An Exploratory Study on Development of Effective Strategies in Social Media

Abstract

With the development of mobile computing, the focus of the marketing media has shifted from traditional media to social media. We are no longer solely reliant on the newspapers, radio and television for marketing. In fact, people are inclined to go online on social media every day. One of the popular social media today is WeChat. As a mobile app, WeChat has been widely used for social networking and business purposes. This research serves as a groundwork to explore and study on the strategies in using WeChat as a self-branding marketing tool, which leads to enhanced relationships and increased sales. To conduct this research, qualitative method which involved interviews and observations were used to gather the data. Thirty interviews were conducted to elicit the ideas or beliefs from WeChat users who are micro e-marketers. Observations in WeChat groups and WeChat Moments were carried out. All the data collection was subsequently analysed using content analysis. Results indicated that effective WeChat marketing strategies are composed of four main aspects: WeChat followers strategy, WeChat self-branding strategy, WeChat Moments strategy and WeChat groups marketing strategy. This exploratory study contributes a fundamental knowledge about effective WeChat marketing strategies. The research results provided insights into how WeChat can be used as a platform to establish, keep and satisfy the customers; create job opportunities for society and overall, bring welfare to the nation.