Social Media Analysis: Tools for a New Age of Communication Tara L. Johnson, Graduate Assistant, University of Arkansas Stuart Estes, Undergraduate Research Fellow, University of Arkansas Leslie D. Edgar, Associate Professor, University of Arkansas Introduction / Need for the Innovation or Idea Each day millions of users access various social media platforms (Facebook, 2013; Twitter, 2013). With the development and growth of platforms like Facebook and Twitter, companies are utilizing various social media strategies to connect with their audiences (Wilson, Guinan, Parise, & Weinberg, 2011). Research shows some companies use these platforms as an extension of customer service, interacting, and solving issues with customers. Others use it as a digital focus group—a way to get feedback on products. Still others use it to advertise, to market their wares, or to increase awareness of their brand. Some use a combination of these tactics to find the most value in their social media presence (Wilson et al., 2011). Additionally, these same companies seek employees familiar with social media, specifically those who know how to utilize these platforms as tools in a public relations and marketing function as the industry moves further away from traditional media sources (Morgan, 2012). Organizations are utilizing social media to create intimacy with their consumers, a process that can be explained by social penetration theory. Through the work of Irwin Altman and Almas Taylor, the social penetration theory was developed (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011). This theory explains that interpersonal relationships evolve gradually through a process of disclosure that takes a relationship from superficial to intimate (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011). This exchange is the foundation of what occurs in social media when companies use it to foster deeper engagement (Weinreich, 2011). According to Weinreich (2011), “traditional websites provide a one-way flow of information, from the site’s creator to the user, while social media sites offer opportunities for users to interact with the site’s content and other content creators” (p. 209). As with any communication initiative, evaluation is an important part of the social media process (Weinreich, 2011). There are a variety of platform-specific metrics that can be tracked with various free and paid programs (Weinreich, 2011). It is important to collect data from the social media platforms a company utilizes to determine the effectiveness of the strategy when compared to the objectives (Weinreich, 2011). As this segment of communications continues to grow, it is important to educate students prior to moving into industry (Morgan, 2012). According to Morgan (2012), participants in a focus group study of alumni said that students entering the workforce need to be familiar with new media beyond its personal use. How it Works / Methodology / Steps More than 200 million active users on Twitter post an average of 400 million tweets each day (Twitter, 2013). More than 699 million users are active on Facebook each day (Facebook, 2013). Social media content is created and consumed at an astonishing rate. Businesses and organizations are using social platforms like Facebook and Twitter to create intimate relationships with their target audiences and those audiences are using it to make decisions about what to buy and what to think. In turn, these businesses and organizations are changing the way
they use traditional media and are increasing their use of new media. In fact, many businesses and organizations are hiring entire teams devoted to managing their social media presence. For example, Walmart, the largest retailer in the world, uses several platforms to engage with their target audiences. On Facebook, Walmart has more than 30 million fans and thousands of those fans interact with each post (Expion, 2013). For companies like Walmart who have been effective at utilizing new media in a marketing, communication, and public relation functions, evaluation of social media presence to determine return on investment, customer acceptance, and brand loyalty are critical. This is accomplished through systematic reporting using key metrics to define company objectives’ successes and failures. Many of social platforms, including Facebook and Twitter, have their own metric panels that produce data on engagement, but there are also independent companies that have developed programs to measure these metrics. From this data, employees can analyze results and condense it into a report that provides a big picture look at the effectiveness of the marketing initiative. Some companies use this type of reporting to look at the return on investment of a specific campaign like “back to school”, others use it to evaluate their presence monthly, quarterly, etc, while others use a combination of the two tactics. Results to Date / Implications While most students are familiar with various social platforms, many lack the knowledge to utilize them in a marketing, communication, and public relation functions. Additionally, since new media is constantly changing, it is challenging to identify hard and fast rules for how social media is used. With that in mind, it is important to provide a basic foundation for students, with the idea that they will learn the specifics of how a particular business or organization uses new media after entering industry. Students with tangible skills in using these new media platforms have a competitive edge when seeking employement and entering industry. Future Plans / Advice to Others Social media marketing should be incorporated into existing courses to provide students with a frame of reference before entering industry. Topics covered should include how to use social media platforms in a marketing, communication, and public relation functions, how to collect data on these systems, and how to evaluate the success of the platform. Real world skill developed through hands-on learning will afford students the opportunity to maintain a competeitve edge in an age where media is constantly changing. We encourage agricultural instructors to incorporate new media tracking and evaluation knowledge and standards into their existing courses. Research efforts should focus on identifying and incorporating specific new media techniques to enhance awareness, educate audience segments, and promote industry values, products, and services. This research would provide a foundation for curriculum modification and enhancement. It is critical our future gradutes understand the importance of utlilizing, tracking, and evaluating social media to enhance industry acceptance, promotion, brand identity awareness, return on investment, customer acceptance, and brand loyalty. Costs / Resources Needed Costs associated with social media marketing and evaluation vary based on the particular business or organization’s objectives. Many companies have successful social media marketing strategies that cost little to nothing. Other companies may spend hundreds of thousands or, even, millions of dollars on advertising, promoted posts, and privately developed tools to track metrics.
At the educational level, costs are marginal. New media topics can easily be incorporated into existing class materials and free tools exist to gather data on social media integration and to develop student competencies. For example, there is no cost associated with Facebook, Twitter, or Google analytics tools. These tools can be used, for free, to educate students on the importance of new media tracking and social media communication campaign adaptation. References Expion. (2013). F.A.V.E. 50 social retail report. Retrieved from: http://www.expion.com/wpcontent/uploads/2013/08/Expion-FAVE-50-Social-Retail-Report-FINAL.pdf Facebook. (2013). Key facts. Retrieved from: http://newsroom.fb.com/Key-Facts Littlejohn, S. W., & Foss, K. A. (2011). Theories of Human Communication. Cengage Learning. Morgan, A. C. (2012). Competencies needed by agricultural communication undergraduates: A focus group study of alumni. Journal of Applied Communications, 96(2), 17-29. Twitter. (2013). Who’s on twitter? Retrieved from: http://business.twitter.com/whos-twitter Weinreich, N. K. (2011). Hands-on Social Marketing: A Step-by-Step Guide to Designing Change for Good. Sage. Wilson, H. J., Guinan, P. J., Parise, S., & Weinberg, B. D. (2011). What’s your social media strategy?. Harvard Business Review, 89(7/8), 23-25.