[PDF] Influences of Social Media on the Tourism and Hospitality Industry

3AbstractThepotentialinfluenceofsocialmediaonthetourismandhospitalityindustryhasattractedconsiderableinterestinacademiaandindustryalike.However,mostoftheresearchthathasbeenconductedhasbeenfromthecustomers'andnotfromtheserviceprovider'spers pective.Th ereislimitedresear chon themethodsimplementedbyhotelsformeasuring theinfluenc esocialmediahaveonthe irrespectivegoalsandthedifferentperspectives,namelyfinancialorother,takenintoconsiderationwhendoings o.Byconducti ngsemi-structuredinterviewswithhoteliersinVienna,Austria,thecurrentresearchinvestigateshowViennesehotelsmeasuresocialmediai nfluenceontheirbus inessgoals.T heresultsrevealthatmarketersinViennadonot lookatfinan cialfigureswhenusingso cialmediamarketing,ratherconsidercust omersatisfaction,en gagement,andbrandawarenessastheprimaryReturnonInvestment-ROI).

71 Introduction1.1 PresentationoftheProblemThelastdecadehasseenasignificantincreaseintheuseofbothsocialmediaandthegeneraldevelopmentofnewtechnologyworldwide.Thetourismandhospitalityindustryhasseenanimpressingdevelopmentsincethebeginningalthoughoverthepastfewyears,duetotherecession,peoplehavestartedcuttingdownonvacationsandsaleshav edecreased,furthe rleadingtolowerre venue,lowerpayof fsanddecreasingworksegment.Today,theindustryisontheriseagainandhaschangeddramaticallywiththeoverwhelmingappearanceofsocialmediaplatformscreatingnewopportunitie stoprogressandattractthe custome rthroughfacilitatedcommunicationandempoweredguestengagement.Itcanonlybeseenassomethingpositiveforthetourismandhospitalityindustryasithassomuchtooffer.Itisstillonariseandprovidesawaytoincreaseprofits.Nevertheless,oneofthemostessential problemsth atservic eproviders haveencounteredishowtoengageinso cialmediam arketingandho wtovalid atewhetheritisprofitablefortheirbusinesstouseitornot.Therefore,someofthemostchallengingaspectsincludetheconsiderationsofhowonemeasurestheseresults;howonedeterminesthebusinessvalueofsocialmedia,howonerealizestheimportanceofsocialmediatoanyorganization,howonemakesuseofsocialmediaforabus inessinord erfor ittobeacceptedbythe communityw hilstenhancingthebrandandlastlyhowonemeasuresthevalueoftheaccomplishedefforts-Sterne,2010).Itiscommonlyperceivedthatsocialmedia'sreturnoninvestmentinthetourismandhospit alityindustrycannotbemeasured,becau seoftheperishableandintangiblecharacterofthetour ismproduc t,additionallybecausethereturnoninvestmentisnotalwaysconsider edac oncreteaspe ct.Forexample,bu sinessreputationorassociationsofabrandwithspecificcharacteristicsarenotfeaturesthatcanbemeasured,butarestillimportantforastakeholderandcanbeeasilyachievedwiththehelpofsocialmediamarketing.Ofcoursefinancialaspectscannotbeforeseen,butintheend"therelationshipisapparentandsignificant:Sociallyengagedcompaniesareinfactmorefinanciallysuccessful"-Sterne,2010).

8Asmentionedabove,itisvitalforacompanyalreadyoperatingforawhiletohaveanonlinepresenceandbeabletoobserveandmeasurethesocialengagementattentivelyinordertosucceedinfinancialterms.Thereforetheunderlyingresearchquestionofthisthes isis "Howdostakeholde rsinthetourismandhos pitalityindustrymeasurethesuccessofsocialmediaintheirbusiness?"1.2 AimsoftheBachelor'sThesisThepurposeofthisthesisistoanswertheresearchquestionmentionedabovebyfirstidentify ingwhothesestakeholdersare;s econd,determi netheironline communicationgoalsandfinallytoestablishhowsocialmediacontributestothesegoals.Anderson-2012)mentionsinaCornellHospitalityReport,"Hoteloperatorshavesuspectedthattheeffectofsocialmediaandusergeneratedcontentonhotelperformancehasbeenstrengthening."Therefore,measuringtheseeffectsisvitalforthehospitalityindustry.Berkowitz-2009),forexample,hasputtogetheralistof"100waystomeasuresocialmedia",whichwouldfacilitatethingsandnoresearchwouldbenecessaryonthetopic,buteventuallyheconcludesasfollows,"Ultimately,youneedtostartfiguringoutyourbusinessobjectivesandthenapplythesemetricsaccordingly".Theideaisthateachbusinesshasdifferentgoalsthatneedtobedefinedbeforeputtingaplanintoaction.Thesameappliesforsocialmediagoals.Theyneedtobespecifiedbeforeanymeasurementscanbetaken.Paine-2009)mentions"theneedtoknowwhatproblemyouneedtosolve,youneedtonotdoanythinginsocialmediaifitdoesn'taddvalue[...]youcan'tmanagewhatyoucan'tmeasure-sosetmeasurablegoals".Asemphasized,goalsettingisofgreatimportanceinthismatter.Therefore,acloserlookhastobetakenattheresearchproblem.Theresearchmethodchosenisempirical.Firstliteraryresourcesarecited,analyzedandinterpreted,andthenaqualitativeinterviewisconducted.Thefindin gsarecompiledandanalyzedand finally,th econclusionsandfurtherresearchsuggestionsaregoingtobestated.

92 LiteratureReview2.1 TourismandHospitalityIndustryUNWTOdefinestourismas"asocial,culturalandeconomicphenomenon,whichentailsthemovemento fpeopleto countriesorplacesouts idetheirusualenvironmentforpersonalorbusin ess/profession alpurposes".Forsometourismrepresentsrelaxationandfun,atripduringtheholidayweeksawayfromwork,andsomedoubttheneedforstudyandresearch.Butforothers,tourismisasourceofemployment;itisabusinessthatbringsrevenuetomillionsofpeoplearoundtheworld;itisasourceofliving.Thereforeitisimportanttoresearchit,analyzeitandstudyitmoreattentively."Tourismhasemergedasa majorecono micsectorandsour ceofs ocialandenvironmentalchangesincethe1950s.Ithasalsobecomeafieldofseriousresearchandscholarshipinmanyacademicdisciplinessince1970s.Thepatternsoftourismdevelopmentindifferentpartsoftheworldreflectthehistoriesandculturesofthoseregionsandnations,buttourismisanearlyuniversalphenomenon[...]itisanimportantsourceofwealthformanynations[...]-it)becomesahighpriorityformanypeople"-Robinson,LückandSmith,2013).Thestatementemphasizesontheimportanceoftourism,whichhighlyincreasedoveryears,andthediversefunctionsoftourismintheworld.Forabetter un derstandingofth eterm,itscharacteristicsshouldbedefi ned:intangibility-itisaservice,notaproduct,andasaresultitcannotbetouched,justexperienced;heterogeneity-eachcustomerexperiencesaserviceinadifferentway;inseparability-itcannotbetakenhomelikeaproductandhastobeconsumedatthep laceofthe destination;p erishabili ty-oncetheopportunityofsellingaserviceatacertainpointhasforgone,itcannotberesoldatalaterpointintime;lackofownership-aservicethatcannotbeowned,duetothepreviouslymentionedcharacteristics.

10Figure1-TourismStakeholdersHolloway&Taylor,2006-ThisresearchpaperemphasizesonspecifictourismstakeholdersandFigure1isanillustrationofthesestakeholdersintheindustry.Theillustrationisalsocalledachainofdistributionormarketingchannelanddescribes"thesystembywhichaproductorserv iceisdistributedfromits manufacturing /creativesourcetotheeve ntualcustomers"-HollowayandTa ylor,2006).Forabetteru nderstanding, thestakeholdershavebeensortedinata bleacc ordingtotheircharacteristics-Appendix1.Specialemphasishasbeensetonthehospitalitysectorofthetourismindustry.Thereasoningbehinditwillbefurth erexplai nedlaterinthisresea rchpaper.Thehospitalityindustryis"theveryessenceoftourism,involvingtheconsumptionoffood,drinkandaccommodationinanenvironmentawayfromthenormalhomebase.Theverynatureofhospitalityinvolveshostingandhospitality,providedbyahostandinvolvingaguest"-Page,2009).Inearlystages,hospitalitywasnotseenasacommercialindustry,aspeoplehostedandwerehostedonthebasisofreciprocity.

11Nowadays,"hospitalityhasbecomeacommercializedexperience,wheretheguestpaysfortheservices/goodstheyconsumeviaabill"-Page,2009).Hospitalityasasubsectionoftourism"isafundamentalpartofthedomesticandinboundleisuremarket.C onsistentdemandf ortourismallowstheh ospitalityindustrytoforecastdemandandidentifyopportunitiestoincreaseconsumerspend,creatingawaveofsecondaryfinancialimpacts"-Robinson,LückandSmith,2013).Thehospitalityindustryhas2sectors:theaccommodationsectorandtheFoodandBeverage-F&B)sector.Thisresearchpaperisfocusedontheaccommodationsector,withanemphasisonhotels.Thereasonbehindthischoiceisthatthehotelbusinesshasbeenanincreasingindustryinthepastfewyearsandithasreceivedalotofattentionfromresearchersregardingitsdevelopmentandcustomerbehavior.Tostrengthenthechoicemade,itcanbeseenbelowaccordingtoTourismInsider.com-2014),thatthetotalforeignanddomesticbednightsonaglobalperspectivehaveincreasedby3.6%from 2012to2013-Figure2isagraph ical representati on highlightingtheleadingmarketsaroundtheworld.Figure2-MainSourceMarketPerformance2012-2013Tourisminsider.com,2014-Europeiskeepingupwiththeglobalincreaseandasshowninfigure3below,thetop10Europeancitieshavealsoseenanincreaseinbednightswithinthesametimeperiodi.e.2012-2013.OnlyexceptionstotheruleareParis,withadecreaseof0.7%andMadrid,withadecreaseof4.3%.TheresearchwasundertakenbytheEuropeanCitiesMarketing.

