Social Media’s Influence on Marketing

Introduction

This report brings forth the following statement for critical analysis and assessment of its validity: “Many people think of social media as a leisure activity. They think social media exists so that they can connect with their friends and family and share what is important to them. Social media is also a serious business. It is a multibillion-pound industry that is fuelling the next generation of corporate giants. Surely, there is more to social media than meets the eye of an average individual.” Consumers often have attitudes towards various objects, which they have attitude on and this can either be positive or negative attitude. Evidently, attitudes assist in determining whatever someone desires, as they affect their intentions, as well as behaviour (Yaoyuneyong et al., 2016). This paper also focuses on social media, as a befitting channel for marketing. Social media is regarded as a powerful way in which marketers of all business sizes purpose to reach their prospects, as well as customers. In this regard, it is evident that customers often interact with various brands via social media. For instance in the cosmetic industry, and this, thus implies that if a business does not interact with customers through social media, then it is missing a lot. For instance, it cannot create brand awareness to many people operating online. The term “social media” refers to many online tools, which allow many people that have similar interests to share various information, network in an open platform or learn from others (Haugtvedt et al., 2018). Notably, the information derived from social media is referred to as user-generated content, thus implying that any individual can post with minimal restrictions. For those pursuing academic endeavours, seeking marketing dissertation help can provide valuable insights into how businesses leverage social media effectively.

Of importance to note, is that the aforementioned statement is correct, owing to the fact that the involvement of a business with social media in terms of marketing has pushed businesses from lower levels to higher levels (De Mooij, 2019). For instance, the presence of H&M company has dominated the online platform through the help of social media. Essentially, rapid increase in technology use, as well accessibility of such kind of technologies at reasonable costs, which are affordable for people, have aided in transforming various ways in which businesses are operating presently. Significantly, many people are presently using social media (as shown in the figure 1 below), and as such, it has resulted into a paradigm shift in the manner in which communication happens (Haugtvedt et al., 2018). Clearly, business reputation, as well as presence in a market is driven through social media. Moreover, Haugtvedt et al. (2018) note that social media poses as a new platform for business marketing, which every business presently is at least aware of, if not already utilizing it.

The global fixation, (for instance, one that purposes to make the world a better place) associated with social media or rather, social networking (use of websites in interacting with others) as it has always been referred to, can easily be compared to the internet hysteria revolution in the 1990’s. This is when people discovered that they could use the internet for better purposes. Notably, the current marketing medium is different, as compared to the traditional communication channels. For example, while comparing immediacy, reach, as well as frequency, with the primary difference being the user-generated content. Whilst using social media, marketers use influencers to advertise their products and services and it is evident that they fail to maintain an active social media presence, consumers are much likely to select other businesses when they need to search for either local products or even services (Galan Ladero et al., 2015). In this regard, marketers should post twice or thrice in a day. For example whenever they introduce a new product in the market. Moreover, marketers should post when there is need to get consumer feedback regarding a product or a service. A good example, is when they need to know customers’ perception regarding a product or service. In this regard, the sales of the product will be increased and most significantly, brand awareness will have been created, which is important for the growth of the business, as it will increase sales. Social media marketers can use various channels for advertisements. For instance, Facebook, when they need to reach out to most consumers as it has many users; LinkedIn, thus reaching out to various professionals, as well as business owners; and Google+, thus reaching out to various early adopters of various newer businesses among others (Haugtvedt et al., 2018). Overall, it is evident that the content of social media marketing often influences the attitude of consumers. For example, they can be convinced to like or dislike a particular product or service. When using social influencers, they are the kind of individuals that have a great following on social media, with a large audience (composing of their followers of loyal fans) giving them attention each day by following them keenly. Businesses often target them in all cases, owing to the fact that whether the posts are sponsored or not, the content of their posts often have a great effect, especially on consumers’ purchasing decisions. A good example happened when Virgin released an appropriate flamboyant preview of the hijinx that awaited passengers with Tituss Burges, who is a Broadway star. Burgess took the lead as the pilot, and was accompanied by the cabin crew as they made an entrance at the Gatwick Airport (Gelnday, 2018).

