Abstract
Understanding your audience is the most important factor in effective communication, which is why the topic takes prominence as the first chapter in this text (Freberg, 2018; Young, 2016). A Social Media Manager may understand social media platforms inside and out and have extensive expertise in advanced marketing and advertising techniques, but all of this knowledge will be pointless if they cannot connect with their target audience.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsReferences
Almalki, S. (2016). Integrating quantitative and qualitative data in mixed methods research – challenges and benefits. Journal of Education and Learning, 5(3), 288–296.
Aurini, J. D., Heath, M., & Howells, S. (2016). The how to of qualitative research: Strategies for executing high quality projects. Los Angeles: Sage.
Barnhart, B. (2017). Everything you need to know about social media algorithms, viewed 09/05/2020. https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-algorithms/
Barry, T. E., & Howard, D. J. (1990). A review and critique of the hierarchy of effects in advertising. International Journal of Advertising, 9(2), 121–135.
Charlesworth, A. (2017). Social media marketing: Marketing panacea or the emperor’s new digital clothes? New York: Business Expert Press.
Cinelli, M., Brugnoli, E., Schmidt, A. L., Zollo, F., Quattrociocchi, W., & Scala, A. (2020). Selective exposure shapes the facebook news diet. PLoS One, 15(3), e0229129.
Clark, V. L. P., & Ivankova, N. V. (2015). Mixed methods research: A guide to the field (Vol. 3). California: Sage Publications.
Creamer, E. G. (2017). An introduction to fully integrated mixed methods research. California: SAGE Publications.
Croucher, J. S. (2019). Quantitative analysis for management. Sydney: McGraw Hill Australia.
Freberg, K. (2018). Social media for strategic communication: Creative strategies and research-based applications. California: SAGE Publications.
Gangadharbatla, H. (2012). Social media and advertising theory. Advertising Theory, 402–416.
Green, M. C. K., & Warren, J. (2019). Global marketing. London: Pearson.
Grewal, D., Levy, M., Mathews, S., Harrigan, P., Bucic, T., & Kopanidis, F. (2017). Marketing (2nd ed.). Sydney: McGraw-Hill Education Australia.
Hair Jr., J. F., & Lukas, B. (2014). Marketing research (Vol. 1). Sydney: McGraw-Hill Education Australia.
Hern, A. (2019). Facebook launches ‘clear history’ tool – But it won’t delete anything. The Guardian, viewed: 25.08.2019. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2019/aug/20/facebook-launches-clear-history-tool-but-it-wont-delete-anything
Information Resources Management Association. (2018). Social media marketing: Breakthroughs in research and practice. Pennsylvania: IGI Global.
Ismail, K. (2018). AI vs. Algorithms: What’s the Difference? Viewed 09/05/2018. https://www.cmswire.com/information-management/ai-vs-algorithms-whats-the-difference/
Kenett, R. S., & Shmueli, G. (2016). Information quality: The potential of data and analytics to generate knowledge. Chichester: Wiley.
Kerpen, D., Greenbaum, M., & Berk, R. (2019). Likeable social media, third edition: How to delight your customers, create an irresistible brand, & be generally amazing on all social networks that matter: How to delight your customers, create an irresistible brand, & be generally amazing on all social networks that matter. McGraw Hill Professional.
Kim, C. M. (2016). Social media campaigns: Strategies for public relations and marketing. New York: Routledge.
Kolb, B. (2017). Marketing research: A concise introduction. Califorina: SAGE.
Landis, T. (2019). How to automate your marketing and generate referral business. OutboundEngine, viewed 28.05.2019. https://www.outboundengine.com/blog/automate-marketing-generate-referral-business/
Largan, C., & Morris, T. (2019). Qualitative secondary research: A step-by-step guide. SAGE Publications Limited.
Lavidge, R.J. & Steiner, G.A. (1961). A Model for Predictive Measurements of Advertising Effectiveness. Journal of Marketing, 25 (4), 59–62.
Li, P., Yang, X., Yang, L. X., Xiong, Q., Wu, Y., & Tang, Y. Y. (2018). The modeling and analysis of the word-of-mouth marketing. Physica A: Statistical Mechanics and Its Applications, 493, 1–16.
Malhotra, N. K., & Malhotra, N. K. (2012). Basic marketing research: Integration of social media. Boston: Pearson.
McQuarrie, E. F. (2015). The market research toolbox: A concise guide for beginners. London: Sage Publications.