12Figure3-Top10EuropeanCities-NumberofBednightsTourisminsider.com,2014-"ThetourismindustryhadhighexpectationsoftheInternetfromtheoutsetofit.Tourismasanintangibleserviceproductisperfectlyadaptableforelectronicdatatransfer.OnlinetravelcommunitiesandonlineticketsalesweresaidtohaveabrightfutureduetothefactthatthepresentationofnecessaryinformationforpurchasingproductsontheInternetiseasy,andthecostsfordailyupdatesarecomparativelylow"-Amersdorfferetall,2012).Thisexplainsthegreatconnectionbetweentourismindustryandsocialmediamarketing,andhowwelltheycouldworktogetherduetosimilarcharacteristics.Thisconnectionissubjectofresearchofthisthesisandwillbeanalyzedintodetailinthefollowingsections.Therefore,thehotelindustryisarelevanttargetduetothegrowingtrendseeninthepastyears,theconsiderableamountofaccessibledataregardingthetopicandtheinterest ithascreated.Rauc h-2013 )mentionsthat oneofthetrendsinhospitalityforecastedfortheyear2014issocialmediaandmobilecommunicationandconsidersthat"keepinganeyeoutforauthenticwaystomakeuseofemergingsocial/mobileapplicationswillbeofgreatvaluetothoseinhotelmarketing."Takingintoconsiderationallthefactorsmentionedabove,thisthesisisgoingtoanalyzewhethersocialmedia isindeedefficient inreachingtheco mpanies' goalsandwhethertherearedownfallstotheeffectivenessitisclaimingtoachieve.2.2 SocialMedia&SocialMediaMarketerInordertobetterunderstandthefocusofthisthesis,anoverviewoftheconceptofsocialmediaisgiveninthefollowingsection.Therearevariousbooks,articlesandonlinesourcesthattrytodefinesocialmedia,buteachhasadifferentperspectiveonit.

13A.M.Kaplan,M.Haenlein-2010)offeramoretechnologysavvydefinition,statingthat"SocialMediaisagr oupofIntern et-basedapplications thatbuildontheideologicalandtechnologicalfoundationsofWeb2.0,andthatallowthecreationandexchangeofUserGeneratedContent"."Web2.0referstotheprinciplesandpracticeoffacilitatinginformationsharingandsocialinteractionbyusersgenerating,alteringanduploadingweb -basedcontent"-L iburd,2012).Mashable .com-2010)states,"socialmediaisreallife."LevinsonandGibson-2010)definesocialmediafromamarketerpointofviewas"asetoftoolsthatarefreeornearlyfreeandallowmarketersandthecommunitytocreatecontentandmeaningfulconversationonline".Someexamplesofsocialmediaare"blogs,photo-sharingsites,video-sharingsites,socialnetworks,audiopodcasts,Internetradio[...]mobiles ocialsharingand communication tools"-Levinson &Gibson,2010).Sterne-2010)explainssocialmediainaclearanduncomplicatedway-"Thatwhichallo wsanybodytocommu nicatewitheverybody[... ]consumer-generatedcontentdistributedthrougheasy-to-accessonlinetools".Solis-2011)hashisownwayofdefiningtheconceptofsocialmedia,managingtocombinetheabovementioneddefinitionsandseeingitas"manythingstomanypeopleandrepresentsmuchmorethantechnology[...]asocietalrenaissancethatspawnedavibrantecosystemsupportedbyflourishingculturesandlifestyles[...]aplatformforsocializationofmedia;theonlinetoolsthatfacilitateconversations;connectionsbetweenfriends,p eersandinfluencers;collab oration;theredistributionofinfluence;acallforhumanizingpersonasandaudiences,andthestoriesthatlinkthemtogether;compassionate;anopportunityandaprivilege[...]thedemocratizationofinformation,transformingpeopleintopublishers;itistheshiftfromabroadcastmechanism,one-to-many,toamany-to-manymodel,rootedinconversationsbetweenauthors,peopleandpeers".AccordingtoLevinsonandGibson-2010),asocialmediamarketershouldhavethefollowingcharacteristics;firsttheyshouldnotbecaughtupintheenthusiasmofanewserviceorproductbeforetestingthetoolsandanalyzingtheresultstheyareactuallybringing.Second,amarketershouldalwaysbecuriousandinterestedintryingnewoptions ;heshould"combinedifferentele mentsofmarketingandstrategyinacreativefashion".Inafastpacedcommunicationworld,socialmedia

14marketersshouldalwaysbepreparedfornewopportunitiesandchallenges.Anotherimportanttraitofamarketeristransparency.Bybeinggivenaccesstoahighrangeofinformationthatcustomershavenowadays,itisalmostimpossibletofoolthemwithoutbeingnoticed.Therefore,itissuggestedtobeopen,honestandhaveintegrity.Itiscommonknowledgethatthecustomerisking,whichiswhyama rketersh ouldalwa ysbe communityfocused:makeconnectionswithcustomers,helpandlistentothem,seewhattheirvaluesandexpectationsareandthenexceed these expectations .Marketerssho uldalwaysstriveforquality notquantit y;ahighnumberoffol lowersorlik esrepresentspopularity,butnotnecessaryprof itabili ty.Te chnologysavvyishowamarketer shouldmostlybe.Beinguptodatewiththelatestproductsandinnovationswillbringprofittothebusiness.Last,itisessentialtohavegreatleadershipskillstostriveforcontinuousgoodresults.LevinsonandGibson-2 010)alsoidentifysomeattribut esmarketershavetobecarefulaboutwheninvolvingthemselvesinsocialmediamarketingstrategies.Theseare:Name-thecompany'snameshouldbedistinctiveandimpossibletoduplicate,itshouldcreateinterestandmostimportantly,itshouldbeeasytopronounceinanylanguage.Strongongoingbrandingstrategy-itisessentialforabrandtohaveagoodstrategy,whichshouldbeimplementedinthelongtermwithcommitment.Positioningthroughlisteningandd ialogue-referstoalways makin gyourselfdistinguishingcomparedtoyourcompetitorsbylisteningtoyourcustomers'storiesandtestimonials.Quality-isallabouttheserviceyouoffertoyourcustomers;satisfiedcustomersarehappycustomerswhomayreturnbenefitsthroughpositivewordofmouth.Distribution-isallaboutthelocation,beingactiveonallonlinedistributionchannelsandhavingthe possibilitytoworkfr omrem otelocations.Freedomandvariabili ty-freegiveaw aysarealwaysanefficientwayto attractcustomers.Referralandre wardsprogram-mostcompanies nowadayshaverewardsprograms,ma kingitevidentofhowmucht heyvalue theirreturning customersandthereferralsofthesecustomers,byrewardingthemwithdifferentincentives.Likeability-thewayamarketersellshisproductisjustasrelevantastheotherattributes.

15Therefore,beinglikedbythe communityisakey tosuccess.Thisc anbedone throughsmallbutsignificantgestureslikesayingthankyou,answeringrapidlytoprivateorpublicquestions,not using overreactive argumentsinresp onsetocriticism,ratherbuildbridgesbetweenthemandtheircustomers,andfinallynotbeinginsistent.Intheend,alltheseattributescontributetoabusiness'reputation.Thefoundat ionsofagoodreputatio naretruth,promises, feedback,custom erexperience,brandmonitoring, conflictmanagement andassociation.Theseattributeswillhelpindefini ngthegoalsmarket erssetwhenen gagingin onlinecommunicationgoals,whichisdecisiveforthisresearchpaper."Theriseofsocialmediadramaticallychallengesthewayfirmsmanagetheirbrands.Keyfeaturesofthissocialmediaenvironmentwithsignificanteffectsonbrandingareashiftfromthefirmtoconsumersaspivotalauthorsofbrandstoriesinthebrandingprocess;a highlevelofinter activitymanifestedinsocialnetworksofconsumersandbrands;andamultitudeofchannelsandbrandstoriesthatcannotbeeasilycoordinated"-Gensleretall,2013).Thisissuewillbebetteranalyzedonthebasisoftheempiricalfindinginthelatersectionsoftheresearchpaper.2.3 OnlinecommunicationgoalsLikeanyothergoals,onlinecommunicationgoalsshouldbeS.M.A.R.T.:-i)Specificgoalsreflecttheobjectivesofamarketer,whendecidingwhatsocialmediatoolstouse;-ii)Measurablegoalsareessentialinordertobeabletoseeiftheobjectivessethavebeenachievedintheend.Goalsthatsoundimpossibletoreachwillnotbetakenseriouslybyanyone;hence-iii)Achievablegoalsshouldbechosen.Similarly,-iv)Realisticgoalsrefertotak ingin toconsiderationall theexternalfa ctorsthatcouldinfluencethefinalresult.Finally,goalsshouldbe-v)Time-basedwhichmeansaspecifictargetshouldbeattainedwithinaspecifictimeperiod.Goalsareawaytomakepeoplemorepersistentinwhattheyaredoingbyputtingmoreeffortintotheiractions. Asmanagersdonotalways havetheabilitytomotivatethei remployees,settinggoalsisanalternativetothisissue.Theyprovideavisionofwhathastobeachievedinordertosucceed.AsSterne-2010)mentionsthatgoalskeepyoufocusedandhelpansweringquestionslike"Arewethereyet?Arewestillgoingintherightdirection?"

