Chp 3 Social Consumers

*Motives for social media activities 社会媒体活动的动机

1.Affinity 亲和力
- social networks enable participants to express an affinity, to acknowledge a liking and/or relationship
with individuals and reference groups.For example, When you use Facebook to stay in touch with high
school friends and to make new friends, you are responding to the affinity impulse

2.Personal utility 个人效用: while we tend to think of social media participation truly as community
participation, some do consider, “What’s in it for me?” This is the personal utility impulse and it may be
one of the most important motives for brands to acknowledge.

3.Contact, comfort & immediacy 接触、舒适和即时性 : Contact comfort is the sense of relief we feel
from knowing others in our network are accessible. Immediacy also lends a sense of relief in that the
contact is without delay.For example , do you feel lost without your mobile phone?

4.Altruism 利他主义 : some participate in social media as a way to do something good. They use social
media to “make the world a better place. The altruistic impulse serves a value-expressive function in that
it enables individuals to express their own moral beliefs through their social media behavior

5.Curiosity 好奇心 : when people use social media to gain new knowledge and stimulate intellectual
interests, epistemic curiosity is the driver.For example, online, we can satisfy our curiosity by “following”
people on Twitter and visiting their profiles.

6.Validation 验证: social media focus intently on the individual. This focus on the self highlights the
validation impulse, in other words, feeding one’s own ego.

Chp 5 Social Media Marketing Strategy

• *7 steps in social media marketing planning
1. Situation情况 Analysis
The first step in developing the plan is much the same as it is in the creation of traditional
strategic plans—research and assess the environment. Good social media planning starts with
research on the industry and competitors, the product category, and the consumer market. Once
this research is compiled, strategists try to make sense of the findings as they analyze the data in
a situation analysis.
Exp: Foods’ Social Media SWOT Analysis
In addition, a review of the brand’s SWOT analysis will highlight relevant aspects of the firm’s
internal and external environment that could affect the organization’s choices, capabilities, and
resources. The internal environment refers to the strengths and weaknesses of the organization.
The external environment consists of those elements outside the organization
Social Media Audit Template
Social Media Competitive Analysis

2. Objectives and Budget

Develop SMART Objectives
-Specific
-Measureable
-Action-oriented
-Realistic
-Time-lined
Exp: Top Social media Objectives

3.Target Audience
-Buyer Persona

4. Social Media Zones and Vehicles

Exp: GT’s Zones of SMM

5. Experience Strategy
•* Dimensions of brand experience 品牌体验的维度
● Trigger senses. 触发感官- To trigger the sensory dimension, the experience should engage the
senses, especially
visual

● Evoke feeling. 唤起感觉- To evoke the affective dimension, the experience should be
emotional.

● Activate behaviour. 激活行为- To activate the behavioral dimension, the experience should
enable physical action.
● Stimulate perception. 刺激感知- To stimulate the cognitive dimension, the experience should
stimulate curiosity, problem-solving, or other intellectual motive.

6. Establish Activation Plan

7. Execution and Measurement

Typical Mistakes
-Staffing人员配置: the initial imperative when it comes to social media marketing is to simply
get there

-Content: a related issue is the failure to introduce new, fresh, and relevant content.

-Time horizon时间跨度： social media work differently than do traditional advertising, and
may require patience before results are delivered. social media work differently than do
traditional advertising, and may require patience before results are delivered. Although the
results may take longer to see, the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the social media model
can be well worth the patience and resources required.

-Focus of objectives: it’s not uncommon for organizations to focus on action steps rather than
desired outcomes from social media.

-User benefits: social media live or die on the quality of the content a platform offers to users.
That content must add value to the social community. A social media marketing plan answers the
question: How will we distribute our content using social media channels?

-Measurement测量: organizations fail to properly measure results. For organizations to succeed

in social media marketing, measurement is critical. Measuring outcomes ensures that the
organization is learning from what worked and what didn’t.

Chp 11 Social Commerce

● What is the relationship between social commerce and ecommerce?
● How are mobile devices and software applications influencing the development of social
commerce?
● How do social shoppers use social media as they move through the consumer decision-making
process? Which social commerce elements should marketers employ to meet social shoppers’
needs?
● What are the psychological factors that influence social shopping?

The Consumer Decision-making Process

Problem recogni-on
Informa-on search
Alterna-ve evalua-on
Purchase
Post- purchase evalua-on

T10 Social commerce

Case Study
Based on the case study - How Snapchat became the forgotten social
platform (Vox, 2021), attempt the discussion questions.
(Please refer to the Study Guide)

1. In your opinion, is Snap one of the next rising stars as a social

platform in social commerce? If yes, why? If not, why?

In my opinion, Snap has the potential to be one of the rising stars in social commerce. The
platform has a large user base, particularly among younger demographics, which presents
significant opportunities for businesses to reach and engage with their target audience.
Additionally, Snap's focus on augmented reality (AR) and camera technology aligns well with
the growing trend of immersive and interactive shopping experiences. By leveraging its AR
capabilities and integrating social commerce features, Snap can create unique shopping
experiences that appeal to its users and provide value to businesses.
Snapchat's AR tools, such as Lens Studio, offer brands the ability to create interactive filters and
lenses that users can try on or use to enhance their content. This integration of AR and social
commerce can bridge the gap between virtual and physical shopping experiences, allowing users
to engage with products in a more immersive way before making a purchase. Furthermore,
Snap's initiatives like Spotlight, which incentivize users to create and share content, can help
drive user-generated content related to products and increase brand awareness.

