Perception of Students Towards Social Media as a Marketing Tools
CHAPTER ONE
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study are;
- To determine student perception towards using social media as a marketing tools
- To determine the factors which influence student willingness to use social networks technology
- To ascertain the effect of social media on academic performance of student
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Social Media
To consider social media as a marketing tool a retailer must understand every aspect of it. Social media cannot be understood without first defining Web 2.0: a term that describes a new way in which end users use the World Wide Web, a place where content is continuously altered by all operators in a sharing and collaborative way (Kaplan and Haenlein 2010). “It is much more to do with what people are doing with the technology than the technology itself, for rather than merely retrieving information, users are now creating and consuming it, and hence adding value to the websites that permit them to do so” (Campbell et al. 2011, 87). Web 2.0 has evolved from simple information retrieval to interactivity, interoperability, and collaboration (Campbell et al. 2011). Kaplan and Haenlein (2010, 61) define social media as “a group of Internet based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and allow the creation and exchange of user generated content.” Sinclaire and Vogus (2011, 294) cite O’Reilly’s (2005) definition: “social media is a broad term that describes software tools that create user generated content that can be shared.” However, there are some basic features necessary for a website to meet the requirements as a social network website: the site must contain user profiles, content, a method that permits users to connect with each other and post comments on each other’s pages, and join virtual groups based on common interests such as fashion or politics. (Gross & Acquisti, 2005; Ellison, Steinfield & Lampe, 2007; Lenhart & Madden, 2007; Winder, 2007; Boyd & Ellison, 2007 as cited in Cox 2010). The phrase social networking sites’ is often used interchangeably with social media. However, social media is different because it allows participants to unite by generating personal information profiles and inviting friends and colleagues to have access to those profiles (Kaplan and Haenlein 2010, 63). Thus, social media is the environment in which social networking takes place and has altered the way in which consumers gather information and make buying decisions. Consumers’ Sentiment toward Marketing (CSM) is a factor consider by researchers to measure how well consumers will perceive social media marketing. CSM is defined as a concept which refers to the general feelings that consumers have for marketing and the marketplace (Lawson et al. 2001as cited by Mady 2011).
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research design
The researcher used descriptive research survey design in building up this project work the choice of this research design was considered appropriate because of its advantages of identifying attributes of a large population from a group of individuals. The design was suitable for the study as the perception of students towards social media as a marketing tools
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment; the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
DATA ANALYSIS
The data collected from the respondents were analyzed in tabular form with simple percentage for easy understanding.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was to ascertain perception of students towards social media as a marketing tools
In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges of perception of students towards social media as a marketing tools
Summary
This study was on perception of students towards social media as a marketing tools. Three objectives were raised which included: To determine student perception towards using social media as a marketing tools, to determine the factors which influence student willingness to use social networks technology, to ascertain the effect of social media on academic performance of student. In line with these objectives, two research hypotheses were formulated and two null hypotheses were posited. The total population for the study is 200 students of university of Uyo. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. A total of 133 respondents made up final year students, year four students, year three students and year two students was used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies
Conclusion
In conclusion, research has determined that retailers can increase awareness of their brand by being creative when engaging customers on social media sites. “As more shoppers are using social media (e.g., Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn) and rely on them for marketing shopping decisions, promotion through these media has become important” (Shankar et al. 2011, 32). According to Curran et al. (2011), social media sites such as Facebook are better than other advertising avenues because it stores information on all its users thus ensuring marketing reaches a retailer’s specific target market. Social media sites are a great stage for retailers to create an experience and retailers can use information stored on social media sites to improve user experience with their brand
Recommendation
The Importance of Going Toward Using the Social Media to Market the Products As These Websites Attract A Large Portion Of The Society.
- The Importance of Focusing On Social Media (Facebook, Twitter and Youtube) Due to Its Significant Impact On Purchasing Decisions.
- Conducting Field Researches to Realize the Impact of Social Media In Every Single Stage Of Purchasing Decision Stages And The Impact Of Every Single Website In These Stages
References
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- Dabbagh N. & kilsant, A (2011)”internet and higher education, Personal Learning Environments” academy journal, George Mason University.pp2-5 aysegul s. gungor andtugçe o. cadirci, ―segmenting ewom engagers on online social networks based on personal characteristics and behavior‖,ekev academy journal,vol:17,issu:57(fall 2013)
- Irem E &,Mesut C,(2012)” the impact of social media marketing on brand loyalty”marmara university, ” academy journal.pp3-8 http://www.bizible.com/blog/bid/343058/Importance-of-Social-Media-Marketing-Among-SmallBusinesses. 5pm
- Ramsunder, Monica (2011)”the impact of social media marketing on purchase decision in the tyre industry, nelson Mandela metropolitan university business school.pp40-46
- Assad H& Anas Y, (2014),” the impact of social media marketing on brand equity”ampirical study on mobile service providers in Jordan. Science private university.
- Kotler p (1991),” marketing management analysis: analysis, planning, implementation and control “New Jersey: prentice-hell