16Paine-2009)emphasizesthatinordertomeasurearesult,specificgoalsshouldbedefinedanddependingonthegoal,differentmeasurementtypesshouldbeused.Ifimprovementofrelationshipwithcustomersorreputationofthecompanyisthegoal,then"relationshipscores,recommendations,positioningandengagement"canbemeasured.Ontheotherhand,ifsalesaretheobjective,"engagementindex,costpercustomeracquisition,webanalytics,salesleadsandmarketingmixmodeling"canbemeas ured.Itisou ghtt obediscussedinth eresults sectionw hatarerespondentsactuallymeasuringintermsofonlinecommunication.Sterne-2010)believesthatthereare3majorgoalsinbusiness,whicharerelevantinthelongrun:-1)increasedrevenue,-2)loweredcostsand-3)improvedcustomersatisfaction.Lim-2010),inagreementwithSterne,mentionsthefollowingconceptsthatcouldbeconsideredonlinecommunicationgoals:"increasebrandawareness,increasesales,educateandinformcustomers,improvecustomerservice,monitorbrandrecognition".Havingagreatproductthatyoumarketonlineisnotasefficientashavingabrandthatyourcustomersaretalkingabout.Abrandisa"name,term,design,symbol,oranyotherfeaturethatidentifiesoneseller'sgoodorserviceasdistinctfromthoseofothersellers"-Ama.org,2014).Brandinghasbeenconstantlyputincon nectionwi thsocial mediamarketing.Abrandthatstandsoutmeansanideawhichcustomerswilltalkaboutandshare.Therefore,itisre levant tohaveabrandthatis authentic ,up-to-date,easytounderstand,easytoshare, distinctfromothers,accessible,c onsistentacrossallsocialmediaplatformsusedanditshouldgivethecustomerthefeelingofbeingheard.Allthesecharacteristicswillleadtobrandawarenessandconsequentlytoloyalcustomers.Nevertheless,itisnotenoughtocreateastrongbrandwithoutkeepinganeyeonthereputation,alsocalledbrandmonitoring.Increasingsaleswhilstkeepingthecostsaslowaspossibleiswhatdefinesanybusinessandthetourismandhospitalityindustryisnotanexceptiontothenorm."Ifthethingsyouaremeasuringcannotbeconnectedbacktoincome,thenyouneedtobeveryclearofwhyyouaretakingthetimetomeasurethem.[...]Assoonasyouconnectthedotstoarriveatincome,everybodyknowswhatyouaretalkingaboutandhasastandard,consensualmeansofevaluatingtherighteousnessofyoursocialmarketingprograms"-Sterne,2010).

17Socialmediaisind eedacosteffecti vewayofenl argingyo urcustomerrange,monitoringyourbrandandimprovingthecustomer'ssatisfaction.Therefore,makingrevenueshouldnotbetheonlyconcernaddressed,butshouldalsoincludeloweringmarketingcosts.Additionally,theshiftfromaproductconcentratedbusinesstoacustomerconcentratedbusinesshasbeenmorevisibleinthepastyears.Itiscrucialtohavesatisfiedcustomers,andthentoincreaserevenueandlowercoststhroughthisapproach.Themoreacompanyinformsandeducatesitscustomers,themorethecustomerservicewillimproveandthebetterthebusinesswillrun.2.4 SocialMediaContributiontoStakeholderGoals"Therearecurrentlymorethan1.5billionpeoplearoundtheglobewithaccesstointernet.Withthisforecasttoincreaseby50percentby2015,operatorsneedtoembracetheworldonlineandensuretheydelivertheirbrandthroughmultiple-andever-changing)channels"-Deloitte,2010).Consideringsuchanincreaseintheuseofsocialmediainthetourismandhospitalityindustry,advantagesanddisadvantagesshouldalwaysbetakenintoconsideration.Agoodwaytostartasocialmediamarketingstrategyisto"clearlylayoutyourgoalsandyours uccessmetricsbeforelaunching"andto"kn owyour socialmediaaudienceandtailorcontentappropriately"-Raphael,2013).Theauthorconsidersalsothatbyputtingintoactionandmeasuringasocialcampaign,numerousgoalscanbeachieved:• Expandingthesocialfootprintandrewardexistingfans,• Drivetrafficforbrandwebsites,• Amplifybrandawareness,• Increasenewsstandbuzzandsinglecopysales.Socialmediahastobetransparenttoachievehighercredibilityforthebrand,butthismightalsohighlightwhatthebrandisclaimingtoofferisinconsistentwiththeactualserviceoff ered.Forexample,TripA dvisorisoneofthefirstwebsitescustomersgotobeforedecidingbetweenawiderangeofproducts.Brandownersshouldtakegreatcareofthesekindsofwebsitesasbadword-of-mouthmayarise,butthey shouldalsotake itasanoppor tunitytooffer feedbacktounsatis fied

18customersandthereforeimprovetheirbrandimage.LevinsonandGibson-2010)consideritvitalto"clearlydefinegoals,marketsandtargetprospects"andtocreatea"strongbrandandpresencebycarefullyconcentratingontherightcontent".AstudydonebyGlobalWebIndexonthethirdquartileof2013,whichcanbeseeninFigur e4,showstheusage ofthetop 10socialmedia platform saccordingto differentregions.Thestudyisbasedon170,000responsesfrom32countriesaroundtheworld.Chinaisexcludedduetotherestrictionofsomesocialmediaplatformsinthecountry.TheresultsshowthatFacebookisatthefirstplacewith43%activeusageinEurope.Twitter,Google+andYoutubeareused16-18%inEuropeandtheotherplatformsunder6%.Thesamestudyhascomparedthedevelopmentofthetop20platformsbetweenthesecond andthethirdquartileo f2013.Interes tingly,the resultsshow thatInstagramhasseenanincrea seof23%re gistrationscomp aredtot hepreviousquartile,whereasTwitteranincreaseofonly2%,Google+of6%,LinkedInof9%.Facebookrevealedadecreaseof3%-Lunden,2014).Thefindingsofthesefigureswilleventuallybecomparedwiththeresultsoftheempiricalresearch.Figure4-UsageofTop10SocialPlatformsbyRegionLunden,2014-

19Figure5-ChangesinActiveUsageofTop20SocialMediaPlatformsLunden,2014-AstudydonebyJoshi,Ma,RandandRaschid-2013)showsthatsocialmediahasapositiveinfluenceonconsumerengagementandsales.Thestudyemphasizesondifferentiatingbetweenthevariousrolesofthe messagecontent,whethe ritis emotionalorinformationalandmentionsthedifferencebetweennewandexistentbrands.Allth esefactorsinfluen cethelevelofconsumer engagement,andconsequentlyofsales.Theauthors remarktha titisachalle ngetocreate engagementbetweencustomers.Forexistingbrands,despiteamoderatelevelofcustomerengagement,itcanstillbecorrelatedtopositivesales.Therefore,itcanbeconcludedthatnewbrandsmi ghthaveahar dtimedealingwit hcustomerengagementandleadingittosales.2.5 SocialMediaToolsTherearevarioustoolsforsocialmediamarketing-whichcanbeseeninAppendix2-butisitactuallyworthusingallofthem?Thiscouldprovetobetimeconsumingandevidentlyincreasecostsforcompanies.Dependingonthecompany'sgoalsandfocus,someoftherelevanttoolsmaybeused;consequentiallydifferentiatingonecompany'sobjectivesfromanother.Averygoodillustrationofhowtoclassifythese

20toolswasmadebyBrianSolisandJesseThomas,inthe"ConversationPrism".Figure6isa"m apfor thesociallands cape".Thefir stonewas sketchedin2008 andchangedsignificantlyacrossthefollowingyearsduetothedevelopmentofthesocialmedia.Thegoalof themapwas to"observe,an alyze,d issect,and presentt hedynamicsofconversation,andhowandwheretheytranspired;itwasdrivenbynecessity",basedontheauthorswork"withmanyemergingandestablishedbrandslookingtoengageinthesocialweb[...]Thesocialmappresentedanorganizedviewofsocialnetworksandcommunitiescategorizedbyusage,intentandcapabilities"-Solis,2011).Figure6-ConversationPrismSolis,2013-Limitationsintheresearchofsocialmediameasurementcanoccurduetovariousreasons.VermaandMcGill -2011)haveaddressedthisintheirr esearchandaccordingtotheirfindingsonly35%ofaccommodationfirmshandleonlinemedia

21marketingandadvertising,w hereasth erestoutsour ceittooneormul tipleagencies.Thiscancreatelimitationstothecurrentresearchiftheinterviewedhotelsarewithinthe65%ofthecompaniesthatdonothandlesocialmediamarketingstrategiesinternally.Thesameresearchshowsthatmostoftheaccommodationfirmsspendlessthan10%forsocialmediamarketingasindicatedinthegraphbelow.Thisconfirmsthattheuseofsocialmediaisnotyetaswelldevelopedasitshouldbeandexplainstheneedforoutsourcing.Figure7-PercentageofinvestmentinSocialMediaMarketingVerma&McGill,2011-Theconcernisasfollows:arethesesocialmediatoolshelpfulornot?Issocialmediathepanaceatoacompany'sproblem?Socialmediatoolscanhelpabusinesshavegreateroutreachtotheircustomers,butontheotherhandreducesface-to-faceinteraction.Itcanfacilitatecommu nication butsometimesitcanalsobeoverwhelmingduetothehighamountofinformationavailableoutthere.Inthefollowingsection,measuresforidentifyingsocialmedia'sinfluencewillbediscussedindetailandwillleadtoapotentialanswertothequestionsmentionedabove.2.6 MeasuringSocialMediaInfluencesTherearecountlesstoolsthatcanbeusedtomeasuresocialmediainfluencesonthehospita lityindustry.Butarethesetoolse ffectiveinreachingthecompany'sgoals?Thefollowin gsectioni sconcernedwithexplainingand segmentingthesetoolsintosectionsandanalyzingtheirimportance.

