SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING - THE EFFECTIVENESS AND CHALLENGES

Περίληψη

In the present era social media created a boom in business. It has changed the way companies deal with their consumers and enable them to market their product or services in personalized way. However, there are still limited studies examining key issues related to the effectiveness of social media as a marketing tool that justify the purpose of its use. The aim of this study is to explore social media marketing effectiveness in the Saudi market in terms of increasing sales, raise brand awareness and gaining customer loyalty. As well as the challenges and constraints that cause the reduction of effectiveness. The data was collected by an e-mail questionnaire sent to targeted consumers from social media marketing in Saudi society as well as interviews with marketing managers in Saudi companies. The results were obtained by testing the theory, that the use of social media as a marketing tool would be effective if the right strategies were used, which depended on identifying the target group and the appropriate promotional content that suits the product or service to be marketed. The experimental results identified different ways of engaging social media as marketing tools specifically in marketing communication, promotion, sales and discounts. It also showed that marketing through social media significantly helps to create and promote brand awareness which in turn leads to increased companies’ sales performance. The study also found that the use of social media has a positive relationship with consumer loyalty to the brand. JEL: M30; M31