Consumer attitude within the UK Cosmetic Industry

An attitude refers to a general valuation of objects, people, advertisements, or even issues (Haugtvedt et al., 2018). Attitudes often last, owing to the fact that they people can endure their valuation for a long time. Cosmetic consumption is a trend in the UK and as such, literature indicates the concerns of consumers when purchasing cosmetics, which include ingredients, packaging, functions, as well as price, which consequently influence their purchasing behaviours, for instance, high frequency of purchase or limited purchase. Approximately a quarter of women in the UK place low importance on ingredient breakdown on their cosmetics, rather, they focus on the functions of the products, whilst also relying on quality, price, as well as delivery (Patel, 2018), in order to determine their attitude regarding a cosmetic product. Of importance to note, is that handling cognitive attitude components implies that the cognition of consumers can be learnt and also changed through marketing of products. In summary, consumer attitude on cosmetics often vary from individual to individual, owing to internal factors such as emotional and psychological feelings and also external factors such as family preferences, social, as well as cultural status (Haugtvedt et al., 2018). Owing to the fact that the use of cosmetics is a trend, then consumer attitudes can significantly be influenced by marketing techniques, based on honest descriptions of the attractive promotions and also product attributes (Chun, 2016). As such, marketers ensure that they use influencers to market their cosmetic products. Overall, Haugtvedt et al. (2018) denote that marketers should understand the attitudes of consumers, and thus, purpose on devising means that can assist in influencing such attitudes, in order for consumers to be able to adopt only expected attitudes towards their services or products, and consequently, have positive intentions, which can influence their buying decisions.

Consumer attitude effectiveness in planning

This section purposes to identify various marketer-enacted strategies about which various consumers in the cosmetic industry can form attitudes, which in turn drive their purchasing decisions, as well as purchases. It is significant to take note of the fact that whilst marketing, scholars do understand the complexity, as well as diversity associated with marketing planning/strategies, which consumers may fail to understand, as theirs’ will be to purchase (Smith, 2017). In this regard, a consumer perspective in identifying relevant marketing strategies is noted to be paramount, owing to the fact that through those strategies, they become aware of brand products. The key in planning in many cosmetic companies is providing significant value to targeted customers, than as provided by the rival companies. Notably, customer value refers to the difference existing between the benefits derives from the product in totality and all costs (marketing costs) involved in acquiring the benefits. The marketers of a cosmetic company should put into consideration, cosmetic consumers’ value from the viewpoint to the customer, which is achievable through attitude. It is important to note that could be, price depends on given market segments. However, it poses as a deal breaker for some customers (Dehghani & Tumer, 2015). It is evident that pricing is an important task, owing to the fact that cosmetic companies have the obligation of looking into it thoroughly, whilst purposing to accrue best profits and as well increase their sales for the better. Cosmetic firms have to anticipate customer attitude, in order for them to deliver the best value, thus achieving most profits. Of importance to note, is that the basis. The main basis for planning the marketing of cosmetic products is consumer attitude and this is presented in the figure below:

Notably, marketing plans ought to be formulated, and it involves significant strategies. For example developing a marketing mix, which involves the evaluation of product, price, place, and promotion. The most influential factors in the cosmetic industry, which include ingredients, packaging, functions, quality, price, as well as delivery, represent the perception of the product and the cosmetic company, thus bringing forth consumer attitude (Dehghani & Tumer, 2015). Consumer attitude play a significant role in the marketing plan, as marketers have the obligation of prospecting whether consumers will accept their products or not. Moreover, cognition, as well as social influences impact on consumer attitude. Notably, consumers often define the informational structure surrounding a product, their preferences, as well as their choices. As such, communication, for instance, through social media, enables the flow of information regarding a cosmetic company and the company’s product (Tomczak et al., 2018). This then narrows down to market research, as well as the development of a marketing strategy and delivery of products that are of high value and for affordable prices as provided in the figure below:

As provided in the figure above, consumer integrity, product, influential factors, as well as company represent a unity that aids in defining the marketing strategy. In this regard, cosmetic companies have to consider all apsects of he market and all influential factors. Notably, only then can cosmetic companies be able to provide adequate products that satisfy consumer needs and wished, automatically, thus ensuring profit, as well as a stable market position (Tomczak et al., 2018). Often, consumers have different perceptions of products from the company’s perception, owing to misconception regarding the purpose, price, or even quality of the product. As such, it is paramount for marketers to have an objective view on their new products or services.

