PhD Research Proposal: Social Media Reach in the Smartphone Market

This research proposal examines the influence of social media on the smartphone market, focusing on consumer behavior and marketing strategies. The study aims to determine the extent to which social media platforms impact purchasing decisions within the target demographic, which includes individuals from their 20s to 50s. The research will utilize a quantitative methodology, incorporating surveys and questionnaires to gather data from smartphone users, shop managers, and local community members. Data analysis will be performed using SPSS to identify patterns and correlations between social media exposure and purchasing behavior. The proposal outlines the research questions, hypothesis, methodology, and anticipated outcomes, providing a comprehensive framework for investigating the relationship between social media engagement and smartphone market dynamics. The findings are expected to provide valuable insights for marketing professionals seeking to optimize their strategies and improve market reach.

Running head: SOCIAL MEDIA REACHING THE SMARTPHONE MARKET
Social Media Reaching the Smartphone Market
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................2
Project objective.............................................................................................................2
Project scope..................................................................................................................2
Literature Review...........................................................................................................3
Research Questions/Hypothesis.....................................................................................4
Primary Question.......................................................................................................4
Research Methodology...................................................................................................4
Quantitative Research Methodology..............................................................................4
Quantitative Research design process........................................................................4
Research instrument...................................................................................................5
Quantitative Data Analysis........................................................................................5
Sampling size.............................................................................................................5
Interviewing and Questionnaire design......................................................................5
Validity of data...........................................................................................................5
Limitations of the Research...........................................................................................6
Time Schedule................................................................................................................6
Conclusion......................................................................................................................7
Reference:......................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
The social media has proved to be an important platform which makes the
communication process easy. The power of the social media platforms is influencing the
markets. Being a great tool for the Internet Marketing for the Smart People, it helps to build
the relationships with the fans and the customers. The social media does not only provide the
avenues for the companies to engage with the target customers, but also help them to take the
correct decision, by influencing them. The target group of the smartphone network involves
the customers ranging from 20s to 50s. The following research proposal deals with the study
of the target group of the smartphone market, how they are influenced by the power of the
social media, and the percentage of the target audience that are influenced.
Project objective
The main objective of this report is to focus on the customers and the target group of
the smartphone market and how they are influenced by the power of social media (Laroche,
Habibi and Richard). The objective of the research is to highlight what percentage of the
target group customers can the social media platforms reach and influence the purchasing
behaviour of the customers.
Project scope
The choice of the topic itself has been the first and foremost reason behind the
increase in the scope of the research. The topic of the research deals with the power of the
social media over the customers and to what extent the target customers are influenced by
this social media to purchase the smartphones. The research will include the primary research
elements which aims to further increase the scope of the research.

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Literature Review
The customers generally analyse the purchasing capacity before making the decision
for buying a particular product or a service. This is where the social media plays an important
role to influence the people. The focus of the target audiences are shifting from the traditional
media to social media due to the booming age of the internet. It has been discussed by
Saxton, Gregory and Wang, that the social media has a major effect over the market and the
business. The use of the social media platforms such as the Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn
can have a tremendous impact over the growth and performance of the market.
According to East, et al., based on the hits and clicks marketing analytics, the
smartphone categories, the information can be recorded on the database of these platforms.
The smartphone companies use Facebook as their platform to advertise on the social media
network and make use of this personalisation strategy. Based on this strategy and their
database, to reach out to them specifically they use the personalisation strategy of the social
media networks. The facebook Analytics tool helps in influencing the target customers and in
turn increases the growth of the business. The advertisement and the marketing sector has
been improving and have undergone a lot of changes (Dwivedi et.al.). As discussed by Goh,
Heng and Lin, the Facebook analytics groups together the several pages, pixels and the
applications to provide a complete picture of the user interactions. The steps that the
Facebook analytics involve are the setting up of a business page so that the target customers
are inclined to buy the smartphones.

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Figure 1: Choosing the target audience
Source: Whitelock et.al.
The information that is available on the Facebook, take care of the demographics and
the new target audience, and the ages or the genders that are to be targeted. In this manner,
the target audience of the smartphone network can be influenced by the Facebook pages.
According to Whitelock et.al., the shift towards the greater use of the smartphones have been
as a result of the influence of the social media and its power.

