The Role and Importance of Social Media in Communicating Brand Value
Uloga i značaj društvenih medija u komuniciranju vrednosti marke*
Abstract
Communication between consumers is the most important way of communicating value and forming opinions on brands and enterprises. The expansion of communication technologies has made communication between people easier and provided the links with consumers on a radically new basis. Virtual space represents a dominant meeting place for people with similar interests. Thus, virtual consumer communities across the world preferring and committed to same brands have been created. Members are loyal to communities they belong to and participate actively and indirectly in modeling and developing them. By expressing their own opinions and exploring others, consumers influence and help each other in finding solutions for certain situations in buying and consumption. Considering the intensity of the exchange of information, opinions, experience and ideas, one can speak about the expansion of communication messages that are exchanged in the virtual space and social media as transfer channels. These are the media formed by consumers themselves, who control the information communicated through them. Because of the importance of massages exchanged through them and their impact on consumer behavior, social media have an important place in integrated marketing communications. Although enterprises cannot completely control the communication within social media, the efficiency of marketing communication can be realized by providing conditions for friendly, correct, continuous and transparent message exchange between consumers and enterprises as well as between consumers themselves. The paper examines the communication possibilities of social media determining their role and importance in communicating value in the market for the purpose of enhancing consumer loyalty and creating image and professional respectability of the enterprise.
Apstrakt
Komunikacija između potrošača je značajan način komuniciranja vrednosti i formiranja stavova prema markama i preduzeću. Ekspanzija komunikacionih tehnologija olakšala je komunikaciju između ljudi i omogućila povezivanje sa potrošačima na radikalno novoj osnovi. Virtuelni prostor predstavlja dominantno „mesto“ druženja i okupljanja mnogih ljudi sa sličnim interesovanjima. Tako su nastale virtuelne zajednice potrošača iz celog sveta koji preferiraju i privrženi su istim markama. Članovi su lojalni zajednicama kojima pripadaju, i svojim aktivnim i neposrednim učešćem učestvuju u njihovom oblikovanju i razvijanju. Iznošenjem sopstvenog i istraživanjem tuđih mišljenja i iskustava, potrošači međusobno utiču jedni na druge i pomažu u iznalaženju rešenja za određene situacije u kupovini i potrošnji. Zbog intenziteta razmene informacija, stavova, iskustava i ideja govori se o ekspanziji komunikacionih poruka koje se razmenjuju u virtuelnom prostoru i društvenim medijima kao kanalima za njihov prenos. Radi se o medijima koje su profilisali sami potrošači i koji upravljanju sadržajem informacija koje se prenose preko njih. Zbog važnosti poruka koje se razmenjuju preko društvenih medija i njihovog uticaja na ponašanje potrošača, oni imaju značajno mesto u integrisanim marketing komunikacijama. Iako preduzeće ne može u potpunosti da kontroliše komunikaciju unutar društvenih medija, efikasnost marketing komuniciranja se može ostvariti obezbeđenjem uslova u kojima se ostvaruje prijateljska, korektna, kontinuirana i transparentna razmena poruka između potrošača i preduzeća, kao i između samih potrošača. Predmet razmatranja u radu su komunikacione mogućnosti društvenih medija koje opredeljuju njihovu ulogu i značaj u komuniciranju vrednosti na tržištu u cilju jačanja lojalnosti potrošača i kreiranja imižda i poslovnog ugleda preduzeća.
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