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Dr. Travis Tingue "Tingue's (2017) Social Media Communication Non-response model"


-The full dissertation can be viewed on ProQuest titled: SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING: EXPLORING EFFECTIVE CUSTOMER TO BUSINESS INTERACTIONS WITH THE FORGOTTEN 80% by DR. TRAVIS A. TINGUE

Abstract Social media marketing has become the newest frontier for digital marketing. At its core, social media is a communication tool that allows like-minded users to communicate and develop relationships, based on common interests. Researchers have attributed social media’s success to swift communications and its ability to create relationships. Being able to cultivate this type of relationship network through a company’s social media campaign can affect customers’ intentions to buy products and services. Many sources indicate that companies are still using social media incorrectly, despite the vast amount of money invested. This study focused on customer to business interactions on Facebook. Previous research suggests that 80% of customer to business communications go unnoticed by businesses on Facebook. This study used multiple rounds of surveys in order to track the movement of customers through the customer life cycle after not receiving a response to a posting on social media. Through a grounded-theory approach to the collection and analysis of the data, a Social Media Communication Nonresponse Model was developed reflecting the responses and actions of customers after not receiving a response to their Facebook post. The model includes five relationship stages (target customer, prospect, new customer, repeat customer, and brand ambassador), four customer needs (marketing, information, support, and acknowledgement), and eight reactions (four of progression: engagement, conversion, repetition, and fruition; and four of regression: regression, stagnation, disillusion and abandonment). The study’s findings have implications for the field of social media marketing, particularly for the purposes of communicating with customers directly on Facebook.

Summary of research-Using a grounded theory-inspired approach, qualitative and quantitative data was collected in three rounds through an online survey on Facebook user’s responses to not receiving a reply to their postings on a company’s Facebook page. The study aimed to understand customer’s reactions to a nonresponse, using the customer life cycle model (Sterne & Cutler, 2000) as a starting place. A model is presented based upon the data collected in the three rounds. In review, the researcher found that not responding to a customer’s Facebook post seemed to connect with customer’s future intentions with the business. The customer who was the most impacted by a non-response was the new customer. After receiving a non-response, abandoned the company.The Social Media Nonresponse Communication Model attempts to capture the movement of customers after not receiving a response to post to a business on social media.

Practical Implications

The findings of this research have several implications for the field of social media marketing, particularly for the purposes of communicating with customers directly on Facebook. The researcher hypothesizes that marketing through social media only meets a portion of the customers’ needs.

Customer Levels

Target Customer: A potential customer within the brand’s ideal demographic. Someone the organization is attempting to reach through marketing. The customer becomes aware of the brand or company through direct (adverting) or indirect (word of mouth) marketing in order to move forward in the model.

Prospect: A potential customer who has engaged with the brand on social media who is interested in potentially purchasing a product or service. At this stage the customer is attempting to communicate with the brand or company in order to gather information about the company or the product or service that they are interested in, or to gain support, which will then influence their decision to form a relationship with the company.

New Customer: A customer who has completed the purchasing process. They are reaching out to the brand or company in order to gain information about their product or service or are seeking post-purchase support (e.g., warrantee information, repairs, returns).

Repeat Customer: A customer who has completed the purchasing process multiple times. They are seeking additional support or information and are most likely to leave the customer life cycle if they do not receive the expected interaction.

Brand Ambassador: A loyal customer who has purchased many times from the brand or company, often identified on social media as those who answer other customer’s questions before the business, or who act as a brand expert or advocate. They do not expect responses from the business, but will accept and appreciate acknowledgement of their position and expertise with the brand. Rarely will they abandon the brand when they do not receive interactions from the brand. As each customer is unique and individual, the amount of time and how much support and information is needed from the business will differ from customer to customer. The data shows that customers who are in the lower stages of the model require more information and less support. Those that are in the upper stages require more support and less information. The two are not mutually exclusive and will always be needed to some degree. The difference is based on the perceived needs of the customer at that point in time. Nonresponse appears to push customers backward in model (regression) and may be seen as failing to fulfill these needs.

Customer Needs

Marketing:: Communication that draws potential customers to the Facebook page to interact and ultimately become customers. This could be through advertising, word-of-mouth, the result of an online search, or some similar event that raises customer awareness of the brand or products.

Information: Communication needed by the customer from the company in order to gather facts about the company and the products or services in order to make a buying decision and complete the purchase process.

Support: Communication needed by the customer from the company before or after the purchase has been made. Most often this involves handling customer complaints and queries about the company or the product. How the company interacts at this stage appears to influence if the customer continues on in the process and purchase from the company again.

Acknowledgement: Communication by the company to a customer who is acting as a brand ambassador. While this is not demanded by the customer to remain at this level, it may help to cement the relationship and ensure longevity.

Customer’s Progression

Engagement: The acceptance of the marketing message and first interactions with the company. Customer seeks out, ‘Likes’, or follows the company on Facebook.

Conversion: Customer seeks information about the company or product, or seeks support from the company, with the end goal being to purchase a product or service, thereby forming a relationship with the company.

Repetition: Customer seeks information on products or support regarding previous or future transactions, with the outcome of acquiring additional products or services from company.

Fruition: Company has met the needs of the customer and the customer creates an emotional relationship with the company.

Customer’s Regression

Regression: After the company fails to provide needed information or support to the customer in order to complete the purchase (should the customer decide to give the company another chance), the customer will revert back to being a prospect and begin the process of moving to a new customer over again. The customer may also abandon.

Stagnation: If the company does not provide the needed support and information to convert a new customer to a repeat customer, the customer will fail to purchase again and revert back to the new customer position, if the customer chooses to give the company another chance (rather than abandoning the relationship).

Disillusion: If the company does not cement and encourage the emotional ties of the brand ambassador, the customer can revert into a repeat customer and stop acting as a brand expert or ambassador. Ultimately whether with repeated poor experiences or a massive failure by the company, the customer may abandon. Action in terms of acknowledgment, ongoing service, and provision is needed to keep the customer as an ambassador. Disillusion is the only stage where a customer in the brand ambassador may leave the stage at any time and revert back to a repeat customer.

Abandonment: At any stage of the process, if a customer does not receive the required communication from the company, the customer could choose to leave the cycle and do business with another company.