Park University Unit 3 Social Media Marketing Discussion & Responses
Directions
Chapter 4 of your text highlights several principles of success for social media marketers. Give an example of a firm that you believe showcases two or more of these principles. Explain which principles you believe the firm’s efforts exemplify. Are there some principles you believe the firm could work to exemplify more?
It may be helpful to look at sources other than your text to respond to this prompt.
Due Dates
- First post due 11:59 p.m., Wednesday, CST.
- Respond to 2 or more classmates by 11:59 p.m., Sunday, CST.
Post 1
Hello Class,
The American multinational conglomerate AT&T showcases both credibility and participatory principles so much so that they were recognized as one of 2021’s most ethical companies (Honorees 2021). One of the ways in which AT&T exemplifies credibility is through their longevity. The firm has been in business as we know it since 1969 (History of AT&T), which in my mind equates to a knowledge and expertise in the field. Not only do they sell products but, they offer educational resources such as tutorials and how-to guides on their social media in order to provide consumers with in depth-knowledge on the products therapy purchase. Being a AT&T subscriber I can personally attest to their credibility after experiencing an issue with a gift card I received after purchasing a new phone. Although, I mistakenly let the gift card expire, a customer service professional was quick to gift me a new one when I reached out. Because of this kind action I was still able to recoup the funds promised to me after my purchase. After scrolling through AT&T’s Instagram and Twitter accounts, I was able to observe their engagement with consumers. The firm takes time to thank commenters, answer questions and also resolve complaints no matter how minuscule. What I found even more genuine is that they often post content solely geared toward non-business related interaction. Whether it be a “post your favorite dad joke” on Father’s Day or sharing their commitment toward the LGBTQ+ community through a “Turn Up the Love” contest, AT&T makes sure to share content that is not only about sales revenue. This effort is also multi beneficial because it showcases the firms corporate social responsibility as well (Rennie).
References:
Barker, M. S., Barker, D., Bormann, N. F., Roberts, M. L., & Zahay, D. L. (2017). Social Media Marketing: A Strategic Approach. Cengage Learning.
History of AT&T Brands: AT&T Intellectual Property. History of AT&T Brands | AT&T. (2016, October 5). https://about.att.com/innovation/ip/brands/history.
Honorees 2021 – Ethisphere® Institute: Good. Smart. Business. Profit.®. Ethisphere® Institute | Good. Smart. Business. Profit.®. (2021, March 4). https://www.worldsmostethicalcompanies.com/honorees/.
Rennie, E. (2017, December 12). ASCM Insights. Award-Winning Corporate Social Responsibility at AT&T. https://www.ascm.org/ascm-insights/award-winning-corporate-social-responsibility-at-att/.
r/s
Ja’Nice Locket-Dortch
Post 2
Ashley
Hello class,
The firm I chose for my discussion is BarkBox, a firm I personally use! The two principles that they showcase are participatory and authenticity. First, they demonstrate the principle of participatory by engaging with their consumers on social media and having an active presence on social media. (Digital Marketer, 2020) By engaging their audience, they use the strategy of hashtags and anyone of their consumers have the option of taking their subscription and posting their dog with the products and using the hashtag. It creates a huge amount of conversation and engagement with the company and the consumers. Next, being authentic is how I actually discovered the firm in the first place! (Big Eye Agency, 2020) Most if not all dog enthusiastic people know about the bark box and take advantage of their subscription. Not only is BarkBox an active firm on social media platforms but they are authentic because according to the text, “Sources can come from inside or outside a business, from employees, neighbors, friends, or just from a passerby who hears something.” (page 65) Not to mention they have started putting their products in major retail stores as well to get more attention from the consumers that they cannot reach their traditional way. In contrast, Bark Box needs to work more on their resourcefulness. They do not include enough information on what ingredients are included in the box. Then where they are really lacking is not being able to find the information and they don’t provide anywhere else to find the information that consumers would be interested in knowing.
References:
Barker, M.S., Barker, D., Bormann, N.F., Roberts, M.L., & Zahay, D.L. (2017). In Social Media Marketing: A Strategic Approach (2nd, pp.25,42-43). Cengage Learning.
How BarkBox’s DTC Model Fetches Customers. (2020, June 1) Big Eye Agency. Retrieved from https://www.bigeyeagency.com/insights/how-barkbox-dtc-model-fetches-customers/ (Links to an external site.)
How BarkBox Took an Obscure Holiday and Turned It into a Killer Social Media Campaign. (2020, January 21). Digital Marketer. Retrieved from https://www.digitalmarketer.com/blog/barkbox-squirrel-social-media-campaign/ (Links to an external site.)
