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FaceBookings?
Online social network marketing for Paperclip Agency
August 14, 2012
International Music
Management Graduation
Thesis
Student:
Leonie Sta
408856
[email protected]
Coach:
Hennie van Kuijeren
[email protected]
Client:
Paperclip Agency
Hilde Spille
[email protected]
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Table of content
Table of content ........................................................................................................................... 3
Preface............................................................................................................................................ 5
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 5
Acknowledgements .................................................................................................................... 6
1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 7
1.2 Problem definition ......................................................................................................................... 8
1.3 Research aim ................................................................................................................................... 9
1.4 Research questions ........................................................................................................................ 9
1.5 Delimitations ................................................................................................................................. 10
1.6 Managerial relevance .................................................................................................................. 11
1.7 Theoretical contribution ............................................................................................................ 11
1.8 Structure ......................................................................................................................................... 11
2. Theoretical Framework .................................................................................................. 12
2.1 Social media ................................................................................................................................... 12
2.2 The influence of online social networks ................................................................................ 13
2.3 Available social networks & marketing use.......................................................................... 15
2.3.1 Facebook ................................................................................................................................................................. 15
2.3.2 Twitter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 17
2.3.3 LinkedIn .................................................................................................................................................................. 18
2.3.4 MySpace................................................................................................................................................................... 19
2.4.5 Google+ .................................................................................................................................................................... 20
2.4 Measuring the success. ............................................................................................................... 23
2.5 Conceptual model ......................................................................................................................... 25
3. Methodology.......................................................................................................................... 26
3.1 Research objective ....................................................................................................................... 26
3.2 Data collection .............................................................................................................................. 27
3.2.1 Sample ...................................................................................................................................................................... 27
3.2.2 Sample size ............................................................................................................................................................ 28
3.2.3 Data Collecting Techniques ........................................................................................................................... 28
3.3 Questionnaire ................................................................................................................................ 28
3.4 Validity ............................................................................................................................................ 29
3.5 Reliability ....................................................................................................................................... 29
3.6 Analysis ........................................................................................................................................... 29
4. Research results................................................................................................................ 30
4.1 General information respondents ........................................................................................... 30
4.2 Channels & frequency ................................................................................................................. 31
4.3 Personal vs. professional use .................................................................................................... 33
4.4 Interaction...................................................................................................................................... 34
4.5 Preferences .................................................................................................................................... 35
4.6 importance of social media presence ..................................................................................... 36
4.7. Competitor analysis. ................................................................................................................... 37
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5. Conclusion.............................................................................................................................. 39
5.1 Summary......................................................................................................................................... 39
5.2 Conclusions .................................................................................................................................... 40
5.3 Managerial implications............................................................................................................. 42
5.4 limitations ...................................................................................................................................... 43
5.5 Suggestions for further research ............................................................................................. 43
5.6 Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 44
5.6.1 Facebook ................................................................................................................................................................. 44
5.6.2 Twitter ..................................................................................................................................................................... 45
5.6.3 LinkedIn .................................................................................................................................................................. 46
5.6.4 MySpace................................................................................................................................................................... 47
5.6.5 Google+ .................................................................................................................................................................... 47
5.6.6 Extra service to strengthen your market position ............................................................................ 48
5.6.7 Content ..................................................................................................................................................................... 48
5.6.8 Time, activity and changes ............................................................................................................................ 49
7. References ............................................................................................................................. 50
Appendix..................................................................................................................................... 52
Appendix I: Starting point Paperclip Agency............................................................................... 52
Appendix II: The social media etquettes as written by Tamar Weinberg. .......................... 54
Appendix III: Measuring matrix ...................................................................................................... 57
Appendix IV: Questionnaires ........................................................................................................... 58
Appendix V: Frequency tables e-newsletters .............................................................................. 66
Appendix VI: Filled out measurig matrixes for competitor analysis .................................... 67
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Preface
Ones that know me know that the best way to contact me is through Facebook, because I am always
on it. I have a true social media addiction, a profile on pretty much all the large social media channels
and I still find it interesting and fun. It is only natural for me to have a curiosity in the workings of online
social networks for companies and therefore the choice for this subject was obvious. After reading
about social media marketing for years I wanted to see what it could do for a real life company and
especially one that operates in the music industry. In my search for such a company I found Paperclip
Agency. This company seemed like the perfect match. They have the same amount of curiosity, see
the importance of online social network marketing in society nowadays and the problems they faced
with implementing social media marketing in their daily working routine gave me the opportunity to
create something meaningful for the company.
Abstract
This research gives an insight into the use of online social networks for booking agencies. The goal of
this research was to create a recommendation for an online social network marketing strategy that
‘Paperclip Agency’ can use to attract more clients. This research draws upon the available literature
regarding the subject and a descriptive survey analysis was done to describe the current behavior,
needs and wants of the set target group. The survey research shows that promoting artists to the
consumer via online social networks could strengthen Paperclip Agency’s market position. In addition
to that it can probably help Paperclip Agency to attract more clients when it is done properly.
Additionally to the target group research a competitor analysis was done to determine ‘Paperclip
Agency’s’ market position regarding the use of online social networks.
All the gathered information leads towards the recommended online social network strategy that is
presented at the end of this report.
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Acknowledgements
This research could not have been done without the help of some very special people. I personally
would like to thank all the people that filled out the survey, all managers and musicians thank you for
giving up your time to help out with this research. Hilde Spille and Rob Berends have been the best
two people to work with, doing this research for a company as warm as Paperclip Agency was a
blessing. Hennie van Kuijeren is possibly the best graduation coach anyone can wish for, thank you
for motivating me and helping me even when I did not ask for it. I would also like to mention Annelies
de Bruine as she has been there from the very start of the whole research process, thank you for all
your support, brainstorming sessions, subtle help and advice. Then there are the three rock stars that
offered to help me by proofreading my report, Lawney Rosebrook, Tiger Gilliam and Jen Benton,
thank you so much.
Last, but not least, I would not have been able to finish this without the help and enormous patience of
my parents, my sister and my dearest friends.
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1. Introduction
There has been a fundamental shift in power when it comes to marketing. The consumer no longer
trusts corporate messages. They rather take advice on products and services from their trusted
networks (Safko, 2010). Trusted social networks are no longer solely found in real life situations.
Halfway through the 00s the Internet provided the consumer with online social networks in which large
groups of people from all over the world with similar interest will also read and share product or
service advice. Therefore focusing on creating online relationships with customers and prospects has
become really important for company’s survival.
The Dutch news channel ‘NOS’ reported on May 31, 2012 during a radio report1 that around 200.000
Dutch family based companies like; ‘Bavaria’, ‘Blokker’, ‘van Bommel’ and ‘Van der Valk’ hardly use
social media tools. A research done by ‘Van Lanschot Bankiers’ states that only 1 out of 3 of these
companies use these tools with enthusiasm. ‘Van Lanschot Bankiers’ thinks that not making use of
these tools will prevent these companies from growing and maybe even cause them to disappear from
the market (Van Lanschot Bankiers, 2012).
Pathridge (2012) makes clear in his article for the online version of ‘The Times’2 that social media is
not only for the large companies, smaller companies like ‘Paperclip Agency’, a small European artist
booking agency that this research was done for, could also benefit from entering the world of social
media. In fact he states that: Social media such as Facebook and Twitter can give the smallest
business as much marketing clout3 as global brands, but they can expose you to the same pressures
so learning how to exploit them effectively is essential (Patridhe, 2012). Not doing this could
jeopardize their position in the market as their clients and future clients might choose to start working
with a company that is making efficient use of the available social media channels.
1
http://nos.nl/artikel/378805-familiebedrijf-laat-kansen-liggen.html
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/smallbusinessmasterclass/article3369517.ece
3
Marketing clout can be defined as global brand equity.
2
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There was a time when organizations could more or less completely ignore the social media; after all,
they did not reach a large audience. So, if your organization was the butt of negative comment, the
impact seemed limited, but these times are long past. With the swift burgeoning of Twitter and steadily
growing potential to interlink the various social media (such as YouTube video clips via Twitter, or
tweets inserted into Facebook) the simplest message can have colossal sweep. Given that social
media can neither be controlled, banned nor ignored you are forced to participate and influence the
formation of your image by these means (KLM, 2010).
Due to the large number of people using online social networks, company use can create an
opportunity to tab into groups you otherwise would not have reached. Paperclip Agency sees the
importance of these innovations, but does not know how to effectively implement these tools into their
current way of working. They know that society’s switch to social media can no longer be ignored and
when not embraced might even jeopardize their company’s position on the market. To find out how
their company could use online social networks they requested this research.
1.2 Problem definition
In the current environment where embracing the innovations of the Internet has become so important
for a company’s survival, it is important to know how you can use these ‘new’ media tools as a
company. Artist booking agencies are no exception to this and should start making proper use of
social media by generating social media marketing strategies. Currently, larger booking agencies, like
‘Agents After All’ and ‘1Management’ are already using online social networks to connect with both the
public as well as their clients. To compete with these large agencies and protect their current market
