Social Medias

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The Department of Business 

Uppsala University            

Master Thesis  Spring 2010   

 

   Social Medias 

Do NGOs use these communication tools     effectively? 

     

Authors: Mentor:

Viktoria Hallberg Pontus Fryk

Frida Samuelsson

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Social Medias ‐ Do NGOs use these communication tools effectively?

 

Thank You!

We would like to take this opportunity to say thank you to all people that have been involved with the work for this thesis. First of all, we want to thank the contact persons and interviewees of the organisations who took their time to share information with us; Ann Bülow, Emma Brossner-Skawonius, Gunilla Carlsson, Monica Brundin Danielsson and Erik Törner from Individuell Männsikohjälp. Marita Good, Anne Sörensen and Dennis Törner from Hoppets Stjärna and last Anna Hötzel and Simon Brouwers from Röda Korset. Also thank you to Pontus Fryk, our mentor, for all your guidance and support during our work. Finally, thank you to everyone who has helped through reading and making comments. This thesis would not have been possible without you!

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Abstract

Social medias have become an important influence of consumer behaviour where one person can communicate with hundreds or thousands of other people about products and companies. This study examines how NGOs make use of social medias in their market communication today, if the use is effective and how the effectiveness can improve in the future. Interviews with representatives from three Swedish NGOs within humanitarian work showed that the use of social medias as a market communication tool today is not effective according to predominant theory. There is awareness among the organisations of a new market structure where consumers possess more power than before, but this is something NGOs need to act further upon.

The most vital issues for NGOs to consider in the future are, developing a strategy for their work with social medias, committing resources and harnessing the possible benefits of eWOM.

Key words: Social medias, NGOs, Effectiveness, Market communication, eWOM, Key success factors, Measuring attributes

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  REFERENCE LIST... A  ATTACHED FILE 1 - TILOT SURVEY... E  ATTACHED FILE 2 – TNTERVIEW GUIDE...F   

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1. Introduction

1.1 Background

he development of applications on the Internet has changed the area of marketing and communication. Marketing, as a one-way process, has with the new applications of today developed into a two-way process where brand and audience characterizes the market situation. Solely sending a message to a group of people has progressed to include receiving and exchanging ideas and perceptions (Drury 2007:275). Constantinides & Fountain (2007:232) and Mangold &

Faulds (2009:358) discuss how the market power, as a result of peoples’ individual and group behaviour, has affected the power structures in the marketplace between producers and consumers. Today, consumers can easily receive a great amount of information about a certain product or company and, in contrast to traditional sources of advertising, consumers receive higher confident and easier access to so called social media channels, also referred to as consumer-generated media (Mangold &

Faulds 2009:360).

In 2005 when the Web 2.0¹ was presented by O`Reilly a greater interest in the field of social medias took place (Constantinides & Fountain, 2007:234). Facebook exceeded 300 million users in 2009, which implicates a rapid growth for influence (Zuk, 2009).

In Sweden, the daily use of Internet has had a growth from 52 per cent in 2007 to 62 per cent in 2009 for the population in total. The equivalent quantity for people aged 16 – 35 years exceeds 80 per cent (Findahl, 2009:6). Among the internet activities that have increased in amount of users between 2007 and 2009 in Sweden are; search for information and facts (from 79 to 84 per cent), read Blogs (from 27 to 37 per cent) and visit communities (from 15 to 26 per cent) (Ibid:22). When comparing with 2007, being a member in a community, was three times higher in 2009 than 2007 (Ibid: 27).

1 “The term "Web 2.0" is commonly associated with web applications that facilitate interactive information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design and

collaboration on the World Wide Web” (Constantinides & Fountain, 2007:232)  

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  Non Governmental Organisations (NGOs), which can be defined as entities created by non-governmental agreements and are in line with not-for-profit organisations (Al – Qirim, 2007:108), are an example of organisations that have recognised this tool for communication. One reason for this is that social medias enable mobilisation of citizens across the globe efficiently at a minimal cost, hence spread information and attracts attention and funding (Seo et al., 2009:123).

1.1.1 Problem Discussion

In accordance with Drury (2008:274) this study attempts to emphasize on the social element instead of the media element when defining social media. Drury argues that companies often misunderstand the concept, due to their focus of “media” instead of

“social”. Content becomes more democratised than ever before by allowing people to share and interact with each other (Drury, 2008:274), which is an example of Word Of Mouth. Recently, Word Of Mouth has been greatly discussed between practitioners due to the development of social medias, where it is perceived as a feasible option to other more traditional marketing communication instruments (Trusov, 2009:90).

Constantinides & Fountain (2007) explicate the discussion regarding the importance of the user as the essential contributor in social medias, indicating a movement from mass media to a more personalised media. In this new market structure between consumer and producer, the question raised is; how effective are companies in using these communication tools? Constantinides & Fountain (2007:243) and Mangold &

Faulds (2009) emphasize an interesting future view of social medias as marketing tools and ways to maximise the effectiveness of them. The authors point out that the important issue in this matter refers to how social medias can be incorporated into the marketing strategy as an interesting field of study.

Due to low switching costs online it is vital for NGOs to constantly update their online communication. NGOs that cannot meet the growing demand from consumers regarding high quality online services will not be successful in the future (Hart et al., 2008:11). Furthermore, NGOs are not revenue driven organisations in the sense of

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  traditional companies since all revenue is invested in the core product. This is why the very nature of social medias as low-cost communication tools argues NGOs’ use of social medias to be an interesting area of study.

