Business Research: Social Media Communication Strategies

This business research report explores the significant role of social media in modern business communication. It examines the advantages and disadvantages of utilizing social media platforms for interacting with employees, shareholders, and customers. The report delves into strategies for effective communication within these different stakeholder groups, highlighting how social media facilitates information dissemination and relationship building. Furthermore, it addresses the complexities of cross-cultural communication in a globalized business environment and how social media can be leveraged for product or service promotion. The research emphasizes the importance of adapting communication strategies to the specific needs of each stakeholder group and the broader implications of social media for overall business success. The report concludes by summarizing the key findings and highlighting the evolving landscape of social media's influence on business practices, offering insights into how organizations can optimize their communication efforts in the digital age.

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
“Communication and Social media”..........................................................................................2
“Social media and communication with the employees”...........................................................3
“Social media and communication with the shareholders”........................................................4
“Social media and the communication with the customers”......................................................5
“Social media and the cross cultural communication”..............................................................7
“Social media and the promotion of products or services”........................................................8
Literature Gap............................................................................................................................8
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................9
References................................................................................................................................11

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Introduction
“You never change things by fighting the existing reality.
To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.”
The above quoted lines of Buckminster Fuller give a pertinent overview of the
significance of the technological advancement and the use to which it is being put to in the
recent times. The “advent of globalization and the recent developments in the field of
technology as well as the innovations has drastically changed the way most of the business
organizations transact their business in the recent times” (Conrad and Newberry 2012). It is a
“reflection of this that the majority of the business organizations in the present times opt for
the various kinds of technology as well as innovations which are available to them for the
conduct of their business operations” (Conrad and Newberry 2012). However, the process of
the use of the various kinds of technology as well as innovations for the purposes of the
business has both advantages and disadvantages (Wang, Pauleen and Zhang 2016). One of
the most common technologies which the majority of the business organizations often take
the help of is the platform of social media (Wang, Pauleen and Zhang 2016). It is significant
to “note that the platform of social media is used by the majority of the business
organizations not only for the process of effective communication with the diverse entities
related to the business organization but also for the process of promotion of the products or
the services offered by them to the customers or the end users” (Wang, Pauleen and Zhang
2016). This paper will discuss the “advantages as well as the disadvantages of the use of
social networks” in the process of business by the various business organizations.

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“Communication and Social media”
Communication generally refers to the process by means of which a particular
message or information is transferred from one person to another. The process of
communication generally requires the presence of three separate entities, namely “the sender,
the medium and the receiver” (Conrad and Newberry 2012). The sender is the person who
sends the message or the information, the medium is the process through which the
information is being conveyed to the concerned people and the receiver is the person for
whom the message or the information was intended (Wang, Pauleen and Zhang 2016). It is
“generally seen that most of the business organizations in the present times take the help of
the platform of the social media for the process of communication” (Kernbach, Eppler and
Bresciani 2015). The platform of social media not only provides a less expensive medium of
communication but also a very fast one (Kernbach, Eppler and Bresciani 2015). Thus, most
“of the business organizations in the present times take the help of this particular technology”
for the process of communication.
“Social media and communication with the employees”
The employees are one of the building blocks of all the “business organizations and it
is generally seen that dedicated as well as hard working employees” can “bring about the
overall growth as well as the development of the entire business organization” (Sigmar,
Hynes and Hill 2012). Therefore, “it becomes very important for the various business
organizations to communicate effectively” with the employees related to them so that the
“individual goals as well as the objectives of the various employees are in alignment with the
overall goals as well as objectives of the concerned business organization” (Sigmar, Hynes
and Hill 2012). Furthermore, it is “significant to note that the various employees related to a
particular business organization needs to constantly need to be updated about the tasks which

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they need to complete” (Kernbach, Eppler and Bresciani 2015). It is here that that the concept
of communication gains “special prominence in the field of the business world”. Therefore,
the “various business organizations often take the help of the various platforms related to the
social in a bid to achieve the process of effective communication with the employees”
(Sigmar, Hynes and Hill 2012). Thus, it is “generally seen that the various business
organizations in the present times have their social media platforms where they provides
recent updates to the various employees related to the organization about the job roles which
they need to complete” and also about the recent news which they need to know and which
will help them “to perform their job roles in a much better manner” (Crews and Stitt-Gohdes
2012). The various platforms of the social media even help the various business
organizations to relieve the level of stress felt by the various employees related to the
business organization (Aral, Dellarocas and Godes 2013). It is significant to note that in the
recent times because of the increase in the level of workload in the workplace the level of
stress faced by the various employees has also increased and thus the various business
organizations “by the use of the technology of social media try to reduce the level of stress
felt by them” (Crews and Stitt-Gohdes 2012). Furthermore, the platform of social media
provides a very interactive platform to the employees where they can not only reduce the
level of stress felt by them but also interact with the other employees related to the same
organizations and thereby built an effective relationship with their colleagues (Crews and
Stitt-Gohdes 2012). Therefore, the “various business organizations often take the help of the
various platforms of the social media to create a positive environment” at the workplace.
“Social media and communication with the shareholders”
In the recent times the various shareholders related to a particular business
organization have emerged as one of the “most important part of the business organization”