Newberry, C. (2018). How to build a buyer persona (includes free template). Hootsuite, viewed 28.05.2019. https://blog.hootsuite.com/buyer-persona/
Noyes, D. (2019). The top 10 valuable snapchat statistics – Updated July 2019. Zephoria, viewed: 26.08.2019. https://zephoria.com/top-10-valuable-snapchat-statistics/
O’Reilly, M., & Kiyimba, N. (2015). Advanced qualitative research: A guide to using theory. Los Angeles: Sage.
Quesenberry, K. A. (2018). Social media strategy: Marketing and advertising in the consumer revolution. Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
Rishi, B., & Bandyopadhyay, S. (Eds.). (2017). Contemporary issues in social media marketing. New York: Routledge.
Rosenbaum, J. E. (2017). Constructing digital cultures: Tweets, trends, race, and gender. Maryland: Lexington Books.
Saldaña, J., & Omasta, M. (2017). Qualitative research: Analyzing life. Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
Sarstedt, M., & Mooi, E. (2019). A concise guide to market research. The process, data and methods using IBM SPSS statistics - third edition. Germany: Springer.
Strehovec, J. (2013). Algorithmic culture and e-literary text semiotics. Cultura, 10(2), 141–156.
Tasso, K. (2017). Growing your property partnership: Plans, promotion and people. New York: Estates Gazette.
Taylor, D. (2017). Buyer personas can help you understand customer perceptions. Central Penn Business Journal, 33(33), 12. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.usc.edu.au/docview/1937665406?accountid=28745
Thomas, M. (2018). Financial times guides: Social media strategy: Boost your business manage risk and develop your personal brand. Harlow/London/New York: FT Publishing, Financial Times.
Tuten, T. L., & Solomon, M. R. (2017). Social media marketing. California: Sage.
Vaynerchuk, G. (2013). Jab, jab, jab, right hook: How to tell your story in a noisy social world. New York: Harper Business.
We Are Social. (2018a). Digital in 2018 in the United States. We Are Social, viewed 31.05.2019. https://www.slideshare.net/wearesocial/digital-in-2018-in-the-united-states-86861659
We Are Social. (2018b). Digital in 2018 in Australia. We Are Social, viewed 31.05.2019. https://wearesocial.com/au/blog/2018/02/2018-digital-report-australia
Young, R. O. (2016). Persuasive communication: How audiences decide. New York: Routledge.
Yurieff, K. (2019). Facebook finally rolls out privacy tool for your browsing history. CNN Business, viewed: 26.08.2019. https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/20/tech/facebook-clear-history/index.html
Yuzdepski, Z. (2018). Dennis Yu’s 3×3 video grid strategy for local businesses. Vendasta, viewed 28.05.2019. https://www.vendasta.com/blog/dennis-yu-facebook-video-marketing
Further Reading
Freberg, K. (2018). Chapters Five and Eight. In Social media for strategic communication: Creative strategies and research-based applications. SAGE Publications.
Miller, G. (2014). How to use the Facebook pages to watch to track competitors, social media. Examiner, viewed 31.05.2019. https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/facebooks-pages-to-watch/
Newberry, C. (2018). How to define your target market: A guide to audience research. Hootsuite, viewed 28.05.2019. https://blog.hootsuite.com/target-market/
Porteous, J. (2018). Target audience analysis: Everything digital marketers need to know. Social Bakers, viewed 28.05.2019. https://www.socialbakers.com/blog/target-audience-analysis-guide-everything-digital-marketers-need-to-know
Quesenberry, K. A. (2016). Chapters Seven, Eight and Nine. In Social media strategy: Marketing and advertising in the consumer revolution (pp. 85–137). Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield.
Helpful Links
Audience Engagement Measurement Tools
BrandWatch: https://www.brandwatch.com
CrowdTangle:https://www.crowdtangle.com/
Meltwater: https://www.meltwater.com
Nacho Analytics: https://www.nachoanalytics.com/
SocialBakers: https://www.socialbakers.com/
Secondary Audience Research Sources
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS): https://www.abs.gov.au/
Yellow Social Media Report: https://www.yellow.com.au/social-media-report/
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Sutherland, K.E. (2021). Let’s Start from the Beginning: Understanding Audiences. In: Strategic Social Media Management. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4658-7_3
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4658-7_3
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-15-4657-0
Online ISBN: 978-981-15-4658-7
eBook Packages: Business and ManagementBusiness and Management (R0)