Analyzing the Influence of Social Media on Marketing Techniques

This report is a research proposal focused on critically analyzing the impact of social media on modern marketing techniques. It begins with an introduction that highlights the significance of social media in daily life and its subsequent influence on the market. The rationale of the study emphasizes the importance of social media for brand communication and customer base expansion. The research aims to understand how social media merges with and enhances modern marketing techniques. The literature review covers the concept of social media, modern marketing techniques (including production, product, selling, consumer, marketing, and societal marketing concepts), and the influence of social media on the market. The methodology section details the research philosophy (positivism), research design (exploratory), research approach (deductive), and research techniques (primary and secondary data collection). The proposal concludes with a timeline for the research project.

Research Proposal
The Impact of Social Media on Modern Marketing Techniques
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Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................3
1.1 Background of the Study...........................................................................................................3
1.2 Rationale of the Study...............................................................................................................3
1.3 Aim of the research....................................................................................................................4
1.4 Objectives of the research..........................................................................................................4
2. Literature Review........................................................................................................................5
2.1 Concept of Social Media...........................................................................................................5
2.2 Concept of Modern Marketing Techniques...............................................................................6
2.3 Impact of Social Media on Modern day Marketing Techniques...............................................7
2.4 Influence of Social Media on the Market..................................................................................8
3. Methodology................................................................................................................................8
3.1 Research Philosophy..................................................................................................................8
3.2 Research Design........................................................................................................................8
3.3 Research Approach....................................................................................................................8
3.4 Research Techniques.................................................................................................................9
3.5 Sampling Method.......................................................................................................................9
4. Timeline......................................................................................................................................9
Reference List................................................................................................................................12
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Chapter 1: Introduction
1.1 Background of the Study
Social Media today has become one of the most significant and fundamental requirements of
daily life. Be it while sitting idle, or while travelling, or during a small recess at work, people do
not think twice before quickly scrolling through their feeds for some time. Be it expressing
emotions to letting people know about the current trends, Social Media has become one of the
most integral part of everybody’s life. If an entity has such significance in the lives of the people,
it is not possible that it doesn’t make an impact in the market.
A few decades ago, it would have been unthinkable for people to imagine that the Internet
services, which were on an emerging stage back then, would become one of the most significant
aspects of their upcoming generations. Coming back to the present time, not only has the internet
become one of the most significant aspects on one’s personal life, but has brought a revolution in
the business world as well. Be it any age group, or from any geographic area, Social Media today
has successfully removed every barrier when it comes to the people who prefer it (Sunstein,
2018). Solely for this reason, brands today have gone online and have started creating their
presence in the virtual market, which is Social Media Platforms. In this Research, the impact of
Social Media on the Modern Marketing Techniques shall be assessed and studied thoroughly.
1.2 Rationale of the Study
What is the issue?
In order to be successful, a brand needs to communicate. And today, no platform gives
companies such exposure to communicate like Social Media does (Cornelissen, 2017). This is
the reason why Companies and organisations ranging from the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration (NASA) to Starbucks are employing using the platform extensively (Van, 2016).
Why is the issue?
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One of the reasons why companies and organisations have been using Social Media for business
purposes is due to the fact that this media gives opportunities to the company to create a wider
customer base. Since infinite numbers of people are present in the Social Media web, it becomes
easier for brands to reach out to a lot of people. Another reason why brands are totally into
Social Media marketing is due to its simplicity. One doesn’t need to know Rocket Science in
order to handle Social Media. Basic Computer application skills and internet skills is all one
needs.
What is the issue now?
It becomes very tough for someone to recollect the name of a company that doesn’t have any
presence online. Today, almost 80-85% of companies have their presence online. Be it start-ups
or any Multinational Corporation, every company leaves no stones unturned to have a big impact
on Social Media.
How will this study shed light on the issue?
Understanding the impact of Social Media in modern marketing techniques shall help companies
recognise and understand the ways to promote itself and its products/services to the people in a
more efficient and enhanced manner.
1.3 Aim of the research
The Aim of the research is to critically analyse the impact of Social Media on the Modern
Marketing Techniques employed by Companies today.
1.4 Objectives of the research
 To analyse what is Social Media and its influence on people (consumers)
 To get to know about the Modern Marketing Techniques
 To understand how Social Media merges with the Modern Marketing Techniques
 To enhance Modern Marketing Techniques using Social Media as a tool.