position, smaller booking agencies, like ‘Paperclip Agency’ should implement proper use of social
media in their marketing and communication strategy.
During the interview with ‘Paperclip Agency’ (Appendix I) it became clear that, like many pre-internet
generation companies, the company is struggling with the use of social media. They see the
importance of social media in the current market environment, but simply do not have enough
knowledge about these tools to effectively implement them in their daily routine. The focus of
‘Paperclip Agency’ is to obtain new clients as well as building and maintaining relationships with
several networks of artists, venues, booking agents and other music industry professionals on an
international level. The general objectives of the company are to increase the number of clients,
increase the number of booked shows and, by the means of that, to increase the revenue. Their main
question is how and where they can find their clients and potential clients in the online social network
environments.
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Nowadays online social networks play a huge role in achieving objectives similar to the ones set by
‘Paperclip Agency’. Facebook for examples has over 835 million users4 this means that of the world
population5 nearly 1 out of 8 people use Facebook. These people use online social networks to
connect with large groups of people from all over the world with similar interest that function as
reference groups for their behavior (Safko, 2010). Online social networks, like our real life social
networks, affect our choices in for instance buying decisions (Solomon, Bamossy, Askegaard, & Hogg,
2006). Also when it comes to choosing a company to work with potential clients will reach out to their
trusted social networks. Furthermore online social network profile pages help to improve your visibility
on the Internet and give the prospect a quick insight in your network (Zimmerman & Sahlin, 2010).
When other companies are easier to find, you could lose a potential client. In the current market
environment active social media presence is necessary when one wants to attract new clients.
For ‘Paperclip Agency’s’ survival and to keep their current position in the market it is extremely
important to understand how they can use online social networks to their benefit.
1.3 Research aim
Due to the importance and urgency of the problem raised, the aim for this research is to get an insight
into the possibilities of online social networks regarding the marketing of a booking agency. To
achieve this, the aim is to create an overview of the available channels and their marketing use as well
as an overview of the current online social network behavior of the target group and their wants and
needs regarding the online social network presence of a booking agency. Additionally this research
aims to determine the current market position of ‘Paperclip Agency’ regarding online social network
use.
The company’s aim for this research is to get an insight on how they could strategically use online
social networks to create and maintain relationships with prospects and clients.
1.4 Research questions
Paperclip Agency is struggling with implementing the use of social media into their current marketing
and communication strategy. Based on the problem definition, Paperclip’s seemingly social media
knowledge gap, and the apparent urgency of the problem the research question was postulated as
follows.
“How can Paperclip Agency strategically use online social networks to attract more clients?”
In reference to this main research question we have set five more specific sub questions. To achieve
an insight in the available online social networks and their marketing use the sub question “What
social networking sites are available and how are they used to market products and/or services?” was
formulated. In any marketing campaign it is important to measure the success, to get an insight into
4
5
http://www.internetworldstats.com/facebook.htm
http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/
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that, another sub question was: “How can you measure the success of an online social networking
campaign?” Additionally it is important to know how the target group uses online social networks. This
was one of the sub question asked. The target group’s preferences regarding a booking agency’s use
of online social network were discussed in another sub question. The final sub question was set up to
determine the current market position of ‘Paperclip Agency’ regarding online social network use in the
form of a competitor analysis answering the question: “What are other booking agencies doing on
online social networks?”
The answers to these questions will ultimately lead towards the creation of a recommended online
social network strategy for ‘Paperclip Agency’.
1.5 Delimitations
This research focuses on the use of social network marketing within one company, Paperclip Agency.
Other companies will be referred to as part of a competitor analyses and might be used as an
example.
Social media marketing in general is too broad to research within this time frame hence the focus of
this research will only be on the currently largest online social networks, Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn
Myspace and google+.
The company’s clients are artists, artist managers and venues. This research is limited to artists and
artist managers only. The group of venue contacts could not be increased for this agency; therefore
venues were not included in the scope. The target group for this research is defined as artists and
artist managers from all over the world having an interest in playing shows in Europe. The age group
is broad, and reaches from age 25 to 65, although some artists will probably be younger than 25. The
group includes both males and females with approximately 60% males and 40% females. Within the
company there is no specific focus on music genre, so the target group can operate in any genre
possible.
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1.6 Managerial relevance
Making proper use of social media as a company is necessary for growth and survival in the current
market (Van Lanschot Bankiers, 2012). Society’s switch towards social media can no longer be
ignored and when not embraced might even jeopardize a company’s position on the market (KLM,
2010).
Due to ‘Paperclip Agency’s’ lack of knowledge on online social network marketing, there is an urgent
importance for this research. This sums up the problem and demonstrates the practical relevance of
this research. The findings of this research will give ‘Paperclip Agency’ an insight into what their
client’s expectations are from them regarding online social networks. This research will lay the basis
for a structural way of dealing with online social networks from a marketing perspective for ‘Paperclip
Agency’. Also other companies similar to ‘Paperclip Agency’ could benefit from this research.
1.7 Theoretical contribution
There have been many books and articles written about social media marketing in the business to
consumer market. Some of these books and articles also mention the business-to-business (B2B) use
of social media from a marketing perspective. However there is no information on how music booking
agencies can use online social networks to their benefit. The findings of this research will shed a new
light on this side of the topic and therefore will be a new contribution to the insights already available.
1.8 Structure
After this introduction the theories that form the framework of this research will be discussed in chapter
two. Besides that the first two sub questions, the theoretical questions, will be answered.
In chapter three you can find the methodology used for this research, containing the type of research
used as well as the sample selection and the construction of the questionnaire and analysis. The
results of the data found in the quantitative research that was done to determine the target group’s
social network use and their preferences regarding a booking agency’s social network use. Can be
found in chapter four. Additionally the competitor analysis is presented in the same chapter. The
conclusions of the research as well as the recommendations to the company are discussed in chapter
five.
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2. Theoretical Framework
In the introduction it has been explained that Paperclip Agency has a gap of knowledge regarding
social media marketing. There have been many articles and books written on this subject. In this
chapter the theories found in the literature will be discussed. Furthermore the answers to the two
theoretical sub questions will be given. At the end of this chapter you can find the conceptual model
used for this research.
2.1 Social media
The starting point of user-generated content on the Internet was the launch of Geocities, the first
personal homepage service. This was the first ever possibility to post your own content on the Internet
from your own home. In 1997 one of the early social media services SixDegrees.com was launched.
At it’s high it claimed to have 1 million users. In 1999 the first blogging services were launched, this
gave users an even easier way to post their own content on the Internet. Furthermore, it made it
easier to follow this posted content. Around that same time the first profile based social networks
appeared. In March 2002 Friendster was launched, followed by LinkedIn in May 2003, MySpace
straight after that in July 2003 and Facebook in February 2004. These three are still top social
networks. This means that they have survived for over 8 years. Later an addition was made to the
major social networks, Twitter, which was launched in March 2006 and is defined as a micro-blogging
service (Morrison Foerster LLP, 2011). The latest addition to the family of online social networks is
Google+, which was launched in June 2011.6
Kaplan & Haenlein (2010) defined a categorization of social media. According to these authors, the
dimensions refer to the two most important characteristics of social media tools; social
presence/media richness of the medium and self-presentation/self-disclosure.
Figure 1
Categorization of social media (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010, p. 62)
6
http://googleblog.blogspot.nl/2011/06/introducing-google-project-real-life.html
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Kaplan & Haenlein (2010) described social presentation as: the individual’s desire to present him- or
herself within social interaction. This presentation is aimed at controlling the perception of other
individuals of that particular person.
Media richness theory is a framework to describe a communications medium by its ability to reproduce
the information sent over it.
This report focuses on online social networks. As you can see in figure 1, presented above, online
social networks are valued by Kaplan & Haenlein with high self-presentation and medium media
richness values. This means that these channels give the user a high opportunity to profile
themselves.
The social media categories defined by Kaplan & Haenlein provide valuable information on the
position of online social networks within the social media group. The information on the levels of selfpresentation and media richness of online social networks is valuable information when one is creating
an online social network strategy.
2.2 The influence of online social networks
Additionally, it is important to know what the influence of social networks is. In this paragraph we will
discuss various theories on the influence of (online) social networks and how this phenomenon is used
in online social network marketing.
Safko explains in his book ‘The Social Media Bible’ (2010) that there has been a fundamental shift in
power when it comes to a company’s marketing. The consumer no longer trusts corporate messages
and does not want to listen to their commercials. They want to get their information, news and
product/service advice from people they have a relationship with and trust. And they want to share
their good and bad experiences with the people that trust them (Safko, 2010).
The root of the influence a social network has on us is social conformity, the need to conform to a
group’s behavior. People have a psychological instinct to pattern their behavior after others (Solomon,
Bamossy, Askegaard, & Hogg, 2006).
The groups that have the most influence on our decisions in life are the reference groups. These can
be defined as ‘an actual or imaginary individual or group conceived of having significant relevance
upon an individual’s evaluations, aspiration, or behavior (Solomon, Bamossy, Askegaard, & Hogg,
2006).
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Kotler (2005) gives an even more detailed description of reference groups he describes them as
groups that serve direct (face-to-face) or indirect points of comparison or reference in forming a
person’s attitudes or behaviour. Reference groups to which they do not belong often influence people.
For example, an aspirational group is one to which the individual wishes to belong. And they conform
their behaviour to ‘fit in’ (Kotler, Wong, Saunders, & Armstrong, 2005).
Solomon, Bamossy, Askegaard & Hogg (2006) described the three ways of reference group influence
on consumers: informational, utilitarian and value-expressive.
1. Informational influence
This is when an individual seeks information about various products, services and/or brands
from an association of professionals or an independent group of experts. This can be from
those who work with the product as a profession or from friends, neighbors, relatives or work
associates who have reliable information the brands. Also observing a seal of approval of an
independent testing agency and/or what experts do influences the brand the individual selects
(Solomon, Bamossy, Askegaard, & Hogg, 2006).
2. Utilitarian influence
The consumer’s decision is based on the preferences of the people he or she has social
interaction with, these can be friends, family or work associates. The desire to satisfy the
expectations that others have of him or her has an impact on the individual’s brand choice
(Solomon, Bamossy, Askegaard, & Hogg, 2006).
3. Value-expressive influence
The consumer’s brand choice is based on the feeling that the purchase or use of a particular
brand would enhance the image others have of him or her or the thought that it would help
them show others what he or she is or would like to be. Also when the consumer feels that
those who purchase this brand possess characteristics they would like to have or that these
people are admired he or she will be more likely to choose the brand they use (Solomon,
Bamossy, Askegaard, & Hogg, 2006).
Besides being influenced by others consumers also like to share their experiences or information they
have (heard) about a certain product, service or brand. In his book ‘The Anatomy Of Buzz Revisited’
Emanuel Rosen (2009) defines four groups of sharers, you have the experience-based promoters,
these are the ones that have experience with the product or service offered and are sharing their
satisfaction with their peers. The experience based detractors; these are people that share their
dissatisfaction after having a bad experience with the product or service offered. The second hand
promoters share the positive things they have heard about the product or service and the second hand
detractors the negative things they have heard (Rosen, 2009).
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As a marketer there are several ways to make use of these natural psychological instincts consumers
have. Tara Hunt describes in her book ‘The Whuffie Factor’ (2009) that a company should not only
broadcast to their audience, but also participate in the conversation, ask for feedback, respond to
questions and complaints, etc. This way a company becomes more like a human, rather than being
interpreted as a robot, and therefore, more trusted. Doing this will not only raise the brand awareness
by being present, but also engage with their current customers. In this way they will get the chance to
become passionate about your company and share the company’s message with their social contacts,
and might become brand advocates.
Hunt (2009) also states that to create a trusted relationship with the online community you should
invest time. Creating and maintaining an online relationship is much like doing this in real life. When
you enter an online community there are three fundamental rules: be interesting, be kind and have
something to offer. Having something to offer can be anything, for example; information, (free)
