| This study is an attempt to identify the role of SMM in the mobile phone market and describe their impact on buying decision of students from different socioeconomic levels.Furthermore,this study tries to find out the best SMM approaches for the mobile phone production and distribution companies' and development of some recommendations on how to improve SMM strategy to increase mobile phone sells depending on the target socioeconomic group.To satisfy the research,in this study,104 international students were selected as samples by convenient sampling method.Data were collected by online questionnaire survey,and online questionnaire links were published through Whats App,Facebook,VK,OK and other social media platforms.On a daily basis in present-day,100,000 tweets are sent in Twitter,684,478 pieces of content are shared on Facebook,2 million search queries are made on Google,48 hours of video are uploaded to You Tube,3,600 photos are shared on Instagram,and 571 websites are created(James 2012).Given the wide reach of SMM,large & medium companies,smaller firms and shops along with individual sellers are increasingly relying on it,in order to achieve their marketing & branding objectives.By replacing the traditional ways of marketing,social media has provided new opportunities to firms to engage consumers in social interaction on the internet.Social media introduced a new,complex and uncontrollable element in consumer behavior presenting a new challenge both to the academia and the marketers.Creating and developing a website is important for any business.Along with having a website,you need to expand your online outreach to social media platforms.Social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook are essential for maintaining a competitive edge.Companies that do not have active social media accounts risk missing out on numerous marketing opportunities.One of the key advantages of social media for businesses is that it enables company to interact with its customers.Going through the tweets and Facebook updates that are posted by target audience base gives companies insight into what they need.This is useful for helping firms formulate marketing strategies that address their needs.Social media eases the process of providing and receiving feedback.If customers have concerns or problems with what certain business offers,they can be identified in a timely manner.Social media gives customers a convenient and accessible way to express what they feel and gives companies a chance to respond.With such platforms,businesses are able to view complaints and assure their customers that their problems will be dealt with.If competitors are already using social media accounts for marketing and engaging their customers,you need to ensure that you are keeping up with the digital marketing strategies that are being implemented.In the competitive world of business,more and more companies are capitalizing on the benefits of social media.In order to be able to boost online traffic to companies' site and increase sales,companies need to stay ahead of the competition while providing their customers with the best products and services.The social networking nature of platforms such as Linked In and Twitter generates interest among followers who are more responsive to them than a blatant marketing approach.Companies can use social media creatively to advertise their products and services without making their customers feel like they are overwhelmed by marketing campaigns.Advertisements strategically placed within informative posts are an effective way to spread the word about business.Social media spreads awareness about businesses while giving companies the chance to constantly remind customer about the products and services that they offer.It is also important to note that social media does not require an extensive budget,which makes it fair for small businesses that are competing with well-known brands.The changing nature of the advertising and marketing industry was described interestingly in the Economist magazine(2004),calling the current period “one of the most disorienting periods in its history.” Traditional forms of advertising and marketing are no longer delivering due to the increasing diversity of media and the emergence of new technology,most notably the Internet.As people spend more of their time going online to shop,be entertained,and seek out a variety of digital information platforms like computers,tablets,and mobile phones,the traditional forms of advertising and marketing such as television and print forms have been displaced.1 Today,people are connected to the Internet at any time and from anywhere,and it is primarily the smartphone that is responsible for this ubiquitous connectivity.According to the Statcounter(2020)Mobile Vendor Market Share Worldwide from May 2019 to May 2020 was led by Samsung with 30.14% of market share,followed by Apple-26.8%,Huawei-10.38%,Xiaomi-8.35%,Oppo-4.71% and Mobicel-3.12%.Android holds 40.47 of the operating system market share worldwide,followed closely by Windows with 34.2%.i OS is in third place with 14.92%.Linux accounts for only 0.83%.That is how a global mobile phone market looks today.Adults with children spend a greater share of their time on mobile devices.(Ukom,2020)Parents spend more time on their phones than adults without children.Moms aged 25-54 have a 76% share by minutes on a mobile device,compared to 59% for females without kids.Dads are in the statistic too – they spend 65% of their time on mobile devices,while men who have no children spend only 59%.The most significant contrasts are presented where age,income and education are studied.For example,94% of 18-29-year-olds have a smartphone,whereas only 46% of the 65+ age group has adopted it.The 18-30 years old demographic is one of the most coveted for businesses looking to sell their products.The Student Market comfortably resides within this bracket,making it an especially desirable target market.The emergence of technology has had a huge impact on Students purchasing behaviour,with the introduction of smartphones and tablets making it much easier for them to find what they are looking for.Whilst Students are at University working on assignments,they are more often than not,doing so on their computers and laptops.Students spend so much time on these devices,that it is a missed opportunity not market towards them.Some spend more than five hours browsing the web daily.Kuss et al(2013)found that those aged 18-25 in particular are the most addicted to the internet.Students are not only browsing on their computers,but smartphones as well.Eight in ten Students regularly use a smartphone(Poll,2015).Almost 20% look at their phone immediately after waking up,and within 30 minutes,70% of Students are up to date with the events of the previous night.The amount of time Students spend on their smartphone has resulted