Social media content marketing : a case of Facebook in the South African telematics industry

Abstract: Social media has risen to become an essential platform for facilitating and encouraging interaction between consumers and brands within the telematics industry, through the use of meaningful content. Moreover, social media presents a reliable platform for brands to share information timeously to targeted audiences, as well as a tool to drive both brand awareness and online conversions. In order to communicate effectively, brands are encouraged to employ content marketing techniques that make it alluring for consumers to remain connected digitally with brands. Resultantly, effective digital content plays a central role in driving customer engagement on social media. A proper understanding of the type of content that active consumers engage favourably with online will allow brands in the telematics industry to deliver effective content and make proper use of the functionality available on social media. However, research reveals ambiguities regarding the effective use of these platforms in terms of the nature of online content perceived valuable by consumers and the effective use thereof by organisations. Furthermore, only 39% of brands have an explicit content marketing plan, with a reported 60% of content focussed predominantly on product messages that have been described as “dull and irrelevant” – indicative of a possible perception gap that may exist in the value and content gratification factors as perceived by different groups such as marketers and consumers. As a result, the study sought to advance understanding of challenges faced by organisations within the telematics industry in South Africa. Moreover, address the lack of research in this area, to aid effective decision-making and help ensure the correct use of social media platforms with sought-after content. The main purpose of this study is to develop digital content best practices in the telematics industry, by analysing the content that marketing professionals in this industry provide on social media platforms, and consumers’ respective responses and behaviours towards this content. Shaped by perceptions of the participants and aimed to understand the meaning behind and the social interactions between humans the study undertakes an interpretive stance, coupled with netnography, which allows the researcher to understand people and interpret everyday occurrences or experiences...M.Com. (Business Management