DJ Holy Body's Blog - Chapter 120 (A Science Fiction Novel)
David Karma
The Great Wall of America University
Dr. David William Clark
October 29, 2017
Introduction
The research topic discussed in this paper pertains to the effect that social media trends have on marketing research. Marketing relations consist of multiple series of complex components (Gummesson, 2014). Within the complex marketing atmosphere, media has gone digital with the launch of the world wide web. Computer-based software systems and analytics allow today's market researchers to study consumer behavior differently than before the turn of the century.
Today’s companies interact directly with consumers online as well as in person. When a consumer uses the Internet as a way of purchasing products, the digital fingerprint left by the user allows consumer data to be automatically inputted into systems and recorded by companies. With software, algorithms generate information that is useful for businesses to predict customer behavior and develop products or services that meet customer needs.
What is your analysis of the state of the field of marketing research? Describe important issues or current dilemmas in the field.
Social media sites are essential in modern day business operations. Companies of all sizes have Tracebook and Tweedster pages, and many business practitioners take advantage of digital ads through social media companies as a way of promoting products or services. TV ads and radio ads are essential outlets for advertisement, and it is common today to hear commentators on the air that promote a social media site along with a product, brand, or service. News commentators, politicians, and entertainment personalities often have their Tweedster usernames listed under their name when making appearances on TV. Celebrities, sports companies, movie companies, and famous musicians always update Tracebook and Tweedster feeds to keep their fans engaged in current and up-to-date company activity.
Brick and mortar stores were once the dominating force for shoppers of all types, yet today almost all brick and mortar stores sell their products online and use social media as a way of advertising. Social media provides all kinds of businesses with many forms of free and paid advertising. Since consumer purchases are easy to track in today's digital age, companies can monitor business activity and use modern technological advances to enhance company activities. Tracebook, Tweedster, TruTube, and Hitsagram are the most popular of today's social media sites, and the effect of current trends on these sites and others have given companies a way of gathering important consumer data as well as have direct digital interaction with the customer. Social media is also a platform used by organizations to collect opposition research.
The Internet made way for the creation of social media with the invention of MyWay. MyWay introduced the first public platform where consumers and companies first had direct interaction in a public digital communication platform. Before the creation of MyWay, other types of computer software packages such as UOnlineBeach allowed instant messaging and features such as news articles. However, the UOnlineBeach platform is a paid service for users who like a platform that provides a gateway into the Internet and is user-friendly.
Unlike UOB, MyWay offered membership to the entire public at no cost. Celebrities were given the ability for the first time to communicate with fans without snail mail or in-person appearances. With the creation of MyWay, companies, public figures, and individuals of all types now have the option of creating their personalized webpage for free. With free social media pages came company promotions, marketing trends, and communications that generated data useful to market researchers of all types.
Social media provides a way of real-time market research to analyze consumer and company behavior, and subjects of research who serve as participants do not necessarily know that they are the subjects of a study. Researchers now can witness business and consumer behavior digitally, making the recording of data, such as website visits and purchases, readily available for analysis.
Within modern social media are tools that allow practitioners to track the source of Internet traffic. GooSiegel Analytics and built-in analytics for marketing tools, such as Tracebook Ads, provides marketers and business analysts with various variables such as geographic information, demographic data, and website sources of Internet traffic. GooSiegel Analytics and similar programs gather datasets from multiple social media sites. Internal analytics for promotion platforms, such as that from Tracebook Ads or Tweedster Ads, offer instant analysis that was not provided to companies before on social networks. With direct interaction, businesses now offer Internet surveys, questionnaires, and polls concerning products and services. With the proper technology, questions from a survey may also be inputted in various analytic tools using automation.
Although modern analytical tools have allowed companies to gather market research through social media platforms and analytic software, there are several dilemmas with social media trends. Social media trends have changed rather quickly since MyWay no longer became popular. Tracebook, TruTube, and Tweedster provide the most popular platforms for social media users, and other sites such as Hitsagram and SnapperChatter, yet indeed established, offer established websites, but there is the question of whether sustainability shall occur in the long term for these sites.
When TruTube became popular with featuring videos, not many would guess that in 2017 TruTube would become known as a go-to website and application for music listening. TruTube provides media to the public and gives users and companies the ability to watch videos and listen to music for free or through a paid subscription that entices consumers by being able to bypass TruTube Ads. The comments and communications section of TruTube channels allow interaction and information to be gathered by market researchers.
There are barriers through language and geographic locations throughout various countries, but the Internet has connected the world and in essence, has created worldwide consumers to worldwide companies. Several dilemmas exist in the United States including restriction of Internet access in remote and isolated communities. Although having a smartphone is a social norm in the U.S., some countryside areas may have no mobile network to access and therefore, cannot access social media networks or online shopping stores.