22Itisimp ortant tomention,asRapha el-2013) considers,that"Measuringsocialtrafficshouldnotbeconfusedwithengagement - drivingareadertoawebsiteisalongwayfromhavingthemactuallyinteractinameaningfulwaywithabrand'scontent."Althoughalotofm arket ersassumethatmeasuringthesocialmediaReturnOnInvestment-ROI)isimpossibleornotnecessary,LevinsonandGibson-2010)donotagreewiththeassumption.They"measuresuccessbytheamountofnetprofitornetresultstheygeneratefromtheirmarketingactivities"andconsiderthatwhenmeasured,resultsofindividualsourcesaswellascollectivesources,canalwaysbeimproved.AsimplewayofcalculatingtheROIisbysubtractingthecostsfromthegros sprofitand thendividethe resultbycosts.Converselyfromamarketingpointofview,therearevarioustypesofROI:reputation,riskreduction,clientretention,efficiency,businessintelligence,differentiation,brandassociation,publicrelationsandexposur e,immediaterevenue,longterm revenue,supplier capacitybuilding,perceptionshifting,moreandbetterrecruits,innovation,clienteducation,staffcapacitybuild ing,networkgrowt h,opportunitycreatio n,jobsatisfactionandtrustbuilding.Hawthorne-2014)mentionsintheResponseMagazinethat"feworganizationsareabletocom prehensively gaugetheresultsoftheirsocialmediaeffort s[...]25percentofcompaniesare measur ingtheresultsoftheir socialmediac ontentmarketingprogramsdowntotheindividualpieceofcontent".Healsostatesthatmeasurementsaremostlyrelatedto howengaged customersareont hesocialmediaplatformsandnotontherevenuethesebring:"just42percentarebeginningtotiesocialmediacontentsuccessdirectlytobusinessgainsusingdirectresponsesordownloads,while31percentmakeconnectiontosalesandrevenues".Itiscrucialtomeasurethesuccessofsocialmediabecauseitdeliversyouinformationabouttheaudien ceyouaretargetingandtheirpurchasingbehavior.Consequently,hestates,"Thetruesuccessofsocialmediacanbedeterminedbytheengagementthatyoucansee".Paine-2011)agreeswiththestatementsmentionedaboveandconsidersthattheformerdefinitionofROI-"profitabilitymeasurethatevaluatestheperformanceofabusinessbydividingnetprofitbynetworth"shouldberevisedbythecurrentneedsofacom pany-"engagement,influence,inspirat ion,awareness,reach,friends,

23followers,hitsorretweets".S/heemphas izesontheideathatrelationship andreputation,whicharebothmostlygainedthroughsocialmedianowadays,shouldbetakenmoreintoaccountwhentalkingaboutROI.Sterne-2010),Brown-2010)andSolis-2011)agreeonthefactthattherearevariousstagesinmeasuringsocialmediaandforalmosteachofthemtherearedifferenttoolsusedformeasurement.AsmentionedandexplainedindetailinSection2.3,goalsettingisthefirststep.Thesecondstepisreachingyouraudienceandgettingtheattention ."Awarenessisthefirstste ponthe pathtoal ongandprof itable customerexperience"-Sterne,2010).Making abrandvisiblea ndattractivetocustomersisakeystageinreachinggoals.ThiscanbepossiblebyusingthevarioustoolsmentionedinSection2.5,forexample,ownwebsite,blogs,Facebookpage,Twitteraccount,podcasts,videoorphotosharingwebsites.Nevertheless,thismightnotbesufficienttoseeiftheplatformsusedareeffectiveornot.Therefore,KPIlike:shareofvoice-t otalnumb erofcompanya ndcompetitorsmention s),shareofconversation-totalnumberofindustrykeywordmentions),totalnumberofvisitors,averagedailyfeedsubscribers,monthlyblogreadershipshouldbemeasured.SometoolssuggestedbySterne-2010)areFacebookInsights,GoogleAnalytics,PostRank,Tweetbeep,andFeedBurner.Raphael-2013)believesthat"GoogleAnalyticsprovidesthebestmonth-over-monthandyear-over-yearreferralreports[...]Sofar,it'sthemostaccurateforpageviewreporting,visitsandpagespervisit."Ontheotherhand,Blowers-2012)considersthat"therearealotofthird-partytoolsthatyoucanuse togathe radditional analytics aboutyourFacebook presence,butFacebook'sownInsightsisthemostcost-effectiveandperhapstheeasiesttool[...]Thegraphicalinterfaceprovidesanoverviewofengagementmeasuressuchastotallikes,whatpeoplearetalkingabout-poststheycommentonand/orshare)aswellasdetailsaboutyourmostpopularposts".Thefollowingstepistoidentifytheinfluenceandgettherespectofthecustomers.Itiscommonlystatedthatinlifeitisallaboutconnections,"socialnetworksmakeitclearthatwhatyouknowisimportant,butwhomyouknowiscritical"-Sterne,2010).Solis-2011)agreesthat"influenceisnotpopularityandpopularityisnotinfluence.Influenceistheabilitytoeffectaction."Healsoreferencessomeofthetoolsthatcanbe usedtoi dentifyyourin fluencers: CoTweet,People Browser,

24Seesmic,Blogged,BackTy pe,Linkfluence,HowSociable, BuzzMetrics,andBoardTracker.Finally,Brown -2010)considerst hat"It'saboutfinding therightindividualwhowillspreadthemessageacrossallofthedifferentsubgroupswithinanetwork."Itisindeednotenoughtoreachanaudienceandidentifytheinfluencers,withoutrecognizingwhattheyfeelabouttheproductorserviceoneisselling.ToolsinthisregardareTwitterS entiment,S ocialMention,A ttensity,andSentimentMetrics. However,therearedifficultiesinrecognizingthesentimentcustomershaveonlywithsoftware."Sarcasm,irony,idioms,slangandthecommonlanguagethatcropsandfadesawayareallnemesesofaprogrammaticalgorithmdesignedtoclassifyemotion"-Sterne,2010).Alltheabove-mentionedpointsrefertothepolarityofacomment.Unfortunately,thisisnottheonlyproblem;theintensityofamessagecannotalwaysbeinterpretedeither;itisabout"somethingapersoncanpickupprettyquickinperson,butmakescommunicatingbye-mailtrickier-henceemoticons"-Sterne,2010).Assoonassentimentisrecognized,itiscrucialtoengagetheaudiencebygettingresponsefromthecustome rs."Theprocessofidentifying influencersand monitoringrelevantconversationsisonlyasvaluableasthestepswetaketoengageinwaysthatinspiredesirableactions.[...]Engagingpeopleandenticingnotonlytheirinterest,b utultimatelyestablishi nganass ociationandearningallegia ncestakesfarmorethaninterpersonaladeptnessandabudgetwithwhichwepurchasefriendships"-Solis,2011).Sociale ngagementcanbemeasuredthroughdifferentmeasures:Digg,Reditt,Stumbleupon,Friendfeed,FacebookFriends,Retweet,andYahooBuzzUp.AgoodillustrationofthestepsofcustomerengagementcanbeseenintheFoodEngagementChainbelow.Raphael-2013)suggeststheSocialBusinessIndexasausefulengagementmeasurement,whichis"abigdataapproachtobrandperformanceinsocial[...]It'sthebestlookatengagementatscaleandprovidesabetterlookatsocialreachacrossmultipleplatformsaswellasabetterlookagainstrelevantcompetitors."

25Figure8-EngagementFoodChainSterne,2010-Healsomentionsthatthetool"allowspublisherstoestablishanengagementratiobycompar ingthenumberofuniqueconvers ationpartic ipantsversusthetotalnumberofsubscribersinabrand'secosystem.Uniqueconversationparticipantsarethetotalnu mberofindivi dualsacrossallc onversa tionsinvolvingabrandorcompany".Beforegettingto thefinalbusinessoutcome,l istening andengagi ngwiththeprospectcustomersisfundamentalforincreasingthepositiveoutcomeofabrand.Whathastobemonitoredinthisphasearethesearches,theratings,thereviews,therecommendationsandthecomplaintsofyourcustomers.Badwordofmouth,especiallywhenitisonlinewhereeveryonecanreadit,canbeseenasaconstructivecriticismandanopportunitytofixproblemsandeventuallymakeevenunsatisfiedcustomershappy.MethodsthatcanbeusedinthiscaseareForSee,OpinionLap,iPerceptions,GoogleAlertandTwelpforce.Itshouldbekeptinmindthefactthatcustomersliketobeheard,liketocontributeiftheyareaskedtoandfinallyliketoreceivefeedback.Twogoodexamples aremystarbuck sidea.com,ini tiatedbyStarbucksandideastorm.com,byDell.Allthesestepsmentionedaboveleadtoanoutcome-gettingtheresultswantedandreachingthegoalsplannedinthebeginning,byrespectingeverystageofthemeasuringprocess.Thebusin essoutcomesacompanywishe stoattain areforexample,awareness,su rveycompletions,subsc riptions,registrat ions,blog

26commentsandposts,leadsandpurchases-Sterne,2010).AlltheseserveasKPIsandleadtoachievingthe3goalsmentionedinSection2.3--1)increasedrevenue,-2)loweredcostsand-3)improvedcustomersatisfactionandtobeabletocomparethemselveswiththeircompetitors.Consideringallfactorsmentionedabove,itmightseemthatsocialmediahashadarelevantinfluenceonthe hospitalityindustry,takingi ntoconsid erationtheadvantagesaswell asthedisadvantagesitbrings.Itisessenti altodecla rethatmeasuringsocialmediahasacrucialroleintheindustry,inordertokeepitundercontrolandtakemoreadvantageofthepositiveinfluenceithas.Everycompanyshouldreflectonthemyriadofsocialmediatoolstheyhaveattheirdisposalandthemeasurementtechniquestheycanuse,butnotbeforesettinggoalsandrealizingwhichoftheset oolsand techniquesarehe lpingthemachieve theirgoal s.Thefollowingsectionwillprovideempiricalresearchtosupportthestatementsintheliteraturereview.