products or services or something else that people find remarkable enough to stay connected.
To summarize, groups always had an influence on our decision-making. With the rise of the online
social networks the reference groups have enlarged and it got easier and faster to share and find
thoughts and opinions on products, services and brands. Consumers rather rely on the opinions of
their trusted social networks than listen to the corporate messages. The general task of an online
social network marketer is to be interesting, kind and have something to offer as well as interact with
the customers and offer assistance where needed.
2.3 Available social networks & marketing use.
In this paragraph the focus is on the five largest social networking sites; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn,
MySpace and Google+, that are commonly used for marketing purposes. First the features and the
marketing use of the offered tools are discussed per channel. And finally an overview of all the
channels and their features is presented in Table 1 at the end of this paragraph.
2.3.1 Facebook
Although it is commonly said Facebook is only made for business-to-consumer marketing, the
coauthor of Facebook Marketing, an hour a day, Mari Smith, explains that with the sheer volume of
active users on Facebook, there is absolutely a large portion of which that are businesspeople. And
therefore it is also very useful for business-to-business marketing (Bodnar & Cohen, 2012).
The Facebook page is by far the most popular free tool for marketers (Weinberg, 2009). Weinberg
explains in her book ‘The New Community Rules’ that a Facebook page is as much as a Facebook
profile for businesses, products, services, public figures, etc, that allows entities to have a real
presence on the social network. Making a profile instead of a page for your company violates
Facebook’s rules. Besides that, it is limited in use for businesses, they are less searchable on search
engines and have a friend capacity of a maximum of 5000 friends (Weinberg, 2009).
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According to Zimmerman & Sahlin (2010) the first goal after creating a Facebook Page for your
business is to find a group of people to like your page. This group can consist out of your personal
network and/or your current business network, which you can invite through your personal Facebook
profile, email or by posting a message on other social media and websites your company has.
(Zimmerman & Sahlin, 2010).
Facebook is the currently the largest online social network with more than 835 million users. The most
important part of creating a Facebook page is to create interesting content that will trigger the curiosity
of these users and gives them a reason to share it with their network (Bodnar & Cohen, 2012).
It is very important that you comment on interesting comments by fans (Zimmerman & Sahlin, 2010),
both positive and negative. Be careful with deleting comments made by your fans7. If a comment is off
topic you might consider doing this. If you decide to delete a comment let the person who posted it
know why you deleted their comment (Weinberg, 2009). Responding to the core message of a
negative comment could turn a negative experience with your brand into a positive one (Rosen, 2009).
It is also important to know that the initial community of Facebook users came to the site with the
intention of building upon existing personal connection. Sticking to the social media etiquettes (see
appendix II) is very important in Facebook marketing (Weinberg, 2009).
To make your way to your fans timelines you should generate as much conversation as you can. To
create an opportunity for a conversation it is advisable to post interesting content that trigger the fan to
engage in the conversation. Therefore it is important to know what your audience finds interesting,
remarkable and worthy of sharing. The more activity a post generates the more it comes back in a
fans timeline. Activity and links with different websites will also optimize the page’s position in search
engine result. For example, adding URLs to your posts could help you getting your page to the top of
the Google results (Bodnar & Cohen, 2012).
A clear insight in your fans’ behavior and demographics obtained by using the Facebook Pages
insights function helps you understand who your fans are. This knowledge can help you decide if you
want to launch a paid Facebook Ad a how to create one to market your company’s product, service,
page or website to an audience beyond your current fanbase (Zimmerman & Sahlin, 2010).
7
Fans: people that subscribed to your company’s page, in the past these pages were called a
Facebook fan page. Nowadays they are also referred to as ‘Likers’.
16
2.3.2 Twitter
Most social media experts define Twitter as a micro-blogging tool. In this research Twitter was put it in
the category of social networks, this because of the fact that the majority of the channels discussed
are online social networks. Twitter functions different than a social network as it is less network-based
and more about content sharing. Twitter is a service that allows users to communicate with one
another using short text-based messages (Weinberg, 2009).
You can share a single 140-character message with hundreds or thousands of people. And finally
8
9
since people love to share high-quality tweets with their followers , if you provide valuable content,
people will likely retweet10 it thereby letting your content travel even farther than previously imagined.
(Weinberg, 2009)
Weinberg (2009) states that Twitter revolves around relationships, both Hunt (2009) and Zimmerman
& Sahlin (2010) emphasize on the fact that in order to succeed in Twitter marketing you need to be a
real person rather than robot like.
In the beginning of Twitter businesses started using twitter as a free marketing research service and
for feedback on products and services (Safko, The Social Media Bible, 2010), and although Twitter is
often used as a customer service tool, there are many more things Twitter can be used for. Besides
customer service is used to generate sales, brand awareness, client acquisition (Weinberg, 2009) and
search engine optimization (Bodnar & Cohen, 2012).
Both Zimmerman & Sahlin (2010) and Bodnar, Kipp & Cohen (2012) describe in their books that
besides using Twitter as a channel to send out a message it can also be used as a research tool, for
both customer and competitor research by constantly monitoring certain subject or people.
Just like in Facebook marketing, and any social media marketing, sticking to the social media
etiquettes (see appendix II) is also very important in Twitter marketing.
Providing consistent and frequently updated content on social networks is the key to expanding reach
and generating leads. With so much information on so many channels, prospects are looking for
sources to curate quality content, rather than having to wade through tweet after tweet of mindless
chatter. By combining variety of content in the right ratio, your company can serve that role.
10-4-1 ratio: for every 10 tweets with links to articles from third party sources, tweet 4 times with
company updates or blog posts and 1 link to a company landing page. (Bodnar & Cohen, 2012)
8
Tweets: messages send via Twitter
Followers: people who subscribe to your Twitter updates.
10
Retweet: sharing a Tweet posted by another user with your own group of followers.
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You can trigger interaction with prospects by inviting other people to reply to your messages by asking
questions for example about industry related subjects, personal preferences or when you need help
with something. Interaction is harder to realize on Twitter (Zimmerman & Sahlin, 2010), it is easy to
become just a broadcaster instead of using the social part of this channel (Hunt, 2009). Every reply
and retweet provides a link to your company and therefore improves your position in the search
engine results.
2.3.3 LinkedIn
Weinberg (2009) describes LinkedIn as a niche social networking site that focuses on professional
relationships. She states that it is perfect for connecting with colleagues (former and current) and
individuals in the same or related industries, it can help you establish and maintain business
relationships and find recommended services and people. (Weinberg, 2009)
Furthermore Weinberg explains in her book ‘The New Community Rules’ (2009) that LinkedIn is a
viable business tool, but less appropriate and useful for (mass) marketing. This statement is backed
up by the other books like ‘The Social Media Bible’ (2010) and ‘Social Media Marketing for Dummies’
(2010). However, Bodner & Cohen (2012) describe that for business-to-business marketing LinkedIn
can be a great tool. They present the following research results proving that LinkedIn drives leads and
can turn leads into sales.
According to a June 2010 study by LeadForce111, now LeadFormix, LinkedIn drove more leads to B2B
websites than any other site and nearly three times the number of Twitter. Additionally Hubspot12
reported that 61 percent of B2B companies using LinkedIn have acquired a customer through this
social network (Bodnar & Cohen, 2012).
According to both Zimmerman & Sahlin (2010) and Weinberg (2009), the most beneficial feature of
LinkedIn is the Q&A feature; it can be utilized for relationship building, idea generation, brainstorming
and establishing thought leadership. You can ask your network questions, but answering questions
from your network gives you a great opportunity to establish yourself as a LinkedIn expert.
The LinkedIn group feature connects individuals with similar interests or similar working field; LinkedIn
groups can be used as a brand awareness tool, one that connects industry professionals to your
brand. In addition to that there is the company group feature, which should be used for internal
communication only, this group only gives access to people that currently work for the company
(Weinberg, 2009).
11
http://www.leadformix.com/blog/2010/06/facebook-and-twitter-not-for-generating-b2b-leads/
12
http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/10437/Study-LinkedIn-Is-More-Effective-for-B2BCompanies.aspx
18
LinkedIn also gives you the opportunity to create paid ads, this works similar to the Facebook Ads
function. You select an audience and create a very simple ad that targets the selected audience.
When you are looking for a new team member or you want to reach business-to-business clients, you
can certainly use this (Zimmerman & Sahlin, 2010; Weinberg, 2009).
Very important is to keep in mind that LinkedIn is a professional social networking site, and that your
status updates should not be like your Facebook status updates, but should always be business
focused (Bodnar & Cohen, 2012).
2.3.4 MySpace
MySpace is a profile based social networking site where users can interact with other users
developing existing relationship, but most of all create new ones (Safko, 2010). Since 2004 MySpace
has given musicians the opportunity to create a band/artist profile that includes a music player
(Zimmerman & Sahlin, 2010).
Both Weinberg (2009) and Safko (2010) state that the most unique thing about MySpace is that it
allows users to completely customize their profile pages through HTML coding or the MySpace profile
customizer. This making it the only online social network that gives their users the opportunity to
profile themselves with a customized profile page.
MySpace is very suited for music marketing, or business-to-business marketing for music and
entertainment related companies According to Weinberg (2009) and Zimmerman & Sahlin (2010).
Though, one should note that MySpace was still one of the biggest social networking sites in 2010
according to ComScore13 MySpace has lost a lot of users. In May 2011 MySpace dropped down to
34.8 million unique visitors a month, while Facebook had 157.2 million visitors that same month.
Although the press reports about the fall of MySpace, it could be the case that your audience is still on
there (Zimmerman & Sahlin, 2010), as stated above the site still receives around 35 million unique
visitors a month.
Most of the MySpace users are younger than 25 and/or musicians, therefore MySpace could work for
marketing products and services targeted to the age group below 25 as well as marketing products
and services related to music industry (Zimmerman & Sahlin, 2010). This can be done in a direct way,
by using MyAds (Weinberg, 2009), or indirect way creating relationships by being valuable for
example by giving plenty of free advice and content to your MySpace friends in order for them to stay
loyal and decide to visit the company’s websites outside the social networking site14 (Calvo, 2012).
13
http://www.comscoredatamine.com/2011/06/infographic-myspace-vs-facebook/
http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-tips-articles/myspace-marketing-is-alive-and-flourishing5806251.html Calvo, G. (2012, 4 6). MySpace marketing is alive and flourishing. Opgeroepen op 6 28, 2012,
van articlesbase.com: http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-tips-articles/myspace-marketing-is-alive-andflourishing-5806251.html
14
19
When you choose to use MyAds, the advertisement function of MySpace that you can specifically
target on several demographics, you have to keep in mind that many MySpace users do not provide
accurate profile information (Weinberg, 2009).
Though MySpace is inherently a business-to-consumer channel, you can reach other companies,
such as musicians and filmmakers, that market themselves on the site with your business-to-business
message. Think of it like marketing to exhibitors at a trade show rather than to visitors (Zimmerman &
Sahlin, 2010).
2.4.5 Google+
Google+ is a social networking site owned and operated by Google. It is a fairly new and because of
that the opportunities for businesses have not yet been described by many, but that does not mean
that there are no opportunities for businesses. In his book Google+ for business Brogan (2012) states
that Google+ is great for collaboration, learning, being discovered, community building, contests &
promotions, customer service, engagement, listening, referrals and sharing. The direct link with
Google can help people to discover you and your company.
Your Google profile page is kind of a “secret” way to make potential connection that might otherwise
have slipped past you. (Brogan, 2012)
Brogan states that the easier you make it for people to contact you and the more people understand
how to work with you from what you have written the more likely people will connect with you and turn
from a browser into a prospect.
In Google+ you create circles, groups, in which you can categorize your contacts, you can control the
information access for each circle, therefore you can decide which message goes to what group
(Bush, 2012). It is a time efficient channel as it enables you to reach out to all your target groups from
one channel (Brogan, 2012).
The major benefit of Google+, on which both authors put the emphasis, is that the channel is part of
the Google Empire. The benefit of being directly linked to the Google search engine is that the more
activity you show on Google+ the higher value Google’s algorithm will give you and your content. This
means you will receive a higher spot in the search engine’s results (Bush, 2012).
To create a sustainable and influential presence on Google+ Bush recommends to maintain a daily
presence of posting and engaging, update and add to your Google circles and make use of the
hangout and event functions. Bush also states that to engage your followers posting photos is
recommended, as they are the posts with the highest engagement on Google+. Additionally he states
that it is smart to move your Google+ Page fans directly into one of your circles and to educate your
readers, tell them what to do next in terms of doing business with you (Bush, 2012).
20
Table 1
Overview of the features and use of the researched social networks.
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Myspace
Google+
Number of
users
835,525,280
users
Over 100
million users
147 million
users
262,055,014
users
90 million
users
Features
Profile
Shorts blog
post of 140
characters.
Profile
Profile
Profile
User Group
Music page
Page
Private
messages.
Company
group
Blogs
Hangout
Bulletins
Events
MyAds
Chat
Page
Event
App
Private
Messages
Group
Ads
Private messages
Personal use
Profile yourself by
showing your
likes, statuses,
pictures, etc.
Post short
personal blog
posts and
interact with
followers.
Your profile is
set up like a
resume;
LinkedIn is
focused on
professional
use.
You can
personalize
you profile,
post status
updates,
pictures,
bulletins,
blogs and
interact with
friends.
Create
circles of
friends,
post
updates,
photos,
videos, etc.
create a
page,