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Figure : 2
Source: Lee, Hutton and Shu.
Research Questions/Hypothesis
Since the research involves only the market analysis and the collection of the data is
primary, the hypothesis that will be developed while doing the research involves
H0 – Social media is able to influence the decision making process of the target customers
H1- Social media is not able to influence the decision making process of the target customers
Primary Question
The primary research questions that the research aims to answer is mainly based on
the aims and the objectives of the research. The following questions will try to address the
different elements of the research topic and will thus have more concentration on the
following. The primary research question will be directly linked to the research. It is as
follows,
1. How does the social media influence the smartphone market?
2. What percentage of the target group in the smartphone market can the social media
reach compared to the traditional media?
Research Methodology
The nature of the study is one of the key elements to the development of the
methodology of the research study and also decides on the method of deciding the strategies
of the particular research (Kumar). The research will involve the quantitative elements to
evaluate the different objectives of the research.

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Quantitative Research Methodology
Quantitative Research design process
The quantitative research part of the following report will be done with the use of the
descriptive design which helps to study the different statistical elements of the topic in detail
(McCusker, Kevin and Gunaydin). The data regarding the target customers and the social
media influence will be collected through a process of structured research instruments, which
involve the surveys and the market analysis. The results of the research will be based on the
large size of the research participants.
Research instrument
The particular research will be completed with the quantitative methods, which
involves the use of the surveys and questionnaire.
Quantitative Data Analysis
The quantitative data will be analysed by the SPSS method. The SPSS method will
help to analyse the topic in a variety of ways that is reliable enough and provides a different
angle to the study.
Sampling size
The sample size of the quantitative analysis will include the large number of the
participants who will be provided with the questionnaire for the survey. They will include the
customers of the smartphones, the managers of the smartphone shops as well as the local
people.
Interviewing and Questionnaire design
The questionnaire will be designed in a manner which will include open ended
questions and it will consist of multiple choice answers. The interviews will be conducted

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face to face, so that the results obtained are valid. The people will also be asked how they
have been influenced to buy the smartphones, and what form of media have influenced them-
the radio, the television, the print media or the social media. The measure of the
personalisation strategy of the social media can be done through the “hit and click” analytic
method.
Validity of data
Each and every of the data will be gathered through genuine sources and from the
horses’ mouth which itself ensures the validity of the data.
Limitations of the Research
The main limitations of this research methodology will include time
constraints, as well as the truthfulness of the answers. There may be possibilities that there is
a limited availability of resources like the unavailability of the participants due to various
reasons, receiving less or irrelevant information regarding the actual discussion of the
research topic. The customers may not be true to their responses. Also the maintenance of a
proper time schedule will also be necessary for ensuring the success of the research.

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Time Schedule
Figure 1: Gantt Chart
Source: (As created by the Author)
Conclusion
The research to be conducted is sure to throw light on new information and a number
of learning outcomes will be gained by the readers. This includes the percentage of the
customers and the target audience that get affected by the social media, and how the social
media influences the purchasing behaviour of these people. . Therefore the main research will
be a good source of information that will have a much larger scope and cover a wide range of
theoretical and statistical aspects of the given research.

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Reference:
Dwivedi, Yogesh K., Kawaljeet Kaur Kapoor, and Hsin Chen. "Social media marketing and
advertising." The Marketing Review 15.3 (2015): 289-309.
East, Robert, et al. Consumer behaviour: Applications in marketing. Sage, 2016.
Goh, Khim-Yong, Cheng-Suang Heng, and Zhijie Lin. "Social media brand community and
consumer behavior: Quantifying the relative impact of user-and marketer-generated
content." Information Systems Research 24.1 (2013): 88-107.
Kumar, Ranjit. Research methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners. Sage Publications
Limited, 2019.
Laroche, Michel, Mohammad Reza Habibi, and Marie-Odile Richard. "To be or not to be in
social media: How brand loyalty is affected by social media?." International Journal of
Information Management 33.1 (2013): 76-82.
Lee, Lian Fen, Amy P. Hutton, and Susan Shu. "The role of social media in the capital
market: Evidence from consumer product recalls." Journal of Accounting Research 53.2
(2015): 367-404.
McCusker, Kevin, and Sau Gunaydin. "Research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed
methods and choice based on the research." Perfusion 30.7 (2015): 537-542.
Saxton, Gregory D., and Lili Wang. "The social network effect: The determinants of giving
through social media." Nonprofit and voluntary sector quarterly 43.5 (2014): 850-868.
Whitelock, Jeryl, et al. "Social media and international advertising: theoretical challenges and
future directions." International marketing review (2013).