Business Research Methodology | Assignment 1

Running head: BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Business research methodology
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY1
Topic: Effects of Social Media Advertising on Buyer Behaviour
Research Rationale
Social media has been playing a critical role in the modern business environment,
which has transformed all the organisational marketing strategies. The shift from traditional
and orthodox methods of marketing to a more dynamic digital marketing medium has also
impacted the buying behaviour of the consumers (Kumar et al. 2016). There has been a
change in consumer behaviour due to the increase in penetration of the Internet of Things
where consumers are always looking for information on products and services to
determine the purchase to make. Social media has consumed a significant portion of the
life of all consumers and people have shifted from the traditional form of entertainment
(Schivinski and Dabrowski 2016). Therefore, it has become crucial for companies to use
social media effectively to develop a presence on the digital platform.
Consequently, it has become essential for companies to develop effective social
media marketing strategies to lure in more consumers. This topic has been chosen for
research as it provides a perfect opportunity to evaluate the way the buying behaviour of
the consumers have changed and is still evolving based on the changes in the social
media platforms. There are multiple types of marketing strategies that are witnessed on
social media strategies, and it would be interesting for understanding the implications of
these strategies on the social media platform.
A preliminary review of Literature
As stated by Godey et al. (2016), there has been a significant change in the
consumer behaviour and social media has become a platform for gathering market
intelligence on the change in the customer behaviour and the reason for the variation.
Schivinski and Dabrowski (2016) stated that marketing is a process-oriented towards the
goal and marketing strategy aims to develop a value for all the consumers. Balakrishnan,
Dahnil and Yi (2014) researched the impact of social the buying behaviour of the younger
generation and brand image. The results showed that online communities, online publicity,
word of mouth on the electronic platform and internet communication significantly affected
the purchasing behaviour of the consumers. This research implies that these tools are
useful in influencing the purchase behaviour of the consumers.
Similarly, Stephen (2016) evaluated the influence of social media on the selection
behaviour of the consumers. The study used the technology acceptance model to a
perception of social media usage. The results showed that consumers using social media

BUSINESS RESEARCH METHODOLOGY2
platforms are more inclined towards purchase compared to occasional users. Alalwan et
al. (2017) performed a study to examine the relationship between consumer purchase
behaviour and social media marketing. However, the study failed to highlight any strong
correlation between social media marketing and consumer buying behaviour.
On the contrary, Jung et al. (2016) researched to analyse the influence of online
brands on the purchase decision of shoppers, and the results were positive. Consumers
consider the opinion of other consumers and this electronic word of mouth affects the
repeat purchase decision of consumers. Consumers are searching for more and more
information, which affects their buying behaviour.
Research Problem
In modern, organisational setting using of social media marketing is necessary for
every organisation for managing their sustainability and developing a sustainable
competitive advantage. A consumer expects business entities to have an adequate social
presence so that they can engage with the companies whenever they want to. However,
these social media companies have been facing challenges while formulating and
managing their social media platforms. There are four significant challenges which the
organisation goes through while developing effective marketing strategies on social media
platforms and they are content creation, social media measurement, content distribution
and community management (Ellisjones.com.au 2019). Content creation is a crucial factor
in managing social media platform as developing unique content and updating them
regularly is necessary for increasing followers on social sites.
Moreover, it is not essential to develop an efficient social media marketing strategy
but also developing practical outcome measurement tools to evaluate the success of the
marketing campaign. Majority of the companies only focuses on likes and followers on
social media pages to assess the progress of the marketing strategies, but these strategies
are not enough (Schivinski and Dabrowski 2016). The next critical problem the companies
face is developing an active distribution channel, and many give less importance towards
it. There are a large number to reach the target audience, but it is necessary to create
useful tools for proper distribution as consumers go through a vast chunk of information
and they do not get hooked if they do not find it intriguing. Thus, the competitive market
has made it difficult for fir companies to implement social media effectively and efficiently.
Research Question
How does social media advertising influence the buying behaviour of consumers?