Strategic Social Media

L. Meghan Mahoney is Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Studies at West Chester University of Pennsylvania. She regularly publishes research on issues related to new media audiences, social media, and marketing messages for behaviour and social change, most recently in the Journal of Media Education, Journal of Intercultural Communication, Journal of Medical Internet Research, Journal of Development Communication, and theJournal of Media and Communication Studies. She currently serves as Chair of the Management, Marketing & Programming Division of the Broadcast Education Association, and Social Media Coordinator for the Eastern Communication Association. Tang Tang is Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the School of Communication at The University of Akron. She has published articles in the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, International Journal on Media Management, Mass Communication & Society, Journalism & Mass Communication Educator, and Journal of Sports Media. She is a Faculty Fellow of the National Association of Television Program Executives, and has held leadership positions in the Broadcast Education Association and the International Communication Association.

Strategic Social Media is the first textbook to go beyond the marketing plans and how-to guides, and provide an overview of the theories, action plans, and case studies necessary for teaching students and readers about utilizing social media to meet marketing goals.
* Explores the best marketing practices for reaching business goals, while also providing strategies that students/readers can apply to any past, present or future social media platform
* Provides comprehensive treatment of social media in five distinct sections: landscape, messages, marketing and business models, social change, and the future
* Emphasizes social responsibility and ethics, and how this relates to capitalizing on market share
* Highlights marketing strategies grounded in research that explains how practitioners can influence audience behaviour
* Each chapter introduces theory, practice, action plans, and case studies to teach students the power and positive possibilities that social media hold

Introduction 1
 
Reference 3
 
PART 1 SOCIAL MEDIA IN CONVERGENCE
 
1 Understanding Social Media and Social Behavior Change 7
 
Introduction 7
 
Bridging Communication Theories and Social Media Practitioners 10
 
Linear Communication Models to Modern Transactional Processes 10
 
Marketing and Behavior Change Theory 13
 
Summary 20
 
References 21
 
2 Information Diffusion 23
 
Introduction 23
 
Diffusing Your Message 24
 
Web 1.0 to 2.0 Technology Structure 26
 
Transparency, Control and Public Relations 29
 
Summary 40
 
References 41
 
3 Establishing Community 44
 
Introduction 44
 
Community Development Theory 45
 
Behavior Change and the Power of Social Networks 50
 
Brand Authenticity 52
 
Summary 57
 
References 59
 
4 Mobilizing Your Audience 61
 
Introduction 61
 
Social Media Mobilization 62
 
The Power of User-Generated Content 65
 
Offline Advocacy 68
 
Summary 74
 
References 75
 
PART 2 SOCIAL MEDIA USERS AND MESSAGES
 
5 Transforming Audiences into Users 81
 
Introduction 81
 
Transforming Passive Audiences to Empowered Users 82
 
Predicting Social Media Use and Audience Behavior 86
 
Social Media User Profile 90
 
Summary 94
 
References 96
 
6 Active Within Structures 99
 
Introduction 99
 
Theory of Active Within Structures 100
 
The Role of Structure 103
 
Recognizing Constrained Active Choices 107
 
Summary 112
 
References 113
 
7 Best Practices for Social Media Engagement 115
 
Introduction 115
 
The Theory of Dialogic Communication 116
 
Online Engagement and Virtual Communities 118
 
The Dialogic Loop 123
 
Summary 127
 
References 128
 
8 Mobile Marketing and Location-based Applications 130
 
Introduction 130
 
Mobile Digital Projections 132
 
Peer Influence and a Shared Social Journey 135
 
Generating Return Visits 137
 
Summary 140
 
References 142
 
PART 3 SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING AND BUSINESS MODELS
 
9 Reconsidering the Long Tail 147
 
Introduction 147
 
Power-Law Distribution 148
 
Theory of the Long Tail 149
 
Inbound Marketing 152
 
Summary 158
 
References 159
 
10 Social Media Business Models 161
 
Introduction 161
 
Developing a Business Model 162
 
The Return on Investment of Social Media 167
 
One Business Model Doesn't Fit All 172
 
Summary 175
 
References 176
 
11 Social Media Marketing Strategies 180
 
Introduction 180
 
Transitioning from Traditional Marketing 181
 
Applied Strategic Theory 183
 
Branded Social Experience 189
 
Summary 193
 
References 194
 
12 Evaluating Social Media Marketing 196
 
Introduction 196
 
Current Social Media Marketing Measurements 197
 
Building on the Focus Group 200
 
Audience Reception Approach 201
 
Summary 206
 
References 208
 
PART 4 MARKETING FOR SOCIAL GOOD
 
13 Social Media and Health Campaigns 213
 
Introduction 213
 
Activation Theory of Information Exposure 215
 
Health Belief Model 218
 
Mobile Reach 222
 
Summary 226
 
References 227
 
14 Social Media and Civic Engagement 230
 
Introd