273 Methodology3.1 OverviewTorevi ew,theaimofthisstud yistoexami nehoteli ers'per ceptionsonthe measurementtechniquesforsocialmediainfluencesonthetourismindustry.Thefirstpartofth ethesis consis tsofalite raturereviewconstructe dusingprimary-researchmonographs,aca demicjournals,conferencereports,res earchreports,magazines,universitydisserta tions)andsecondarysources-te xtbooks,academicjournalreviewarticles,abstracts,openaccessjournals)concerningthesocialmediaanalytics.First,ageneraloverviewofthetermsocialmediaisgiven,withdevelopmentandusesinthedailylifeoftheusers.Thisisfollowedbyananalysisoftourismandhospitalityindustrystakeholders,withtheirstatusandconnectiontosocialmedia.Furthermore,detailedattentionispaidtosomeofthesestakeholders,whichareanalyzedinthesecond partoft hethesist hroughtheusedqual itativeresearch methods.Subsequently,goalsofthesestakeholdersareevaluatedaccordingtotheliterature,specificallyintermsof onlinecommunicationandmarke ting.T henaccordingtofindings,acon nectionis establishedbetweenthegoalsthestakeholdersarelookingtomeasureandwhatkindofsocialmediametricsandtoolstheyuseinordertodoso.Inordertoachievetheaimofthisthesisandtosupporttheliteraturereview,inthesecondpartofthestudyaqualitativeresearchmethodisused.Thisistheresearchthatreliesonthecollectionofdatainformoftextorimagesusingopenendedquestions,observationor"found" data.Thegoalsofqualitativ eres earcharetodiscovernewideas,waysofthinking,feelings,relationshipsbetweeneventsandpredictionsofdifferenthiddenpsychologicalorsocialprocesses.Itisanempiricalresearchasitgathersempiricalinformationwiththepurposeofansweringaspecificresearchquestion.Thesamplessizefordatacollectionissmall.Thecollectedresultsareanalyzedinasubjectiveandinterpretativewayandcanusuallybegeneralizedwithinrestricted limitations.Qualitativeresearc hhelpsofferingabettercomprehensionofthenatureoftourism issues,even thoughsomet imesithasreceivedcriticsregardingitssmallsc ale,biased, expensive,imprecise and

28untrustworthynature."Theuseofconstantcomparisonmeansthatonepieceofdataiscompare dwithprev iousdataandnotconsidered onitsown,enabl ingresearcherstotreatthedataasa whole ratherthanfragmentingit.Constantcomparisonalsoenablestheresearchertoidentifyemerging/unanticipatedthemeswithintheresearchproject"-Anderson,2010).Thechosenresearchmethodisin-depthinterview.Itisa"formalinterviewprocessinwhich awell-trainedinterviewer asksthesubjectasetofsemi structuredquestionsinafacetofacesetting"-Hair,2008).Thisresearchmethodwaschosenduetothe richnes sofdetail thatcanbecoveredusing it.The likelinessoftheintervieweeansweringinasociallydesirablewayislowandwhencomparedtofocusgroups,the environmentfacilitatesu ninhibite dparticipationduetotheabsenceoftheotherpeersandtheiropinions.Semi-structuredinterviewhasbeenchosenduetoitsflexibilitytorelatetobothstructuredandunstructuredinterviewandtocreateauniformoutlineforthesetofanswers.Asetofpredeterminedquestionsiscreatedbutdependingontheanswersoftherespondentsspontaneousquestionsmayarise,t hereforeunforese enquestionscouldbeaske d.Qualitativeresearchhasbeenproventobeoptimalwhenanalyzingsocialmediaandseenasa"uniqueandinvaluabletool"-Branthwaite,Patterson,2011)duetothedirectandpersonalapproachoftheintervieweraswellasthepossibilitytoactivelylistenandparticipateinaconversationwiththeintervieweeandthepossibilitytogaininsightsoftheintervieweesmind-Branthwaite,Patterson,2011).Transcriptsfromthein-depthintervi ewswillbeusedintheinvestigati ontogiveexample s.Thech osenresearchmethodisexpectedtobringanswerstotheresearchquestionofthisstudyandtobeab letoform ulatev aluableconc lusions. Thestudydoesnotaimtogeneralizetheresultstothehospitalityindustry,buttocomprehendtheperspectiveoftheinterviewedhoteliersonthetopicandtocomparethedifferentperspectives.Thescopeoftheinterviewistosupportthestatementsmentionedintheliteraturereviewwithexperienceofexperthoteliersworkinginthemarketingdepartment,whoencountertheproblemsdiscussedinthepaperonadailybasis.Withtheirhelp,questionsraisedinthe researchareanswere dandsugg estionsfor furtherimprovementcanbemade.

293.2 DescriptionofthePopulationSampleThetargetedsampleis25hotelsinVienna,mostlylocatedinthefirstdistrict-InnereStadt-orincloseproximity-72%).AfulllistofthecontactedpropertiescanbefoundintheAppendix3.Fromthesample,72%ofthehotelsarechain-affiliatedbrandsandtherest28%areindependentaccommodationproviders.Thehotelscanbecategorizedasluxurybrands-56%),lifestyle/exclusive-12%)andboutique/design-32%).Therespondentsweremostlypeopleinchargeofsocialmediamarketingstrategieswithinthehotels, eithersalesormarket ingmanagers,onlinecommunicationmanager,andassistantof marketingmanagerorsimplyg eneralmanagers.Theinterviewslastedfor15to20minutesandwerescheduledbasedtheoutlineoftheinterviewguide.Toolsusedfortheinterviewwereanaudiorecorderandanotepad.Eachcandidatewasaskediftheyagreedonbeingrecordedduringtheinterview.Additionally,notesweretakenduringthew holeprocess.The conversatio nswererecordedand transcribedintodocuments.Thenext sectionprovidesmoredetailsabou tcomplicationsencounteredduringtheinterviewingprocess.3.3 LimitationsTheresearchinterviewwasconductedin25hotelsinVienna,Austria;thereforethefindingscanonlyberelatedtotheViennesemarket,orextensivelytotheEuropeanmarket.Thereweremultipledifficultiesencountered.14ofthe25propertieswereunabletoparticipateascandidatesfortheinterviewduetovariousreasons.11declinedtoparticipateduetocausessuchas:notimeforaninterviewbecausetheywereinthemiddleof3marketingcampaigns,notimeastheywereopeningin3weeks,notimeastheywereleavingforamonth-longworktripornotreadytoserveasapartnerforaninterviewastheyjustrecentlyopenedandtheyarestillintheprocessofenhancingtheirsocialmediamarketingstrategies.Someofthehotelscouldnotparti cipateasacan didatefortheinterviewduetot hefact that thepropertieswouldbelongtoachainandthesocialmediamarketingrepresentativeisnotbasedinViennaorbecausetheydonotpossessasocialmediaaccountfortheirpropertyspecificallyandthatthewholeonlinecommunicationstrategyisrunbytheheadquartersoradif ferent branch.Somewerecontactedand didreplyand

30eventuallystoppedrespondingtothee-mailcommunication,unfortunatelydecidingtodenyansweringtheinterviewquestionsatthelastmomentorwereunabletoanswerduetoreasonssuchthattheinterviewquestionswenttoodeepintotheirstrategies.For3propertiesthecontactpersonwasnotreachableeitherbye-mailorphonecallduetovariousreasons,forexamplebeingonvacation.Ultimately,9candidatesaccepted ther equestforaninterview:25hours Hotel,BoutiqueHotelStadthalle,GrandHotel,LeMeridien-whichisinchargeofImperialandBristo lHotelsaswell),Harry's Home-thecontactpers onis inchargeof6properties),IntercontinentalHotel,S acherHotel,HotelSansSouci,andViennaInternationalHotels&Resorts-contactpersonisinchargeof38properties).3.4 InterviewGuideDesignTheinterviewconsistsof9questions,whichfollowtheoutlineofthethesis.First,theintervieweeisaskedtodescribehimself/herself,thepositioninthebusinessandsomewordsabo utpreviousexpe rienceandeducatio n.Thentheintervie weeisaskedtohighlightthecompany'sgoalswhenengaginginsocialmediamarketing,matterdiscussedinSection2.3andsupportedwithliteraturebySterne-2010)andPaine-2009).Thenextquestionsenquireaboutthekindofsocialmediachannelsthehotels areus ing,andwhich groupsaretheprimar ytargetsthroughthesechannels.Theintervieweesaregivensomeoptionstochoosefrom,ones,whichwerepreviouslydiscussedintheliterature,reviewbyLevinsonandGibson-2010)-Section2.5andAppendix 2.Next,thein tervieweeis inquiredtostatehis/hersatisfactiontowardstheresultssocialmediabringstothecompany.Inrelationtothepreviousquestion,theintervieweeisaskedifs/heconsidersthatsocialmediacontributesinreachingthehote l'sgoals.Follow ingthis,furtherexplan ationsregardingthemeasurementofsocialmediasuccessisenquired,whichisoneofthemostimportantquestionsofthisinterview,alsorepresentingthetopicofthethesisresearch.Somesuggestionsareofferedforchoice,whichwerediscussedinSection2.6ands pecificd etailsarerequested.Ifthecand idateanswersnegatively ,theinterviewerpromptsforfurtherexplanation.