in some doctors worrying for their mental health.Smartphones are now the most popular way to browse the internet.As a result,businesses should ensure that the websites they use for marketing online are optimised for smartphones.This will make the experience of navigating through the site better for the visitor.Targeting Students whilst they are at University can lead to acquiring their brand allegiance once they have graduated and started working.Whilst Students are not recognised as having a lot of money when studying,they do have the potential to graduate and move in to a job where they will earn.One of the greatest things about being a Student is the ability to get a discount on a lot of things.Walking in to a store or a restaurant and finding out that they do ‘Student Discount' is one of the best feelings.Student Discount on products and services are so sought after,that there are even websites,like Unidays,tailored to finding those who visit it the best deals.If businesses advertise online that they offer Student Discount,then they are highly likely to get a lot more traffic.ASOS,the clothing brand that operates solely online,is recognised for being excellent at advertising Student Discount.Students can opt in to receive emails,advertising the latest offers They are sent this from the ‘ASOS Students' email address.Students are not just one homogenous group.They have different attitudes and opinions to one another.Businesses must profile and target properly so that they understand how Students think and feel about certain things.The Student population are now much more aware of environmental and human right issues than they used to be,with almost all of them saying ethics is important in a brand.Whilst this is the case,there are also Students who don't pay as much attention to ethics.Nonetheless,it is important for businesses to ensure,that if they are targeting Students,their brand does not heavily feature in the news for negative reasons.As mentioned earlier,Students get very distracted very easily.If something does not stand out to them,then they are more than likely not going to be interested in what is on offer.Businesses need to ensure that if they are targeting Students,their online advertisements are creative and therefore catch the eye of those viewing it.Businesses need to ensure,however,that their brand is attractive to Students.Students are known for wanting material gain(free products,a good discount or a winnable competition),or to be entertained.By targeting them now,businesses will be rewarded in the future.Social media refers to all applications and websites or blogs that enable people around the globe to interconnect via the internet,chat,and share content,video call among many other functionalities it offers to its users(Beres,2012).For a person to be a member of any social media,he or she has to first signup and then sign in to access content and be able to share and chat with other users of that social media platform.Some of the common and widely used social media platforms include Facebook,Twitter,Whats App,Snapchat many among others.Over the past two decades,social media have gained so much growth and fame worldwide to an extent that many researchers are now interested in learning more about these social platforms and their effects on the community.Despite the fact that almost everyone in the community is connected to at least one social media platform,the youth and teenagers are the leading and most fanatic of these social platforms to the point that they even social network while in class or even church.It is to this light that researchers have found that these social sites impact the lives of our youth in a society a great deal in terms of morals,behavior and even education-wise.(James Mageto,2017)Social media tools have become superb channels for marketers to reach consumers.The article titled,“Expand your Brand Community Online” states that social media is important for marketers because it allows them to dialogue directly with consumers,which in turn engages consumers directly with company brands(Hanlon,Patrick,Hawkins,& Josh,2008).Many companies,such as Audi and Dunkin' Donuts have used social media very effectively to reach consumers.According to Wasserman(2011),out of all other brands on Facebook,Audi's fans are the most engaged of all major corporate brands on Facebook.Internet offers favorable solutions to marketers these days.Marketing through social media would be an alternative perspective of interfacing with individuals,and yet the most influential applications of social technologies in the global economy are largely untapped(Chui and Manyika 2012).A company that uses social media is more likely to create relationships with members of its target demographic rather than traditional media where conversations between the medium and the audience are unlikely.Now,social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter have made it easy for consumers to post product reviews and reach out to other like-minded individuals in their communities.As social media infiltrates our lives as consumers,before people make purchases,they are increasingly reaching out to their social media communities for opinions(Drell,2011).The structure of this study following recommendations of supervisor was divided into four main chapters and took more than 60 pages.The Chapter 1 summarizes the research background,research problems and significance,and puts forward the theoretical model based on the literature review of relevant theories;the Chapter 2 introduces the research design and research methods,reviews hypotheses and research framework;the Chapter 3 tests the proposed hypotheses and shows the data analysis results;In the Chapter 4,for different marketing advices for mobile phone distribution companies and retailers are given for different income groups,and the research contributions and limitations are discussed.The findings of the study show that that social media marketing plays a very significant role in influencing consumers buying behavior by providing attracting their attention,arousing their interest,creating desire for the product and finally make them decide to purchase the products.In addition,the study found that people from different socioeconomic groups have different preferences and SMM can change their buying behavior in different manner.This research gives explanation on how students from different socioeconomic groups are attending,processing,and selecting the information on social media before a purchase.The findings of the study can be used by marketers and media planners of the mobile phone selling companies and smaller shops for effective targeted marketing results.It was proved that social media marketing has become a very powerful mode for companies seeking to reach out to their prospects and customers. |
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