Chapter 5 - Social Media: Living in the Connected World

Scenario: You are a respected industry authority on social media tools and platforms used in marketing. You have been asked to write an article about these tools and platforms and how companies are using them in their social media marketing efforts. You have decided that a case study approach would work best to convey your thoughts about how social media tools and platforms are used in social media marketing by different firms. In your article, you will describe what five hypothetical companies would like to accomplish with social media. Your five hypothetical companies are as follows: Company A wants to create a virtual community where its customers share their daily experiences with the company's products and post their opinions about related topics. Company B intends to use Tumblr as a social bookmarking site. Company C wants to allow its customers and other users to post a steady stream of updates of varying lengths on products, services, and related subjects. Company D wants its customers to be able to save and manage links to other online resources. Company E wants to create a social media platform where its product experts can discuss features and planned enhancements to its current and future products. The following statements describe how these hypothetical companies should use social media platforms to meet their needs. Which statement is not accurate? a. Company A should create a social networking site to meet its needs. b. Company B is right to choose Tumblr for this purpose. c. Company C should create a blogging site to meet its needs. d. Company D should create a social bookmarking site to meet its needs. e. Company E should choose a blogging site over a microblog for its product experts to use to meet its needs.

b. Company B is right to choose Tumblr for this purpose.

Approximately 40% of American consumers use social media outlets such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter to obtain information about healthcare sharing opinions with others about physicians, modifications, hospitals, and insurance companies. This demonstrates that consumers use social media to: a. make final purchase decisions. b. conduct research. c. discover new products. d. identify trends.

b. conduct research.

All of the following are appropriate ways for a firm to measure the effectiveness of its social media initiatives except: a. By combining measures of activity, engagement, and conversion. b. By measuring engagement. c. By measuring output. d. By measuring conversion. e. By measuring activity.

c. By measuring output.

Tiffany was browsing her Instagram feed and saw a sponsored post for a new skincare product called Ever, which uses all natural ingredients and is free of harmful chemicals. She had never heard of the brand before but clicked on the link to the company's website since she was interested in learning more. Tiffany was relying on social media to: a. make final purchase decisions. b. conduct research. c. discover new products. d. share information.

c. discover new products.

__________ such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn represent opportunities for marketers as well as popular platforms for consumers. a. Social media analytics programs b. Social media facilitators c. Social news sites d. Social networking sites

d. Social networking sites

A successful social media marketing plan features content that is focused on: a. the organization. b. the marketers behind the campaign. c. the corporate structure. d. the audience.

d. the audience.

Content marketing involves creating and distributing relevant and targeted material to attract and engage an audience, with the goal of driving them to a desired action. Content for an effective SMM campaign has the following qualities except which one? a. Share-worthy text and images. b. Targeted keywords. c. A focus on the audience rather than the organization. d. A strong brand focus. e. A focus on product sales.

e. A focus on product sales.

Scenario: You are the head of sales and marketing for a consumer products company. You delegated responsibility for developing a social media marketing (SMM) campaign to one of your best managers because you thought she understood what is required. You asked her to develop some guidelines for how the campaign should be developed and meet with you to discuss her recommended approach. The manager emailed you the following list of guidelines: Developing the campaign should begin by choosing platforms and sites. Social media posts can be used for more than promotion and publicity. Potential customers exposed to social media promotions will be ready to buy as soon as they learn what your company offers. In the event of a public relations crisis, social media can be effectively applied to help defuse it. Which of the following statements should you make to correct the manager's mistakes? a. Unlike traditional promotion, social media promotion usually produces instantaneous sales. b. There's no need for corrections: The list of guidelines doesn't have a single mistake! c. Social media posts should be used only to promote a product or publicize a sale. d. While social media is highly effective for promotion and engagement, it is of little value in defusing a public relations crisis. e. Developing a campaign should begin by establishing specific goals, not by choosing platforms and sites.

e. Developing a campaign should begin by establishing specific goals, not by choosing platforms and sites.

Social media platforms differ in the advantages they offer to marketers. Which of the following platforms is effective for distributing messages to influential users but ineffective for bringing users directly to an online store? a. Social networking site. b. Distributional site. c. Blogging site. d. Organic platform. e. Social bookmarking site.

e. Social bookmarking site.