Control of marketing activities

Marketing of cosmetic products involves a significant budget, which cosmetic firms have to incur. Notably, money spent on the digital media increased by approximately 12 per cent this year, from $106.6 million, as experienced in 2018. Of importance, this includes initiatives that are catering to audiences on search engines, social media, mobile devices, as well as video streaming platforms. Clearly, marketing activities take up more than half of the UK’s total advertising expenditure on cosmetic products (Brown & Crosno, 2019). Most cosmetic companies would consider spending half of their marketing budget on digital channels, and other expenses as provided below:

Moreover, the efficiency of marketing for cosmetic products has its ROI being at 1.09 for all brands, on a short term and this goes as high as 2.51. Of significant to note, is the fact that the aforementioned ROI figures are because cosmetic products are bought by all genders, irrespective of age and not only women as it is generally believed. Marketing of cosmetic products can be done seasonally, and mostly during festive seasons and when there is an evident and when there is the introduction of new products into the market (Brown & Crosno, 2019).

Importance of social media to marketers

Cosmetic companies have the obligation of becoming savvy with social media, as it is a technology that ensures that they connect at personal levels with various users. Notably, social media has significantly revolutionized the manner in which the cosmetic industry communicates and connects with various consumers. It is evident that customers are there and as such, various cosmetic brands simply need to be present and engage with consumers (Carbone, 2015). There are various social media platforms, which include Facebook, Google+, Instagram, and Pinterest among others, which enable brands to build their trust, and provide a sense of online community that results into the creation of loyal followers, as well as brand advocates. Firstly, as already mentioned that social media enables customer engagement for marketers, it is worth noting that it provides a two-way communication between the cosmetic provider and the target audience. In this regard, cosmetic companies can use social media in generating customer feedback through various online presences (Jackson, 2017). Moreover, they are able to target, and also approach their new customers and thus, listen to their voices. As such, marketers need to be honest whenever their consumers raise concerns and should as well answer their queries truthfully. Secondly, social media brings forth high brand loyalty, owing to the fact that it provides a platform for storytelling and enables marketers to build-up and also maintain their brands. Notably, platforms such as Twitter and Pinterest are commonly used in presenting new products, and also displaying the before and after pictures, thus enables brand loyalty from consumers (Hoffman, 2016). Moreover, it is evident that social media provides cost-effective opportunities for the cosmetic industry, for firms to maintain and build their brands. Thirdly, it is significant to take note of the fact that social media enables marketers to create sales. It poses as a significant channel, through which cosmetic companies can generate their daily sales via word of mouth. Many of social media users that have not had previous experiences with specific brands can thus endeavor to consider social media platforms, in order for them to gauge the reviews, as well as comments of other users (Arca, 2012). Finally, it is noteworthy that various cosmetic brands, through social media, have been able to adopt new ways of marketing their products, whilst targeting various consumer segments. Of importance, this significantly impacts smaller brands, which do not have huge marketing budgets, and also those that do not have an offline presence (Jackson, 2017). Looking at brand discovery channels, research indicates that the following (as shown in the figure) percentages of consumers often find out about new cosmetic brands through the following ways:

Influencers

Influencers marketing emphasizes on the use of various influencers in driving a brand’s message, aiming to reach a given target segment. In the present era, where there is ubiquitous internet, it is worth noting that social media influencers have significantly emerged as a third party endorser. Worth noting, leveraging on the social media plethora platforms, which include YouTube, Instagram, and even Twitter, it is evident that social media influencers have over the years, been aptly used in publicizing information on given products, as well as latest promotions on various online followers (Arora et al., 2019). Essentially, social media influencers purpose to engage with their followers by obligating to regular updating with them concerning the latest information. When a cosmetic company used a social media influencer, they manage them by telling them what to do, whereby, they can be given a script and as such, the company can require them to perform it in favor of a given cosmetic product, or post whilst giving a significant information as caption regarding a given cosmetic product. It is evident that in most cases, they post regularly and due to that, it is worth noting that social media influencers influence consumer attitude and future trends indicate that marketers are yet to use more social media influencers in marketing their products (Ge & Gretzel, 2018). Bandura introduced the social learning theory, which has been adopted in various academic research, especially in advertising fields. It provides a theoretical framework that brings forth the ideas associated with socialization agents, which predict consumption behaviors. Notably, this theory justifies the fact that a person derives motivation, and thus, consequently exhibits significant favorable attitude from socialization either through direct or indirect interaction (Akers & Jennings, 2015). Various studies have adopted this theory in understanding consumer attitude through various socialization agents like celebrities, peers, or even family. For instance, the theory can significantly explain the impacts that influencers have on consumer attitude. Overall, social learning theory poses as a contextual foundation that assists in understanding influencers, owing to the fact that they represent a type of third party endorser, who shapes the attitudes of the audience, as well as decision-making by use of social media. In this regard, it posits that the intention of a consumer to purchase a product is influenced by his or her attitudes, as well as the effectiveness that social media brings forth whilst promoting the product (Akers & Jennings, 2015).

