Keegan, Brendan James and Rowley, Jennifer
(2017)
Evaluation and decision making in social media marketing.
Management Decision, 55 (1).
pp. 15-31.
ISSN 0025-1747
Abstract
Purpose – As organisations are increasing their investment in social media marketing (SMM), evaluation of
such techniques is becoming increasingly important. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to knowledge
regarding SMM strategy by developing a stage model of SMM evaluation and uncovering the challenges
in this process.
Design/methodology/approach – Interviews were conducted with 18 key informants working for
specialist SMM agencies. Such informants are a particularly rich source, since they manage social media
campaigns for a wide range of clients. An exploratory research was conducted and thematic analysis surfaced
the key components of the SMM evaluation process and associated challenges.
Findings – The SMM evaluation framework is developed. This framework has the following six stages:
setting evaluation objectives, identifying key performance indicators (KPIs), identifying metrics, data
collection and analysis, report generation and management decision making. Challenges associated with each
stage of the framework are identified, and discussed with a view to better understanding decision making
associated with social media strategies. Two key challenges are the agency-client relationship and the
available social analytics tools.
Originality/value – Despite an increasing body of research on social media objectives, KPIs and metrics, no
previous study has explored how these components are embedded in a marketing campaign planning
process. The paper also offers insights in the factors that make SMM evaluation complex and challenging.
Recommendations for further research and practice are offered.
| Item Type: |
Article
|
| Keywords: |
Social media marketing; Digital marketing; Social media analytics; Agency-client relationship;
Social media marketing evaluation; |
| Academic Unit: |
Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Business |
| Item ID: |
15976 |
| Identification Number: |
https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-10-2015-0450 |
| Depositing User: |
Brendan Keegan
|
| Date Deposited: |
17 May 2022 14:16 |
| Journal or Publication Title: |
Management Decision |
| Publisher: |
Emerald |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| URI: |
|
| Use Licence: |
This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available
here |
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