Introduction to Social Media Marketing

Learning Outcomes for the Module

The aim of this module is to introduce students to social media marketing, a relatively nascent yet vibrant field of contemporary marketing research and practice.

Learning Outcomes for the module

At the end of this module, students will be able to: Knowledge

1. Evaluate how marketing theory can be incorporated and applied within a social media context.
2. Appreciate the importance of interdisciplinary research perspectives in understanding digital consumption.
3. Understand how evolving perspectives on consumer communities and value co-creation apply to contemporary social media marketing practice.

Thinking skills

4. Appreciate how marketers foster and develop social media consumer engagement and the strategies that are used to maintain it.
5. Evaluate privacy concerns regarding social media and the importance of consumer digital rights.
6. Understand social media metrics and their importance to marketing strategy development and evolution. Subject-based practical skills
7. Develop social media marketing strategies to enhance consumer engagement and build brand equity.
8. Measure the effectiveness of social media campaigns and understand how to adjust them and take corrective action if required.

Skills for life and work (general skills)

9. Understand the importance of social media to ongoing marketer-consumer relationships and how to harness its power to create meaningful brand conversations.
10. Effectively work in teams to develop social media and consumer engagement strategies

Keeping up with the module requires continuous and ongoing engagement and commitment. The module assessment is tied in with the seminars and it is imperative that students commit to participate and contribute to the proposed sessions. Some ground rules:

- Compulsory attendance: You must attend classes (via MS Teams and/or on campus) as per your timetable;

- Module engagement: You are expected to attend regularly and keep up with thework that is expected of you every week through the course of this module.

- Moodle: All the relevant information (lecture slides, seminar schedules, assessment briefs, announcements, notices) will be published on the Moodle sitefor MK6008. Important information regarding timetable changes or class cancellations etc. will also be uploaded to Moodle in the first instance – so please check the site regularly.

- Punctuality: Students are expected to arrive on time to all taught sessions. If students arrive late they are not to disrupt the class.  group and student numbers of each student in the group – by week 3 (19th of February) For this presentation students are required to complete the following task:

Choose any existing brand/organisation and analyse their existing social media strategy. As a group, you must evaluate and explain the following:

1. Overall analysis of the organisation and the customers. Analysis of the main competitors.

Clear understanding of the organisation and its position in the industry should be demonstrated. This part of the analysis must also clearly provide insights about the customer segment.

2. Review and explore the social media activities of the chosen organisation and explain:
3. What segments have been targeted with these activities and why?
4. What does an organisation expected to accomplish through these activities? Here

you should clearly articulate/explain the objectives which have been set up by the organisation. How have these objectives have been achieved (via what channels and what tactic)? You need to justify your answer with the evidence/examples.

3. Explain the overall strategy of the social media marketing of the organisation and evaluate how this strategy incorporated into the overall marketing strategy of the organisation.
4. Explain how the effectiveness and performance of the identified social media marketing activities can be measured.
5. How would you recommend to improve the existing social media marking strategy for this organisation? And why?

Note: In this section students must demonstrate knowledge/evaluation ideas of:

- marketing theory and how it can be incorporated and applied within a social media context;

- the importance of interdisciplinary research perspectives in understanding digital consumption;

- perspectives on consumer communities and value co-creation apply to contemporary social media marketing practice.

1. Summarise Mark Ritson’s video. What are the main ideas, issues and concerns raised by Mark? Include discussion of 2-3 articles which you have found that support Mark’s claims and ideas.
2. Finally, based on the thoughts, ideas and evaluations you have developed in sections

A and B, explain and discuss how organisations should use Social Media Marketing in their overall Integrated Marketing Communication plan (IMC). You have to demonstrate your own informed opinion and understanding of Social Media Marketing and its usefulness/value.

- how marketers foster and develop social media consumer engagement and the strategies that are used to maintain it;

- privacy concerns regarding social media and the importance of consumer digital rights;

- understanding the importance of social media to ongoing marketer-consumer relationships and how to harness its power to create meaningful brand conversations.