Title: Social media management, objectification and measurement in an emerging market

Authors: Fares Medjani; Richard Rutter; John Nadeau

Addresses: HEC Alger, Kolea, Tipaza, Algeria ' School of Business, Australian College of Kuwait, Kuwait; King's Business School, King's College London, UK ' School of Business, Nipissing University, 100 College Drive, North Bay, Ontario, P1B 8L7, Canada

Abstract: Emerging markets are a crucial driver of brand growth and social media is a fundamental part of brand strategy and its effective use viewed as instrumental to market success. Therefore, this study explores how managers objectify and measure social media within an emerging market. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with social media managers across a range of companies and thematically analysed in terms of the types, objectives, measures, tools, and resultant satisfaction. Thematic analysis revealed four types of objective as brand, engagement, relationship, and conversion, which resembled a traditional marketing funnel and several subsequent measures and tools. However, singular analysis revealed emerging marketers were lagging behind their developed counterparts. Emerging marketers used unsuitable metrics, single rather than multiple metrics, as well as a complete lack of financial metrics against objectives, whilst only one agent was using all elements of the marketing funnel. Clear practical implications are highlighted in order to better manage and measure social media within emerging markets.

Keywords: social media; social media objectives; social media measurement; social media metrics; social media return on investment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBEM.2019.102654

International Journal of Business and Emerging Markets, 2019 Vol.11 No.3, pp.288 - 311

Received: 22 Jun 2019
Accepted: 02 Jul 2019

Published online: 30 Sep 2019 *

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