1.1.2 Purpose

The aim of this study is to examine the key drivers behind NGOs’ use of social medias, and how effective their use of these communication tools is. Furthermore, intend to present possibilities to increase effectiveness of the organisations´ use of these social medias. The effective use today along with possibilities to increase effectiveness in the future will be analysed according to predominant theory due to the infancy of social medias and the limited experience NGOs in Sweden have using these tools.

1.1.3 Research Questions

In order to do this, the following research questions are put forth:

1) Which are the key drivers for the use of social medias in NGOs?

2) How effective is NGOs’ use of social medias according to predominant theory?

3) How can NGOs in Sweden improve their effective use of social medias according to predominant theory?

Research question one attempts firstly to deliver an overview of the reasons in general regarding why the NGOs use social medias. In addition, specify key drivers for each of the social medias. Key drivers indicate the objectives and reasons for choosing this specific social media. The question is treated in an empirical view due to the lack of general guidelines of Swedish NGOs´ drivers of using social medias. Also, to better analyse research questions two and three it is of high relevance to achieve deeper knowledge concerning these issues as a solid foundation.

Questions two and three primarily have a theoretical view. Not conducting a quantitative study is due to the fact that social medias are in their infancies and has

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  only been used by studied NGOs for one to three years (Brundin Danielsson, IM;

Hötzel, RK; Good, HS) This makes it difficult to receive interesting results regarding how many people are using their social medias, and what positive effects the organisations can generate from them in quantitative measures. Consequently it is of higher interest to study what is done and how aware the organisations are regarding their use of social medias today, including which new possibilities and challenges these communications tools bring. The material gathered from the interviews is therefore analysed towards prevalent theory.  

Effectiveness can be defined as “doing the right thing”, which means managing the right activities and applying the best strategies for competitive advantage. From a process point of view, it is producing the required outputs and outcomes, in other words meeting objectives. Effectiveness may also refer to the relative importance of objectives for revenue, generation through online sales and improving internal process or supply chain efficiency (Chaffey, 2010). Efficiency is often mentioned in connection with effectiveness and can be defined as an assessment of actual production and what can be attained with the same use of resources such as money, time and labour (Business Dictionary, 2010). The effectiveness that will be of focus in this study includes the traditional view of achieving objectives but also the efficiency of internal processes used.

1.1.4 Delimitations

A substantial and thorough literature review including the most well known journals within the field of communication and marketing and also recent published books concerning the new communication environment has been performed. Conclusions are made that the majority of earlier research regarding social medias, both in general and concerning NGOs, has been carried out in the US. In Sweden there is a lack of research regarding social medias, especially within NGOs. In addition, Sweden was ranked as number two among 70 countries regarding usage imperative (Economist Intelligence Unit, 2010:5), which shows the importance Internet plays in the daily life for the Swedish population. Conclusively, these findings make the Swedish market an interesting object to study.

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  NGOs exist within several fields, however this paper focuses on Swedish NGOs working with humanitarian issues in developing countries. Recent media awareness regarding NGOs working with humanitarian work in development countries has received considerable publicity concerning their use of social medias (Bunz, 2010), therefore this direction of NGOs is chosen.

Several different social medias exist. Due to the nature of research questions two and three, it is not of interest to incorporate or analyse all kinds of social medias. Effort is put on analysing the effectiveness of the social medias frequently used by the studied organisations. Moreover, there is no intention to give recommendations regarding which social medias are most suitable for humanitarian NGOs in Sweden. Thus, in chapter four, the presentation of social medias includes only the ones used by the studied NGOs.

1.1.5 Scientific Contribution

This study mainly aims to evaluate effectiveness of NGOs´ use of social medias on the basis of established theory. The theory used is based on recognized and reputable studies and the result may provide valuable insights for practitioners in factors to consider when choosing social medias as a communication tool in the new market structure between consumer and producer.

1.2 Disposition

Theory

The theories and concepts discussed in this section have been chosen by reason of the focus on the social element within social medias. The discussion will end up in a model, figure 2, developed by the authors. This section will lie as a foundation for methods, empirical findings, analysis and conclusions.

Methods

In this section an argumentation regarding how the studied sample of the three

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  organisations represents the population among Swedish humanitarian NGOs is put forth. In addition, the interviewees within each organisation working with social medias on different levels are presented by name and work title. This section also includes an operationalisation of the interview guide to link the questions asked with theory and research questions.

Empirical Findings

As earlier mentioned, this study will solely incorporate the social medias used by the organisations studied. The empirical material is mainly collected through interviews with employees of the organisations. However, the information used for presenting the organisations and the social medias incorporated in this study have been obtained through secondary sources such as the organisations´ web pages, social medias´ web pages along with research articles.

Analysis

The findings are to be analysed and linked with theory and the model, figure 2. The different directions and concepts are analysed to illustrate how effective the organisations make use of social medias in their market communication and how effectiveness can be improved. However, due to the empirical nature of question one, this question is not further discussed in the analysis.

Conclusion

This section presents the key drivers for the use of social medias in the sample of organisations, whether social medias are used effectively and lastly how the effectiveness can be improved in the future.

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2. Theory

2.1 Literature Discussion

he main innovative aspect of social medias is how they allow users to contribute with content and content editing. These tools themselves are based on network effects similar to collective intelligence, which create a new value and development of practises for users (Constantinides & Fountain, 2007:234). In this present context it is crucial to learn more about communication and the possible influence social medias have. Furthermore to find suitable attributes measuring the effectiveness of social medias.