interact with
friends and
organize
hangouts.
Post short
professional
blog posts
and interact
with
customers.
Resume for
people.
Companies
can use it for
profiling in
the
professional
scene and for
internal
communicati
on.
Myspace is
made for
musicians to
share their
music.
Musicians
and music
related
companies
can upload
songs, gives
updates and
interact with
fans.
You can
create a
business
page or a
profile,
business
pages have
the same
features as
the
personal
profiles.
Interact with
friends.
Play games.
Professional
use
Profile your
company with
share worthy
information,
pictures and
statuses on either
profile or page.
Interact with
customers/clients.
Place paid ads.
Good for
customer
service.
21
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Myspace
Google+
Share
Options
Everything
posted can be
shared with
friends on your
profile or with
the ‘likers’ of a
page.
Except for
private
messages and
messages in a
secret group.
You can retweet
(repost) other
people’s tweets
(posts).
You can link
your twitter to
it and in this
way you can
share
messages.
LinkedIn
itself does
not have a
sharing
option.
The only
thing that you
can share on
Myspace are
the songs
posted by
artists, you
can put them
on a playlist
or just share
the song.
You can
share
everyone’s
public posts
with your
own circles
or with
everyone.
Connections
There are many
opportunities of
connecting your
Facebook page
to your other
pages. Also it is
possible to use
intergraded
apps that were
made by other
companies.
There are many
opportunities of
connecting your
Twitter to your
other pages.
There are
possibilities to
share pictures
through TwitPic
or MobyPic.
They work
with
WordPress,
Amazon
Reading List,
Google
Presentation,
SlideShare
presentation
and many
other online
professional
tools.
Myspace can
be linked to
Facebook
and Twitter.
It also works
with
YouTube,
Slide.com,
RockYou!,
Flixter,
Playlist.com
and some
more
entertainment
tools.
You can
put a +1
button on
your
website.
Google+
does not
support
interlinked
social
media
updates,
except for
YouTube
(and other
Google
owned
apps)
Analytics
Facebook has
an intergraded
analytics
function for
their pages.
The profile
analytics are
not available for
Facebook and
they actively
work against
apps that try to
make it
available.
Twitter statistic
websites do
exist; it is hard
to find one that
actually shows
useful analytics.
Limited
analytic
possibilities,
company
profile
analytics are
offered and
several apps
for personal
pages to
map your
network.
Myspace has
an integraded
analytics
function for
the music
profiles.
Google
analytics.
(Safko, The Social Media Bible, 2010; Miniwatts Marketing Group, 2012; Weinberg, 2009; Twitter,
2011; Zimmerman & Sahlin, 2010; ComScore, inc., 2011)
22
2.4 Measuring the success.
In any marketing campaign it is useful to know how you can measure the success of it. In this chapter
we will discuss the return on investment model of a social media marketing campaign.
Finding the actual numbers to determine the return on investment of a social media campaign can be
difficult, you cannot put a numeric value on buzz and quality of an online conversation (Weinberg,
2009). However, there are other ways to measure the success of your social media marketing efforts.
Weinberg (2009) described five segments that can show you if your campaign is successful. One
should note that the correlation between the campaign and the buzz going on is not always obvious.
Reach
Determining the reach can be done by counting or getting an overview of the number of links your
story has garnered, the number of people tweeting about you campaign or the number of connections
you have accumulated since you, for example, listed your fan page on Facebook. Most social media
channels offer a service to measure these things.
Frequency and traffic
To determine how often people are visiting your site you can use your analytics software and look at
the number of impressions on a specific time period versus other time periods. For this it is smart to
determine your average monthly visits, if there are changes and you are not doing no other marketing
campaign, it may very well be that the cause of the increase in visitors was your social media
marketing campaign. Also an indicator can be the source of traffic, for most analytic software this is
included in the features. When the traffic comes directly from the posted social media message you
know that your message was the cause of the traffic.
Influence
How deep are conversations related to your business? Are people actually discussing the subject, or
are they looking, commenting (or not), and moving on? If there’s more depth and influence, there’s
more potential for conversion and virality.
Conversations and transactions
Are you actually seeing people click through to other parts of your site since you launched that viral
piece to raise awareness about your business? Are they downloading the software you’ve asked them
to try? Are you seeing additional transactions? Registrations? Purchases?
23
Sustainability
Asking yourself the question if the users generated by your social media campaign stick around for
long or if you lose them as soon as the buzz is over. This question can help you determine if the return
on investment is long term.
You can gauge the success of a social media marketing campaign by looking at these different
metrics. However, your initial marketing team should review each individual metric and determine how
to best measure the output, so there is no definitive suggesting about what to look for besides results.
They should align with your SMART goals though, that you set at the beginning of the campaign
(Weinberg, 2009).
24
2.5 Conceptual model
The model below (Figure 2) shows the several subjects and the relating topics that were researched.
The information needed to create the strategy is specified below the headers and this information was
combined in the formation of the online social network strategy.
Figure 2
Conceptual model
25
3. Methodology
In the previous chapter the first two sub questions were answered by the means of a literary review. In
this chapter describes the methodology used to answer the remaining three sub question is discussed.
First the type of research is described, followed by a description of the sample and data collection,
then a description of the questionnaire is set up and the analysis techniques are presented in the last
paragraph.
3.1 Research objective
The problem explained in the introduction was that ‘Paperclip Agency’ has a knowledge gap when it
comes to the use of online social networks. One of their aims for this research was to create an insight
in the target group’s use of online social networks and their preferences regarding a booking agency’s
online social network use. In chapter two a framework was presented in which the context of this
research was formulated.
Since quantitative research is defined as techniques that seek to quantify data and apply some form of
statistical analysis and the major aim of quantitative research is mapping consumer and market
characteristics (Malhorta and Birks 2006), it seemed that quantitative research was the most suitable
choice to apply. The means of measurement for the quantitative research will be a questionnaire.
Respondents were approached through Facebook, Twitter and e-mail and asked to fill out a
questionnaire. Using a questionnaire seemed suitable for several reasons. First, answers may differ
per person and to obtain an objective insight in the target group’s use of online social network
channels and preferences regarding the use of these by booking agencies anonymity is very
important. By presenting the subject with a questionnaire the respondent was not affected by the
factor of group conformity. Also it is not necessary to register the names of the respondents, this made
it more anonymous and less risky for major artists to give their opinion on this matter.
Secondly, using an online survey makes it possible to reach a wide range of international respondents
within the available time. Additionally, for logistic reasons an online survey seemed like a suitable
choice. Furthermore, the results of a questionnaire can be organized and quantified in such way that it
can be used in a statistical analysis and in addition to that a questionnaire provides pre-defined
boundaries for the respondents. Hereby, a respondent is only faced with topics related to the
research.
26
Additionally an online observation research was done to determine the current market position of
‘Paperclip Agency’ regarding online social network use. For this the use of online social networks of
four competitors was observed and registered making use of a measuring matrix. See Appendix III.
Due to the fact that this research was done for a booking agency that is viewed as a competitor by the
selected booking agencies collecting the data needed for this part of the research could only be done
by the observing the publicly accessible updates posted by the competitors on the chosen online
social networks. Collecting this information in a measurable matter is a challenge; therefore set
boundaries are formulated in the form of tested variables. These variables were selected with the use
of the theoretical knowledge obtained by the literature research of which the results were presented in
chapter two.
3.2 Data collection
3.2.1 Sample
The sample for the target group research consists out of artists and artist managers from Europe and
North America. Therefore, the sample contained individuals that meet the criteria of the set target
group only. Approaching this group was challenging, ‘Paperclip Agency’ as well as I have an extensive
database of possible respondents, but the respondent rate was expected to be low. In order to obtain
enough respondents to make the sample representative for the population the survey was sent to a
sustainably larger amount of people than the number of respondents needed.
For the competitor research four booking agencies were selected that operate in the same field and
district as Paperclip Agency. The criteria for selecting these were simple; it had to be European
booking agencies, both large and small, that had some presence on online social networks.
27
3.2.2 Sample size
15
An online sample size calculator was used to calculate the sample for this research. The number of
people in the population is unknown and therefore the sample size calculation was made with an
unknown population size. In the case of an unknown or large population the sample size with a
confidence level of 99 percent and a confidence interval of 1 would be 16641. This number seemed
unrealistic for this research so a confidence level of 95 percent and a confidence interval of 5 was
chosen to calculate the sample size, which gave us the number of 384. This amount, however, was
not reached. The survey delivered 99 respondents, with a confidence level of 95 percent. This results
in a confidence interval of 9.85. Due to the large margin of error (9.85 percent) the results presented in
chapter four are representing the sample rather than the entire population. Any percentage presented
in Chapter four can lay 9.85 percent higher or lower when calculated for the population. With a
confidence level of 95 percent.
3.2.3 Data Collecting Techniques
Two questionnaires were created, see appendix IV, a Dutch and an English one, with exactly the
same questions but translated. The questionnaires were posted on an online survey tool,
freeonlinesurveys.com and sent out, in the form of a link, through Facebook, Twitter and e-mail to
artists and artist managers, the Dutch received the Dutch version, all the other nationalities received
the English version. The questionnaires were sent to the company’s network as well as my own
personal network and a selection of contacts found in the list of delegates from Eurosonic 2011.
3.3 Questionnaire
First the questionnaire determined the gender and age category of the respondent, then a
specification of the respondent’s professional identity was asked, this to determine whether or not the
respondent is in fact representing the target population. Additionally the use of the chosen channels
was measured. To prevent an overload of questions this was done in the form of a series of matrix
questions in which the respondent was asked to indicate the specific use per channel. The use
measured was the using purpose, personal or professional, daily time spent on the channels, and the
way of using: to view or post content or to interact. The possibility for the respondent to indicate that
they do not use a certain channel was included in these matrix questions. Next the time of day the
respondents are active on social media was measured. Furthermore the questionnaire contained
questions regarding the preferred use of booking agency’s online social networks. The topics
discussed in this part of the survey were, initiating contact, preference of social media presence,
interacting with the booking agency via social media, expected content, interest in offering extra
service via online social network in the form of artist promotion and group influence. These topics were
constructed based upon the theoretical framework presented in chapter 2. The last question consisted
out of a series of statements that measured the consistency of the respondent’s answers.
15
http://www.surveysystem.com/sscalc.htm
28
In the yes, no questions the possibility to answer with a text comment was given and the respondent
was encouraged to specify their answer.
3.4 Validity
To protect the validity of the questionnaire there was a content assessment done by the company, to
ensure that the designed questions fully represented all the aspects of online social network use and
the attitudes towards to preferred use of online social networks by booking agencies. The questions
were tested on their readability, clarity and comprehensiveness.
3.5 Reliability
To test the internal consistency of the answers and therefore the reliability of the results the
questionnaire contained control questions, this will detect any changes in the answers given by the
respondents over the period of time in which the questionnaire is filled out.
3.6 Analysis
The chosen form of analysis is descriptive analysis. The aim for this research is to create an overview
of the target group’s online social network use and their preferences regarding a booking agency’s
online social network use. In this case correlations between the several variables are not of any value
and a descriptive analysis is the most suitable form in the case of this particular target group study.
The descriptive analysis was done in order of the questionnaire. First the general information of the
respondents was analyzed, looking at the gender, age and profession of the respondents. Followed by
a descriptive analysis of the channels used and the frequency in which the respondents use these
channels, looking at the frequency of the given answers and calculate the percentage of people using
the channels. With this information we can describe the use of these channels in the next step, in
which the purpose of the use is determined by analyzing the collected data in a descriptive matter.
Next the rate in which the several channels are used for interaction was analyzed also in a descriptive
matter. The last part of the analysis regarded the preferences the sample has when it comes to a
booking agency’s use of online social networks. In this part the respondents were requested to specify
their answers, these specifications were also looked at during the analysis and were described in the
results chapter next to the descriptive analysis that was done with the received data.
29
4. Research results
The survey was done amongst both international and Dutch artists and managers, split up into groups.
The total amount of respondents is 99, of which 64 are international and 35 are Dutch. One Dutch
respondent took the survey from South Africa, it cannot precisely been said if this person is in fact
South African or just completed the survey while being in South Africa. Due to the expected difference
in the answers given, the total group of respondents was split into a Dutch and an international group.
With a sample of 99, an unknown population and a confidence level of 95 percent the confidence
interval is 9.85, which means that the percentages presented to you in the section below might lay
9.85 percent higher or lower when applied to the entire population.
Please note: all percentages presented were rounded off to one decimal; because of this in some
cases the total of the added percentages will exceed 100 percent.
4.1 General information respondents
Of the Dutch group 23 are male and 13 are female. The international respondent group contains 35
males and 29 females.
