Discovering Interest Groups for Effective Marketing in Virtual Communities – An Integrated Approach

[[abstract]]With the mature computing technologies, it is much easier for firms to obtain consumer network data than ever before. Although marketers are interested in social networks for WOM marketing or target marketing, they have previously ignored the importance of understanding network structures (Van den Bulte and Wuyts, 2007). This research proposes an integrated approach - the techniques of social network analysis (SNA) and web mining - to discover interest groups (networks) in virtual communities for marketing purposes. In an empirical study we demonstrate how a framework of discovering social networks can then be used to construct a recommendation system and provide an example of social network marketing applications for marketers. This research offers managerial applications and implications that can be used by marketers to effectively reach and communicate with consumers in virtual communities