Kotler & Keller’s (2006 & 2009) theories and models are used as a foundation along with articles involving firstly Word Of Mouth (WOM) as it can be seen as the foundation of social media marketing and secondly views upon how to implement social medias within these models and theories. Also, several books regarding the new media environment and new possibilities of marketing are of importance when choosing theoretical concepts and models. The choice of literature and theories affect the study to focus on communication and two-way communication along with its possibilities and challenges. This leaves other elements of media marketing to the side, which implies other processes of marketing not to be analysed. Social media as an influential factor of consumer decision, as shown by Constantin & Fountanides (2007), is used to illustrate how social medias affect market communication.

Furthermore, theory regarding WOM & electronic Word Of Mouth (eWOM) is used to comprehensively examine how social medias affect the consumer and Trusov (2009) argues for WOMs link to customer acquisition. Scotts (2009) implications and Carlsson’s (2009) key success factors for using social medias are chosen to illustrate ways for NGOs to maximize the effectiveness in their daily work with social medias.

Finally, quantitative and qualitative measurements as presented by Owyang (2006) are used to highlight measuring as a part of effective use of social medias. However, these are developed for companies in general and not NGOs specifically. These

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  theories thereafter impregnate ensuing work as these topics are all processed in methods, empirical findings, analysis and conclusions.

Since the concept of social media was established in 2005 it is still in its infancy (Constantinides & Fountain, 2007:234). Therefore the majority of articles used are published, between 2007 and 2010, and are found in various business journals.

Furthermore, due to social medias infancy, there is a relatively small amount of research conducted earlier, which makes it difficult to find relevant articles. Most articles analysed discuss possibilities and positive effects of social medias; however it is also interesting to analyse the challenges of incorporating these communication tools in classical communication models. Literature regarding NGOs has been processed and evaluated as less feasible due to a lack of linkage with the use of social medias and therefore it is disregarded. Consequently, this study covers the awareness of possible risks and other challenging aspects with social medias used for achieving effective communication. Some articles commonly have a company or revenue driven organisation as starting point and therefore another type of view than this specific study, however the effectiveness is not considered to be affected by the nature of the organisation.

2.2 Marketing Communication in a New Market Structure

Marketing communication can be defined by how firms attempt to inform, persuade and remind consumers about their brands and products (Kotler & Keller, 2009:510). It is within marketing communications companies can establish dialogues and build relationships with consumers. Technology has had a great impact on how consumers process communications along with whether they choose to process them at all. Thus, marketers have to reconsider their traditional communication practices (Kotler &

Keller, 2009:511).

The market structure between consumers and producers is changing due to the increased use of social medias, hence it is no longer necessarily marketers who remind, inform and persuade the consumers. In this new situation, both consumers and companies can benefit. Companies benefit in the sense of collective intelligence;

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  the more users engaging in a specific social media, the more valuable and advanced it will be. As an outcome of this, companies can use feedback from consumers to constantly improve their products trough continuous real-time improvement and development instead of upgrading cycles (Constantinides & Fountain, 2007:236).

However, consumers are the main beneficiaries in this new situation, which will require new marketing strategies and approaches from the companies (Constantinides

& Fountain, 2007; Drury, 2008; Mangfauld & Faulds, 2009). Social medias can be perceived to be a more trustworthy source of information than company sponsored communication and consumers feel more engaged in products and organisations when given an opportunity to give feedback (Mangold & Faulds, 2009:357-361).

As mentioned in the problem discussion, an attempt to include social medias within a communication strategy is presented by Mangold & Faulds (2009:358), where social medias are considered to function as hybrid components of the promotional mix and therefore a part of the Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) strategy. IMC is a concept of marketing communications planning that identifies the surplus value of an extensive plan. With IMC a selection of communication instruments are strategically assessed and combined to provide consistency, clarity, and utmost influence through the integration of messages (Kotler & Keller, 2009:531). Integrating social medias as a part of the communication mix is in this study considered an important factor for effectiveness, hence this theoretical approach is measured to be of high relevance.

Mangfold & Faulds (2009) argue that social medias are hybrids due to their ability to combine traditional IMC tools (companies talking to consumer) with extravagant form of WOM (communication between consumers), the latter that is not controllable for marketing managers. Instead of using traditional sources of advertising consumers perceive higher confidence and easier access to social media channels than to traditional communication tools.

2.3 WOM, eWOM and New Communication Implications

WOM is according to Harrison-Walker (2001) defined as an “informal person-to- person communication between a perceived non-commercial communicator and receiver regarding a brand, a product, an organisation or a service” (Harrison-Walker,

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  cited in Okazaki 2009:440). Research by Trusov (2009) indicates a concrete and measurable link between customer acquisition and observed WOM in online social networks. The strong carry-over effects of WOM implicate referrals to have a very strong impact on new customer acquisition. The impact of WOM is found to be approximately 20 times higher than for other marketing events and 30 times higher than for media appearances (Trusov, 2009:98). Hence, the author argues that the ability to stimulate WOM, and eWOM, in the form of financial incentives should be evaluated by managers. This implicates NGOs use WOM for recruitment of donors and volunteers, which can be perceived as the customers of NGOs.

In the late 1990´s the concept of WOM was enlarged by the introduction of computerized communication (Okazaki, 2009:442). Although the effect of WOM in the consumer decision process has been long known for marketers, it has become even more important with the introduction of Internet where eWOM has evolved (Lee

& Youn, 2009:474). The concept allows information to be spread by people in virtual communities using electronic tools such as Blogs, website bulletin boards, chat and email (Okazaki, 2009:442). Strengths within eWOM, in compliance with traditional WOM, is that posts on personal Blogs and other social media is perceived to be a more trustworthy source of information in comparison to corporate-sponsored communication via a traditional promotion mix (Mangold & Faulds, 2009:360).

