Marketing Communication on Social Networks – Solution in the Times of Crisis

: Every day more and more


INTRODUCTION
e global economic crisis has had a major impact on business.Many companies have found themselves in a circle.On one hand they want to increase sales, which have declined during the time of crisis.On the other hand they do not have the resources available for the purposes of marketing communication, through which companies could expand their businesses into new markets, increase sales and ensure a contribution to the economic recovery of their country.It is a fact that traditional marketing communication channels require large nancial investments, which the companies in the times of crisis do not have.Social networks, as one of the newest marketing communication channels, represent an excellent opportunity for companies with relatively small nancial resources to reach with their messages a wide range of potential users.It is important however, that those responsible for marketing communication are aware of the advantages as well as the disadvantages and pitfalls that social networks o er them for the purposes of marketing communication.
e purpose of this paper is to transparently present the possibilities that social networks are o ering to the marketing communication in the times of crisis.
e objectives of the paper are: • to present the basics of social networks, • to present di erent types of social networks, • to present the main di erences between marketing communication on social networks and marketing communication in traditional media, • to present the advantages and disadvantages of marketing communication on social networks in the times of crisis.

MARKETING COMMUNICATION
Marketing has as many de nitions as it is the number of authors who write about marketing.Based on the de nitions by various authors (American Marketing Association; Chisnall, P. M., 1995 p. 8; Shimp, T. A., 2003, p. 3; Kotler, P. & Keller, K. L., 2009, p. 5) we can conclude that the basic task of marketing is to identify and meet the needs of users in the most pro table manner.
Abstract: Every day more and more Internet users use social networks, which have become a very interesting channel also for the marketing experts, who are always looking for the new opportunities how to deliver their messages to a wider range of users.Social networks are due to some of its specific features very different from traditional marketing communication channels and have several advantages as well as some pitfalls.People responsible for marketing communication must be aware of the latter, if they want marketing communication on social networks to achieve its objectives.Especially in the times of crisis, when the resources for marketing communication are very limited and requirements to maximize the return of investment are present, some specific characteristics of social networks enable companies to take the advantages of social networks for the effective communication with users.
Communication can be de ned as the process of transmission of thoughts between users or between organization and users (Shimp, T. A., 2003, p. 3;Fill, C., 2005, p. 36;Smith, P. R. et al. 1997, p. 21).
Marketing communication as one of the marketing communication mix elements is in the literature de ned as: • the management process through which the organization participates with various audiences (Fill, C., 2005 For the understanding of marketing communication on social networks it is very important to know the di erence between marketing communication "tool" and marketing communication "channel". ere are various marketing communication tools, some of the most frequently mentioned are advertising, personal selling, sales promotion, public relations and direct marketing.However as marketing communication tools some authors (Shimp, T. A., 2003 Marketing communication channel is a way how communication travels from the source to the recipient (Belch, G. E. & Belch, M. A., 2007, p. 140) or device that allows the transmission of messages between an organization and its publics (Bajde, D., 2013, p. 263).As a marketing communication channel we can consider anything that is able to transmit or send the marketing communication messages, such as television, radio, print media, internet, social networks etc. (Pickton, D. & Broderick, A., 2001, p. 199).
erefore marketing communication tool can be de ned as a way of communication, and marketing communication channel as anything that enables the transmission of the marketing message from the source to the recipient.Although this is not always the case, it is necessary to know that the Internet and social networks can never be treated as tools; instead they must always be treated as marketing communication channels.ey are devices through which a marketing message travels from the source to the recipient.

