Influence of Social Media Marketing on Customer Buying Decisions

This research project explores the influence of social media marketing on customer buying decisions and its impact on sales. The study focuses on Marriott International Inc. and aims to understand the concept of social media marketing, evaluate its positive and negative impacts on customer decision making, identify challenges faced by hotels in using digital technology as a marketing tool, and recommend strategies for Marriott to influence customer decisions. The research methodology includes a questionnaire to collect data from the marketing department of Marriott.

Research Project

Abstract
Social media marketing is being increasingly used by companies in today’s competitive
market so that they can reach to a large number of customers and also build a string brand image
that can help in increasing its sales. SMM also affects the customers decision making as they can
be influenced by the various strategies that help that are used by company. This report contains
research about how companies can use SMM to influence customer buying decisions so that
sales of company can be increased.

Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
Research Topic.................................................................................................................................4
Chapter 1-Introduction.....................................................................................................................4
Aims and objectives...............................................................................................................4
Research rationale..................................................................................................................5
Chapter 2-Literature Review............................................................................................................5
Chapter 3-Research Methodology...................................................................................................7
Chapter 4-Analysis and Findings...................................................................................................13
Chapter 5-Critical appraisal, Recommendations & Suggestions...................................................23
Chapter 6- Conclusion...................................................................................................................24
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................25

Research Topic
“To assess the influence of social media marketing on decision of customers while
purchasing the products or services of company”. A study on Marriott International Inc.
Chapter 1-Introduction
As the businesses are growing and expanding in global market they are also facing high
competition from their competitors which makes the use of marking strategies important for
these companies so that they can effectively attract more number of customers and increase their
sales. In the hospitality industry which is related to giving hospitable services to customers like
accommodation, travel and tourism, food and beverages etc. the use of marketing plays an
important role in influencing customers in buying the company services (Cappelli and Keller,
2017). Social media is being increasingly used by people and has a great influence on customers
which makes the use of social media marketing important in order to create a brand reputation
and reach to a large number of potential customers. In this report Marriott International Inc is
taken which is an American multinational diversified hospitality company that provides
luxurious facilities to its customers. The headquarters of company is located Maryland, US and it
has over 1,332,826 number of rooms in about 131 countries. In this report a research is done on
Marriott hotel which will help in building an understanding on how customers can be influenced
by using social media marketing. Use of research tools like Gantt Chart, WBS and other research
methodologies will also be done.
Aims and objectives
“To assess the influence of social media marketing on decision of customers while
purchasing the products or services of company”. A study on Marriott International Inc.
Research objectives
 To understand the concept of social media marketing.
 To evaluate both the positive and negative impact of SMM on customer decision making.
 To determine the challenges which are faced by hotel in using digital technology as a
marketing tool.
 To recommend SMM strategies that Marriott can use to influence customer decision
making.

Research questions
 What is the concept of social media marketing?
 What are the impacts of SMM on customer decision making?
 What challenges are faced by company in using digital technology as a marketing tool?
 What are the strategies that can be used by Marriott in order to influence decisions of
customers?
Research rationale
The rationale behind conducting research on this topic is that it will help the researcher in
increasing their knowledge on the importance of social media marketing (SMM) on decisions of
customers while purchasing services in hospitality industry. It will also help in developing the
knowledge on how SMM can be strategically used so that more number of customers can be
attracted thereby increasing the sales of company. This topic can also help the researcher in their
personal and professional development so that they can use the knowledge so acquired in their
future aspects.
Chapter 2-Literature Review
Concept of social media marketing
According to the views of Will Kenton, 2018, social media marketing is the use of social
media websites and networks by a company so as to reach to all the users of social media that
can help in reaching to their potential customers. SMM also help the company in promoting their
products and services by placing uploading ads, images, reviews, feedbacks etc. of customers so
that the customers can get an overview of the potential of company in fulfilling their needs and
wants (Collings, Mellahi and Cascio, 2017). Social media is being extensively used by people
from various age groups and it also create a great influence on these users if companies advertise
about their products and services using this communication medium. It also help the companies
in reaching to a large geographical area and to a large number of customers at once. Internet
users can be segmented in a better way than any other marketing channels making it easy for
companies to reach to their target customers.