Overall the survey was taken by 58 males, 58.6 percent of the total sample, and 41 females, 41.4
percent of the total sample. 37.1 percent of the Dutch respondents are under 25 years old, 31.4
percent is between 25 and 35 years old, 20 percent is between 35 and 45 years old and 11.4 percent
of the respondents are between the age of 45 and 55. There were no Dutch respondents over the age
of 55. 4.7 percent of the international respondents are under 25 years old, 43.8 percent are between
the age of 25 and 35, 31.3 percent are between 35 and 45 years old and 6.3 percent between the age
of 55 and 65. There were no international respondents over the age of 65. Overall, 16.2 percent is
under 25, 39.4 percent is between 25-35 years old, 27.3 percent is between the age of 35-45, 12.1
percent is between 45 and 55 years old and 4 percent is between the age of 55 and 65.
Of the Dutch respondents 25 define themselves as an artist, 8 as an artist manager and 2 define
themselves as other. 41 of the international respondents define themselves as an artist, 14 as an artist
manager and 9 define themselves as other. Other was specified as for example, music professional,
booking agent, event manager, both manager and artist and singer/songwriter. Overall 66.7 percent of
the respondents defined themselves as artist, 22.2 percent defined themselves as an artist manager
and 11.1 percent answered the question with other.
30
4.2 Channels & frequency
100 percent of all respondents use Facebook, this counts for both the international and Dutch
respondents. Most respondents use Facebook on a daily basis for 30 to 60 minutes a day, for the
Dutch respondents the percentage is 31.4 and of the international respondents 35.9 percent use
Facebook for 30 to 60 minutes a day. Only four percent of all respondents do not use Facebook on a
daily basis. 19.2 percent of the respondents use Facebook for more than 120 minutes a day and 17.2
percent indicates that they use Facebook for less than 30 minutes a day.
The biggest difference between the groups can be found in the 60-90 minutes, where 22.9 percent of
the Dutch indicate to use it daily for this amount of time and for the international respondents this
percentage is 15.6 percent. There was one respondent that did not answer this question in the group
of international respondents.
70.7 percent of all respondents use Twitter. Of the Dutch respondents that is 68.6 percent. Of the
international respondents 71.9 percent use Twitter. The remaining respondents indicate that they do
not use Twitter. 63.6 percent of the respondents use Twitter on a daily basis, of which 39.4 percent
use it for less than 30 minutes a day. Of the Dutch respondents this is 45.7 percent and of the
international respondents this is 35.9 percent. Of the international respondents 12.5 percent use
Twitter for 30-60 minutes a day and of the Dutch this is 20 percent. 9 of the international respondents
indicate they use Twitter for more than 60 minutes a day, of which 3 between 60 and 90 minutes, 4
between 90 and 120 minutes and 2 for more than 120 minutes a day. The Dutch respondents do not
use Twitter for more than 60 minutes a day.
In total 9.1 percent indicates not to use Twitter on a daily basis. Four of the international respondents
did not respond to this question.
64.6 percent of the total sample use LinkedIn, 35.4 percent does not use LinkedIn. Of the Dutch
respondents the percentage of LinkedIn users is 55.9 percent. 67.2 percent of the international
respondents use LinkedIn. 41.4 percent of the respondents use LinkedIn on a daily basis. Of which 39
percent for less than 30 minutes a day. 1 respondent of the Dutch group indicates he uses LinkedIn
for 30 to 60 minutes a day and 1 person of the international group uses LinkedIn for 60 to 90 minutes
a day. Three of the international respondents did not answer this question.
77.8 percent of the total sample does not use Google+. Of the Dutch respondents 22.6 percent
indicated they do use Google+ and of the international respondents 21.9 percent use Google+.
11.1 percent of the respondents use Google+ on a daily basis, of which 8.1 percent for less than 30
minutes a day. 13.1 percent does not use Google+ on a daily basis, but do use it. Five of the
international respondents did not respond to this question.
31
MySpace is equally divided, 49.5 percent of the respondents use MySpace and 49.5 percent of the
sample indicated that they do not use MySpace. One person did not respond to this question, which
means that the one percent left is non-response. 18.2 percent of the respondents use MySpace on a
daily basis. 14.1 percent of the total group use MySpace for less than 30 minutes a day and 4%
between 30-60 minutes a day. 32.3 percent of the respondents does use MySpace, but not on a daily
basis. Five of the international respondents did not respond to this question.
50.5 percent of all respondents indicated that they are most active on social media during the entire
day, 18.2 percent are most active in the afternoon, 16.2 percent in the evening, 11.1 percent in the
morning and 4 percent of the sample indicated that they are most active at night.
32
4.3 Personal vs. professional use
Because of the way the questions were set up there was a slight difference was found in the number
of people indicating that they do not use the channel in this question compared to the question
discussed in the previous paragraph. To determine what happened a new data file was created in
which the values of the answers indicating they do use the channels were set at 0 and the values of
the answers indicating that the respondent did not use the channel were set at 1. This visualized that
the people that answered the first question with ‘I do not use this’ in the first question did not answer
the second question at all. In some cases the last question, question 6 (see appendix IV) in which this
also needed to be indicated showed that a large difference, probably due to the fact that people got
tired of filling out the same thing every time. For this question and the question following this one the
numbers as found were used and therefore may differ from the numbers presented in the previous
paragraph.
In Table 2 below an overview of the collected data is given, these are the answer to the question for
what purpose the channels are used. In the presentation of the findings the presented percentages
were calculated over the number of people using the channel, leaving the people that indicated not to
use the channel out of this part. The amount of people using the channel will differ from the previously
presented results of usage, due to the earlier discussed problem that occurred during the data
analysis.
Table 2
Overview of purposes the selected online networks are used for
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Google+
MySpace
Personal
7
(7.1%)
2
(2.0%)
7
(7.1%)
12
(12.1%)
1
(1.0%)
Professional
10
(10.1%)
30
(30.3%)
48
(48.5%)
3
(3%)
39
(39.4%)
Both
82
(82.8%)
38
(38.4%)
9
(9.1%)
7
(7.1%)
9
(9.1%)
N = 99
P = Unkown
No use
0
(0.0%)
29
(29.3%)
35
(35.4%)
77
(77.8%)
49
(49.5%)
Non response
0
(0.0%)
0
(0.0%)
0
(0.0%)
0
(0.0%)
1
(1.0%)
33
82.8 percent of all respondents use Facebook for both personal and professional purposes, for the
Dutch respondents that percentage is 91.4 percent and 78.1 percent of the international respondents
answered both personal and professional. 7.1 percent of all respondents use Facebook personal
purposes only
70 respondents indicated that they use Twitter, 54.3 percent use Twitter for both personal and
professional purposes and 42.9 percent use this channel for professional purposes only. The
remaining 2.9 percent of the respondents indicated that they use Twitter for personal purposes only.
64 of the respondents use LinkedIn, 75 percent of them use LinkedIn for professional purposes only,
14.1 percent for both professional and personal purposes and 10.9 percent for personal purposes
only.
22 of the respondents use Google+, 54.4 percent of them use this for personal purposes only, 31.8
percent for both professional and personal purposes and 13.6 percent for professional purposes only.
49 of the respondents use MySpace, 39 of them 79.6 percent use this channel for professional
purposes only, 18.4 percent for both personal and professional purposes and 2% (one respondent)
indicated using MySpace for personal purposes only.
4.4 Interaction
Questions regarding the interactive use of the channels showed similar results between the
International and Dutch respondent groups. The sample was asked to answer the following question
for each channel: I use these channels to: ‘view content’, ‘post content’, ‘both post and view content’,
‘interact’ or ‘I don’t use them’. Both ‘to post and view content’ and ‘interact’ were registered as
interaction for this analysis.
It was found that Facebook is the channel with the most interactive use amongst the respondents, with
96 percent choosing one of the interactive answers. Followed by Twitter, for which 79.5 percent of the
respondents indicated to use Twitter interactively, 13.7 percent use it to post only and 1 person
answered ‘to view content only’.
50.8 percent of the respondents using LinkedIn use LinkedIn interactively. 32.2 percent use LinkedIn
just for viewing other people’s or company’s updates. 10.2 percent indicated to only post messages on
LinkedIn. 6.8 percent did not respond to this question.
Google+ is not used by a large group of respondents, see paragraph 4.2. However, 37.5 percent of
the respondents using Google+ use this channel interactively, 29.2 percent use it to only view content,
8.3 percent use Google+ only to post content. Six people did not answer this question.
34
33.3 percent of the respondents using MySpace are using MySpace to interact. 37.8 percent use this
channel to post content only and 15.5 percent use MySpace to view posted content only.
4.5 Preferences
For both the Dutch and the international respondents the most important content for the booking
agency’s social media page are company updates, these were defined as booked gigs, new artists
signed, etc. Overall 89.9 percent of the respondents would like to see those on the social media page.
Furthermore, the majority of the respondents indicated that they would like to see general company
information, roster information and artist updates, meaning press releases, press coverage, contests,
etc. The artist’s updates are all things that do not necessarily come directly from the booking agency,
but things that can be organized by other parties or the artist himself. 36.4 percent of the respondents
want to see field related updates, meaning industry or specific booking agency news, on the booking
agency’s social media page. The respondents had the option to give a more detailed description of
what they would like to see on a booking agency’s social media page in the ‘other’ section. Some
examples of the given answers are: ‘more photos, videos and music’, ‘more personal touch’, ‘whether
or not they are taking new acts’, ‘competitions around the artists’ and ‘an event calendar’.
72.7 percent of the total amount of respondents would choose a booking agency that participates in
the artists marketing and promotion via social media over a booking agency that sticks to their primary
tasks. In the comment section though the majority stressed that it should be done properly, frequently
and that it should not affect the quality of the bookings. 9.1 percent answered ‘no’ to the question if
they would choose a booking agency that participates in the artist’s marketing and promotion, via
social media, over a booking agency that sticks to their primary tasks. 19.2 percent said ‘maybe’. In
the comment section it became clear that respondents think being involved in the marketing and
promotion of the artists via social media could improve the market position of a smaller sized booking
agency.
85.9 percent of the respondents agreed with the statement, ‘the booking agency should promote the
shows they booked to the target audience’. Only four of the total respondents did not agree with this
statement, nine answered ‘neutral’ on this matter and one international respondent did not answer this
question.
The respondents’ attitude towards e-newsletters differs a lot between the international and the Dutch
respondents (see appendix V). The majority of the international respondents are neutral on this
subject. The majority of the Dutch respondents disagree with the statement. Ruling out the neutral
answers you do not see a big difference between the number of people agreeing or disagreeing with
the statement in the international field. The Dutch respondents, however, lean strongly towards
disagreeing with this statement.
35
4.6 importance of social media presence
A slight majority, 59.1 percent, of the respondents indicated that a booking agency’s social media
presence is important to them, 26.3 percent has no preference. The rest answered ‘other’ with a
specification, these answers include statements as; ‘you have to nowadays’, ‘it does not matter to me
as long as they do their job as a booking agent’, ‘social media presence would be an asset’ and ‘a
clear website is more important to me’. Additionally most of the respondents agreed with the
statement, a booking agency has to be actively present on at least one social media platform.
A small majority of the respondents agreed with the statement: ‘I only want to work with a booking
agency that is active on social media’ in both the international and the Dutch respondent groups.
Although, the Dutch respondents showed a slightly larger preference for the social media presence of
a booking agency compared to the International respondents, 42.9 percent Dutch versus 39.1 percent
international. A large group of respondents in both groups answered this question with ‘neutral’;
therefore, even though it seems like the presented percentages are not the majority, when you rule out
the neutral answers, the majority of the respondents agree with this statement.
61.6 percent of the total amount of respondents indicated they would find it easier to initiate contact
with a booking agency if they are present on social media. 19 respondents answered this question
with ‘other’ and an explanation; the majority of the answers stressed the importance of social media
presence, but also stated that they would probably not use social media to make the initial contact with
the booking agency. The respondents showed a preference for email, phone and personal contact.
The majority of the respondents said that the amount of friends/followers on a booking agency’s social
media page has an effect on their choice to work with them. They did however state that the amount
itself is not crucial, it is the quality of the contacts that makes the difference. One respondent said: ‘if
they have more quality contacts, I would think they are a better agency and I would probably choose
to work with them’.
The statement: ‘I would be willing to change booking agencies if I find one with a better social media’
network divided the Dutch and international camps, the majority of the Dutch respondents disagreed
with this statement. The international respondents, however, were mostly neutral 42.2%, but second to
that most international respondents would be willing to change booking agencies. 29.7 percent of the
international respondents agreed with this statement, opposing a 14.3 percent vote from the Dutch.
36
4.7. Competitor analysis.
This paragraph gives an overview of the way the competitors use the online social networks discussed
in this research. Four companies operating in the same field and district as Paperclip Agency were
examined. For each company the measuring matrix was filled out, see Appendix VI.
The information found put was put in a comparing matrix, presented below.
Table 3
Comparing matrix for the competitor analysis data gathered during the months June and July 2012.
Friendly Fire
Number of
Channels
used
professionally
3 (5 points)
Agents After
All
3 (5 points)
1Management
Toutpartout
3 (5 points)
3 (5 points)
Paperclip
Agency
3 (5 points)
Number of
channels used
personally
1 (5 points)
1 (5 points)
0 (4 points)
1 (5 points)
1 (5 points)
Average posts
per week.
(All channels
added up)
2 (2 point)
23 (5 points)
10 (3 points)
19 (4 points)
10 (3 points)
Average
interactions
per week
(All channels
added up)
1 (4 points)
None (3
points)
None (3
points)
2 (5 points)
1 (4 points)
Links on
website
+/- (4 points)
- (3 point)
+ (5 points)
+ (5 points)
+ (5 points)
Total points
20 points
21 points
20 points
24 points
22 points
In the matrix above you can see that every segment was rated with points, if the company scored
highest they receives 5 points, the next got 4, then 3, etc. when more companies had the same score
they got the same amount of points for that segment and the following one would receive one point
