Social Media in Marketing Communications: A Synthesis of Successful Strategies for the Digital Generation

In social media marketing, emphasis needs to be placed on creating and adopting effective strategies that can generate electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and make the brand go viral. This study, therefore, identifies a series of available strategies for harnessing the power of the social media for firms to stimulate their marketing efforts. Firstly, as with any communication exercise, it is necessary to plan social media marketing campaigns extensively before their launch. Also, in contrast to traditional marketing, which involves limited customer participation, managers need to develop new forms of advertorial content that encourage user engagement. Further, it is necessary to create separate strategies for each social media channel, employ the right people to spread the message, form virtual communities of individuals with common interests, and design products and services that create buzz. To further stimulate eWOM, the marketing message must be sufficiently memorable and trigger the consumer’s emotions. Marketing managers must leverage on emotional connections, provide exclusivity, harness the power of stories, solicit feedbacks, and increase social media presence. Finally, social media marketing must be complemented with the rest of the marketing communications mix.