Positive and negative impact of SMM on decisions of customers
As per the views of Gulzar, Maqbool, 2018, with the help of social media marketing a
large number of customers can be reached by the company and they can be persuaded and
influenced to buy the products or services of companies. There are both positive and negative
impacts on customers of the social media marketing strategies used by companies depending on
which they do purchasing. There are various positive impacts like the customers get to know
about various companies which are providing variety of goods and services which help them in
selecting and choosing the ones that can give them high satisfaction (Skuza, McDonnell and
Scullion, 2018). They also spend their money wisely on things that can help them in creating
more value for their money. However there are various negative impacts of these on customers
like some companies can post about their goods and services as being high on quality while they
cannot help in increasing value for customers. Also as many companies are using SMM the
customers cannot choose the products that can give them better satisfaction and end up selecting
wrong companies.
Challenges of using digital technology as a marketing tool
As per the views of Angie, 2017, while using digital technology as a marketing tool by
companies, various challenges are faced which can affect the sales of company and also its
ability to attract customers and meet its targets. Some of the challenges that are faced by
companies are being able to produce effective referrals, ability to generate the desired amount of
traffic, keeping up with web trends, changing customer needs, using advanced technologies etc.
In order to create a brand image of company in the minds of customers it is important that they
post the right content about their products and services so that customers can be effectively
attracted towards company (Böhmer and Schinnenburg, 2016). Also the creation of desired
amount of traffic and to create referrals and links the company need to link to many customers
and satisfy them so that they can be further referred. Also the cost of company to create ads on
social media can be high and can affect company profits.
Strategies on how social media can be used to influence customer decisions
According to Shane, 2017, various strategies can be used by company in order to
influence customers to purchase their products and services so that their sales can be increased.
The company needs to track the customer preferences and their interests on social media so that
target customers can be found by their social media behaviour. Also the company needs to

increase interactions with customers by the way of continuously posting about their products and
services, addressing to the customer queries both online and offline, being available at all time,
engaging with social media influencers so that they can be referred etc. are some of the strategies
that can be used by company while using SMM to market their products. The company also need
to improve the quality of items they make available to customers so that the customers can be
satisfied which can lead to increase in sales of company (Elegbe, 2016).
Chapter 3-Research Methodology
Research methodology is the method that can be used by a researcher in order to conduct
a research so that effective results can be found that can help in taking efficient decisions. In this
process data is collected from various sources based on the research topic so that authentic and
reliable results can be found that can help in increasing the effectiveness of research. It is
important that the method of conducting research is chosen prudently by the researcher as the
progress of work depends on this method and also determines the efficiency of getting results.
Research philosophy:
It is a belief related to the source of information which must be used by researcher so as
to collect data which can then be analysed and used in forming effective results on a topic.
Research philosophy also impact the nature of results that are derived after the analysis of data
which is collected based on the research method chosen by researcher. There are four types of
research philosophies that can be used by a researcher in order to carry out the research process
which are positivism, realism, interpretivism and pragmatism. Positivistic approach use the
research methodologies used in science and it seeks to identify measure and evaluate any
phenomena so that rational explanation can be given (Tafti, Mahmoudsalehi and Amiri, 2017). It
also says that only factual knowledge gained through observation is trustworthy. Realism
philosophy relies on the idea of independence of reality from human mind. Interpretivism
involves that the researcher interprets the data collected from the research so that conclusions can
be drawn. Pragmatism philosophy accepts concepts to be relevant only if they support action. In
this report intrepretivism philosophy is selected to conduct the research so that the objectives can
be met by collecting the data and interpreting it so that efficient results can be drawn.
Research approach
It is the approach chosen by researcher so as to proceed the research in a particular
direction that can help in gaining efficient results. There are two approaches to research that can