MARKETING COMMUNICATION IN THE TIMES OF CRISIS
It is believed that any economic and nancial crisis have a direct impact on both the population's purchasing power and also on the purchasing and consumption behaviour of consumer (Mitran, P. C. & Bebeseleia, M., 2011, p. 312).In the times of crisis, companies usually carefully consider the purposes their assets will be spent on.Unfortunately marketing communication is usually the rst one to be le without the adequate resources, which is a big mistake.Several companies see their appropriate adaption to the crisis in media spending reduction, however such cuts will not solve the problem and even generate further ones (Horváth, D., Mitev, A. & Bauer, A., 2014, p. 52).In the times of crisis the communication activity should be constant or even increasing, although the departments of marketing and communication, as mentioned above, face wrongly budget collapse (Mitran, P. C. & Bebeseleia, M., 2011, p. 315).erefore marketing experts must nd new ways to get new customers.In order to achieve that they must start using new channels.Internet is viewed as a powerful mechanism for building brands, reaching new markets and nding new customers.It gives companies the ability to organize and present essential information and o er many services rms a unique opportunity to make tangible the intangibles associated with services delivered.Plus, its ability to create a dialogue with the customer and track activities (Webster, K. L., 2004, p. 55). is is especially true for social networks.
e Internet as a marketing communication channel provides an exceptional potential for sales and brand building, it is e cient, and it o ers unique advantages.Among the most signi cant trends in online marketing the following ones should be highlighted (Mitran, P. C. & Bebeseleia, M., 2011, p. 315): • developing social networks, • increased marketing in search engines, • emergence of online statistical indicators, • target distribution experience while increasing consumer behaviour, • integration of online and o ine media, since more and more sales are done on the Internet • the downward evolution of communication through e-mails, • marketers must focus on the message that they send, so that it is important and relevant to the consumer, • emergence of new concepts of sites.

SOCIAL NETWORKS
To understand accurately the possibilities that social networks are o ering to the marketing communication it is necessary to clearly de ne what we understand by the term social networks.e problem is that in the literature on social networks we can nd different terms, such as user generated content, web 2.0, social web, social media, social networks, social network sites, social networking, etc.With all these terms the authors mention many di erent concepts and they use those terms in a very inconsistent manner, which causes an additional problem for an accurate de nition of the terms.According to the literature review (

MARKETING COMMUNICATION ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
As mentioned by Zimmerman and Sahlin (2010, p. 11), we can de ne marketing communication on social networks as the use of social networks to achieve marketing and communications objectives.Marketing mix 4P, which in traditional and also in digital media consists of a product, price, place and promotion (marketing communication), on social networks consists of people, platform, participation and promotion (Gambhir, S).

Approaches to marketing communication on Social Networks
In marketing communication on social networks we distinguish between the strategic and the campaign approach (Zarrella, D Once a company builds its strategy of marketing communication on social networks through regular communication with users, it can start with a shortterm activities (projects) of marketing communication on social networks.ose short-term activies should be consistent with the strategy of marketing communication on Social Networks and must have de ned objectives and time plans.Project communication on social networks is usually re ected on the large but temporary changes in sales (Zarrella, D., 2009, p. 197).

Differences between marketing communication on Social Networks and marketing communications in traditional media
Despite the fact that marketing communication is a basic element of marketing mix in traditional and digital media and also on social networks, social networks o er quite di erent possibilities of marketing communication than traditional media (Tomše, D. et al, 2012, p. 347).Colliander (2012, p. 35) found out that social networks are more e ective than traditional media in brand positioning and brand perception.Users that have been exposed to the marketing mes-sage on blogs have more positive attitudes toward the brand than those who have been exposed to marketing communication in online magazines.Basic di erences between marketing communication on social media and marketing communication in traditional media are that in marketing communication on social networks users have the chance to participate actively and that social networks allow two-way communication (Zarrella, D., 2009, p. 197).
In addition to interactivity and two-way communication Hausman also mentions the following di erences between marketing communication on social networks and marketing communication in traditional media (Table 1).
As in marketing communication via traditional media, so it is also important in marketing communication on social networks that we use integrated marketing communication, namely, that all messages coming to the user are aligned with each other.As in 2003 Berggren, Calder and Kolsky (p.250) mentioned the need to integrate the internet into marketing efforts, it is now important not only that social networks are one of the marketing communication channels, but that marketing communication on social networks is in coordination with marketing communications in other media.Results are seen quickly Source: (Hausman)