Social medias can be considered as extensions of WOM (Ibid:357) and eWOM, hence a theoretical framework regarding eWOM is chosen as an important factor in this context.

As a marketer, important lies within assessing the experiences and impressions that will influence at each phase of the buying process and evaluating how different communication options can be effective and efficient (Kotler & Keller, 2009:514).

Kotler & Keller (2009) divides the communication process models into two categories, macro and micro, and underline the importance of marketers to understand them both. The macro model presented by Kotler & Keller (2009:514), the communication process model, emphasizes the key elements in effective communication, including - sender - encoding - encoding - message - decoding -

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  receiver - response- feedback and sender. With social medias online marketers do not have the overall control due to uncontrollable user-generated communication tools as peer reviews, Blogs, social networks and online forums (Constantinides & Fountain, 2007:239). As mentioned earlier, this has changed the market structure and the power relationship between consumer and producer. Hence, the buying behaviour process described in the stimuli- processing- response model by Kotler & Keller (2006:539) needs to be adjusted. Constantinides & Fountains (2008:240) have presented a modified version, where additional factors of the new market structure are included, which constitute a model of high relevance to use in this context. The authors implicate that the consumer, due to the Internet, is influenced not only by traditional stimuli but also web experiences. According to the modified version (Figure 1), factors A and B, the long-established marketing mix and uncontrollable personal influencers, characterize the traditional stimuli for consumer behaviour. The online marketing mix and social medias result in another two stimuli; C, controllable corporate website and D, uncontrollable influences from social medias (Constantinides & Fountain, 2008:240). The consumer decision- making process becomes more complex with social medias, which implicates marketers to take this into consideration when formulating promotion and communication plans (Ibid).

Figure 1: Modified version of Inputs-Processing-Response model (Constantinides & Fountain, 2007:240)

A.  Traditional controllable stimuli 

Web Experience 

B. Traditional uncontrollable stimuli 

Processing center  Consumer decision 

Consumer feedback 

D. Social   medias 

Consumer 

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  Figure 1 clarifies how social medias and therein eWOM is an important factor of marketing communication today. Feedback through communications in social medias influences other consumers with wide reach and trustworthy nature, why social medias (D) are of relevance in this context and other factors are not chosen for further analysis.

2.4 How to use Social Medias Effectively

To optimize communication through social networking sites Scott (2009:238-239) suggests the following; 

• Define the intended audience 

• Show thought leadership and expertise in the market 

• Be authentic and transparent 

• Create many links to sites and Blogs in the industry and network 

• Encourage people to contact you and reach you online 

• Participate by creating groups and discussions 

• Make it easy to find you and encourage others to link to you 

• Experiment to learn new ways and means of reaching your target audience in the best way 

Carlsson (2009:91) expresses engagement as a key factor to get a positive result out of the use of social medias. Continuous involvement and continuous updates are required while practitioner must be aware that results may be delayed. Furthermore, Carlsson suggests the critical success factors for organisations to keep in mind when working with social medias. Commitment, due to its ability to possess a genuine interest in networking, as well as openness to new ways of communicating, as new channels of communication develop. Another factor mentioned is for the organisation to have a communication plan or at least a reasonably articulated strategy with clear targets but also display basic ability to adapt content to the intended audience and respond quickly to the outside world response (Ibid:97).  

In order to give the organisation the best conditions and chances to succeed in communicating, external factors to consider are mentioned. These can be addressed

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  within the organisation but also be purchased from outside. Employees may need training in social medias and the organisation need advice from experts when choosing media and content. Design and installation of the company Blog, educate future business bloggers, and external environment monitoring is also important to work with in order to maximise efficiency (Carlsson, 2009:99).

2.4.1 Measuring the Effectiveness

Kotler & Keller (2009:545) suggests three components as a base to measure media effectiveness; reach, frequency and impact. These components are well known and used, however developed for medias in general. Therefore they are not considered to be specific enough in the context of social medias, why these components are not used further in this study.

Measuring instruments more relevant for social medias are presented in the article

“ROI in social media: a look at the arguments” by Fisher (2009). In the article Owyang (2006) presents a guide on how to measure the effectiveness of social medias by proposing six attributes to consider when conducting a successful and effective communication strategy including social medias. Activity, including web analytics of Blog or site, Tone describing the sentiment of given comments, Velocity, amount of information spread over time, URLs and trackbacks, Attention, referring to the duration on site, Participation by consumers in form of comments and trackbacks and lastly many qualitative attributes as content of comments (Owyang 2006, cited in Fisher, 2009: 193).

2.5 Theory Summary and Theoretical Framework

The literature discussion summarises the most important factors for this study. The concepts and models discussed have their origins in the view of the new market structure between consumer and producer. However, although consumer effects are greater than companies’, both aspects have been discussed. The concept of eWOM can be considered as the main reason for social medias to be useful and effective

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  communication tools and recently the phenomenon have been seen as a possible alternative to traditional marketing communication tools. Internet ease the collecting of information for consumers and this is important for NGOs especially considering eWOM is a low-cost alternative for organisations and is also seen as trustworthy by the receiver. Social medias are created by consumers as feedback and influence other consumers in an uncontrollable way. Nevertheless there are still implications for management to reflect upon regarding this communication tool. For social medias to be an effective instrument for communication between organisation and consumers there are several key success factors to consider. Of importance is also to measure the effectiveness regarding the utilisation of resources along with the outcome and result.

Since social medias are tools and channels to communicate with consumers, the function of social medias must be a part of the IMC strategy.