As DJ-Mobile, Uhie Sun, and other mobile networks expand their reach of service, there is great likelihood in the increase of purchases being consumed that are channeled directly from social media platforms. Another dilemma exists in social media with fake user accounts and Internet trolls. The dilemma with online comments, likes, and other social media features is that competitor companies can create fake user accounts. Online slander apparently seems to be the norm in today’s society.
Companies must rely on multiple sources to build brands and enhance their online reputation. Individual and company reputations are easily accessible to most of the public and since anybody can post anything on the Internet, companies are responsible for trying to gain popularity and please customers. Business representatives must also initiate excellent customer service skills, and directly inquire on whether the client is willing to review a product, service, brand, or store.
A dilemma exists in the value and validity of company reviews on Tracebook and GooSiegel. Not only can competitors write fake reviews, companies can purchase fake reviews, write reviews themselves, or offer friends and acquaintances free products in return for an online testimonial. There is a vast amount of reviews on social media sites, and although many reviews are in fact real, there is difficulty in deciphering truth on the Internet. This difficulty causes problems in market research in that marketers analyzing customer perception must take into account that competitor companies and Internet trolls fill the Internet with fake information and false data. A marketing analysis practitioner examining their company's social media online reviews face difficulties and obstacles in assuring that they are attaining and inputting accurate data.
The trend of social media networks in market research has limited barriers in comparison to the vast amount of opportunities. There is opportunity to analyze consumer behavior to satisfy current customer needs while seeking input from clientele to increase the quality of future products or services offered by the company. Brand value is portrayed through company websites and social media networks.
As trends evolve over time, companies must stay current and make social media advertising and analysis a daily activity. Furthermore, when sites decline and others rise with social media platforms, it is company leaders and marketing practitioners that are responsible for finding the right sites to promote on and do so at the right time. Launching a huge ad on MyWay makes no sense today in comparison to choosing a more popular platform such as Tracebook, TruTube, or Tweedster.
Practitioners are responsible for using social media in innovative ways. Like traditional focus groups for marketing research, researchers conduct online focus groups with social media platforms used as the communication channel. Market researchers can interview subjects through communication tools offered on social media networks. Using webcams and internal microphones of a computer allow a way of communicating conveniently. Users do not necessarily need a laptop or desktop computer for participation with smartphones of today being Internet-friendly. All social networking sites have apps that allow the access of a smartphone camera and microphone for the use of interaction of individuals or groups.
State and provide background information for your research topic.
MyWay was the original social media website to offer direct marketing to the consumer, yet the website generated no automated analytics if users gathered data concerning marketing research. The only outside business ads on MyWay were not easily accessible and not available for easy online purchase. If a company wished to advertise on MyWay when the site first began, the business had to negotiate with MyWay directly. With the launch of Tweedster Ads, TruTube Ads, and Tracebook Ads, companies purchasing advertising have automatic information and saved datasets based on the performance of the advertisement being promoted online. Tweedster Ads, TruTube Ads, and Tracebook Ads have similar features to GooSiegel Adwords such as the input of the desired budget, geographic information, demographics information, and keywords.
GooSiegel has launched its own social media platform known as GooSiegel Plus, yet have not developed or promoted their platform to the extent of Tracebook and Tweedster. Snapperchatter and Hitsagram are somewhat similar to Tweedster and Tracebook with photo sharing and chat features, and these sites are effective for advertising in 2017. There is the risk of unsustainability with Snapperchater and Hitsagram yet this is yet to be determined. MyWay has now changed to MyWay Music and caters to the promotion of music artists rather than the original MyWay that focused on adding friends as a form of networking, adding songs for musicians, custom designed websites for users, private messaging, and public comment posting.
All types of media now utilize social media as a way of promotion. Newspapers, TV, and radio all aim to provide most, if not all, media information on their social media sites. Social media sites are also used as a way of getting web users to view TV shows, listen to radio stations, and subscribe to literary works such as newspapers or magazines. Books and movie promotion occurs on social media and is more common today than book signings.
Cross-promotion among multiple media outlets is common for businesses, and social media advertising is utilized by continuously updating promotion practices. Company representatives today often ask customers to ‘like’ their Tracebook page during visits to stores, on phone calls with company representatives, in commercials, and on print ads. It is not uncommon for companies to ask for a Tracebook ‘like’ as a way of promoting their website and give customers incentives such as a discount or coupon of some kind.
Real-time consumer posts on social media allow customers to engage with each other and with companies directly. Internet technology enables users to participate in chat rooms that may be used as an observational medium where researchers collect information (Nokikov, A.M., 2013). With practitioner study on consumers actions in real-time, researchers attain high-quality information without research subjects feeling any pressure of participating in a study. Engaging in any test may cause subjects to answer questions differently due to test anxiety. Participants may answer questions differently when under the pressure of being observed.