31Theintervieweeisprobedtoexplainifs/heencounteredanydifficultieswiththemeasurementproceduresandwhathis/herlevelofsatisfactiontowardsthesetoolsandmethodsis.Consequently,eachcandidateisaskedforanopiniononthetopicofdiscussion,ifthereareany suggestions forfutureresearc hordiscussiona ndtoconcludetheinterview.Allresultsare collectedand analyzedinthefo llowingsectionsofthisresearch.Theideasgatheredfromthelastinterviewquestionarecompiledintoaparagraphattheendofthisresearch-Section6.1.

324 Analysis,Result&InterpretationForaclearandenhancedunderstandingofthetopicofthisresearchpaper,theresultsareorganizedin9subsectionseachcorrespondingtoonequestionoftheinterview:-1)candidatede scription,-2) socialmediamarketinggoals, -3)socialmediamarketingtools,-4)onlineco mmunic ationtargetmarket,-5)hote liersatisfactionwithsocialmedia,-6 )socialmediama rketingcontrib utiontostakeholder'sgoals,-7)measuringsocialmediainfluence,-8)complicationsofsocialmediameasurementsand-9)conclusionsandsuggestions.4.1 CandidateDescriptionThefirst questionofthei nterviewgivesashortoverviewoftheinter vieweeregardingdetailssuchasname,age,gender,educationandexperience.5outof9respondentsarebetweentheageof23and31.Fortheremaining4therewasnoresponse.8ou tof9respon dentsarefem ales. Therespon dentshavevariedexperienceintheindustryfromonetothirtyyearsinsales,marketingorgeneralhotelbusiness.Mostofthem-7)haveaformaleducationintourismandhospitality,theother2havedegreesinCommunicationandEnglish,respectively,whicharenotdirectlyrelatedwiththeircurrentposition.Candidate9,whobeganhertourismcareerattheearlyageof15,considershermotto"learningbydoing"agoodwayofthinkingespeciallyinaservice-orientedfieldsuchastou rism.Someofthe candidatesar eincharg eofmorethanoneproperty,forexamplecandidate4isinchargeof6hotels,andcandidate9isinchargeof38properties,candidate6of3hotels.Ithasbeennoticedthatthemorepropertiesapersonisinchargeofhigherthedegreeofengagementinsocialmediaandmoreattentionitisgiven.4.2 SocialMediaMarketingGoalsGoalsmarketersshouldhavewhentalkingaboutonlinecommunicationmarketingare-1)increaserevenue,-2)loweredcostsand-3)improvecustomersatisfaction.Lim's-2010)perspectiveonthegoalswasmorebrandingrelatedthanproficiencyrelated:brandawareness,customereducationandinformation,brandrecognition

33monitoring.ThesecondproblemtackledintheinterviewwasthegoalsthehotelierssetwhenengaginginSocialMedia.Itisinterestinghowdifferentperspectivecanbeobservedfromtherespondents.First,themostprominentanswersmentionedareproductorbrandawarenessandinformingcustomersabout currentpromotions,eventsan dspecialoffers.TheseanswersgoalongwiththeresearchofLim-2010).Secondly,theconnectionwithguestsandprospectswaslikewisestated.Candidate2considersthatsocialmediaisaneasywaytokeepintouchwithyourcustomersbefore,duringandaftertheirstayandtogetclosertoyourcustomersbydiscoveringtheirneedsandwantsthroughthemediationofsocialmedia.S/hementionsthisshortstoryduringtheinterviewtooutlinehowimportantitistoexceedcustomerexpectationsthroughsimplepersonalinteractions."Ifyoupostapictureofahomemadecake,thatyoujustproducedandthatisonbreakfast,youwillgetalotofresponseandlikes.Becausepeoplerememberotherswanttoknowmoredetailsaboutit,ortheysimplysay<>".Ass/hementionsabove,attractingthecustomersfeelingandbringingapositivememoryisalwayseasierthankstosocialmediamarketing.Candidate4agreedontheideathatsocialmediaismostlyusedtoraiseawarenessoftheirbrandandenhancethecommunicationwiththecustomers,byprovidingthelatestnewsandgiv ingtheopportun itytoprovid ereviewsandfe edback.Thisis consideredaccordingliteratureasawayofimprovingcustomersatisfaction.Halfoftherespondentsdonotseesocialmediaasarevenuegeneratorbutmoreasinformationprovider,thereforedisagreeingwithSterne-2010).Theintervieweesmentionedothergoalsaswell;so cialmedia helpsimprovecommunicationwithguestsandprospectivecustomers.Itisconsideredafeedbackandnewslettertool,whichaidsinimprovingtheserviceorthebrandimage.Candidate9,wh oisinchargeof38properties,hasamoredevelopedgoalplanforsocialmediamarketing.S/headdstotheobjectivesalreadymentionedbytheotherrespondentsandtheliterature,following:"increasingcustomerloyalty,publishingnewsandinformationaboutthecompany,positioningthehotelasanattractiveandmodernemployer,introducingnewproductsandbackgroundinformationandfinally,researchsourceforjournalistsandbloggers".Asitcanbenoticed,s/hehighlightsotherusesofsocial

34media,suchasinh umanresources. Socialme diacanhelpfind ingtheright candidatestoworkinapropertyandgiveadifferentimagefortheprospectiveemployees.Ultimately,Candidate5emphasizesonthesentimentsideofsocial media,consideringitawaytogiveadifferentfacetoacompany,aneasyandlesscostlywaytoapproachcustomersandtomaintainanongoingrelationshipwiththem,"youcanofferthemaglimpsebehindthescenesortellstories,itisadifferentwaytoapproachthem".Itcouldbeconsideredreasonabletosaythatsocialmediaisawaytofindoutwhatthecustomers'needsandwantsareandhowtomanagetoexceedtheirexpectations,asalsoCandidate3considers.Itisnotsimplyanothermarketingtool.4.3 SocialMediaMarketingToolsThisquestionrelatestothesocialmediatoolsusedbythehotels.IntheliteraturereviewSection2.5andAppendix2,varioustoolshavebeendiscussedindetail.Thissectionreferstotheonlinecommunicationtools,suchasplatformslikeFacebook,Twitter,Google+,Instagram,Flickr,YouTube,Pinterest,privatewebsitesandblogs.Abetteroverviewofthetools,sortedbytheirdifferentfunctionscanbeseeninFigure6,Section2.5.Accordingtoresults,allhotelshavetheirownwebsiteandaFacebookpage.Candidate7mentionedtheuseofmultiplewebsitesfortheirproperty,asthebrandembracesasubbrand,whichisfamousinVienna.Candidate9declaredthesuccessofthe19Facebookpagestheyareusing.Thereasonbehindthepresenceofsomanypagesistheexistenceofthe38propertiesthecandidateisinchargeof.Aswecan noticeFaceb ookhasmorepopulari tyinViennathanTwitter,which correspondstotheFigure4inSection2.4.Only6outof9hotelshaveaTwitteraccount,butdoconsideritlessutilizedorhelpfulthanFacebookascandidate7mentions;candidate5explainedtheexistenceofaTwitteraccountfortheirhotel,buttheaccountwasusedacross3countriesasthehotelb elongedtoach ainandnoteverypropertyhad itsind ividua lTwitteraccount.ThereasontheystoppedusingitwasthelackofinformationorupdatesthatshouldhavebeenpublishedonadailybasisandthefactthatthepostswerethesameastheonesontheFacebookprofile,givingtheTwitteraccountnopersonality.TwitterisalsosometimesconsideredasunprofessionalforthehospitalityindustryincomparisontoFacebook.Althoughonly4outof9candidatesareusingit,Instagram

35hasindeedabrightfutureahead,asthehoteliersconsiderpicturerepresentationsmoreattractivefortheircustomersthanwrittentext,asmentionedinthesectionabovebyCandidate2.ThisstatementisinconcurrencewithFigure5,Section2.4,whichmentioned thepowerfulincreaseof23%us ageofInsta gramcomparedbetweenthe2ndand4thquartileof2013incontrasttotheotherplatforms.Candidate5forexampleaddedthatherhotelhasstartedusingInstagramjusttwoweekagoandrevealedtheexcitementofwaitingtoseetheresults.S/healsostatedtheinterestintryingtoattractayoungertargetmarketthroughInstagram.Postingpictureshasbeenthoroughlyconsideredamoreattractivewaytodrawcustomers'attention,especiallywhenthepicturesarespontaneousanddonotrepresentapreviouslythoughtoutsetup.Candidate1usesInstagramtoengagecustomersthroughpicturecontests.7outof9hotelsuseGoogle+,butstilltheengagementlevelisnotashighasforFacebookorTwitter,asalsothepopularityofGoogle+isonthesameratiotowardtheotherplatforms.6outof9respondentsuseYoutube,forexampletogiveanswer stoquest ionsthat frequentlyarisefrom prospect interviewers.Candidate2usesthismethod.ThecandidateshavementionedotherplatformslikeFoursquare,Pinterest,LinkedIn,Flickr,XingandYelponceupto3timesoutof9,butmostlybeingaddedwiththefactthatthedegreeofengagementisreallylow.4outof9hotelshaveprivateblogsand5outof9considerTripAdvisorandHolidayCheckassocialmediachannels,whichserveforrating,reviewsandfeedback,butallhotelshavepresenceonthese2websites.Tohaveabetterviewofthemarketingstrategycandidate9providedaswellasamonthlysocialmediastatusfromFebruary2014fortheirproperty,whichcanbeseenbelow.