The literature review has lead to the development of the model (Figure 2) that will be the theoretical framework and basis for the empirical study and analysis.

Figure 2. NGOs effective use of social medias

The developed model consists of four directions, (1, 2, 3 and 4) and two participants, (NGO and consumer), however all directions are to be analysed from an NGO point of view. Direction 1 consists of controlled NGO-to-consumer communication. This direction illustrates information being communicated by NGOs through social medias such as text, photos and videos along with what kinds of messages are sent and with what objective. Direction 2 illustrates uncontrollable consumer-to-consumer

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  communication and is where eWOM takes place. Consumer-to-NGO communication through social medias is illustrated in direction 3, which can be read as feedback from the consumers. This information might not be sent with the NGO as intended receiver, however NGOs can register qualitative attributes of what is discussed regarding them and their products and use this information as feedback. Direction 3 also illustrates measuring of quantitative components, such as activity, tone, velocity, attention and participation to establish effectiveness. Direction 4 demonstrates NGOs reacting and responding to consumer feedback where two-way communication is created.

Directions 1, 2 and 3 all infuse theory of Marketing Communication in a New Market Structure which include constant development and improvement of direct communication. This implied by feedback and collective intelligence from active scanning of social medias and received feedback. Social medias also need to be integrated with the overall communication (IMC). WOM, eWOM and New Communication Implications are illustrated in direction 2 where it is of high importance for NGOs to be aware of social medias and eWOM’s influence on consumer decision. Furthermore there is a strong linkage between eWOM referrals and member acquisition. Directions 1, 3 and 4 all illustrate implications for using social medias including both internal and external key success factors of How to use Social Medias Effectively. Direction 3 represents the components of measuring effectiveness with social medias presented in Measuring the Effectiveness.

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3. Methods

3.1 Choice of Method

ue to the aim of this study, and its attempt to describe and analyse the current situation in a specific context (Bryman & Bell, 2003:295), it is of high importance to collect detailed material consisting of higher quality knowledge regarding NGOs use of social medias. Therefore, a qualitative research method is used (Patel & Davidsson, 2003:12-14). Criticism of choosing this methodology lies within the fact that it can be difficult to replicate the study with the same result, due to social medias infancy and the social setting characterised by a constant development, which leads to generalisation problems (Bryman & Bell, 2003:298-301). However, this has been considered and a qualitative method is chosen due to the infancy of social medias and the short period of time these communication tools have been used by the sample of organisations. Social medias´ early stage of development is also why no intention to conduct a quantitative research with the aim to study correlation of factors for effectiveness exists. Hence analysing the usefulness of social medias within NGOs and how they can be used effectively is considered to be of higher interest.

Primary data is of focus. There are mainly two procedures for collecting primary data, through interviews and questionnaires (Eriksson & Wiedersheim-Paul, 2006:96). The aim is to create a dialogue between interviewee and interviewer regarding social medias and through this attain developed and deep answers. This is also why semi- structured interviews with employees at the organisations are the most suitable choice.

3.2 Sample of Organisations

To make the study interesting and comprehensible it is vital to make a choice, and to focus on NGOs specialising in one specific field (Rosengren & Arvidsson, 1983:82- 88). As earlier stated, this study focuses on NGOs working with humanitarian work.

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  When deciding the amount of organisations and what profile is most suitable for this study it is of importance to choose organisations that reflect the market of Swedish NGOs working with humanitarian aid to assure a probability sample (Bryman & Bell 2003:111). Different profiles regarding size, referring to the amount of members, and geographical dispersion of the organisations are of significance. The first organisation of interest is “Individuell Människohjälp” (IM), a small organisation with 38 000 donors and head quarter in the south of Sweden but offices all over Sweden (IM, 2010). Although the organisation has nationwide engagement, a substantial part of its members come from local areas (Brossner-Skawonius, IM). “Hoppets Stjärna” has 20 000 donors in Sweden, though, also engagement in Finland, Norway and the US. This is the second organisation chosen due to its small size, however with international engagement (Hoppets Stjärna, 2010). The last organisation chosen for this study is Röda Korset, The Swedish Red Cross, which is the biggest humanitarian NGO in Sweden with 280 000 donors (Röda Korset, A, 2010,) with engagement nationwide as well as worldwide. The three organisations chosen for the study are all NGOs working with humanitarian issues in Sweden, why they are considered to be interesting samples to study. Due to their diversified profile regarding size and dispersion, the sample of organisations represents a substantial part of the population and is therefore considered a valid sample.

3.3 Pilot Survey

Before constructing the latter and more analysing research questions, number two and three, the intention is to receive an overview regarding the use of social medias among NGOs. This is why research question one “Which are the key drivers for the use of social medias in NGOs?” is put forth. A pilot survey is performed, consisting of five questions sent to all the interviewees in emails (see attached file 1). The questions are developed to receive specific answers regarding the different social medias the NGOs use, additionally it is of importance to achieve answers including key drivers for each of these social medias. The positive aspect of conducting the pilot survey is the possibility to achieve an overall picture regarding NGOs use of social

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  medias, as it gives ideas and directions regarding useful concepts, models and views to incorporate.

3.4 Selection of Respondents

The choice of interviewees within the three organisations is a vital step in the work process. Due to the knowledge and daily work regarding social medias of the contact person within each organisation, this study is comfortable of giving them the responsibility to choose interviewees most suitable. To achieve a broader picture concerning social medias within NGOs, an ambition is to have interviewees working with social medias on different levels. This information is given to the contact person in each organisation before the process of choosing interviewees is carried out.