2. “In its pursuit of the metaverse, Snap’s purpose in the world remains
divided.” What are your suggestions to the CEO to repurpose the
social platform strategically for improving the social shopping
experience in relation to stages in the purchase decision-making
process? (Tips: Consider the social shoppers’ needs and
psychological factors that influence social shopping in your
discussion and suggestions.)

To strategically improve the social shopping experience on Snapchat, the CEO could consider
the following suggestions:
a. Enhance product discovery: Implement features that enable users to easily discover and
explore products within the app. This could include personalized product recommendations
based on user preferences, browsing history, and social connections. Additionally, integrating
visual search capabilities can allow users to find products by simply capturing an image or using
AR to identify similar items.
b. Facilitate social validation: Leverage the social aspect of Snapchat to enhance social validation
for products. Enable users to share their purchases, reviews, and recommendations with their
friends and followers. This can create a sense of trust and authenticity, encouraging others to
make informed purchase decisions.

c. Foster community engagement: Build communities or interest-based groups within Snapchat

where users can discuss and share their shopping experiences, product recommendations, and
tips. This creates a sense of belonging and facilitates peer-to-peer interactions, which are
influential factors in social shopping.

d. Gamify the shopping experience: Introduce gamification elements to make the shopping
experience more engaging and enjoyable. For example, users could earn rewards or discounts by
participating in challenges, completing tasks, or sharing their purchases. This approach can
enhance user motivation and increase loyalty.

e. Seamless checkout process: Streamline the purchasing process by integrating secure and user-
friendly payment options within the app. Simplify the checkout process, eliminate friction points,
and ensure a seamless transition from product discovery to purchase.

Additional Questions
1. How are mobile devices and software applications influencing the
development of social commerce?

Social commerce is a subset of e-commerce (i.e., the practice of buying and selling products and
services via the Internet). It uses social media and social media applications to enable online
shoppers to interact and collaborate during the shopping experience and to assist retailers and
customers during the process. Encompassing online ratings and reviews, applications, numerous
shopping related apps, deal sites and deal aggregators, and social shopping malls and storefronts,
social commerce is the last zone of social media. Though most online shopping is performed
using a desktop or laptop computer, mobile devices are driving much of the growth of social
commerce. Consumers are increasingly completing their purchases online, with a comScore
study suggesting 44% of smartphone users had made purchases using their device rather than
completing a transaction offline.

2. How do social shoppers use social media as they move through the
consumer decision-making process?

Social shoppers use social media throughout the consumer decision-making process in several
ways:

a. Awareness: Social media platforms expose users to new products and brands through targeted
advertisements, influencer recommendations, and user-generated content. Users may come
across products while scrolling through their feed or actively searching for specific items.
b. Consideration: Social media platforms provide a space for users to gather information,
compare options, and read reviews. Users can seek advice from their social network, engage with
branded content, and explore product details through visual content and links shared on social
media.

c. Purchase: Social media platforms are increasingly incorporating features that allow users to
make purchases directly within the app. Shoppable posts, product tags, and in-app checkout
options simplify the purchasing process, making it convenient for users to convert their intention
into action

3. What are the psychological factors that influence social shopping?

Describe the psychological factors that influence social shopping. Research on the psychology of
influence identifies six major factors that help to determine how we will decide; these can be
applied to social commerce. These sources of influence are social proof, authority, affinity,
scarcity, consistency, and reciprocity. Social proof occurs when we can see what others would
choose or have chosen. Authority persuades with the opinion or recommendation of an expert in
the field. Professional experts and reviewers, whether book critics, movie critics, doctors, or
lawyers, have authority in specific, relevant product categories but so do citizen endorsers who
have actually used the product. Affinity, sometimes called “liking,” means that people tend to
follow and emulate those people for whom they have an affinity. With social media, affinity is
almost always present because social shopping is tied to your social graph—to your friendships.
We tend to instinctively want things more if we think we can’t have them— that’s the principle
of scarcity at work. In social commerce, scarcity applications include deal feeds, news feeds with
special offers, group buy tools, referral programs, and deal directories. The rule of reciprocity
basically says that we have an embedded urge to repay debts and favors, whether or not we
requested the help. In social commerce, several tools can be perceived as a favor or kindness
offered by the brand. These include deal feeds, group buys, referral programs, and user forums.
The final source of influence is our tendency to be consistent. People strive to be consistent with
their beliefs and attitudes and with past behaviors. Some of the social shopping tools that include
a consistency component include ask your network tools, social games, pick lists, share tools,
shop together tools, reviews, forums, and galleries.

