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Sailing the seven C’s of blog marketing: understanding social media and business impact
journal contribution
posted on 2015-10-05, 00:00 authored by A Dobele, Marion SteelMarion Steel, T CooperPurpose – Social media has transformed conventional marketing methods. This medium offers a unique blend of asynchronous communication, opportunities to co-create and customer empowerment far removed from traditional firm-to-consumer, push-vs-pull marketing messages. The purpose of this paper is to examine how a company developed long-term effective relationships and sales growth by using their blog to generate and enhance viral word-of-mouth message diffusion. Design/methodology/approach – The exploration of the blog includes analysis of both content and metrics for a real technology firm with an assumed name. Content and the ripples from blog posts were analysed to determine diffusion and use of messages. Findings – Seven critical success factors for utilising blog marketing to maximum effect are presented to firms considering a similar strategy. Suggestions for managerial implications are also presented. Research limitations/implications – There are two limitations, the focus on a single company which restricts generalisability. The advantage of the case study approach to research does afford depth into this topic. Second, the research questions addresses a small part of the whole social media and corporate marketing sphere, however, this focus allows for depth and richness of data. Originality/value – The paper’s focus provides a unique opportunity to explore the effect of a company who manages points of connection, blogs and viral marketing, on customer relationships. Further, the study responds to the need for practical guidance for managers in relation to the management of blog marketing to facilitate customer relationships and enhance the viral impact of blogs.
History
Journal
Marketing Intelligence and PlanningVolume
33Issue
7Pagination
1087 - 1102Publisher DOI
ISSN
0263-4503Publication classification
C1.1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal; C Journal articleCopyright notice
2015, Emerald Group PublishingUsage metrics
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