Interviewees

Individuell Människohjälp

Emma Brossner-Skawonius, Fundraiser: Her primary assignments are face-to-face, telemarketing and fundraising on the web. Employed since 2008.

Monica Brundin Danielsson, Press secretary and Communicator: She is responsible for what is written about IM in media, along with other issues that can be of interest for the organisation. Furthermore, constantly in search for good stories regarding IM that can be of interest for journalists. Employed since 2008.

Erik Törner, In charge of Web: He is responsible of web page content, works as a communicator, develop movies and writes online texts. Employed since 2001.

Hoppets Stjärna

Marita Good, Marketer: She works with all written information published online and in print. Responsible for information sent to donors every month as well as all advertising matters. Employed since 1995.

Anne Sörensen, In charge of HS in Oslo: She is in charge of the overall activities and responsible for all activities on the net including social medias.

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  Dennis Thern, Donor relations and communication: He is reporting from operations and Internet based sponsorship. Employed since 2006.

Röda Korset

Anna Hötzel, In charge of external communication in Skåne and Halland: She works 50 % at the region and 50% at Humanitetens Hus, Röda Korset in Malmö. Everything she does is directed toward media and people. Employed since 2009.

Simon Brouwers, In charge of communication - RKUF (Röda Korset Ungdoms

Förbund): He works with the external communication on a national level since 2007.

3.4.1 Conducting the Interviews

Due to geographical dispersion both personal, telephone and email interviews are conducted (Bryman & Bell, 2003:120-121) during the spring of 2010. Personal interviews are preferable to create more of a conversation regarding social medias and to establish a confidence with the interviewees. Importance is also placed on the body language of the interviewee; whether the person is confident and is reading all the information from a manual (Eriksson & Wiedersheim-Paul, 2006:99). Awareness of these issues is forthcoming and presumed to contribute to the data collection.

Bryman & Bell (2003:120-121) suggest the interviewees can be affected by characteristics in a personal interview, indicating that the interviewee may reply in a way they feel is most desirable for the interviewer. However, this negative aspect is considered very low as well for personal interviews due to the constant two-way communication between the interviewees and the interviewers from the very start of this study. This has reassured that the interviewees are well aware of by whom and in what interest the interviews are conducted. Some interviews were conducted via telephone and email where the lack of physical presence removes this possible bias extensively (Ibid:120).

When conducting telephone and email interviews it is not possible to ask questions too complicated or sensitive, and therefore the possibility of interview effects are higher than in a personal situation (Eriksson & Wiedersheim-Paul, 2006:99). As

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  mentioned earlier, receiving deep and considered answers are of high vitality and conducting email interviews initiates a higher commitment and motivation from the interviewee. Due to this, answers are more considered and detailed, however the possibility to ask follow-up questions is limited (Ibid:506).

Due to the interviews being the foremost source of data, tape-recording of all interviews is vital. This enables to examine and listen in detail to answers several times, thus not oversee any information interesting for this study. Nevertheless, recording can have negative effects. The thought of the answer being maintained and spread can affect the interviewee to feel uncomfortable and not answer as truthfully as if the recorder was not there. To reduce the negative aspect, interviewees are asked in advance to agree to record the interview. Furthermore, transcribing the interviews is a very time-consuming job (Bryman & Bell, 2003:354-355) but enables for the interviewee to read through the transcribed material to add or delete incorrect material. All interviewees are given opportunity to confirm transcribed material and all information is confirmed without any significant changes.

3.5 Operationalisation

Due to the aim of this study, performing semi-structured interviews with a flexible approach with open questions giving the interviewer a possibility to follow up a lead or ask questions when answers given are inconsistent (Bryman & Bell, 2003:355- 356). When developing the interview form (attached file 2) focus is to avoid leading or too direct questions, but rather to develop questions around views upon theories, concepts and models discussed in the theory section. The questions are asked in consideration to create a good conversation around social medias with the interviewee. Interview questions are linked to the theoretical framework accordingly.

Due to research question one: “Which are the key drivers for the use of social medias in NGOs?” a pilot survey is performed to firstly achieve an overview of which social medias the sample of organisations use. Secondly to investigate the key drivers which incorporate the objectives and reasons for why social medias are chosen (attached file 1). Some questions are re-asked during the interviews in a different approach to give

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  the interviewer the possibility to ask questions for follow up or regarding uncertainties from the answers given in the pilot survey (attached file 1, question 2 and 3).

In section 2.2 “Marketing communication in a new market structure”, a view of social medias as hybrids of the promotional mix is presented, due to their ability to combine traditional IMC tools with WOM between consumers. This implicates that marketers need to take this tool into consideration when developing their communication strategy (questions 1 and 16). In section 2.3, “WOM, eWOM and new communication implications”, a modified version of the communication model The Stimuli Processing Response Model is presented. These two views of incorporating social medias within a traditional communication strategy and model are included to better visualise how the new market structure between consumer and producer influence the process of developing effective communication, including social medias. eWOM holds a discussion about how social medias increase the effect of traditional WOM and does not only incorporate challenges but also possibilities for the companies (Questions 11, 12, 13 and 15). Scott (2009) suggests in part 2.4 “How to use social medias”, a series of different attributes to consider when optimising communication with social medias. Furthermore, Carlsson (2009) discusses the importance of different factors to consider to receive positive results of the use of social medias:

engagement, commitment, training of personnel, developing a strategy and plan and environment monitoring (question 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 and 14). In the section 2.4.1,

“Measure effective communication” factors regarding measuring the effectiveness are discussed and explained (question 7, 8 and 17). Above interview questions and theories are linked to research question two; “How effective is NGOs’ use of social medias according to predominant theory”?