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(Aral, Dellarocas and Godes 2013). It is significant to note that the various “shareholders are
the people who have invested in the business of the concerned business organization and
therefore take an active interest in the business process of the concerned business
organization” (Aral, Dellarocas and Godes 2013). Therefore, an effective communication
with the “various shareholders becomes very important not only in the interest of the
concerned business organization but also in the interest in the various shareholders” (Aral,
Dellarocas and Godes 2013). In the recent “times it is seen that the various business
organizations take the help of the various platforms of the social for the process of the
communication with the various shareholders of the business organizations” (Schivinski and
Dabrowski 2016). It is significant to note that “in the earlier times the various business
organizations depended on the traditional means of communication” like “face-to-face
interactions, seminars, publication of the annual reports and others” for the purpose of
communication with the various shareholders of the concerned organization (Aral, Dellarocas
and Godes 2013). Therefore, with the “introduction of the use of the social media for the
purposes of business the various business organizations in the present times communicate
with their shareholders” with the help of the various platforms related to social like emails,
conference calls, Facebook, Twitter and others” (Sigmar, Hynes and Hill 2012). The use of
the various platforms of the social media has much facilitated the communication between
the shareholders and the business organizations. Therefore, the various business organizations
no longer need to depend on the “various traditional means of communication for the purpose
of communication with the various shareholders related to the business” (Schivinski and
Dabrowski 2016).

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“Social media and the communication with the customers”
The customers form “one of the most important parts of the various business
organizations as they are ones who purchase the various products or the services
manufactured by the concerned business organizations” (Schivinski and Dabrowski 2016).
Therefore, “it becomes very important for the various business organizations to convey the
relevant information” about the existing products as well as services offered by them or about
the new products which are about to launch in the business market (Lyon and Montgomery
2013). It is here that the concept of “communication with the various customers related to a
particular business organization gains prominence” (Lyon and Montgomery 2013). In the
opinion of many people the customers need to be informed about the various products or the
services offered by them to the customers so that they can opt for the services or the products
offered by them to the customers (Sigmar, Hynes and Hill 2012). It is here that the concept of
social media for the purpose of communication gains prominence. Thus, “it is seen that the
various business organizations in the present times take the help of the various platforms of
the social media for the purpose of communication with them” (Lyon and Montgomery
2013). Furthermore, “it is generally seen that the various business organizations in the present
times have created various brand as well as fan pages over the various platforms of social
media” like “Facebook, Twitter and others” in a bid to convey information to the various
customers “about the products as well as the services offered by them to the customers”
(Goh, Heng and Lin 2013). Moreover, these social media also help the various business
organizations in another way as well. It is seen that in the present times the options which are
available to the customers is more than it was in the traditional times and therefore the
customers often compare and contrast the products offered by the various business
organizations before actually opting for the services of those products or services (Goh, Heng
and Lin 2013). Furthermore, “the feedbacks or the reviews given by the various existing

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customers or the users of the products or the services offered by a particular business
organization also impacts the various customers in a considerable manner” (Goh, Heng and
Lin 2013). In the “opinion of many people the use of the recent technology as well as recent
innovations like the social media often helps the various business organizations to create a
positive image for themselves and it is generally seen that the various business organizations
in the present times take the help of the various platforms related to the social media to create
a positive image for themselves” (Wang, Yu and Wei 2012).
“Social media and the cross cultural communication”
The various business organizations in the present times in a bid to increase their
profits and also to reach out to a larger number of people often take the help of the concept of
globalization (Wang, Yu and Wei 2012). The various business organizations following this
particular concept start their new businesses in other nations of the world. However, the
major problem which these business organizations face in the other nations of the world is the
problem of “cross cultural miscommunication” (Wang, Yu and Wei 2012). It is significant to
note that the problem of “cross cultural communication” arises when the “people or the
business organizations which are involved in the process of communication are from different
cultural as well as social backgrounds” (Kwok and Yu 2013). Therefore, “it is often seen that
the various business organizations take the help of the various platforms related to the social
media to achieve the process of effective communication” with the diverse entities of the
business organization from the different cultural and social backgrounds. It is significant to
note that the use of the technology of social media obliterates the various barriers to the
process of effective communication. The most common problem which arises during the
process of the cross cultural communication is that the various entities “who are involved in
the process of the communication fail to understand the thing or the message which the other