Advantages and disadvantages of marketing communication on social networks in the times of crisis
If we focus only on the bene ts particularly relevant to marketing communication in the times of crisis, we clearly must highlight the low cost.In the times of crisis companies usually do not have high budget for marketing communication, therefore those responsible for the marketing communication must nd the most cost-e ective possibilities.
Social networks o er di erent options of advertising as a payable form of marketing communication (such as banners, sponsored links, et..), but most of them also o er fully free options, for example Facebook and Twitter pro le, writing blogs and/or participating on blogs from other authors, participating in forums, posting videos on YouTube, etc.
Another important advantage of marketing communication on social networks is the possibility to fully use the power of viral marketing.In the times of crisis it is important for companies to get new orders as soon as possible.To achieve that, they must transfer their marketing messages as quickly as possible to the widest possible range of users, for what the viral marketing is the best possible option.Scott (2010, p. 106) believes that viral marketing is one of the best ways to reach targeted users and mentions di erent possibilities for the use of viral marketing on social networks (Scott, D. M., 2010, p. 94-106).Because viral marketing messages can spread very quickly among users, and as a resul the marketing message will reach a wider range of users than it would with the use of traditional ways of marketing communication.
Qualman (2009, p. 89) mentions that people appreciate other people's opinions, which means that in the future we will no longer look for products, but the products will nd us through recommendations of other users on social networks.Social networks have also started to take over the role of internet search engines when looking for information.Users appreciate the opinions and advice of other social networks users even more than the information that they can nd through search engines (Qualman, E., 2009, p. 89).
at means that with social networks an individual company can create opportunities for the development of trust, which may result in an increase in sales, which is, as mentioned earlier, very important in the time of crisis.
A very important advantage of social networks compared to other marketing communication channels in the times of crisis is, that most social networks reach globally, which means that the marketing message can at low cost reach users all over the world very quickly (within a few weeks or even days) (Tribby, M. E).
As the advantages of marketing communication on social networks some authors (Chron; Empowernetwork, Advantages And Disadvantages Of Social Media Marketing; Nibusinessinfo) mention a very broad base of users (potential buyers), the possibility of transferring marketing messages very quickly, the interaction with users (which results in an increased loyalty), obtaining important information that can help to improve business, the fact that social networks on search engines appear among the rst displays (which brings more users to speci c websites), the fact that the compelling content attracts the attention of potential customers and increases brand awareness, the ability to react quickly to the industrial development (which may highlight the professionalism of the company or its employees), the possibility to react quickly to the feedback posts and the fact that this type of communication can increase customer loyalty.All these advantages of marketing communication on social networks are general, but in the times of crisis become even more prominent.
In addition to the mentioned advantages of social networks compared to the other marketing communication channels, social networks also have some disadvantages and pitfalls, which those who communicate with users on social networks should be aware of.Bhanot (Chron) mentions that the disadvantages of marketing communication on social networks compared to their advantages are insigni cant, but they should nevertheless be taken into account.e main disadvantage of marketing communication on social networks is that managing the pro le requires time, a certain degree of e ort and a certain level of knowledge (Zimmerman, J. & Sahlin, D., 2010, p. 11; Chron; Empowernetwork, Advantages And Disadvantages Of Social Media Marketing; Sandilands, T).Other disadvantages of marketing communication on social networks are also the possibility of negative feedback from the users, the lack of control over the users' responses and di culty in selecting the right network to achieve the objectives (Chron, Chron).
e problem may also be that users sometimes see marketing communication on social networks as intrusive (Chron). is is only true for communication for which users did not give permission, for example advertising and posts that users receive from other users on the basis of viral marketing.erefore it is important that the marketing messages on social net-works have added value for the users, so they will not see them as intrusive and will share them with other users on the basis of viral marketing.

CONCLUSIONS
It is a fact that in the times of crisis there is a necessity for companies to adjust their business process and carefully consider which investments will have to be cancelled.Unfortunately, marketing is usually the rst in row for money cuts, which is a big mistake.As a result, those responsible for marketing communications in companies have to nd new ways to transfer their messages to the widest possible range of users at minimal costs.Due to their many advantages, compared to the other channels of marketing communication (low costs, global reach, rapid spread on the basis of viral marketing, etc.), social networks represent an excellent opportunity to attract new customers and increase sales in the times of crisis.In addition, the current practice shows that current marketing strategies should focus more on consumers and their needs (Mitran, P. C., & Bebeseleia, M., 2011, p. 314).Brands are also more successful when they build deep, emotional connection with users (Diaz, A., 2013, p. 44).All these facts speak in favour of social networks as a marketing communication channel also in the future.Not only in the times of crisis, but also in the times of economic growth, companies should seek opportunities, try to obtain new customers and increase their sales on social networks.

Table 1 :
Differences between marketing communication on social networks and marketing communication in traditional media.