36Figure9-StatisticsFebruary20144.4 OnlineCommunicationTargetMarketWhenaskedab outthetargetedgroupsthroughtheseonline communicationchannels,theintervieweeshaveagainsimilar,butalsodifferingopinions.5outof9agreedthattheyaretargetingpast,currentandprospectiveguests.Candidate4concentratesontheexistingguestsaswellasontheinformationprovidingnatureofthesocialmedia.Sometimeshoteliersdonotlookforspecifictargetmarketwhenusingsocialmedia;therefore4outof9candidatesdonothaveaspecificgroupandconsequentially,targetanyonewhousessocialmedia.Therestoftheanswerswereuniquetoeachhotel.Candidate1emphasizedtheblogge rshetargetsforhishotel,b utstillwi thoutexcludingeveryoneelse.Thereasonbehinditcanbethefactthatthepropertyisadesignhotel,whichbydefinitionrepresentsnewstyle,newtrends,whichneedtobekeptinshapewithnewconnectionsrealizedonsocialmedia.Inthecaseofthemedordiffe rentconcepthotels,candidate2stressedthatoneof hertargetsare specificallypeoplewhoareinterestedinsustainability,asthehotels/hemanagesissustainabilityconscious.Whilestillcons ideringothertargets,s/heexpla insthatsomeofthecustomers,nomattertheage,cometherejusttodiscoverthewhole

37ideaandconceptofthehotel,whichwouldnotbethecaseinstandardizedchainhotels.Bu t,s/heisnot theonlyo newhodiscusse dtheagerange; candidate7observedapatternofindividualsbetweentheage24and35specificallyfemalecustomerswithinthehot elsfollowersrange,co nsideringprobablythespaandwellnessfacilitiesthehotelhastooffer.Inagreement,candidate5repeatsthefactthatayoungercrowdistargetedduetothefactthehotelisaconservativetraditionalchainhotel,whichmakesayoungercrowdlessinterestedintheproperty.Socialmediaisawaytoprovethatalsoold-styleconceptscan beattractivefory oungcustom ers.Candidate3differentiatesbetween2differenttargetgroups:businessandleisuretravelersaccordingtotheirstayduringweekdaysorweekends.Candidate8hasadistinctiveperspectiveaswell,andbesidestargetinganyonewhoisinterestedinthehotels/hetargetsthelocalcommunityaswell,inordertoprovide inform ationregardingoffe rsfortheproperty'sF&Bandspaoutlets,whichareopentopublic.Therewasnodistinctionbetweenfemaleandmaletargetgroups.Asitcanbeobserved,theinterviewedhoteliersconsidertargetgroupsmostlywhenthehoteltheyworkforhasaspecificconceptitrepresents,butgenerallyallsocialmediaplatformsusersaretargeted.4.5 HoteliersSatisfactionwithSocialMediaSocialmediaplatfor msmightbe usedbyalloftherespondents, butthenextquestionexamineswhethertheresultsmarketingthroughsocialmediabringsaresatisfying.Overall,5outof9intervieweesaresatisfiedwiththeresultssocialmediabringtotheircompany.Somecandidatesareextremelycontentwiththeresults,mentioningthattheyusesocial mediaonadailybasis oremphasizingonthe successfulinteractionwiththefollowersandtheincreaseofbrandpositiveimage.Candidate4states,"Actionslikecontest,whereweofferourfansahighervalueandongoingnews aboutinternalandper sonalthemes,helpas welltoincreasepopularity".Candidate7'sstatementechoescandidate4'sobservationonthe behaviorof customersonthecompany' sposts.S/he expressedthefeelingregardin gthenoticeabledifferencebetweenpos tingpicturesorposting packageoffers. Thesedifferenceshelpincomparingcustomers 'receptiv ityto differentposts.The

38preferenceforvisualillustrati onshasbeen expressedmorecompared tooutletoffers.Anothersatisfiedcandidatewiththesocialmediaresultsiscandidate9,whoexpressesthesatisfactionbyprovidingsomefiguresfromherstrategyresults,whichcanbeseen inFigu re9,Section 4.3.S/heacce ntuatedtheimportanceandindispensabilityofthepresenceofahotel,orothertourismserviceprovidersonsocialmediachannels,referringagaintothegoalssocialmediamarketingcouldachieve,"wear esurethat SocialMedia channelsaregrea ttoimprovethecompany´sbrandawarenessforpublishingnewsandintroducingnewproductsaswellascontests,whichareworkingreallywell."Herstatementemphasizesagainontheinformationalpurposeofsocialmedia,andtheimportanceofvisualillustrationratherthanawrittenmessage.Therestoftherespondentsstillhasacertaindegreeofsatisfactiontowardssocialmediaresultsbutbelievesthatitsometimescanbebetteroritissimplyhardtomeasuretheinfluenceithas ontheircompany. Theyexpressthelacko fameasurablego alan dthepresenceofamoresubject ivegoa l,lik ereachinga broaderaudiencewithoutconsideringnumbers.Theissuesthatcauseddissatisfactionwereforexamplethelackofworkf orceinch argeofsocialmediaspecifically,a ndth elowlevelofengagementofsocialmediaintoactualreservations.Candidate2and8agreethatthereisalwaysspacetooptimizetheresults,eventhoughhardfiguresmeasurementisbarelypossible.Stilltheuseofsocialmediaisencouragedduetoitsfacil itatedappr oachtoreac hcustomersan dprospects.Candidate5clearlystatesthatusingsocialmediahasnothingtodowithincreasingsales,considering itismorerelevantforinform ationalp urpose s,ascandidate9 mentionedabove.Noneoftherespondentswereunsatisfiedwiththeresults.4.6 SocialMediaContributiontoStakeholderGoalsInSection2.4theimportanceofsocialmediacontributiontostakeholders'goalshasbeendiscusse d,asaccordingtoRaphael-201 3),before puttingasocialmediastrategyintoaction,goalsandsuccessmetricsshouldbeclearlydefinedandsocialmediaaudience,thetarget,shouldberecognizedinordertobeabletotailortheappropriatecontent.ThesegoalshavebeenmentionedinSection2.3andtheresultanalysishasbeendiscussedindetailinSection4.2.

39Whenaskedwh ethersocialmedi acontributestothecompan y'sgoalsallintervieweesrespondedpositively.Afewofthemhadamoredetailedopiniononthetopicthanothers.Candidate4forexample,explainedthatsocialmediaisatopicthatshouldbenotignored,asitoffersaneasydirect-targetedapproachtothedifferentgroupsanditisacosteffectivetoolforadvertisingandcommunication.S/healsoaddsthat,"thefreeimageadvertisingismostlyadequateforlastminuteoffersandlatestnews. Contri butingwithanaddedvaluetot heSocialMediaplatformsisthebestwaytokeepthenumberofyourfansorevenincreaseit".Candidate6,ontheotherhand,relatedtheanswertotheinitialgoalsmentionedinSection4.2andstatedt hatsocialmediaco ntributesto creatingandraising awareness,andmaintainingrelationshipswithcurrentcustomersandprospectiveones.Onetermusedbyhertodescribesocialmediaispersonalization;socialmediahelppersonalizetheperceptionofthehotel,conveyingafeelingof"closeness"tothecustomers.Thelatesttrendsinserviceprovision,whichshiftedfromaproductfocustoacustomerfocusandtheincreaseduseoftechnology,havebeentakenintoconsideration.Asinthepreviouslymentione dque stion,the sameissueari ses-directimpactofsocialmediamarketingishardtomeasure,thereforeacontributiontothegoalscannotbedefined;thefactthatitsupportsthegoalsofthestakeholderscanonlybementioned.ReferencestothegoalsmentionedintheSection4.2aregivenaswellbycandidate8and9.Thefirstoneputsemphasisonthepersonalconnectionwiththecustomers,bystayingintheirmemoryevenaftertheirdeparture,whereasthesecondoneconcentratesonthevaluesofthebusiness-quality,designandservice.Consideringtheincreaseofbrandawarenessandgoodpositioningonthemarket,candidate9expresseswitheasethehighcontributionsocialmediahasonthecompany'sgoals,"Ourbiggoalistomotivategueststointeractasanambassadorforourbrandandconsideringthenumberoflikesandfollowerwedefinitelyhavenowmanyinfluentialmultipliersandbrandambassadors".Thedoubtf ulnessregardingsocialmediaofcandida te7couldbenoticedinher declaration,whichstatesthat,althoughaudienceisincreasing,customerswillneveraskonasocialmediaplatformforareservation,ratherformoreinformationand