Finally, regarding research question three; “How can NGOs in Sweden improve their effective use of social medias according to a theoretical perspective?” all theoretical views discussed are considered (questions 18, 19 and 20).

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3.6 Validity and Reliability

External Reliability

As for most qualitative studies, this study is highly depending on the social settings and surrounding circumstances. In this case, with social medias as a rather new concept, development and knowledge among both consumers and producers will increase over time. Therefore it can be difficult to replicate this study and receive the same result (Bryman & Bell, 2003:288). However, one can find interesting results comparing this study with another one made one year from now.

Internal Reliability

Two people being a part of this study and the continuously seminars in class with feedback from the mentor, opponent groups and the remaining students of the class enables the internal reliability to hold a higher standard (Guba & Lincoln, cited in Bryman & Bell, 2003:289). First analysing the transcribed material independently followed by coming together to discuss and compare the findings has increased the level of internal reliability.

Internal Validity

Recording all interviews enables re-listening and the risk of misinterpretation is reduced (Bryman & Bell, 2003:288). Moreover, focus has been on developing interview questions according to chosen theories and models, which ensure a higher internal validity (Ibid:288).

External Validity

The diversion of profiles, regarding size in members and due to their geographical dispersion regarding their engagement, increases the external validity of this study (Bryman & Bell, 2003:288). This is due to better reflecting the substantial part of the population, with different social settings in the field of NGOs in Sweden working with humanitarian work (Patel & Davidson, 2003: 102-107). HS and IM are represented by three interviewees while RK is represented by two which lowers the validity. However the two interviewees chosen are evaluated as valid due to their high involvement of the organisation´s use of social medias. This study puts focus on NGOs in Sweden with the specific purpose of humanitarian work, which implicates a

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  lower validity for the result to be applicable for NGOs with other purposes and in other countries. Finally, strictly the social medias used by the studied organisations are processed which also constrains the validity.

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4. Empirical Findings

4.1 Presentation of Organisations

ndividuell Människohjälp (IM) is a NGO with the aim to fight and visualise poverty and people outside the society. IM was founded in Lund, Sweden in 1983 and has more than 38 000 supporters and donors with activity in 15 countries all over the world, including Sweden. The head office is located in Lund, nevertheless there are offices all over Sweden (IM, 2010).

Hoppets Stjärna (HS) is an independent NGO with its head office in Kärrsjö, in the northern part of Sweden, with support from co-workers from Norway, Finland, Denmark, Faroe Islands and the United States. The organisation helps nearly 30 000 children to receive basic education, nutritious food and health care. HS has an average of 20 000 supporters and donors with 200 project engagements on 5 continents, and has been able to give help in over 50 major and minor disasters (Hoppets Stjärna, 2010).

Röda Korset (RK) is an international organisation with engagement in humanitarian aid work. The organisation’s goal is to prevent human harm and suffering, irrespective of whom it affects and how it happens. RK is represented almost all over the world, with 185 associations 185 countries. The work is based on people volunteering their time (Röda Korset, B, 2010).

Röda Korsets Ungdomsförbund (RKUF) is a part of Röda Korset’s organisation directed at people up to 31 years old (RKUF, 2010).

4.2 Presentation of Social Medias

The social medias presented are the ones primarily used by the organisations of study.

Bambuser is a service that let users share videos with others through live streaming by combining web and mobile technologies to a web-to-mobile chat. It is also

I

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  integrated with other global platforms such as Twitter, Facebook and Blogs (Bambuser, 2010).

Blog is a shortening for “weblog” and infers to an often updated collaborative or personal website formed as a diarised journal embodying information, opinions reflecting the personality and interests of the author(s) (Kirby & Marsden 2006:149).

The content of a Blog usually consists of images, text and links to other WebPages and also often leave the reader with the ability to comment and interact with the author and others (Wikipedia ”Blog”, 2010).

Facebook is a social networking website where users can create a personal profile and become friends using messaging and chat as communication channels. Users can also join networks and groups structured by reasons such as interests to connect and interact with each other (Casteleyn 2008:439).

Flickr is a website hosting users’ images and videos online and an online community.

Users share their photos and can furthermore “geotag” the location of where the photo was taken (Keating, 2009:93).

Twitter is a service for networking and micro blogging where registered users post 140-character text-based updates and messages on their profile page. Other users or subscribers can follow authors by receiving these updates either on Twitter directly or via other integrated websites, computer desktops or mobile phone devices (Archie et al., 2009:23).

YouTube is a website where users upload, share and view videos created and uploaded by YouTube users or coming from traditional mass media (Haridakis &

Hanson, 2009:317-318).

4.3 Views and Thoughts of the Interviewees

4.3.1 Key Drivers for the use of Social Medias in NGOs

The majority of interviewees state the need to be where people are today as the main key driver for using social medias. Furthermore, they declare social medias to give the

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  opportunity to both communicate and interact with existing members and donors along with reaching several new possible members and donors effectively, fast and cheap. The possibility to reconnect and give feedback to people engaging in their work is brought up by Good (IM), and Brouwers (RKUF) emphasises the possibility to build opinion with social medias among individuals. Lastly, the pressure has increased for the organisations to communicate how the donations are spent, which is positive according to Brossner-Skawonius (IM). Among the organisations, social medias have been in use for about one to three years and the key drivers for using social medias differ between the different social medias.