be chosen by the researcher which are deductive and inductive depending on the nature of topic.
Deductive approach is used when a research hypothesis is formed which needs to be accepted or
rejected base on the research process so that the hypothesis can be tested. Inductive approach on
the other hand is used when the researcher collects data so that the pattern of data can be
analysed and a theory can be formed. In this report deductive research approach will be used
which will help in proving a hypothesis so that the results can be effectively used.
Research strategy
This is the strategy which is applied by researcher while carrying out the research so that
it can be completed within the stipulated time and budget. The strategy affects the way in which
data is collected and research is carried out so that efficient results can be drawn. It also help in
giving an appropriate direction to the research so that it can be conducted in a systematic manner
that can help in maximising the quality of results so achieved (Ambrosius, 2018). It is important
that the data collection is done by researcher using authentic and reliable sources so that effective
results can be drawn and quality of research can be improved. In this research questionnaire is
used by the researcher which will help in collecting data from the employees of marketing
department of Marriott which will help in acquiring authentic information.
Time horizon
In order to complete the research on time it is important that certain tools are used by
researcher that can help in dividing the research activities based on time so that they can be
efficiently completed within a certain time frame. The researcher can use Gantt Chart in order to
complete the research on time by horizontally allocating a certain period of time to each of the
activities so that they can be completed within the time period allocated to them (Kim and
Johnson, 2016). This tool will help in making the project less complex by diving the activities
based on time so that they can be efficiently completed with the use of appropriate tools and
skills of the researcher.

Research methods
These are the methodology that can be used by researcher in conducting the research
which are qualitative methods and quantitative methods. These methods help in collecting
different types of information from different information sources which can be opted by
researcher based on the type of results that are needed to be obtained (Saboo, Kumar and
Ramani, 2016). Qualitative method help in collecting information from sources based on open
ended question so that their views can be collected that can help in generating deep information
about their beliefs about the researched topic. Interviews, observations etc. can be used by
researcher in order to collect this information so that a deep knowledge can be generated.
However the information so gathered cannot be depicted on graphs, tables, pie charts etc. which
can make it difficult to interpret the information and also come to concluding results.
Quantitative method on the other hand helps in collecting information from sources by the way
of closed ended questions so that the sample population only answers to the questions being
asked to them. This help in generating mathematical information which is easier to depict on
tables, graphs etc. so that better interpretations can be drawn which can be used to understand the
data so collected. Both these methods help in collecting relevant and authentic information as
they are collected directly from the source by researcher.
Sources of data collection
There are various sources available which can be used by researcher in order to collect
information related to the research topic so that they can be interpreted and effective results can
be drawn which can then be practically applied in order to gain positive effects. There are
primary and secondary sources of information that can be used by researcher in order to collect
the required information. Primary sources are the ones from where the researcher has to directly
collect information for the first time by the way of observations, interviews, observation etc.
These sources are most authentic and reliable as fresh information is collected by the researcher
and produce their own views on the information so gathered (Pucci and Zanni, 2019). Secondary
sources are the ones which have information which has already been researched and contain the
views of the authors like articles in newspapers, books, magazines, internet articles etc. These are

not authentic sources as they help the researcher in finding outdated information and also from
the view points of various authors which can affect the overall results of research. In this
research questionnaire will be used so that data can be collected from primary sources which can
help in collection of authentic and reliable information thereby increasing the quality of research.
Research ethics
It means that the research must be conducted by researcher by following ethical code of
conduct so that the interest of all the stakeholders can be maximised by the research process.
Also it will help in gaining trust and support of all the stakeholders so that the research can be
completed in an efficient manner. By applying ethical actions, principles and models research
ethics can be gained like taking permission from the teachers and mentors so that research can be
effectively conducted (Djafarova and Trofimenko, 2019).
Instrument used
These are the instruments which are used by researcher so as to collect data in an efficient
manner. It also determines the efficiency with which research is conducted and the efforts that
are applied while performing research so that the reliability of results so obtained can be
increased. In this research the use of questionnaire is done by researcher so that data can be
collected from a selected sample population by asking them to answer certain structured
questions that can help in increasing the reliability of information.
Sample method
It is related with selecting a certain part of large population having similar characteristics
so that the research can be done on the sample population and the results so achieved can be
applied to the entire population. This thus help in making the research process easy as research
need not be conducted on entire population which will help in reducing the time taken to
complete research (Karami, Olfati and Dubinsky, 2017). In this report random sampling method
will be used wherein random employees in marketing staff of Marriott will be asked to answer
the questions of questionnaire. The sample size selected for this research is 20 which mean that
of the total staff of marketing in Marriott only 20 will be asked to answer research questions.
Questionnaire
It is an instrument which contain structured question along with certain options that are to
be selected by the sample population while answering them. Following is a questionnaire which

