. 2010. Web. 18 Jan. 2014. Tepper, Allegra. "How Much Data Is Created Every Minute?" Mashable. Domo and Column Five Media, 22 June 2012. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. The Wall Street Journal. U.S. Edition. Cyber Monday Goes Mobile With 55 Percent Sales Growth, Reports IBM. The Wall Street Journal. IBM Global Communications, 3 Dec. 2013. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. United States of America. U.S. Department of Commerce. United States Census Bureau.United States Census Bureau. United States Census Bureau, 2012. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. "Usage of Social Media for Holiday Shopping in 2012." Statista. EMarketer, Nov. 2012. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. Voleti, Sudhir, Paul Nelson, and Sanjog Misra. Brand Equity as a Revenue Multiplier. Rep. William E. Simon Graduate School of Business, 2009. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. Vranica, Suzanne. "Retailers Boost Spending on Holiday Advertising." The Wall Street Journal (2009): n. pag. 9 Nov. 2009. Web. 18 Jan. 2014. Wallace, David. "Social Stereotypes: You Are What You Share." Search Engine Journal. SEJ, 22 Nov. 2012. Web. 24 Jan. 2014. Weinreich, Harald, Hartmut Obendorf, Eelco Herder, and Matthais Mayer. "Attention Span Statistics." Statistic Brain RSS. National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine, The Associate Press, 1 Jan. 2014. Web. 22 Jan. 2014. Zarrella, Dan. "The Science of Social Timing." The Science of Social Timing. Kissmetrics, n.d. Web. 24 Jan. 2014.