Emerging Trends in the Usage of Social Media in Strategic Marketing and Consumer Buying Behaviour (2015)

Social Media in Strategic Marketing Dissertation – Over the past decade a new form of media has arisen which due to its social features seem to have a great power of influence on consumers’ purchasing decision-making process. Today, more and more consumers use Social media to communicate together but also to communicate with brands. This new interaction is of interests for marketing professionals.

The study aims to explain how the influence of Social media is reflected on consumers’ purchasing decision-making process and if this influence differs at the various stages of this process. This will be elaborated by taking the example of two international brands that have extensively uses social media networking as their market strategy. The dissertation begins with the introductory section that defines what social media networking is and trends followed on social networking sites.

The introduction conveys the objective of the dissertation in which two research questions are presented. Subsequently, the dissertation tries to answer these questions. The second part constitutes the ‘Literature Survey’ which dwells with all the necessary data that is to be considered for the research purpose.

The previous work done by the scholars and the authors’ is considered extensively which not only helps in defining the problem but also describes the attitude required to solve the research questions. In the third section, research methodology used to answer the research questions is discussed. This section describes the research approach, philosophies, strategies and choices needed for the purpose of dissertation.

In its later half, the data collection methods, tools and techniques used for this dissertation is discussed along with the limitations posed by time and resources. A survey (quantitative data) of the consumers who live in and around London are done as the data collection instruments used for this research. In the fourth chapter, the whole analysis of the data collected is done with the help of pie charts and histograms. This section defines the current stage and trends of social media marketing as well as the attitude of the consumers towards it.

The study finds that the influence of Social media differs according to the various stages of the consumers’ purchasing decision making process. Thereby, the more the consumer progresses through the stages the more the influence of Social media is diminished. Other findings explain that cultural background such as nationalities makes Social media influence more or less strong according to the different stages of the consumers’ purchasing decision making process. The study also highlights implications for Marketers that have the opportunities to seize the power of influence of Social media.

To conclude, these findings indicate directions for futures researches to investigate the impact of characteristics, such as cultural background, demographics features and differences in usage, on the influence of Social media that might affect consumers’ purchasing decision making process. This concluding section tries to give the answers of the research questions that describe the current and the future trends of market.

• 16,000 words – 54 pages in length
• Excellent use of literature
• Good analysis of subject area
• Well written throughout
• Includes questionnaire
• Ideal for marketing students

1: Introduction
Objectives of the Research
Research Questions

2: Literature Review
Consumer Decision Process
Problem Recognition
Search of Information
Evaluation of Alternatives
Final Decision
Post Purchase Decision
Attitude
Information Process Theory
Exposure
Motivation
What Is Social media
Types of Social media
Social Networking Sites
Media-Sharing Sites
Blogs
Social media and Marketing
Social media: The New Mindset
Social media as a Mean of Giving Consumers a Voice
The Influences on Decision Making Process

3: Research Methodology
Research Philosophies
Research Approach
Research Strategies
Research Choices
Time Horizons
Techniques and Procedures
Population and Sample
Questionnaire Design and Data Collection
Data Analysis
Ethical Issues
Research Validity and Reliability
Research Limitations

4: Data Analysis and Key Findings
General Information on Consumers
Questions on Social media

5: Conclusion
Research Questions Outcomes
Recommendations for Aspiring Brands
Limitations of the Study

References

Appendix
Questionnaire
SPSS Data