lower, etc. This determined the position of Paperclip Agency’s social media use in relation to the use
of their direct competitors.
37
As you can see below Paperclip Agency is currently ranked second in their field regarding social
media use.
1. Toutpartout
2. Paperclip Agency
3. Agents After All
4. Friendly Fire & 1Management
The reason why the companies with more regular posts than Paperclip Agency received fewer points
is because they did not interact at all. In other words, in this case the interaction was valued above
broadcasting.
The most commonly used channels are Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Myspace. None of the
agencies use Google+. In addition to these channels the agencies use Soundcloud, LastFM and
YouTube.
38
5. Conclusion
This chapter addresses the conclusions that can be obtained from the results in Chapter four. First a
summary of previous chapters is given. Followed by the conclusions that can be drawn from the
literature findings and the data analysis. These conclusions are used to extract managerial
implications. After which the limitations and suggestions for further research will be discussed. And
finally, the recommendations for the ‘Paperclip Agency’ will be presented.
5.1 Summary
This study describes the use of online social networks as well as the preferences regarding a booking
agency’s use of online social networks of one of Paperclip Agency’s target groups, namely, artists and
artist managers. In order to describe the current use and preference of this target group a
questionnaire was created in cooperation with ‘Paperclip Agency’. The questionnaire was sent out via
Facebook, Twitter and e-mail to both the company’s, as well as my own personal, network. Also a
selection from the Eurosonic 2011 list of delegates was invited to fill out the questionnaire. The
questionnaire generated 99 respondents who provided the data. This data was used to formulate the
results that were presented in Chapter four.
First, a literature review was done that addressed the general information on social media and the
influence of social networks as well as their position within the social media field. Furthermore, an
overview of the features and marketing use of the online social networks, used in this study, was
given. This formed the theoretical framework for the field research done. Additionally, to determine the
current market position of ‘Paperclip Agency’ a competitor analysis regarding the use of online social
networks was done.
The findings of all the previous chapters have lead to a conclusion, which will be presented in the
following paragraph.
39
5.2 Conclusions
Online social networks are channels with high self presentation and medium media richness value
(Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010), therefore the marketer should focus on offering self presentation
opportunities for the target audience while making use of the social influence theories.
As explained in paragraph 2.3.2 there has been a fundamental shift in power when it comes to
marketing (Safko, 2010). The consumer no longer trusts corporate messages and therefore focusing
on creating online relationships with customers and possible future customers has become really
important. To create a trusted relationship with the online community you should invest time. Creating
and maintaining an online relationship is much like doing this in real life. When you enter an online
community there are three fundamental rules: be interesting, be kind and have something to offer.
Having something to offer can be anything, for example; information, (free) products or services or
something else that people find remarkable enough to stay connected.
In order to create interesting posts awareness of what the target group finds interesting, remarkable
and sharable is a must. So is engaging in the conversation and staying on top of things. We learned
that online social networks are great tools to communicate with the audience and to offer customer
service.
The theories on group influence and conformity can be utilized. As a marketer you can make use of
these by for example asking clients or former clients to write a testimonial for you that you can put up
on your Facebook, MySpace and/or LinkedIn page. Additionally, these can be linked and put up on
your Twitter account. Also you could share your success stories, in the case of Paperclip Agency this
could be that they booked a show or one of their artists has a sold out show. Due to the psychological
instinct for group conformity the consumers could be triggered to start listening to the artist’s music
because all the other people like it (it was sold out!) for venues this posting this could be a trigger to
also book the band because it was sold out or because the other venue booked them. Artists might be
triggered to subscribe to the agency, because they see this agency booked and sold out a certain
venue.
After researching the target group we found that Facebook is the most popular channel. All the
respondents use Facebook, therefore we can say that at least 90.2 percent16 of the population are
present on Facebook. Not having an active Facebook account could therefore jeopardize the
company’s market position.
16
calculated minimum for the population with a confidence level of 95%
40
Not only can Facebook be used to connect with the target group. Additionally, because Facebook is
the most commonly used online social network, it is perfect to connect with the client’s audiences. The
survey has shown (see paragraph 4.6) that promoting the booked shows through social networks
would be seen as a true asset for the company.
The second most popular channel is Twitter, with 70.7 percent of the respondents using Twitter.
The third most popular channel is LinkedIn. These are networks that also need to be taken into
account when generating an online social network marketing strategy, based on the numbers of
people that can be reached through these channels. One should note that the use of these channels
could differ in terms of purposed use; one should carefully look at the target group and adjust the
content accordingly. Additionally the social media etiquettes (See appendix II) should be studied
before entering any of these social communities.
Google+ and MySpace are less popular; however, this does not mean that these channels do not form
an opportunity for Paperclip Agency to look into. In the competitor analysis we have seen that most
similar companies use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and/or MySpace. Google+ could be a great place
to position Paperclip Agency above the competitors. Because Google+ is part of the Google Empire
the activity on Google+ could lead to a higher position in the search engine’s results. This effect alone
makes Google+ a valuable channel to use even though only 11 of the 99 respondents use Google+
daily.
The most important content to have on the company’s social media pages are company updates, for
example booked shows and new artists signed. 89.9 percent of the respondents expect to find this
information on the booking agency’s social media page.
Furthermore, the majority of the respondents expect artist updates on the social media page; meaning
for example press releases, press coverage, contests and artist news. Showing what the artists are
doing and including artist updates in your online social network feed is therefore a necessity.
85.9 percent of the respondents agreed with the statement: ‘the booking agency should promote the
shows they booked to the target audience via online social networks’. Also 72.7 percent of the
respondents said that they would choose working with a booking agency that participates in the artist’s
marketing and promotion via social media over a booking agency that sticks to it’s primary tasks.
Therefore, when an agency openly shows that they participate in the online social network marketing
around their artists and the shows they book, it could improve their market position and therefore
attract more clients. 29.7 percent of the international respondents and 14.3 percent of the Dutch
respondents indicated that they would change booking agencies if they find one with a better social
media network. Although these are smaller numbers, these are very interesting findings. According to
these numbers, creating a solid social network in the online environment can most definitely attract
more clients.
41
A majority of the respondents indicated that a booking agency’s social media presence is important to
them. And a small majority of the respondents indicate that they only want to work with a booking
agency that is active on social media.
Most respondents agreed with the fact that a booking agency should be actively present on at least
one social media platform. It was stressed by the respondents though that the word actively is very
important in this. If the agency does not update consistently or in a matter that is not engaging the
audience and the client group, the social media presence does not mean anything.
To the respondents the amount of online social network contacts the agency has is less important,
most of the respondents go for quality above quantity. Although it has been said that the first thing
they look at is the number of friends, likes and/or followers.
The preferred initial contact with the booking agency from the client’s perspective is e-mail or
telephone. Social media is only preferred when the initial contact was already made. Information that
should be present on the social network page is: ‘the preferred way of the agency regarding initial
contact’, ‘if they are taking on new clients’, ‘what kind of clients they are looking for’, etc. This is to
make clear how to work with this agency. If the page is too complicated or confusing, the browser
remains a browser and does not turn into a potential client.
5.3 Managerial implications
This study has provided new insights in practical business management of booking agencies similar to
‘Paperclip Agency’. This because the use of online social networks and the preferences regarding a
booking agency’s use of online social networks was researched amongst a target group of artist and
artist managers. As far as we could determine no previous research has been done regarding this
subject in this particular target group. Therefore, the findings of this research are valuable to not only
‘Paperclip Agency’ but also for other booking agencies operating in the same field. The recommended
online social network marketing strategy that is presented in paragraph 5.6 is designed for ‘Paperclip
Agency’ and will be a tool for them to make the managerial changes needed to follow society’s switch
to online social networks and to protect their current market position.
42
5.4 limitations
This research was done with a limited sample size, due to the chosen target group being difficult to
reach and hard to pursue to fill out the questionnaire. More survey respondents would have provided a
more sound result.
The research was limited to these online social networks; Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace and
Google+, therefore there are no results regarding any other online social network or social media
channel. Furthermore, the sample for the survey consisted out of artists and artist managers, any
other target groups that a booking agency might have was not researched.
Due to the limited time, a small selection of competitors was made for the competitor analysis
presented in paragraph 4.7. If a larger selection was made, the current market position of ‘Paperclip
Agency’ within a larger group of competitors could have been determined, which would have given
more insight in the current situation regarding the use of online social networks compared to the direct
competitors.
5.5 Suggestions for further research
Further research can be done to discover the possibilities for the use of other online social networks or
social media channels. Additionally the other target groups ‘Paperclip Agency’ has can be researched
regarding their use of these or other online social networks or social media channels. Another
example of further research could be a follow up competitor research, which can be done after the
implementation of the recommended online social network strategy. To see if the implementation has
been successful and improved the market position ‘Paperclip Agency’ currently has regarding online
social networks.
43
5.6 Recommendations
Looking at the conclusion presented in paragraph 5.2 the following things could be eliminated as
important.
1. Invest time
2. Engage with the community
3. Stay up to date
4. Know your audience
5. Post remarkable and sharable content
Besides that the researched client group indicated that certain channels, content and ways of behavior
are preferred. These things taken into account the following strategy was set up for Paperclip Agency.
5.6.1 Facebook
In the current situation the Facebook page is used as a broadcasting channel rather than a
communication channel. Adding Facebook to the daily routine can change this. According to the
survey most people in the client group use social media all day through, second comes the afternoon,
so updating the channel can be done all day through, but, keeping in mind that a Facebook fan’s
newsfeed changes rapidly, to capture most of your audience the advice would be to pick a moment in
the afternoon for your daily Facebook updates.
Furthermore, it is advisable to put the email address, which according to the results of the survey done
is the preferred way of making the initial contact, in the informational text in the about section, right
under the line: ‘Please use our e-mail address to contact us’.
According to the research results the majority of the respondents indicated that artist updates are
among the preferred content. Creating a photo album that is regularly updated with artist press
coverage is therefore advisable. Anytime something is covered or put on the Internet about the artist
or one of the shows Paperclip Agency booked it can be put into this album. It will automatically appear
on your wall. Showing success stories and the members of your current/former client group can invite
others to work with your company.
The events section is up to date and very clear. Sharing the events on the wall however can be
improved. The way it is done now, all right after each other without any noticeable supporting text will
not engage the audience and it will clutter their newsfeed, which can lead to irritation. Posting them
with a supporting text and not all at the same time, maybe including a video in the post would engage
the audience more. Also advisable is to invite your own personal Facebook friends that live in the area
of the event, to the event. This can take up quite a lot of time, as you have to click every single person
manually to invite them to the event.
44
Inviting your audience to the conversation, by posting questions and requests for help and engaging in
these conversations can help you build up a trusted relationship with clients, prospects and the music
consumers. This will help you to establish a solid online network. Having a solid online network and
being active on online social networks could change your market position. It was proved by the survey
done that your potential clients find this important.
It is also advisable to invite your network to like your Facebook page; this can be done in several
ways. Invite your personal Facebook friends to like your page, send out a specific e-newsletter to
promote your Facebook page and/or share your Facebook page on the other social media networks.
Very important is that updates are posted regularly, preferably daily, and consistently in order to be
successful.
Facebook is the most popular online social network amongst the client group, investing in this could
prove to be highly beneficial for the company.
5.6.2 Twitter
For Twitter it is basically the same as for Facebook, this is something that has to be added to the daily
routine. The only difference is that Twitter is more a broadcasting channel than a social community,
therefore you can use Twitter as an extension of your other social media accounts. For example, you
can share Facebook events, company blog posts or your LinkedIn group on here. The great thing
about Twitter is that you can make great use of their retweet function to share any news posted by the
artists you represent. You do not have to create your own posts, you simply click the retweet button.
Posting interesting field related news and asking your audience questions is also advisable.
Making use of hashtags to increase your audience is a thing you can do, for instance when you ask
your audience a question add #dtv (durf te vragen, a very popular Dutch hashtag feed) or #question to
