Abstract
Virtual communities are the uppermost communication spaces and channels for online word-of-mouth. And opinion leaders are the most important group for enterprises’ word-of-mouth communication. As enterprises are engaged in online word-of-mouth marketing activities, the key is to find out the opinion leaders in virtual communities. In this paper, after affirming the effects of opinion leaders and reviewing and summarizing the former ways of finding out opinion leaders, authors will introduce to us how to use the social network analysis method and the UCINET software, together with traditional observations and investigations, to analyze and identify the opinion leaders in virtual communities by case study.
Highlights
In May, 2007, Samsung performed the word-of-mouth marketing based on online opinion leaders in virtual communities for the mobile telephone U608
For the way of grading key roles, the opinion leaders are appointed in special fields by people who are informed in social system (Butler, 1923)
We can find out the key participators firstly and identify the opinion leader by the social network analysis method and the UCINET software
Summary
In May, 2007, Samsung performed the word-of-mouth marketing based on online opinion leaders in virtual communities for the mobile telephone U608. Statistical data of results proved that the marketing was successful. A discussion to the word-of-mouth marketing in virtual communities is uprising. The word-of-mouth marketing in virtual communities is still at an exploring stage, enterprises begin to pay more and more attentions on tracing, analyzing, and guiding word-of-mouth marketing by Internet. Combining Samsung’s word-of-mouth marketing based on opinion leaders in virtual communities with our study’s purpose, this paper tends to answer the two questions as follow:. (1) What are the main influences (effects) of opinion leaders on individuals’ decision in system?
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