will help in gaining answers to various aspects related to how social media marketing help in
influencing the decisions of customers in hospitality industry:
Questionnaire
Q1) Do you understand the concept of social media marketing?
a) Yes
b) No
Q2) Do you think it is effective to use SMM to market the services of Marriott?
a) Agree
b) Disagree
Q3) What are the positive impact of using SMM on decisions made by customers?
a) More choices
b) Effective decisions
c) Better satisfaction
Q4) What are the negative impacts on the decisions of customers if companies use SMM?
a) More confusion
b) Do not get what is guaranteed
Q5) Is the use of digital technology in marketing difficult?
a) Yes
b) No
Q6) What are the challenges that are faced by company in using digital technology as marketing
tool?
a) Generation of traffic
b) Influencing customers
c) Frequent change in technology
Q7) How does social media marketing help in increasing Marriott sales?
a) More number of customers can be reached
b) Competition can be dealt effectively
c) Brand recognition
Q8) Why is it important for hospitality industry to use SMM as marketing tools?
a) Customer relations
b) Market trends can be known

c) Target customers can be found
Q9) How can SMM be effectively implemented in Marriott?
a) Use of appropriate technology
b) Having skilled staff
Q10) What are the SMM strategies that can be used by Marriott to influence customer decisions?
a) Engaging with social media influencers
b) Addressing to customer queries
c) Being available all the time
Chapter 4-Analysis and Findings
Q1) Do you understand the concept of social
media marketing?
Frequency
Yes 15
No 5
From this graph it can be interpreted that of the 20 respondents only 15 know about the
concept of social media marketing while the other 5 do not have its understanding. This means
that Marriott needs to have more trained and skilled members who can help in increasing the
presence of company on the social media so that more number of customers can be reached and a

strong brand image of company can be built. It will also help the company in using SMM in a
better manner so that a competitive advantage can be gained (Huang, 2016).
Q2) Do you think it is effective to use SMM to
market the services of Marriott?
Frequency
Agree 15
Disagree 5
From this graph it can be said that out of 20 employees 15 think that SMM is effective in
marketing the services of Marriott while the other 5 do not think the same. This means that the
SMM strategies are not being effectively implemented by company that could help it in
attracting a large number of customers and building a strong brand image of company. Marriott
thus needs to increase the use of SMM so as to influence customers to purchase its services.
Q3) What are the positive impact of using SMM
on decisions made by customers?
Frequency
More choices 10
Effective decisions 5
Better satisfaction 5

From this graph it can be interpreted that out of 20 employees 10 say that the choices of
customers increase if companies use SMM, 5 say that it help them in making effective decisions
while the rest 5 say that it help them in getting better satisfaction. Thus it can be said that SMM
has various positive impacts on customer decisions and they can select the best services and
products as per their tastes and preferences so that they can be satisfied (Kumar, 2019).
Q4) What are the negative impacts on the
decisions of customers if companies use SMM?
Frequency
More confusion 5
Do not get what is guaranteed 15

From this graph it can be interpreted that 5 out of the 20 respondents say that the
customers get more confused when SMM is used by companies to market their products and
services while the other 15 say that they do not get what is guaranteed to them by SMM. This
affects the customer’s ability to make purchase of the products and services which they want and
sometimes they end up paying high prices for items which do not satisfy them as they were
guaranteed over the advertisements using SMM.
Q5) Is the use of digital technology in marketing
difficult?
Frequency
Yes 10
No 10

This graph depicts that of the 20 respondents, 10 say that it is difficult to use digital
technology to market their products and services while the other 10 do not agree on the same.
The use of digital technology to market about company’s services and products can help the
companies in reaching to a large number of customers and also in knowing the market trends so
that high satisfaction of customers can be achieved which help in increasing company sales
(Bresler and Stake, 2017).
Q6) What are the challenges that are faced by
company in using digital technology as marketing
tool?
Frequency
Generation of traffic 10
Influencing customers 5
Frequent change in technology 5