40detailsregardingthingstodo,orthesurroundings.Againnoneoftheintervieweesbelievedthatsocialmediadoesnothaveanycontributiontothecompany'sgoals.4.7 MeasuringSocialMediaInfluenceOneofthemostimportantquestionsofthisresearchreportandstatementofthethesistopicishow companiesmeas urethecon tributionofso cialmedia.AsmentionedintheliteraturereviewbyHawthorne-2014),only25%organizationsmeasureindetailtheinfluencessocialmediacontentmarketing-andfromthose,onlyabouthalfareconnectingmeasurementswithactualcosts,salesorrevenue.Thesamecanbestatedafteranalyzingtheanswersofthisstudy-noneofthehotelslookatsocialmediafromrevenueorcostpointofview.Whenlookingatsocialmedia,RO Iisconsideredmorefro mengagemen t,inf luence,awareness,reputationandrelationshipperspectives.Accordingtotheseresults,mostoftheanalyticsusedby theres pondentshelpmeasurethelevelofs atisfaction oftheguestsorthedegreeofengagementoffollowers.Thetoolsusedtomeasuresocialmediainfluencescanbedividedinto3categories:-1)built-inanalyticsofexistingplatforms,-2)standardthird-partymeasurement tools,and-3)tou rism-specificmeasurementtools.Themostusedmeasurementsarethebuilt-inanalyticsoftheexistingplatforms,suchasFaceb ookIn sights&Analytics,whichhe lpexaminevariousKPIssuchasthenumberoffollowers,theengagementlevelofthefollowersthroughnumberoflikes,numberofshares,numberofcomments,numberofviewsandwhichwasmentionedby6outof9respondentswhereasTwitterStatisticsisusedonlybyc andidate6.Only2outof 9ho telsusestandardthird-partymeasurementsuchasGoogleAnalytics,whileonlyonerespondentusesBitlyandTalkWalker.Theonlytourism-specificmeasurementtoolisTrustYou,whichwasonlyoncerefere ncedbyaninterviewee.Candidate1and6statedcreatingdifferentstrategiesbyjust usingtheactual platformssuchasInsta gram picturecontests,linkingFacebookpagesandlocationswithpostsandputtinglinksintoposts,whichcanbetra cked.2ou tof9respondentsdecla redt heiruseofT ripAdvisor andHolidayCheckasaway ofmeasu ringcus tomersat isfaction throughtheratingsystems,thereviews theyreceive andalsoawayofgiv ingfeedbackto theirunsatisfiedcustomers.AsmentionedinSection4.1thehigherthenumberofhotelstheinterviewedpersonswereinchargeof,themoreadvancedwerethestrategies

41andmeasurementsused.Inthiscase,thepersonreferredtoisCandidate9.Ithasbeenmentioned thatFacebookAnalytics helpsanalyze demographicalcharacteristics,likeageorgenderofthefollowers,andwheretoplacetheads.Alltheseleadtoabetterunderstandingoftheactualcustomersandthestrategiesthatneedtobeusedtoapproachthem.Itisimportanttokeepuptodatewiththelatestnewsandtrendsinsocialmedia,asitisaverydynamicfield.Candidate9isaloneintalkingabouttheengagementintermsoftryingtoincreasetheknowledgeaboutthedynamismofsocialmediaands/heisalsotheonlyoneemphasizingonthehumanresource partthatcanbeassist edthroughsocial media.Be sidestheconnectivitytothecustomers,candidate9talksaboutthei nterestofprospectemployeesthathasbeenshownthroughsocialmedia,whichleadstotheactionsthatneedtobetakeninthisdirection.4.8 ChallengesofMeasuringSocialMediaImpactThisquestionrelatestothedifficultiesencounteredbytherespondentsregardingthemeasurementprocedures,levelofsatisfactionwiththecurrentmethodsandtools.Consideringthelevelofdifficultyofthetools,whichthecandidatesareusing,asdiscussedintheSection4.7 ,8 outof 9responden tsdidn otenc ounteranydifficultieswiththeprocedures,butstillmentionedthattheycouldbeimprovedorthattheyareconstantlychanging.Candidate4considersthetoolssatisfactoryandtheimprovementsuggestedregardsFacebook'sabilitytoprovideabetteroverviewofthemonthlystatisticoflikes,sincethecurrentoneisslightlytroublesome.Ontheotherhand,Candidate6considersthattrackingthepositiveeffectofsocialmediaisdifficult,buttoolscanalwaysbebetter.Acaseoflackoftrustinthemeasurementtoolshasbeendiscovered;accordingtocandidate5,whopointsoutthatsometimesresultsdonotreflectrealityandthatthatresultscanbedifferentlaterinamonththanbefore.ThisdissatisfactionisconcerningFacebookAnalytics.GoogleAnalyticshasabette r,more reliableandprofessional reputation.Candidate9,whohasalreadytriedoutover15socialmediatools,stillhasdifficultiesindecidingwhichisthebestonetouse;onethattakesintoconsiderationtheneeds,theinternationalnatureofthecompanyandthediversetargetmarket.Conclusively,itisdifficulttocomparethevarioustoolsastheydifferfromoneanother.Thefactthatplatformsandtheirb uilt-inanaly ticschangeveryoftenm akesitevenmorediff icultfor

42hotelierstousethemandreceiveanaccurateresultfromthem.Still,socialmediameasurementsthatarecurrentlyusedarenotdifficult,consideringtheirdegreeofcomplexity.4.9 OverallAssessmentandSuggestionsThelastquestionoftheinterviewsummarizedtheinterviewees'opinionsonthetopic,furthersuggesti onsforimprove mentandtheirconclusion.Opinions weresharedbutalsoreallydifferent.3outof9participantsagreedonthefactthatsocialmediashouldbecarefullyusedandthatitisaneasywayofdistributingacompany'smessagetowardsitscustomers.Candidate2stressesthefactthatsocialmediaisreallyimportantandthatalotcanbereachedwithit,especiallyretainingcontactwithguests,andstayingintheirminds.Itisrelevanttomentionthatgreatcareshouldbetakenwhenusingsocialmedia.Itiseasytogofromachievinggoalswithsocialmediatoreachingexactlytheopposite.Toomanypostscansometimesbeconsideredspam,andnoteverythingthathappensshouldbepostedonFacebook.Thistrendis notgoingtolast foralon gtime,asp eoplewillbegint obeoverwhelmedbytheamountofinformat ionavai lable.Withthesame mindset,candidate4agreesontheimportanceofsocialmediaanditshelpfulnessinnewsdistribution,up-to-datestatusofeveryone,andinteractionwiththecurrentandprospectivecustomers,withthepossibilitytoreachalargeaudienceatlowcost.Candidate6agreesthatsocialmediaisaneasyandlow-budgetmethodtocreateandraiseawarenessofanexistingbrand,buttheemphasisisputonattentionwithusingsocialmedia.Sometimesitisusedwithoutanyobservation,whichcancauseadisastrouseffectonabusiness.Thesameopinionhasbeennotedfromcandidate7,whocomparesthepositiveandnegativeeffectsthatsocialmediacouldhaveonahotel.Negativew ord-of-mouthwillalwa ysspreadfaste rthatthepositive one,thereforetoolsshouldbeusedbutatthesametimesupervisedattentivelyinordertokeepthereputationofahotelintact.Onthecontrary,candidate3concentratesonthe positivei nfluencesofsocialmedia, bydiscussingthehighlevel ofdevelopmentinsocialmediatechnologyandthehighcustomerreachthroughthevariouschannels.Socialmediaisanessentialtoolinthehospitalityindustry,asarelationship-basedmarketingtool,itiscrucialandsocialmediahelpsindevelopingacloserandabetterconnectiontotheguests.

43Inconclusion,severalrecommendationshavebeengiven,reflectingdifferentpointofviews.Forpublicrelations,ahighpercentageofbloggersandjournalistsusesocialmedianowadaysasafir st sourcetogetinfor med.In thiscasethe mostusedplatformisTwitter.Fromcustomerservicepointofview,therehasbeenaslightincreaseintheuseofonlinecommunicationplatformssuchasFacebookandTwitterforbook inginquiriesandcompla ints.Thereasonbehinditis thatcustomers nowadaysknowthatthet imeofreactionisev enshorterthan viae-mail.Consideringthehumanresources, potentialemployeesearchviasocial mediabecausetheyaresuretogetananswershortlyaswell.Asmentionedbefore,afuturetrendofsocialmediaistheemphasisonanincreasedinteractionespeciallyonchannelsthatarefocusedonvisualillustrationsratherthantext,forexampleInstagram,PinterestorFlickr,w hichcantriggeremotionalfeedback.US andUKmarketsareconsideredtobetrendsetters,whiletheeasternmarketsarefollowingandapplyingthetrends.Google+isamustformanyhotels,givenitsimportanceforsearchengineoptimization,andasachanneltoreachbusinessclients.

445 ConclusionandFurtherResearchTheunderlyingresearchquestionofthisthesiswas"Howdostakeholdersinthetourismandhospital ityindustryme asurethesuccessofsocialmedi aintheirbusiness?"Ali teraturereviewrevealedwhatresearch ershavediscussedandsummarizedtheirinsights.9hotelsinViennawereinterviewedtocomparetheseinsightswiththeindustry'sopinion.Basedonempiricaldataandtheliteraturereview,anumberofconclusionscanbedrawn.Thesocialmediaphenomenonrepresentsanongo ingtrendwherehospitalityhasalottogain,butshouldalwaysbecarefulnottomisusethemedium.Lim-2010)statesthat"thehospitalityindustryembracedthepossibilitiesofsocialmedia;thehotelwebsitesintheirinfancystageswereunderstoodbymarketersastheequivalentofabrochureinanonlineenvironment.Atthemoment,socialmediaisstillevolvinganditspotentialinthisindustrystillremainstobeseen".S/healsoagreeswithmos toftheinterviewrespondentswhens/heobserv esthatsocial mediacreate"areal connectio nbetweencompaniesandcustomers".Thisconnectioncreatesatrendf orpurchaseinten sit y.Ongoingconnect ionandrelationshipwiththeguestswilleve ntuallyturnth emintoam bassadorsandavolunteermarketingarmy.Thepropertyneedstoensurethatsocialmediaisanintegralpartoftheoverallmarketingplan.Shouldthebudgetandresourcesbecomelimited,thenthesocialmediadomainneedstobemonitoredinaneffectivemanner.Hotelierswhowantstayaheadofthecurveneedtoinvestinpopularcoquotesdbs_dbs17.pdfusesText_23