your tweet. Your tweet will then end up in the feed of this hashtag and will be seen by more people
that might start following you.
Adding the artist and/or the venue to your tweet can also broaden your audience and will give you
more chances of getting a retweet, for example: ‘this year’s @Lowlands will be even greater,
@alascamusic will be playing the India stage on Satuday! :-) #LL12’ notice that not all 140 characters
were used; this makes it easier for people to retweet it.
It is very advisable to implement a Twitter feed on your website, this will automatically update your
website without you having to update constantly through a complicated server and will lead people to
follow your Twitter account when they are interested in what you have to say.
45
Besides putting your website link on your Twitter account you could also add your Facebook page to
it, this will take up some space in your bio.
Please do not interlink your Facebook and Twitter account, although this will safe you time it can
cause you to not look at either one of these channels and miss important comments, conversations,
besides that it could make your audience feel like you are ignoring part of them and it can cause
double feed and therefore can become robot like.
Engaging in the conversation is also important on Twitter, like it is on any social media. Search for
field related questions, respond to tweets from people you follow, respond to questions people ask
you, etc.
Very important is that Twitter is visited and used regularly, preferably daily, and consistently to be
successful.
5.6.3 LinkedIn
LinkedIn can be used to increase the bond with the professional network. Ask clients and former
clients to write testimonials for the company page. This way you can display the satisfaction of your
clients and this might trigger other artists, managers and venues to work with the company.
Also looking into the Q&A feature of LinkedIn could establish you and therefore your company within
the LinkedIn community.
Present the ways to contact you on Paperclip Agency’s LinkedIn group page, you could also specify
this by saying: for business enquiries, please contact us through e-mail and then add the email
address.
Interlinking your Twitter feed with your LinkedIn group page would be advisable, with this you have a
constant instant update on what your company is doing. 39% of the survey respondents uses LinkedIn
for less than 30 minutes a day, but on a daily basis. Most LinkedIn users though indicated that they do
not use this channel daily, therefore I think daily use is not needed for LinkedIn, but if you have the
time to update it daily, it can do no harm. I would advice to use LinkedIn at least once a week to
respond to questions, add people to your network and post updates.
When making a new business contact it is advisable add them on LinkedIn straight after your
conversation with them.
LinkedIn cannot be used to market events and music to the consumer, but for networking within
‘Paperclip Agency’s’ field of business it is certainly a great tool to use.
46
5.6.4 MySpace
MySpace is a great tool to use as a music player profile. It can be personalized completely. The
downside of MySpace though is that not many people are still actively using it. Only 18.2 percent of
the respondents using MySpace use it on a daily basis. MySpace is more popular in the international
group than it is in the Dutch group of respondents.
If you want to use MySpace to make a music profile for your roster that is possible, advisable though
is to use a different channel, like soundcloud or LastFM for that, as these channels are becoming
more popular. A page like Soundcloud is just to publish music and has no complicated pictures or
videos posted on it, therefore it loads quicker and is clearer.
When you feel like you do want to reach those people that are active on MySpace you can create a
customized profile with a playlist of tracks from the artists you represent, pictures and videos. It is
recommended when using MySpace as a marketing channel that you post regular updates with news
of the company and put the company details, links to other social media and ways of contacting in the
about section.
5.6.5 Google+
As stated in the conclusion that was presented in paragraph 5.2, Google+ is a channel that is not
commonly used (yet) by the client group. Only 11.1% of the survey respondents use Google+ on a
daily basis. This does not mean that Google+ cannot be a valuable time investment for Paperclip
Agency. Google+ is part of the Google Empire and therefore regular activity on Google+ will cause
your page to get a higher spot in the search engine’s results and if your page is easier to find, you are
easier to find. Besides that Google+ gives companies great opportunities with the features that they
offer. For example you can create event pages, but also organize a hangout. A hangout is basically a
video chat with a certain circle you have created or an open hangout for anyone to join. Hangouts can
for example be used to have a discussion with other booking agents on a certain matter, or a group
conversation with a number of venues.
It is also a great channel to send specific messages to specific groups as you can set the privacy
settings for each circle you make. For instance you can create a circle of venue programmers and
send them specific updates on artists available for bookings, news about shows, etc. You can also
make a circle of fans from certain artists and send them updates on those artists or maybe even
organize a promo hangout in cooperation with the artist and his/her management. There are many
opportunities for Google+.
Make sure that when you are using Google+ for your business that your profile is clear, that all the
company information and the links to all your other social media is on there.
47
With Google+ it is the same as for Facebook and Twitter updating it regularly and consistently and
engaging in the conversation with the community that is on the channel are the keys to success.
From the literature review it became clear that photos are the highest engaged posts on Google+ and
therefore it is recommended to post many photo and video updates. To maximize the engagement
and therefore the activity, which in it’s place will lead towards a higher position in the Google Search
engine results.
At the moment it seems like Google+ is not going to get the same proportions as Facebook and
Twitter, but what happens in the future we will never know. Participating in Google+, even if it is only
for the higher rank in the search engine’s results, is beneficial.
5.6.6 Extra service to strengthen your market position
This research proved that adding artist promotion to the consumer via online social networks will
strengthen Paperclip Agency’s market position and attract more clients when it is done properly. Most
agencies are not yet advanced in their use of social media to promote their company and the artists
signed. The survey proved that artists and artist managers see the benefit of a booking agency that is
involved in the artist’s promotion and in almost 20 percent of the cases would be willing to change
booking agencies if they find one with a better online social network. This proves that getting actively
involved in social media would make Paperclip Agency a leader in the market field on this matter and
this could lead to an increase in signed artists.
5.6.7 Content
As presented to you in the research results the researched target group prefers to see the following
content on the several online network sites: company information, company updates, roster
information and artist updates. Field related updates and other interesting content have less value for
the researched target group, but can of course be added for more diversity. Photos and videos are
highly engaged posts and therefore it is advisable to add those to your posts.
A personal touch is also preferred, people can connect better to a person than they can to a company
Nowadays, people rather trust the advice of other people, rather than the ones sent out by companies.
As Tara Hunt says: be a person, not a robot.
48
5.6.8 Time, activity and changes
In the paragraphs above it was stressed that social network marketing is very time consuming and if
not done on a regular, preferably daily, basis it will not be very useful. If you do not update your social
networking page regularly and do not stay in touch with your audience or trusted network it can
actually cause harm to the image of your company. Rather do not participate if you do not have the
time to do it. An hour of online social networking a day, preferably spread over the day so you will not
cause your follower’s newsfeed to fill up with only your updates, is advisable.
Take a look at the social media etiquettes, see appendix II, and keep in mind that the online
community is in fact a community and you have to respect and understand the workings of this. Be
kind, be interesting and have something offer; remember the three ground rules of entering any
community, online and in real life. Creating a trusted online social network is not something that
happens over night. Give it some time before you decide if it is something you should continue doing.
It is better to be actively present on one or two channels than to be present, but not active on all
channels that are offered. Be active on the channels that work for Paperclip Agency and where the
target group is situated.
One very important last note: social media is evolving every single day, channels appear and
disappear, features are added and rules are changed. Staying up to date with these innovations and
changes is necessary in order to achieve success with social media marketing.
49
7. References
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Hoboken, New Jersey, USA: John Wiley & Sons.
Brogan, C. (2012). Google+ for Business; How Google's Social Network Changes Everything.
Indianapolis, IN, USA: QUE.
Bush, R. M. (2012). Google Plus Marketing Made Easy. Ryan Michael Bush.
Calvo, G. (2012, April 6). MySpace marketing is alive and flourishing. Opgeroepen op 6 28, 2012, van
articlesbase.com: http://www.articlesbase.com/marketing-tips-articles/myspace-marketing-is-aliveand-flourishing-5806251.html
Carlson, N. (2010, March 5). How Facebook was Founded - Business Insider. Retrieved 2012 йил 7May from Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-facebook-was-founded-2010-3#wecan-talk-about-that-after-i-get-all-the-basic-functionality-up-tomorrow-night-1
ComScore, inc. (2011, April 26). ComScore; press release; The Netherlands Ranks #1 Worldwide in
Penetration for Twitter and Linkedin. Opgeroepen op January 11, 2012, van ComScore:
http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2011/4/The_Netherlands_Ranks_number_o
ne_Worldwide_in_Penetration_for_Twitter_and_LinkedIn
Freebase. (2010). Freebase Social Network Service Facts. Opgeroepen op July 1, 2012, van
Freebase.com: http://www.freebase.com/view/en/social_network_service
Friedrichsen, M., & Kurad, A. (2006). Brand Marketing in the Music Industry: Record Labels as Brands
- Opportunities Especially for Independents. Brand Marketing in the Music Industry. Dresden.
Hunt, T. (2009). The Whuffie Factor. New York, USA: Crown Business.
Hyves. (2011). Over Hyves. Opgeroepen op May 24, 2012, van Hyves: http://www.hyves.nl/over/facts/
Jungle Minds. (2010, Januari). www.jungleminds.nl. Opgeroepen op December 2011, van Jungle
Minds:
http://www.jungleminds.nl/upload/public/file/2010/Social_Media_Update_2010_Jungle_Minds.pdf
KLM. (2010). Wolkenridder. Amsterdam: KLM.
Kotler, P., Wong, V., Saunders, J., & Armstrong, G. (2005). Principles of Marketing (Fourth European
Edition ed.). Harlow, Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited.
Miniwatts Marketing Group. (2012). Facebook Growth and Penatration - 2011-2012 Facebook
Statistics. Opgeroepen op April 24, 2012, van World Internet Stats :
http://www.internetworldstats.com/facebook.htm
Morrison Foerster LLP. (2011). MoFo - Socially Aware. Opgeroepen op December 2011, van MoFo:
http://www.mofo.com/files/Uploads/Images/A-Short-History-of-Social-Media.pdf
Passman, D. S. (2004). all you need to know about the music business. London, UK: penguin books.
Patridhe, C. (2012, April 3). The Times Business Masterclass. Opgeroepen op 6 6, 2012, van The
Times: http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/public/smallbusinessmasterclass/article3369517.ece
Pring, C. (2012, March 21). The Social Skinny - 100 social media, mobile and internet statistics for
2012 (March). Opgeroepen op May 24, 2012, van The Social Skinny: http://thesocialskinny.com/100social-media-mobile-and-internet-statistics-for-2012/
Rosen, E. (2009). The Anatomy of Buzz Revisited. New York City, NY, USA: doubleday.
Safko, L. (2010). The Social Media Bible. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
50
ScienceDaily. (2012, June 26). Facebook Makes Us Feel Good About Ourselves, Research Finds.
Opgeroepen op July 1, 2012, van Sceince Daily:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/06/120626115241.htm
Solomon, M., Bamossy, G., Askegaard, S., & Hogg, M. K. (2006). Consumer Behaviour, A European
Perspectibe (Third ed.). Harlow, Essex, England: Pearson Education Limited.
Twitter. (2011, September 8). Twitter Blog: One Hundred Million Voices. Opgeroepen op May 24,
2012, van Twitter Blog: http://blog.twitter.com/2011/09/one-hundred-million-voices.html
Van Lanschot Bankiers. (2012). Van Lanschot Familiebedrijven Barometer. Amsterdam: Van
Lanschot.
Verde, A. (2012, January 2). SlideShare, amover, LinkedIn Demographics & Statistics. Opgeroepen
op May 24, 2012, van SlideShare: http://www.slideshare.net/amover/linkedin-demographics-statisticsjan-2012
Weinberg, T. (2009). The New Community Rules, Marketing On The Social Web. Sebastopol, USA:
O'Reilly.
Zimmerman, J., & Sahlin, D. (2010). Social Media Marketing All In One for Dummies. Hoboken, New
Jersey, USA: Wiley Publishing.
51
Appendix
Appendix I: Starting point Paperclip Agency
Paperclip Agency is a small European booking agency that is located in Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
They represent artists from all over the world in Europe. Two partners Rob Berends and Hilde Spille
own and operate the company.
An interview was done with Hilde Spille to define the starting point of this research. In this interview it
became clear that Paperclip Agency set three major objectives.
1. Attract more (well known) artists
2. Create an increase in booked shows
3. Increase the revenue
To achieve these objectives Paperclip Agency wants to know if they can make use of social media
marketing. Their main question regarding social media was where and how they can find their clients
in the online social network environments. An online survey was used to analyze this of which the
results can be found in chapter 4.
The use of online social networks by other booking agencies was researched with the use of a matrix,
which was also used to define the starting point of paperclip agency in this matter.
Facebook
Yes
(Event
Shares with
no extra
comments)
Twitter
Yes
LinkedIn
Yes
(personal
profile)
Myspace
Not
applicable
Google+
Not
applicable
Content
Personal
No
No
Yes
(blogs are
professional
with a
personal
twist)
Not
applicable
Not
applicable
Frequency
(average
posts per
week)
4
2
4
Not
applicable
Not
applicable
Interaction
(average
openly
accessible
interactions
per week)*
0
1
0
Not
applicable
Not
applicable
Content
Professional
52
* Nature of interactions: work related, last conversation was a technical service question for their
webhost.
Links on company website to social media: links are all visible on the websites main page.
An important factor for constructing the online social network marketing strategy is that Hilde indicated
that both Rob and herself would have approximately an hour a day they can spend on social media,
this means that per day they would have two man hours that can be spend on social media related
tasks.
Target Group
Paperclip Agency has several target groups: venues & festivals, artists & managers, press and
industry contacts. This research focuses on the artists & artist managers group.
This group can be defined in the following way.
Artists and artist managers from all over the world having an interest in playing shows in Europe. The
age group is broad, and reaches from 25 – 65, some artists will probably be younger than 25, they
usually have an older manager working for them though. These include both male and female with a
60-40% spread, in which 60% is male and 40% is female. There is no specific genre focus within the
company, so this target group can operate in any genre possible.
53
Appendix II: The social media etquettes as written by Tamar Weinberg.
Social media mimics real relationships in many cases. Would you do the following in real, face-to-face
relationships?