Scenario: The CEO of your company sent you an email last week in which he praised you and your marketing team's efforts and success in utilizing social media to drive sales revenue increases in the last fiscal year. In the email, he admitted that he did not know much about social media. However, he believes it is a technological trend the company needs to embrace to create a competitive advantage. He wants to meet with you to discuss how you think social media will impact the company's customers and their buying behavior in the years to come, and what strategies can be used to take full advantage of this new paradigm. In preparation for the meeting, he would like for you to come prepared to discuss the following social media facts and figures he has gathered through his conversations with other CEOs in the industry: The majority of online consumers start with search engines when they are gathering information for a potential purchase decision. Sites like Facebook and YouTube can play an effective role in introducing new products. Consumers are increasingly sharing information about products and services on blogs and social networking sites. Online reviews are taken very seriously by a large majority of consumers. The impact of social media on buying behavior once varied by age, but is now the same across age groups. Which of the following statements would you make to the CEO in reference to errors within his social media facts and figures? a. Consumers are reluctant to share comments and opinions on social media because of legal liability concerns. b. Online reviews are ignored by most consumers. c. When gathering information for a purchase decision, more consumers start the process on social media sites than with search engines. d. Sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are used frequently to share information about existing products, but rarely to find new products. e. The impact of social media on buying behavior no longer varies by age.

e. The impact of social media on buying behavior no longer varies by age.

_________________ often leads directly to increased audience _____________.

engagement, activity

Measuring the success of a social media marketing plan includes such factors as overall __________.

reach

Examples of endorsement-like audience engagement include __________ and ____________.

shares, re-tweets

Social media marketing ______ the audience participation in the message.

solicits

Content marketing is the creation of relevant and _______ material to attract and ________ an audience.

targeted, engage

When setting goals for a social media marketing (SMM) campaign, a firm should: a. Identify their target audience before producing any content. b. Recognize that successful SMM efforts do not require much involvement by the audience. c. Develop content then set goals. d. Not listen to what is said about the company or its products. e. Seek to control the content and the message received by an SMM audience.

a. Identify their target audience before producing any content.

Select all the statements that are true about social media's role in marketing. a. It is primarily a communication medium. b. Most companies have a large but static social media presence. c. It is primarily a strategic planning tool. d. Social media platforms are not effective for launching new products. e. Most companies are increasing their social media presence.

a. It is primarily a communication medium. & e. Most companies are increasing their social media presence.

According to research by Deloitte, ______ shoppers are more heavily influenced by social media when making purchase decisions compared to other age groups. a. Millennial b. Baby boomer c. Generation Z d. Cohort

a. Millennial

A new store opens in your city. This store opening is likely to prompt you to use social media in all of the following ways except: a. To dispute your first bill from the new store. b. To identify new products being introduced in the store. c. To share your opinion of the new store's merchandise. d. To research what the new store carries. e. To share your opinion of the store's employees.

a. To dispute your first bill from the new store.

Tabitha was scrolling through Facebook and saw a sponsored post from NBC with a recent clip from a Tonight Show episode featuring Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake. She clicked on the video to watch it and saw that over 7 million people had already viewed the video. NBC can monitor the video and track the impressions, which is a measure of: a. activity. b. engagement. c. endorsement. d. conversion.

a. activity.

Individuals with the capability to affect the opinions and actions of others are called _____ and may be utilized by companies in social media marketing campaigns to increase brand awareness as well as generate leads. For instance, Ellen DeGeneres has approximately 72 million Twitter followers and is ranked #6 in the world for her social media following. Due to Ellen's popularity, companies such as Shutterfly partner with her. a. influencers b. innovators c. market leaders d. market disseminators

a. influencers

Cyber security has become an important issue as companies seek to prevent hackers from accessing company information, which might include customer data such as e-mail addresses, log-on identification, passwords, and more. This also relates to an important principle regarding social media ethics: a. respect privacy. b. be honest. c. be accountable. d. be genuine.

a. respect privacy.

Which of the following statements is TRUE regarding social media? a. social media is an important tool for marketers to use in building relationships b. consumers rarely use social media as a way to connect with businesses c. older adults aged 65 or over are the biggest users of social media d. social media budgets are expected to decline in the future

a. social media is an important tool for marketers to use in building relationships

Social media marketing content should focus on the ____________, not the ____________.

audience, organization

Which of the following is true about the ethical issues marketers encounter in social media marketing? a. The potential for misinterpretation of social media messages is not a major concern. b. Privacy and accountability are constant concerns. c. Since the relationship with the audience is online and public, confidentiality is not an issue. d. When mistakes happen, smart social media marketers take a reactive approach. e. The ethical and legal issues are static in social media marketing.

b. Privacy and accountability are constant concerns.

From the list below, select any incorrect statements. a. Marketers can increase the return on their social media investments by aligning social media messages with traditional marketing messages. b. Marketers should be prepared for low conversion rates when they use social media to advertise to new prospects. c. Marketers can use social media to manage public relations crises. d. Viral videos are not effective at generating sales or demand for a product. e. Marketers can use microblogs to answer customer questions.

d. Viral videos are not effective at generating sales or demand for a product.

In the initial step of a social media marketing campaign, marketers want to help everyone involved with the campaign aim their efforts in the right direction. For this reason, the first step is: a. developing strategies. b. producing content. c. monitoring and measuring the campaign. d. setting goals.

d. setting goals.