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2. Literature Review
In this section, the remaining topics and points to consider shall be discussed for better
understanding of the research.
2.1 Concept of Social Media
Going by definition, Social Media are computer based programs and technologies that offer a
person facilities such as creation of content, gathering and sharing of information with one
another (White, 2016). Usually, the entities that are created, modified and shared revolve around
virtual communities. So summing up, Social Media are basically tools of communication that
help individuals interact and mix with each other by creating and sharing relevant content.
Recent statistics has shown that approximately 78% of youth (18 to 24 years) log in to Snapchat
multiple times a day. So for companies targeting the youth and young aged individuals, creating
and sharing content on Snapchat can be very beneficial. Also, it has been found out that 71%
people in this age group are frequent users of Instagram. The Social Media platform Facebook,
which was incepted in the year 2004, is still the most popular Social Media platform in America
today. Roughly 68% of adults based in United States of America are well active on Facebook.
The users are diverse when analysed according to Age group (Hardy, 2018). Only people those
who are 65 years old or older, are less active on the Social Media giant. Coming to world’s
biggest video sharing platform Youtube, a huge 94% of youth based in US and about three to
four quarters of Adults are pro actively using it every single day.
This is the sole reason why companies today are investing a huge amount when it comes to
promoting their products/services or even their brand image on Youtube. Twitter also is widely
used by the middle-aged people, which roughly constitutes about 45-48%. These statistics
remain a proof of the fact that today, Social Media is not only giving strict competition to the
other traditional forms of media, but is slowly beating them when it comes to preferences by a
brand in order to promote itself or its entities. Only a few days back, the most preferred form of
media used by companies for promotional purposes were Television Advertisements. But today,
the scenario is entirely different. Social Media has emerged and is offering the companies and
organisations much better facilities and perks at a very less pricing. While Television ads are
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very costly and are given a very short span of commercial space, Social Media ads are
comparatively very cheap and give the ads more attention and recognition.
2.2 Concept of Modern Marketing Techniques
Marketing Techniques are those that are employed by organisations in order to build, identify
and recognise its customer base. Marketing Techniques are one of the most important, if not the
most important entity of the companies. Today, in a world full of substitutes and fierce
competition, it is very important for a firm to realise the exact demands of its consumers. Also, in
order to build a set of new consumers, it has to identify the situation of the market extensively.
Currently, there are six modern marketing techniques which are employed by the firms to bring
in efficient results. They are:
 Production Concept
 Product Concept
 Selling Concept
 Consumer Concept
 Marketing Concept
 Societal Marketing Concept
Production Concept:
This concept is widely used by those companies which do not put much focus on their activities
such as features and Unique Selling Propositions (USPs). Rather, they focus on efficient and
quick paced Production methods in order to have an abundance of supply in the market. The
believers of this concept feel that customers will buy only those products which are always
available in the market.
Product Concept:
Under this concept, the companies provide a lot of attention to the specifications and quality of
the product. According to the followers of Product Concept, only those products are successful in
the long run which are of premium quality and features loaded.
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Selling Concept:
This concept states that customers need to be informed about the company’s products or
services. It is not enough from a company’s end to just manufacture the products and wait for the
customers to arrive. Rather, they have to be brought in using various promotional strategies and
informational content.
Consumer Concept:
Under the followers of this concept come those companies which employ those marketing
strategies aimed to target customers one is to one. Companies following this concept believe that
Marketing and Promotions are always general and do not strike an individual as such. Efforts
should be taken to reach out to each and every individual.
Marketing Concept:
Those who follow the Marketing concept try to make it up to the consumers as much as possible
by making the products or services exactly according to their needs.
Societal Marketing Concept:
Under this concept, the companies believe that serving the consumers is not the only
requirement. In order to function efficiently, it needs to serve the society in which it is
functioning.
2.3 Impact of Social Media on Modern day Marketing Techniques
Today, social media has been leaving its impressions on each of the above mentioned Marketing
techniques. For instance, the companies believing in the consumer concept can employ the usage
of social media to get more close to its consumers (Tsimonis, 2014). The blend of Social Media
along with these marketing techniques not only enhances brand image, but also boosts sales.
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2.4 Influence of Social Media on the Market
Using Social Media for marketing and promotional purposes prove to be a major pro for the
companies. Simply because this platform allows companies to reach out to many people at a
time, that too at a price which is almost negligible makes Social Media a favourite and most
preferred tool when it comes to promote and highlight the product in the market (Hyder, 2016).