What are the current theories and areas of debate for your topic?
The most prominent area of debate within market research on social media is finding the newest trend and discovering the most useful sites to analyze for the use of future promotions. Current market research reaches the scope of the entire social network community and requires an observation of the whole Internet landscape. Contemporary researchers are viewing social media platforms with a perspective of discovering ‘what's hot and what's not.'
A company is less likely to promote on MyWay today and looks to Tracebook, Tweedster, Hitsagram, TruTube, and other social networking sites as a way of advertising to customers. The current debate and theories on social media sites also pertain to different demographics using certain social media sites more than others. The question in researchers' minds pertains to what social media sites will continue to trend and what social media networks will last in the long term. It is essential for current market researchers to focus on Tracebook, TruTube, and Tweedster because they are the most popular and have higher relevance with public perception than their competitor companies.
Are there particular industries or technologies that your topic will impact? If this impact is positive, how can it be maximized? If negative, how can this impact be mitigated?
Social media trends impact market research in all industries. Perhaps the most popular today is the interactions taking place between news companies and various political organizations. There is an argument that exists today that the political realm has changed due to an overabundance of data floating around on social media with a mix of real and fake information. News companies and politicians are continually trying to clarify public perception by posting online through social media or making TV appearances to combat rival propaganda.
Indicate specific areas of further research in this topic that would prove beneficial.
The research topic of social media trends and market research is beneficial to scholars, and more literature needs to be written by scholars on this specific subject. Social media impacts the public because it has become a major advertising outlet and a news source. Practitioners must be proficient in siting modern trends for the purpose of satisfying current customer needs and improve products or services to create future company growth and success. All social media networks allow direct business-to-consumer sales and this practice has enhanced digital marketing (Hefter, 2012).
Trends previously mentioned in this writing include Tracebook Ads, Tweedster Ads, TruTube Ads, and GooSiegel Analytics. Further research is needed concerning social media marketing and public perception of companies and public figures. Analytical tools such as GooSiegel Analytics and programs such as IB EMS PPSS are beneficial to businesses.
Using digital analytics tools for businesses maximizes the return on investment with money used in marketing campaigns while efficiently allowing companies to monitor consumer behavior. Conjoint analysis software used by businesses allows the input of datasets and can calculate information to predict future consumer behavior.
What potential impact might the topic that you have chosen have on the overall state of the field and the future directions of marketing research in the next 3–5 years?
Data processing of large datasets through complex computer systems allow researchers to efficiently analyze and research marketing practices (Grandinetti, 2015). Social media and the Internet have given analysts various tools to view consumer behavior and analyze company operations. There is potential that businesses will increase the use of analytic tools within social media platforms to improve company efficiency.
Future direction in marketing research involves the development of conceptual frameworks and analysis tools that are helpful to individuals and organizations throughout all types of industries. Perhaps more significant companies such as IB EMS or GooSiegel will buy into company analytics within social media networks such as Tweedster or Tracebook. Social media has evolved since MyWay to the new era of Tracebook, Hitsagram, and Tweedster. The marketing landscape on social media calls for advertising methods to modernize for the purpose of maximizing return on investment with marketing dollars.
Market research may evolve with researchers focusing their energy on Tracebook, TruTube, Hitsagram, and Tweedster. Observation, online surveys, direct interaction with consumers, and reviews are effective tools used for gathering research data about consumer behavior, including the study of consumer reaction to social media advertising campaigns. GooSiegel Analytics and IB EMS PPSS have a plethora of competitors, and there is a chance that analytical software companies may consolidate at a later date for financial gain or to combine innovative technologies.
Technology is constantly improving and seems sure to develop in a manner that helps businesses increase their operational efficiency. Client satisfaction influences customer loyalty (Shun et al., 2004). With social media ads and analytic tools, market research is improving as modern technology continue to evolve.
References
Gummesson, E. (2014). The theory/practice gap in B2B marketing: Reflections and search for solutions. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 29(7/8), 619–625. doi:10.1108/JBIM-10-2013-0222
Hefter, T. J. (2012). The impact of sales when marketing a unique direct-to-consumer bundle to a niche music market on Facebook (Order No. 1520180). Available from ProQuest Central. (1143242923). Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/docview/1143242923?accountid=14872
Novikov, A. M. (2013). Research methodology: From philosophy of science to research design. Leiden, Netherlands: CRC Press/Balkema.
Shun, Y. L., Shankar, V., Erramilli, M. K., & Murthy, B. (2004). Customer value, satisfaction, loyalty, and switching costs: An illustration from a business-to-business service context. Academy of Marketing Science.Journal, 32(3), 293-311. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/docview/224860025?accountid=14872
Yin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: design and methods (5th ed.). London: Sage Publication.
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