Social media channels and their relevance to various market segments/consumer demographic

In 2017, it was noted that social media platforms had 2.8billion users across the entire globe, and that equated that approximately 37% penetration, and as such, the number continually grows each year (Chandler & Munday, 2016). Evidently, social media channels provides granular ways that enables marketers to identify real individuals, and as such, they are able to know whether they are marketing to makes, females, retirees, youths, having cross referenced their profile information, interests, as well as behavior, thereby, allowing them to qualify audiences at significant levels that are superior, as compared to other advertising channels. The ability of targeting audiences and taking attributes relating to a company’s CRM data, as well as consumer preferences that are specific to the manner of interaction with the company’s brand poses as a unique social advertising advantage (Ashley & Tuten, 2015). However, it is significant to note that segmenting of audiences on social media whilst marketing cosmetic products is just half the battle. This is owing to the opinion that the rest rely on the ability of defining and targeting the audience through various stages in the funnel, thus prospecting new consumers, individuals that have visited the site or those who have interacted with the brand, yet have not converted and also existing consumers, having histories associated with shopping with the brand. Examples of social media channels include the following. First is Facebook, which provides a platform that features the broadest, as well as most representative catchment of data and even users. Notably, it as well has a wide array of various segmentation features. The second channel is LinkedIn, which provides a platform that focuses on individuals in work, as well as related personal/employment data history (Dijkmans et al., 2015). Cosmetic marketers can use LinkedIn audience network in honing they segments and reaching out to consumers. The third channel is Twitter, which is another social media platform, consisting of core audience that are highly engaged, urban millennials, as well as professionals. The fourth channel is Instagram, which is a platform popular for the youth. Cosmetic marketers can conduct sentiment analysis, thus segmenting customers through branding perception or even group related content or analyzing engagements by use of hyperlinked hashtags. The final channel is Pinterest, which is a platform that is frequented by millennials, aesthetes, as well as millennials (Carr & Hayes, 2015). Cosmetic marketers can segment Pinterest audience through their details or rather, the things that they have shared in Pinterest.

References

Akers, R. L., & Jennings, W. G. (2015). Social learning theory. The Handbook of Criminological Theory, 4, 230-240.

Arora, A., Bansal, S., Kandpal, C., Aswani, R., & Dwivedi, Y. (2019). Measuring social media influencer index-insights from facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 49, 86-101.

Ashley, C., & Tuten, T. (2015). Creative strategies in social media marketing: An exploratory study of branded social content and consumer engagement. Psychology & Marketing, 32(1), 15-27.

Brown, J. R., & Crosno, J. L. (2019). Process and output control in marketing channels: toward understanding their heterogeneous effects. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing.

Carr, C. T., & Hayes, R. A. (2015). Social media: Defining, developing, and divining. Atlantic Journal of Communication, 23(1), 46-65.

Chun, R. (2016). What holds ethical consumers to a cosmetics brand: The Body Shop case. Business & Society, 55(4), 528-549.

Dehghani, M., & Tumer, M. (2015). A research on effectiveness of Facebook advertising on enhancing purchase intention of consumers. Computers in Human Behavior, 49, 597-600.

Dwivedi, Y. K., Kapoor, K. K., & Chen, H. (2015). Social media marketing and advertising. The Marketing Review, 15(3), 289-309.

Galan Ladero, M. M., Galera Casquet, C., & Singh, J. (2015). Understanding factors influencing consumer attitudes toward cause‐related marketing. International Journal of Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Marketing, 20(1), 52-70.

Haugtvedt, C. P., Herr, P. M., & Kardes, F. R. (Eds.). (2018). Handbook of consumer psychology. Routledge.

Patel, J. (2018). User-Generated Content and Consumer Purchase Intentions in the Cosmetic Industry: Social Impact Perspective. In Digital Marketing Strategies for Fashion and Luxury Brands (pp. 225-247). IGI Global.

Tomczak, T., Reinecke, S., & Kuss, A. (2018). Marketing Implementation and Management Control. In Strategic Marketing (pp. 223-244). Springer Gabler, Wiesbaden.

Yaoyuneyong, G., Foster, J., Johnson, E., & Johnson, D. (2016). Augmented reality marketing: Consumer preferences and attitudes toward hypermedia print ads. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 16(1), 16-30.