Jump on the friendship bandwagon without properly introducing yourself?

Consistenly talk about yourself and promote only yourself without regard for those around
you?

Randomly approach a friend you barely talk to simply to ask for favors, repeatedly?

Introduce yourself to another as “Pink House Gardening?”
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, you may need a refresher course on social media
etiquette – and perhaps real-life etiquette also. Here are some egregious sins that you must not
perform on social media sites. Avoid these violations and learn how to manage and maintain online
relationships on a variety of popular social media sites.
Facebook

Adding users as friends without proper introductions. If you’re looking to make friends, tell
people who you are. Don’t assume they know you, especially if they don’t/

Abusing application invites and consistently inviting friends to participate in vampire games.
Many call this spam.

Abusing group invites. If your friends are interested. They’ll likely join without your
‘encouragement.’ And if they don’t accept. Don’t send the group request more than once by
asking them to join via email, wall post, or Facebook message.

Turning your Facebook profile photo into a pitch so that you can gather leads through your
Facebook connections. Thanks, but no thanks. Facebook is about real friendships and not
about business- at least nit primarily.

Using a fake name as you Facebook name. I can’t tell how many people I’ve come across
with the last name “Com” or “Seo”. I’m not adding you unless you can be honest about how
you are. Once upon a time Facebook deleted all of the accounts that portrayed people as
business entities or things. I wish Facebook would employ the same tactics again, because I
am not adding a fake identity as a friend.

Publicizing a private conversation on a wall post. In case it isn’t obvious, Facebook wall posts
are completely public to all your friends (unless you tweak your privacy settings). Private
matters should be handled privately via e-mail or in Facebook private messages.

Tagging individuals in unflattering pictures that may end up costing your friends their jobs.
Visit http://www.valleywag.com/tech/your-privacy-is-an-illusion/bank-intern-busted-by-
facebook-321802.php to read about a particular embarrassing incident for one Facebook
user who had his picture posted in this matter. Avoid the unnecessary commentary also,
especially on your childhood pictures that portray your tagged friends as chubby and not so
populat. Further, if your friends request to be untagged, don’t make a a stink out of it.
54

Forgetting that some individuals won’t network with you in a “personal” space like Facebook
without knowing who you are, even with the proper introduction. If you’re looking to establish
a professional relationship with someone, consider LinkedIn. Otherwise, consider building up
a rapport with an individual before randomly adding her as your friend. Some people require
face-to-face meetings before they invite you into their private lives. After all, Facebook was a
tool that college students were using before it was open to the public and still use it as a
purely personal and not a professional tool.
Twitter

Following a user and then unfollowing him before he has a chance to follow you. Or
unfollowing him as soon as he follows you.

Mass-following everyone so that you can artificially inflate your numbers as a success metric
for influence.

Consitently using your Twitter stream for nothing but self-promotion and ego.

Requesting that your friends retweet your tweets on a consistent basis. This is much more
bothersome when the request comes via IM or e-mail and not on Twitter itself. The bottom
line: if your content is good enough to stand on its own, it will be retweeded. There is no
reason to make a personal request (and if it doesn’t stand on it’s own, it usually doesn’t need
to to be retweeded).

Not humanizing your profile. Twitter is also about real relationships. Add an avatar and a bio
at the minimum. Let people know who you are. To take it a step further, make it easy for
people to contact you outside Twitter if necessary. This is especially important if someone on
Twitter needs to reach you but can’t direct message you since you’re not following her. If she’s
making the effort, it’s probably because she really wants to talk to you.

Streaming only your blog’s RSS feed on Twitter. If you’re following anyone who does this, feel
free to take my advice and unfollow him right now. He won’t engage with you, so why engage
with his narcissistic self-promotion?

Using Twitter to repeat personal and confidential correspondence. If you’re not happy with the
way and email communication progressed about a private matter, take it up with the person
involved to square things away. Certainly, don’t broadcast your dissatisfaction with the turnout
to your entire Twitter audience. It looks unprofessional for you and makes you appear
untrustworthy.

Leveraging your Twitter connections to send spam via direct messages to those who follow
you. Two days later, you may be wondering why they don’t follow you anymore.

Abusing Twitter hashtags during a crisis. It’s a shame that the Mumbai attacks happened, but
this was not the opportunity to capatilize on your CRM software.

Using your Twitter feed as a chat room for conversations that are exclusive in nature and not
as a broadcast medium. It’s nice that Twitter lets you use the @ symbol to talk directly to
individuals, and that’s fine in moderation. As a friend recently said to me, “I’m tired of my
Twitter feed being a [private] conversation between person X, person Y and person Z” Why
don’t the three of you get a room? Twitter user cheapsuits sums it up nicely when emphasis
55
here is on chat rooms that exclude other individuals in conversations that not provide value. At
all. Ever.
LinkedIn

Gathering all the e-mail addresses of users you are connected to- even locating e-mail
addresses of LinkedIn Group managers- and utilizing this mailing list to promote your own
company or service offsite. For example, I manage a few LinkedIn groups, so my e-mail
address is far more visible on the site than I’d like. I’m not connected to the LinkedIn individual
who spammed me, but he still took the liberty of using my e-mail address for his personal gain
in a completely unsolicited fashion. Perhaps this individual lost sight of the fact that LinkedIn is
a professional network and not a spam facilitator. Even so, recipients should still be required
to opt in.

Asking for endorsements from individuals you don’t know or who didn’t do a good job in your
employ.

Writing a recommendation for someone and then firing her just a few days later.
Other social sites

Joining a new social network and then inviting everyone you’ve ever emailed in your lifetime to
the service by submitting your entire Gmail address book when the service requests it.
Reading the fine print is wonderful – and you should never volunteer your e-mail account’s
password to the social site anyway. It’s also helpful to keep in mind that your e-mail account
password should not be the same as your social profiles, and that’s not a question of
etiquette- it’s common sense!
Finally, a word on social media etiquette in general
You’re leaving your digital signature on the Internet right now. Think about the consequences
your
engagement on any social site. Racial slurts, criticism without warrant, and blatant abuse don’t work in
real life, and they likewise have no place in the use of social media channels simply because you are
far more anonymous on these sites. If you were living in New York and you walked up to a stranger
with the same full-mouthed comments that are rampant on many social media sites, you may never
make it home. Consider how your comment will be perceived before you actually post them and think
about logic before emotions at all times. Above all, think about maintaining a certain level of
professionalism, since people can use whatever you make “permanent” on these sites against you.
Not all blogs will remove a comment after you’ve requested that they do so, simply because you were
angry when you wrote it. Before you hit post, realize that this will be a permanent reflection on your
identity and that it may never be erased. It may even be used against you.
Conclusion
Remember that social media communities are real relationships and real conversations, and you
should treat them as such. It’s not a me, myself and I mentality. It’s about collective, the community,
and the common good. (Weinberg, 2009, pg 327-334)
56
Appendix III: Measuring matrix
Company
name
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Myspace
Google+
Content
Professional
Content
Personal
Frequency
(average
posts per
week)
Interaction
(average
openly
accessible
interactions
per week)*
57
Appendix IV: Questionnaires
English questionnaire
58
59
60
61
Dutch questionnaire
62
63
64
65
Appendix V: Frequency Tables e-newsletters
Appendix Table 1
I would choose getting an e-newsletter over social media updates
(International respondents)
N = 64
P= Unknown
Cumulative
Frequency
Valid
Strongly Agree
Valid Percent
Percent
2
3.1
3.2
3.2
Agree
12
18.8
19.0
22.2
Neutral
31
48.4
49.2
71.4
Disagree
14
21.9
22.2
93.7
4
6.3
6.3
100.0
63
98.4
100.0
1
1.6
64
100.0
Strongly Disagree
Total
Missing
Percent
System
Total
Appendix Table 2
I would choose getting an e-newsletter over social media updates
(Dutch respondents)
N = 35
P = Unknow
Cumulative
Frequency
Valid
Percent
Valid Percent
Percent
Strongly Agree
1
2.9
2.9
2.9
Agree
8
22.9
22.9
25.7
Neutral
7
20.0
20.0
45.7
13
37.1
37.1
82.9
Strongly Disagree
5
14.3
14.3
97.1
No opinion
1
2.9
2.9
100.0
35
100.0
100.0
Disagree
Total
66
Appendix VI: Filled out measurig matrixes for competitor analysis
Friendly
Fire
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Myspace
Google+
Content
Professional
Yes
Yes
Not
available
Not
available
Content
Personal
No
No
Yes, but
limited (no
website)
Yes, on
personal
employees
profiles.
Not
available
Not
available
Frequency
(average
posts per
week)
1 a month
2 per week,
mostly
retweets.
None
Not
available
Not
available
Interaction
(Interactions
per week)
None visible
1 per week
(most posts
are
interaction
posts)
None visible
Not
available
Not
available
Nature of interactions: answering questions from customers and responding to artist/employees.
Links to social media on website: twitter feed is visible, other links are not found.
Agents
After All
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Myspace
Google+
Content
Professional
Yes
Yes
Yes
Not
available
Not
available
Content
Personal
No
No
Not
available
Not
available
Frequency
(posts per
week)
3
20
(including
retweets)
On personal
profiles
employees
None
Not
available
Not
available
Interaction
(Interactions
per week)
None visible
None visible
None visible
Not
available
Not
available
Nature of interactions: no visible interactions
Links to social media on website: no links found
67
1Management
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Myspace
Google+
Content
Professional
Yes
Yes
Not
available
Yes
Not
available
Content
Personal
No
No
Not
available
No
Not
available
Frequency
(posts per
week)
8
2 (no
retweets
visible)
Not
available
Connected
to Twitter,
so 2.
Not
available
Interaction
(Interactions
per week)
None visible
None visible
Not
available
None visible
Not
available
Note: they have a customized Facebook page with news, artists and calendar tabs, this content is non
sharable.
Nature of interactions: no visible interactions
Links to social media on website: all social media links are visible on the main website page.
Toutpartout
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Myspace
Google+
Content
Professional
Yes
Yes
Not
available
Yes
Not
available
Content
Personal
No
Yes
Not
available
No
Not
available
Frequency
(posts per
week)
1
18
(including
retweets)
Not
available
None
Not
available
Interaction
(Interactions
per week)
None visible
2
Not
available
None visible
Not
available
Nature of interactions: answering questions from customers
Links to social media on website: all social media links are visible on the main website page.
68