IM and HS indicate their use of Flickr being primarily for practical reasons as they lack any other place to upload photos. All three organisations use YouTube for collecting and spreading movies. The majority the interviewees agree upon the possibilities these tools have in the sense of visualising the kind of work they perform both in picture and movies, to help the donor get closer to the receiver of their donation and the differences they make. Törner, (IM) points out the importance of using YouTube and Flickr as social tools by reading and answering comments. If not, this is only a technical tool for saving movies and photos, hence not a social media.

Regarding Blogs, all organisations mention the opportunity of writing more personal and longer texts, portraying the situation of the person receiving the money to the donor better than in a press release, hence reduce the distance between the two persons.

Facebook is used by all organisations of the sample. The majority of interviewees agree upon Facebook to be an exceptionally good platform for communication because of the high amount of members, “You are expected to be there” (Törner IM, 2010). Brundin-Danielsson (IM) points out the possibility of fast and short communication on Facebook while Brouwers (RKUF), Good (HS), and Sörensen (HS) emphasise the possibilities of using Facebook for recruitment of donors and volunteers since it is fast and therefore less time consuming. Another key driver brought up for Facebook is the possibility for networking, which according to Sörensen (HS) is the most important feature with this communication tool.

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  HS and RK include Twitter in their use of social medias. Good (IM) emphasises that this social media is an easy and fast way to reach out to people. Another objective for using Twitter is to reach out to serious contacts, as for example to journalists (Brouwers, RKUF). Only RKUF, in RK is today using Bambuser with the objective to show that their auctions and other events are live.

4.3.2 Marketing Communication in a New Market Structure

The respondents do not notice a very large difference in the market structure between consumer and producer. Nevertheless, a higher pressure from the consumers is noticed, “if you are not visible you are not there” (Brossner-Skawonius IM, 2010).

The majority of interviewees have higher expectations on the results of social medias in the future. Törner´s (IM) ambition is to start communities and open forums where people can communicate. The implication is to use the right social media for the right message. According to Brouwers (RKUF) social medias are information overloaded and therefore they give little substance.

The organisations look upon the new market structure between consumer and producer with mostly positive views, however with some fear. Brouwers (RKUF) emphasises the importance of putting trust in their products, in this case their members. The positive aspect is regarding the possibility of getting people engaged and giving them the sense of being a significant and important part of the organisation’s work. Törner (IM) says that the user generated content is very important since it is seen as facts by other consumers, while contents generated by the organisation are seen as commercial. Moreover the interviewees utter that social medias in this new market structure, with the uncontrollable communication and in spite of some negative aspects, mostly positive because of their ability to give feedback and answer questions from members, in a much easier and bigger dimension.

Social medias are most commonly used by the NGOs as complements to other marketing and communication activities to reinforce the content and create synergy effects. The interviewees mention the importance to integrate social medias with the

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  overall marketing communication to create a general common picture of the organisation.

4.3.3 WOM, eWOM and New Communication Implications

What is frightening and challenging in this new market structure, according to the interviewees, is the fact that it is not directly the organisation’s opinions that will be posted through the social medias. Therefore the majority of interviewees point out the importance of being transparent, firm and honest about their work, regarding both positive and negative aspects. Brundin-Danielsson (IM) points this out with the statement; “one becomes better when questioned, and is forced to find new solutions”

(2010).

In the current situation none of the organisations use social medias to actively create eWOM. However the organisations see the possibilities with social medias and the link to eWOM. Törner (IM) gives the impression of understanding the importance of eWOM when giving the statement: “The value lies within people communicating about us, it is then social medias contribute something new, WOM is important”

(Törner IM, 2010). Good (HS) point out that to enjoy eWOM it is vital to get techniques and structure in function. Thern (HS) mentions donors and sponsors to be the main target group for social medias but with that follows “ripples on the water”

(Thern HS, 2010).

Today the value of social medias is expressed to be fairly small among the organisations. Yet, all of the interviewees agree on the fact that social medias are here to stay and it is therefore essential to be updated and be an active part of it, develop strategies and technical equipments to enjoy positive effects of them in the future.

4.4 How to use Social Medias Effectively

The target group for social medias is foremost new donors, existing donors and volunteers. However, it is only IM and RK (RKUF) who specify a group within this target group; IM focus on individuals aged 18-25 due to their interest and use of

Social Medias

Social Medias

Do NGOs use these communication tools effectively?

Thank You!

Abstract

Contents

1. Introduction

1.1 Background

T

1.1.1 Problem Discussion

1.1.2 Purpose

1.1.3 Research Questions

1.1.4 Delimitations

1.1.5 Scientific Contribution

1.2 Disposition

2. Theory

2.1 Literature Discussion

T

2.2 Marketing Communication in a New Market Structure

2.3 WOM, eWOM and New Communication Implications

D. Social medias

2.4 How to use Social Medias Effectively

2.4.1 Measuring the Effectiveness

2.5 Theory Summary and Theoretical Framework

3. Methods

3.1 Choice of Method

3.2 Sample of Organisations

D

3.3 Pilot Survey

3.4 Selection of Respondents

3.4.1 Conducting the Interviews

3.5 Operationalisation

3.6 Validity and Reliability

4. Empirical Findings

4.1 Presentation of Organisations

4.2 Presentation of Social Medias

I

4.3 Views and Thoughts of the Interviewees

4.3.1 Key Drivers for the use of Social Medias in NGOs

4.3.2 Marketing Communication in a New Market Structure

4.3.3 WOM, eWOM and New Communication Implications

4.4 How to use Social Medias Effectively

Social Medias

   Social Medias 

Do NGOs use these communication tools     effectively? 

D. Social   medias 