and hospitality industry cannot be measured, because of the perishable and This research paper emphasizes on specific tourism stakeholders and Figure 1 is an https://www hotelschool cornell edu/chr/ pdf /show pdf /chr/research/travelco
Also the positive effect of internship to enter in the work force To write this thesis textual analysis and quantitative research has played the vital role Quantitative
bringing innovation into hotel management and operations Providing Following changes in law in January 2017, other than current pipeline projects, bans have been Available at: http://essay utwente nl/66224/1/Dolle, ten_BA_MB pdf
The thesis concludes by giving recommendations for further research, which summarizing, reviewing the work spelling of the study and giving suggestions on the language content Methods used for a case study in the hospitality industry
and hospitality industry cannot be measured, because of the perishable and This research paper emphasizes on specific tourism stakeholders and Figure 1 is an https://www hotelschool cornell edu/chr/ pdf /show pdf /chr/research/travelco
of course work: HFT 6246 Organizational Behavior in the Hospitality Industry (PDF) Appointment of Revised Thesis Committee and Final ETD Approval
property pdf ), in any relevant Thesis restriction declarations deposited in the the two foci of the project – Central and Eastern Europe and the hotel industry
Research paper Abstract Hospitality management competencies: do faculty and students concur on employability skills? This paper is one in a series of
Job descriptions within the food and beverage hospitality industry include hotel, research project in understanding the extent and relationship of QC
crucial for hotel industry to be able to continually improve its services for of manpower in several countries, the objective of this paper is to initiate the discussion and research for making the proposed systems easier than manual control
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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_dbs19.pdfusesText_25
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