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person is trying to convey” (Kwok and Yu 2013). Therefore, the use of the technology of
social media not only obliterates this particular barrier but also makes the process of
communication a much better one for the various people involved in the process.
“Social media and the promotion of products or services”
In the recent times the social media has emerged as one of the most common
platforms for the process of promotion of the various products or the services offered by the
concerned business organizations to the customers (Fall et al. 2013). The social media not
only provides a “very cheap means for the process of promoting the various products as well
as services offered by them to the various customers but it also provides a very fast medium
for the same process” (Fall et al. 2013). It is significant to note that if the company follows
the traditional methods of promoting the products or the services offered by them then it will
not only have to spend a larger sum of capital for the promotional activities but it will also
have to spend a lot of time for the same process (Sharp and Brumberger 2013). Therefore, it
can be said that the various platforms related to social media offer a better option to the
“various business organizations for the promotion of the products as well as the services
offered by them to the various customers” (Hudson and Thal 2013). In addition to this, the
various customers in the present times have become very technologically savvy and do not
like to “opt for the products or the services offered by a particular business organization
which does not have an effective online presence” (Sharp and Brumberger 2013). Therefore,
it can be said that the use of the various platforms related to the social media is no longer an
option for the various modern day business organization but has become a necessity (Kim
and Ko 2012).

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Literature Gap
The technology of social media is a very recent time and was innovated only a few
years ago. Therefore, much research has not been conducted in this particular field of
communication. It is true that a lot of research has been conducted in the area of
communication and the other aspects of the field of management however not many
significant researches have been conducted on the “advantages as well as the disadvantages
of the use of social network for the purpose of business”. Therefore, this particular research
will be very useful in the present day context as it would not reveal the impact which the use
of the innovation of social media “is likely to have on the business operations of the various
business organizations but would also reveal the strength as well as the weaknesses of the use
of the innovation of social media by the various business organizations”. Thus, the results
derived from the research can be utilized by the various business organizations for the
process of communication in their own business organization. Therefore, it would be fair to
say that this particular research is likely to have a considerable amount of significance in the
present day business world.
Conclusion
To conclude, effective communication is an essential requirement of the various
business organizations and is “utilized by the various business organizations not only to
convey relevant information about the products as well as services offered by them to the
customers but also to convey the relevant information to the various employees related to the
business organization” and also the shareholders who form an important part of the business
organization. The recent technology as well as innovations has drastically modified the way
the various business organizations communicate not only with the diverse customers but also
the employees and the shareholders who are related to the business organization. It is

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specifically here that the innovation of social media has gained prominence in the recent
times. The various platforms related to the social media not only provide a very fast but also a
very inexpensive medium through which the various business organizations can communicate
with the various entities related to the business organization. Furthermore, “in the present
times it is also seen that the various business organizations take the help of the innovation of
social media for the purpose of the promotion of the various products as well as services
offered by them to the customers”. Therefore, it can be said that the use of social media for
the purposes of communication in the business world has both positive as well as negative
impacts however the positive effects far outweigh the negative impact of the use of social
media for the process of communication in the business world. Thus, it would be apt to say
that the social media is a much needed tool for the various business organizations and it is
increasingly being used by the various business organizations to achieve the process of
effective communication.

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References
Aral, S., Dellarocas, C. and Godes, D., 2013. Introduction to the special issue—social media
and business transformation: a framework for research. Information Systems Research, 24(1),
pp.3-13.
Conrad, D. and Newberry, R., 2012. Identification and instruction of important business
communication skills for graduate business education. Journal of Education for
Business, 87(2), pp.112-120.
Crews, T.B. and Stitt-Gohdes, W.L., 2012. Incorporating Facebook and Twitter in a service-
learning project in a business communication course. Business Communication
Quarterly, 75(1), pp.76-79.
DeKay, S.H., 2012. Interpersonal communication in the workplace: A largely unexplored
region. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), pp.449-452.
Fall, L.T., Kelly, S., MacDonald, P., Primm, C. and Holmes, W., 2013. Intercultural
communication apprehension and emotional intelligence in higher education: Preparing
business students for career success. Business Communication Quarterly, 76(4), pp.412-426.
Goh, K.Y., Heng, C.S. and Lin, Z., 2013. Social media brand community and consumer
behavior: Quantifying the relative impact of user-and marketer-generated
content. Information Systems Research, 24(1), pp.88-107.
Hudson, S. and Thal, K., 2013. The impact of social media on the consumer decision process:
Implications for tourism marketing. Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 30(1-2),
pp.156-160.