Abstract
Although social media use is gaining increasing importance as a component of firms’ portfolio of strategies, scant research has systematically consolidated and extended knowledge on social media marketing strategies (SMMSs). To fill this research gap, we first define SMMS, using social media and marketing strategy dimensions. This is followed by a conceptualization of the developmental process of SMMSs, which comprises four major components, namely drivers, inputs, throughputs, and outputs. Next, we propose a taxonomy that classifies SMMSs into four types according to their strategic maturity level: social commerce strategy, social content strategy, social monitoring strategy, and social CRM strategy. We subsequently validate this taxonomy of SMMSs using information derived from prior empirical studies, as well with data collected from in-depth interviews and a quantitive survey among social media marketing managers. Finally, we suggest fruitful directions for future research based on input received from scholars specializing in the field.
Highlights
The past decade has witnessed the development of complex, multifarious, and intensified interactions between firms and their customers through social media usage
We are taking a step in this new theoretical direction by providing a workable definition and conceptualization of social media marketing strategies (SMMSs) that combines both social media and marketing strategy dimensions
The study complements and extends previous research (e.g., Harmeling et al 2017; Singaraju et al 2016) that emphasized the value of social media as resource integrator in exchanging customerowned resources, which can provide researchers with new angles to address the issue of integrating social media with marketing strategy
Summary
The past decade has witnessed the development of complex, multifarious, and intensified interactions between firms and their customers through social media usage. Drawing on the previous argumentation, we define SMMS as an organization’s integrated pattern of activities that, based on a careful assessment of customers’ motivations for brand-related social media use and the undertaking of deliberate engagement initiatives, transform social media connectedness (networks) and interactions (influences) into valuable strategic means to achieve desirable marketing outcomes. Based on consumer engagement theory, we conceive the process of developing an SMMS as consisting of four interlocking parts: (1) drivers, that is, the firm’s social media marketing objectives and the customers’ social media use motivations; (2) inputs, that is, the firm’s social media engagement initiatives and the customers’ social media behaviors; (3) throughputs, that is, the way the firm connects and interacts with customers to exchange resources and satisfy needs; and (4) outputs, that is, the resulting customer engagement outcome. The academics indicated that, by their very nature, social media transcend national boundaries, leaving plenty of room to investigate the international ramifications of SMMSs, using cross-cultural research (e.g., Johnston et al 2018)
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