Social Media Marketing: Understanding Social Consumers

Chapter 2: Social Consumers

Learning Objectives for Social Consumer Behavior

• Understanding Consumer Segments: Social media marketers need to understand consumer segment behavior to effectively target and engage with their audience.

• Bases of Segmentation: Identify the methods used to group consumers.

• Elements of Social Identity: Comprehend what constitutes social identity.

• Building Social Identities: Understand how individuals construct their social identities.

• Relevance to Marketers: Recognize the importance of social identities for marketing strategies.

• Behaviors on Social Media: Identify typical behaviors of people using social media.

• Participation in Social Media Zones: Gauge the extent of participation across the four zones of social media.

• Motives for Participation: Explain the underlying reasons for engaging in social media activities.

• Relevant Attitudes: Identify key attitudes crucial for understanding social consumer behavior.

• Social Media Consumer Segments: Recognize the most significant segments of social media consumers.

• Targeting Users: Understand how these segments inform targeting strategies on the social Web.

Market Segmentation

• Definition: Market segmentation is defined as "the process of dividing a market into distinct groups that have common needs and characteristics."

Bases of Segmentation

1. Demographic Segmentation: Divides the market based on characteristics like age, gender, income, education, occupation, and family size.

2. Geographic Segmentation: Divides the market based on location, such as country, region, city size, or climate.

   • Geotargeting Example (Yelp): Businesses like Ruby's Diner use geotargeting to display local information, reviews, and promotions (e.g., "Kids Eat Free on Tuesdays") relevant to users in specific geographic areas. Business owners can update information, and user reviews provide valuable local insights.

3. Psychographic Segmentation: Divides the market based on personality, values, lifestyle, attitudes, interests, and opinions.

4. Benefit Segmentation: Divides the market based on the specific benefits consumers seek from a product or service.

5. Behavioral Segmentation: Divides the market based on consumer behavior patterns, such as usage rate, loyalty, readiness stage, or occasion.

Mini-case study: The Power of Social Currency

• This concept highlights the value individuals gain, often implicitly, by sharing information or participating in social media, which enhances their status or reputation among peers.

Buyer Persona Profile

• Purpose: A buyer persona is a semi-fictional representation of your ideal customer based on market research and real data about your existing customers.

• Example (Chris, $45$):

  • Who he is: CEO of a large financial firm ($100 ext{ million }$ worth), an innovator and risk-taker.

  • How he finds vendors: Trusts referrals/word-of-mouth, uses websites for initial research but prefers to weigh options.

  • Pain points: Eight people involved in purchase decisions, seeks competitive pricing, strong team experience, track record of good creative work, important team size (in-market representatives), prefers email, face-to-face, or phone communication.

  • What he wants to know (Expertise): Awards, case studies, references, examples of work, testimonials, strong partnership.

  • What he doesn't want: Large fees, long-term contracts; values value-for-money and flexibility.

  • Why he buys from us: Price and team expertise.

  • How we retain him: Hands-on approach, open communication, quick response to change requests, monthly recaps, pitching new ideas, sharing industry news and best practices.

  • Social Media Presence: Active on LinkedIn and X, reads financial/economic news online, attends financial conferences.

Social Identity

• Social Touchpoints: These enable data marketers to understand an individual's social identity by observing their interactions and content across various social platforms.

Brand You – Reflected in Social Footprints

• Vision: How individuals portray their aspirations and future self online.

• Validation: Seeking approval or confirmation from others through social interactions.

• Vindication: Justifying actions or beliefs publicly to gain support.

• Vulnerability: Sharing personal struggles or weaknesses, often to connect with others on a deeper level.

• Vanity: Using social media to showcase achievements, appearance, or lifestyle for self-promotion.

Motives for Social Media Activities

• Affinity: The desire to express a relationship or connection with others.

• Personal utility: Seeking practical benefits, information, or resources.

• Contact, comfort & immediacy: The need to feel connected, reduce separation anxiety, and get instant responses.

• Altruism: The desire to help others (e.g., by sharing useful information or supporting a cause).

• Curiosity: The drive to explore, learn, or stay informed about others' lives or current events.