From this graph it can be said that 10 out of the 20 respondents say that generation of
traffic of target customers is the main challenge faced while using digital technology as
marketing tool. The other 5 say that influencing customers is the challenge while the rest 5 say
that the frequent change in technology affects the use of digital technology in marketing.
Attracting target customers to surf the site of company so that sufficient traffic can be generated
and influencing them so that they can be persuaded to purchase company products affect the use
of SMM as marketing tool. Also as the technology changes it affects the efficiency to attract the
desired number of customers.
Q7) How does social media marketing help in
increasing Marriott sales?
Frequency
More number of customers can be reached 5
Competition can be dealt effectively 5
Brand recognition 10

From this graph its can be said that out of 20 respondents, 5 say that SMM can help in
reaching to a large number of customers, other 5 say that it help in effectively dealing with
competition in market while the rest 10 say that it help in building brand recognition of
company. Thus all these factors can help in increasing the sales of company and gaining a
competitive edge in market and also increasing the brand image of Marriott.
Q8) Why is it important for hospitality industry to
use SMM as marketing tool?
Frequency
Customer relations 10
Market trends can be known 5
Target customers can be found 5

From this graph it can be said that out of 20 employees, 10 say that SMM can help in
building customer relations, other 5 say that it help in gaining knowledge about market trends
while the rest 5 say that it help in finding target customers. Social media marketing thus have
many benefits for the company and should be used as a marketing tool so that the marketing
objectives of company can be efficiently achieved.
Q9) How can SMM be effectively implemented in
Marriott?
Frequency
Use of appropriate technology 10
Having skilled staff 10

From this graph it can be said that out of 20 employees, 10 say that the use of appropriate
technology can help in effectively implementing SMM in Marriott while the other 10 say that
having skilled staff members can help in doing the same. Marriott thus need to use effective
strategies that can help it in achieving its goals and efficiently marketing the services of company
so that sales of company can be increased.
Q10) What are the SMM strategies that can be
used by Marriott to influence customer decisions?
Frequency
Engaging with social media influencers 5
Addressing to customer queries 10
Being available all the time 5

This graph depicts that out of the 20 respondents, 5 say that engaging with social media
influencers is the strategy that can help Marriott in influencing customer buying decisions, other
10 say that addressing to queries of customers both online and offline and the rest 5 say that
being available all the time can help Marriott in achieving its objectives. The company thus
needs to implement various strategies so that a positive influence can be created on customer
purchasing power that can help it in using SMM effectively.
Chapter 5-Critical appraisal, Recommendations & Suggestions
From the above research findings it can be said that social media marketing can help
Marriott in effectively marketing about its services and reaching to a large base of customers
which can also help it in building a string brand image of company. The company needs to use
certain strategies that can help it in reaching to its target customers so that their buying decisions
can be influenced and company sales can be increased.
Stakeholders: These are the people who are directly or indirectly affected by the activities of
company like customers, suppliers, employees, government etc. It is important that their support
is gained so that company can use SMM effectively in influencing the buying decisions of
customers (Wiek and Lang, 2016).
Communication: After completing the research it is important that all the stakeholders are
communicated the results so achieved so that they can be updated about the decisions that are
made in company. Use of mails, messages etc. can be done so as to establish effective
communication and circulate the findings of research to all the stakeholders.

Recommendations:
From this research certain recommendations that can help Marriott in effectively using
SMM are as follows:
 The company need to recruit more technical staff so that they can effectively use social
media in order to market company services.
 Building contacts with social media influencers so that they can spread the message about
quality of services offered by company.
 Tracking the needs and wants of customers and being available for them by the way of
customer care service.
 Posting truthfully about the facilities and quality of service which is given by company.
Chapter 6- Conclusion
From this report it can be concluded that social media plays an important role for
companies in marketing their products and services and reaching to a large number of customers
so that they can be attracted to purchase from the company. SMM needs to be efficiently used so
that a strong brand image of company can be created which can help in increasing the sales of
company. Customers decisions can be influenced if SMM is used in an appropriate manner.

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