Lecture 11: Social Commerce

Understanding Social Commerce:
-Social commerce is a subset of e-commerce that uses social media applications to enable online
shoppers to interact and collaborate during the shopping experience, buyers to complete the
stages of the purchase decision process, and to assist marketers in selling to customers.
-It encompasses social shopping, social marketplaces, and hybrid channels and tools that enable
shared participation in a buying decision.
- It enables people, both networks of buyers and sellers, to participate actively in the marketing
and selling of products and services in online marketplaces and communities.
Consumer Decision-Making Process
Problem Recognition
-Triggered by discovering information about a product on social media, whether by user
comments, influencer content, or advertising.
Problem recognition is facilitated by several social commerce tools:
1. Social ads on social networking sites:

2. Shared endorsements 共享from friends posted in activity streams:

3. Curated策划 images and lists on sites like Pinterest:
4. Location-based promotions (e.g., Yelp):
5. Participatory commerce (e.g., Kickstarter):

Information Search:
-Is the primary driver of social commerce and social shopping behaviors.
-We noted earlier that even for offline purchases, wired consumers tend to search online for
information prior to making an actual purchase.

ZMOT—Zero Moment of Truth

-Emphasizes that consumers today may be influenced in several moments online prior to making
a purchase decision.
First Moment of Truth (FMOT)
-The moment a consumer chooses a product from the store shelf
Second Moment of Truth (SMOT)
-The moment the consumer uses the product and feels satisfaction or dissatisfaction. ZMOT
emphasizes that consumers
Consumers will use more than ten sources of information before a purchase:
-Media content vetted by the brands in question, paid media in the form of an ad, or -Word-of-
mouth content posted by users in social media channels.
-Reviews and ratings. (most influential)
-Recommendations from family and friends

Review and Rating:

-Influences consumers at multiple stages of the buying process

The Power of Ratings and Reviews

● 95% of consumers report having read reviews prior to making a purchase decision.
● 66% of consumers read 1–10 reviews before making a purchase. .
● 70% of mobile shoppers are more likely to purchase if the mobile site or app includes reviews.
● 82% seek out negative reviews as an indicator of authenticity.
● 60% have viewed a review on their smartphone while shopping in-store.

Transparency in Reviews
● 25% have seen reviews they believe to be fake. .
● 21% have seen customers be paid or incen-vized to post a posi-ve review.
● 81% find it difficult to dis-nguish between what is authen-c user content and na-ve
adver-sing.
● Incen-vized reviewers are less likely than non-incen-vized reviewers to give a 1- star ra-ng
and four -mes less likely to be cri-cal in the review.
● Amazon prohibits incen-vized reviews.

What makes a review or rating valuable?

Reviews
-Are assessments with detailed comments about the object in question.
-A mental shortcut consumers use to help them with decision-making.
-Reviews provide more detailed information for those who want to evaluate
the choice at a deeper level.
Good review should include:
-Product information such as features and specifications
-Impression of the product with a positive or negative judgment
-A list of pros and cons, experience with the product
-A final recommendation.

Ratings
-Are simply scores generated by users that reflect assessments of attributes like perceived
quality, satisfaction, or popularity on a scale.
-A mental shortcut consumers use to help them with decision-making.
-For instance, if you want to choose a 441 restaurant near the amphitheater where you are
attending a concert this weekend, you might pull up all the restaurants in the area and then
choose the one with the highest average rating.

Recommendations from friends and family

-The prevalence of social media in the lives of wired consumers heightens our ability to share
these opinions.

Recommendations and referrals

-Facebook’s “like” button, now available on millions of external webpages, is a form of
recommendation.
-When you click it, you publicly announce that you recommend the content on the page. -While
others can see the total number of “likes,” anyone in your network can also see that you
personally made a recommendation.

Information search facilitated by social commerce tools in the decision-making process:

1. Comments and conversations throughout social channels:

2. Ratings and reviews posted on sites (e.g., Yelp, Zagat, Citysearch):
3. Product and pricing information tagged to image posts:
4. Social search queries on social network sites:
5. Social sharing of wish lists and gift registries:
6. Conversational commerce (chatbot services):

Alternative Evaluation Stage:

Facilitates the evaluation of alternatives in the consumer decision-making process:
1. Bar code scanning/price comparisons using mobile phone apps:
2. Recommendations, testimonials, recommendation agents, and popularity filters:
3. Ratings and reviews:

Purchase Stage:
1. Shop within network options (e.g., Facebook Marketplace, Instagram Shopping, Snapchat
DressUp):
2. Social shopping malls (e.g., Wanelo):
3. Peer-to-peer marketplaces (e.g., Etsy):
4. Group buys (e.g., LivingSocial, Groupon):
5. Conversational commerce (chatbot services):

Post-Purchase Stage:
The Second Moment of Truth (SMOT)
-the experience using the product, is just as relevant as it always was. The product has to deliver
on the brand promise.
-The consumer evaluates the purchase and experiences satisfaction or dissatisfaction.
-The customer may write reviews and post comments for others to use.

Social commerce tools facilitates the post-purchase evaluation stage in the consumer decision-
making process:

1. Comments posted on social network sites

2. Request for help or comment to brand on social network sites
3. Participation in loyalty program with social benefits
4. Submission of ratings and reviews on review sites and retailer websites
5. Reviews and product experiences posted on blogs