• Validation: The need for approval, recognition, or affirmation from peers.

Self-evaluation Motives (Framework for Understanding Social Sharing Boundaries)

• Source: Reproduced with kind permission of the Academy of Management.

• This framework explains how individuals manage their self-presentation on social media based on their underlying self-evaluation motives.

  • Self-verification: Motive to confirm one's existing self-concept.

    • Integration (Open boundary management behaviors): Open profiles to both personal and professional contacts, presenting a consistent self across contexts.

  • Self-enhancement: Motive to present an idealized or more positive self-image.

    • Separation (Audience boundary management behaviors): Exclude professional contacts from personal social media profiles to maintain distinct personas.

    • Content boundary management behaviors: Open profiles to friends and colleagues, but carefully manage the content posted to curate a specific image.

    • Hybrid boundary management behaviors: Keep personas separate by managing both the audience and the content shared.

Social Media Segmentation Models

1. Social Technographics (Forrester’s Model): Categorizes consumers based on their participation in social media activities (e.g., Creators, Conversationalists, Critics, Collectors, Joiners, Spectators, Inactives) – Model not fully detailed in transcript.

2. Social Consumption/Creation Matrix:

   • Axes: Creation (High/Low) and Consumption (High/Low).

   • Source: Hodis et al., $2015$. Reproduced with kind permission of the Journal of Marketing Management (Taylor and Francis).

   • Segments and Suggested Tactics:

     • Attention Seekers ("Celebrity"): High Creation, Low Consumption. Tactics: Endorsers.

     • Entertainment Chasers: Low Creation, High Consumption. Tactics: Advergaming, Contests, Quizzes.

     • Devotees: High Creation, High Consumption. Tactics: Brand Ambassadors, UGC (User-Generated Content) Generators.

     • Connection Seekers: Low Creation, Low Consumption. Tactics: Groups, Events.

3. Typology of Social Utility:

   • Axes: Interactive Participation (High/Low) and Information Needs (High/Low).

   • Source: Foster et al. ($2012$).

   • Segments:

     • Socializers: High Interactive Participation, Low Information Needs.

     • Mavens: High Interactive Participation, High Information Needs.

     • Minimalists: Low Interactive Participation, Low Information Needs.

     • Info Seekers: Low Interactive Participation, High Information Needs.

4. Pew’s Internet Technology Types: Classifies internet users based on their online activities and technology adoption.

5. Microblog User Types:

   • Polarized crowds: Large, separate groups with opposing views.

   • Tight crowds: Closely connected groups, often centered around a common interest or topic.

   • Brand clusters: Discussions centered around specific brands, often involving a mix of customers and brand advocates.

   • Community clusters: Groups formed around local or shared interests, with strong internal connections.

   • Broadcast networks: One-to-many communication, where a central figure disseminates information to a wider audience.

   • Support networks: Users seeking or providing assistance, often for specific products or issues.

Discussion Points (JOAH Beauty)

• Segmentation Variables: What other variables could segment JOAH Beauty's target market (e.g., lifestyle, specific beauty routines)?

• Social Media Motives: Which motives (e.g., validation, personal utility for beauty tips) are most relevant to JOAH's audience?

• Strategy Facilitation: How can understanding these motives guide the design of a social media marketing strategy (e.g., content focusing on tutorials, community building)?

• Buyer Persona Design: Create a detailed buyer persona for JOAH Beauty's target market, similar to the "Chris" example, incorporating research and insights.

Recap Questions

• Why is understanding consumer segment behavior essential for social media marketers?

• What are the five primary bases for segmenting consumers?

• What are the five elements that reflect an individual's "Brand you" social identity?

• How do individuals construct and manage their social identities online?

• How are these social identities valuable for crafting marketing messages?

• What common behaviors do people exhibit when using social media?

• To what extent do people engage in the four main zones of social media (not explicitly detailed in transcript, but implies general engagement levels)?

• What are the core motives driving participation in social media activities?

• Which attitudes are most influential in comprehending social consumer behavior?

• What are the key segments of social media consumers, and what do they imply for targeting specific users on the social Web?