Foranije SE is a start-up of ten student of Fontys International Business School Venlo. From December 2012 the company will produce and sell pillow cases divided in the three product lines "Morning After", "Spotlight", and "On My Mind" under the head of the brand PillowU. While the target group mainly contains young people in the age of 14 to 29 living in Germany, an online shop enables customers from other regions to also buy the products.
As the main aim of the company is to gain hold in the market within the limited time in business (until summer 2013), a rapidly growing consumer base is needed. Customers are believed to not buy several products, following that the off-line target group is too small to contain the necessary number of potential buyers. Therefore, the company concentrates on online customers. A viral effect is hoped to occur by the use of social media as suitable to the target group’s preferences. Since the financial success of the entire enterprise relies strongly on this viral growth of fans, it is of utmost importance to find out how Foranije can ensure this viral effect to occur.
Facebook is the most important tool for the company. Not only is the experience of the relevant members of Foranije large enough, also it is the most appealing way of communication for the target group as it is free, easy to integrate in the user’s everyday life, and offers a wide range of possible content. This content may be divided into two categories: written- and visual posts.
Having defined visual posts as the area of research, mainly because of the large amount of potential content, such as videos, images, photos, or polls, the detailed research question is concerned with the details of Foranije’s visual content. The final outcome of this report gives the best way the online section of the marketing department can draw up their content strategy in terms of visual posts.
While the three main types of visual content on Facebook, photos and images, videos, and polls, all offer the chance of viral growth, only one type can be described in detail due to limitations of this report. Out of these three possible solutions, photos and images are chosen as the best solution. They not only offer the largest range of potential posts, they are also time- and money-effective and are believed to be meaningful to the members of the online target group.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Company description and specific company problem definition
2.1 Company description
2.2 General company definition
2.3 Selection and definition of specific company problem
Chapter 3: Selection of main research problem definition
3.1 Selection and definition of general field of research
3.2 Selection and definition of detailed research question
Chapter 4: Designing potential solutions
4.1 Determination and description of possible solutions
4.2 Relevant criteria
Chapter 5: Conclusion and recommendations
5.1 Conclusion
5.2 Recommendations
Chapter 6: Critical appraisal
Research Objectives and Focus
The study aims to establish an effective content strategy for the startup "PillowU" on Facebook to generate viral growth of its fan base, ultimately driving sales within a limited market presence period.
- Analysis of social media dynamics for startups.
- Evaluation of visual versus written content strategies.
- Selection of optimal visual content formats (photos, videos, or polls).
- Development of recommendations for maximizing fan engagement and sharing.
- Assessment of Facebook algorithmic constraints (EDGE Rank).
Excerpt from the Book
3.1 Selection and definition of general field of research
Facebook is the most important tool for communication towards and with the customer (Foranije 2012). Following that, a large amount of time will spend to update content and posts in order to increase the page’s range. Apart from being informed about the products for a start, visual and written input by the company is the main reason for potential customers to like the page and engage themselves. If this content does not appeal to the users, the desired effect, the hype, is in danger of not appearing. There are several ways input can damage the performance of the page. Posts might not be interesting for customers. This could be the case when featuring stories of the people behind Foranije, while people are actually only interested in the products themselves. Also, there may be times without new developments or events to be communicated. Then Foranije is taking the risk of not being remembered by the fans and the posts will not be featured on the user’s home page anymore. Furthermore, the topic ‘pillow cases’ is generally not be thought of as highly interesting or exiting. Posts are at risk of being seen as boring or unnecessary, which could also lead to less interaction and following that missing recommendations of the products and the page.
Summary of Chapters
Chapter 1: Introduction: Outlines the shift from traditional media to digital technologies and introduces the student company Foranije and its brand PillowU.
Chapter 2: Company description and specific company problem definition: Details the company background and defines the core problem: the need for rapid brand awareness through a viral marketing strategy on Facebook.
Chapter 3: Selection of main research problem definition: Analyzes the challenges of content relevancy and the risks associated with the existing Facebook fan base, narrowing down the focus to visual content.
Chapter 4: Designing potential solutions: Evaluates three potential solutions—photos, videos, and polls—based on target group suitability and resource feasibility.
Chapter 5: Conclusion and recommendations: Recommends using photos and images as the primary viral marketing tool and provides guidelines for their implementation and testing.
Chapter 6: Critical appraisal: Critically reviews the study's findings in light of the opaque nature of Facebook's EDGE Rank algorithm.
Keywords
Viral marketing, Facebook, PillowU, Foranije, social media, content strategy, fan base, visual content, engagement, online marketing, startup, digital communication, brand awareness, user participation, EDGE Rank.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this study?
The study focuses on establishing a viral marketing strategy for the startup Foranije to increase its Facebook fan base and brand awareness for the product brand PillowU.
What are the central themes of the document?
The central themes include social media communication, the effectiveness of different content types (visual vs. written), and strategies for maximizing user engagement on Facebook.
What is the primary research question?
The core research question is: "What should visual posts of PillowU look like in order to be shared to increase the number of Facebook fans?"
Which scientific methods are employed?
The study utilizes theoretical analysis of social media marketing principles and applies these theories to the specific situation of the startup, complemented by decision criteria and case observations.
What does the main body of the report cover?
It covers company profiling, problem identification, the evaluation of potential content solutions, and the final formulation of strategic recommendations for Facebook content.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
Key terms include viral marketing, Facebook, startup business, content strategy, engagement rate (EPM), and brand visibility.
Why are polls not considered the best solution for Foranije?
Polls are rejected because they generally show low interaction rates and are rarely perceived as interesting enough by users to trigger the necessary sharing behavior for viral growth.
How does the report address the "EDGE Rank" problem?
The report acknowledges that the lack of public access to the EDGE Rank algorithm makes content planning difficult, thus necessitating a strategy focused on content quality and relevance to bypass these challenges.
- Citation du texte
- Matti Schurr (Auteur), 2012, Ensuring a viral growth of the Facebook fan base for PillowU, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/206336