3. Methodology
3.1 Research Philosophy
There are three kinds of Research Philosophy which include positivism realism and
interpretivism (Creswell.,2017) The Positivism approach makes use of quantitative, qualitative
and statistical information. The Realism approach is based on scientific methods to obtain
information for the study of data. The interpretivism approach is based on qualitative data to
implement the research. The researcher has made use of the positivism approach as it helps in
collection of data through surveys and interviews.
3.2 Research Design
There are three different kinds of Research Design which include explanatory, descriptive and
exploratory research (Denscombe 2014). The researcher has made the use of exploratory
research. Exploratory research is a survey into a subject to gain better insight into a subject. It is
a mixture of different ideas that help in identification of the “cause and effect’ relation.
Researchers are able to form appropriate conclusions using the empirical data. The researcher
has used exploratory research because it will help in the analysis of data collected from a wide
range of sources.
3.3 Research Approach
There are two kinds of Research approach which include inductive research approach and
deductive research approach (Thomas, 2006). Inductive research is based on observations and
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theories which are generated by the end of the research process. There is no application of
theories or hypothesis. The approach aims at generating meaning from the collected data. Its
implication does not lie in disregarding theories. The researcher has made use of the deductive
research approach. Deductive research approach is designed as a testing theory and begins with a
hypothesis generally based on a casualty. The researcher has made use of deductive approach
because it aids in forming patterns related to the outcomes of the research.
3.4 Research Techniques
There are two kinds of Research techniques mainly Primary Data Collection and Secondary Data
Collection (Kothari, 2004). Primary Data Collection is used to gain information using qualitative
and quantitative data. Secondary Data Collection refers to the information gathered through the
previously published works. Secondary data rarely fits the structure of the research as it is not
reliable and the existence of class boundaries usually alter. The data may or may not be accurate
or outdated. The researcher has made use of the Primary Data Collection because surveys are
collected through interviews and there is direct participation of the participants. It is framed for
precise goals and purposes.. The researchers can rely on the data as it tends a to be original and
does not carry opinions from any third parties
3.5 Sampling Method
There are two kinds of sampling method mainly Probability Sampling and Non Probability
Sampling (Cochran, 2007). Probability sampling is a any technique that makes use of
unsystematic selection of respondents. This technique assures the participation of random
population chosen equally. Non Probability Sampling is a technique which does not give an
equal opportunity to all the individuals. There is no probability and its is based on subjective
judgement. The researcher has made use of Probability Sampling Research because the
respondent base is not fixed.
4. Timeline
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Activities 1st week 2nd week 3rd week 4thweek 5th week 6th week 7th
week
Topic for research
Problem statement
Aims, objectives
and questions
Literature re-
evaluation
Questions for
interview and
survey
Primary data
Analysis -primary
data
Research findings
Relevant
conclusions and
recommendations
Submission of
Research
Table 1; Gantt Chart
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(Source; Created by author)
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Reference List
Cochran, W.G., 2007. Sampling techniques. John Wiley & Sons.
Cornelissen, J. and Cornelissen, J.P., 2017. Corporate communication: A guide to theory and
practice. Sage.
Creswell, J.W. and Creswell, J.D., 2017. Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed
methods approaches. Sage publications.
Denscombe, M., 2014. The good research guide: for small-scale social research projects.
McGraw-Hill Education (UK).
Hardy, B.W. and Castonguay, J., 2018. The moderating role of age in the relationship between
social media use and mental well-being: An analysis of the 2016 General Social
Survey. Computers in Human Behavior.
Hyder, S., 2016. The zen of social media marketing: An easier way to build credibility, generate
buzz, and increase revenue. BenBella Books, Inc..
Kothari, C.R., 2004. Research methodology: Methods and techniques. New Age International.
Sunstein, C.R., 2018. # Republic: Divided democracy in the age of social media. Princeton
University Press.
Thomas, D.R., 2006. A general inductive approach for analyzing qualitative evaluation data.
American journal of evaluation, 27(2), pp.237-246.
Tsimonis, G. and Dimitriadis, S., 2014. Brand strategies in social media. Marketing Intelligence
& Planning, 32(3), pp.328-344.
Van Alstyne, M.W., Parker, G.G. and Choudary, S.P., 2016. Pipelines, platforms, and the new
rules of strategy. Harvard Business Review, 94(4), pp.54-62.
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