The Importance Of Social Media For Effective Business Communication: A Case Study Of McDonald’s

The Dominance of Social Media in Today’s Business Environment

With the changes in the economic condition and complex business structure, each and every organization needs to use the effective business communication methods and skills. In this report, McDonald’s company has been selected to prepare this report. This report emphasises upon the importance of social media, and issues in workplace which company has been facing in its business.  The social media could be described as online tool to connect with the stakeholders or sharing thoughts, ideas and belief with the people of same interest. This report focuses on how company could use the social media in its marketing strategic planning process to strengthen the communication with its stakeholders.

It is analyzed that there are several communication methods which could be used by organizations to communicate with its stakeholders such as social media, Mails, web page and Google image sections. With the increasing use of social media in the people, it has been gaining momentum throughout the time. Many organizations are using the social media as one of their median to connect with its clients in effective manner.   McDonald is the American fast food company founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice in United States. This company has used social media as an effective tool to connect with its clients and also used as method to customize its products and services as per the client’s need (McDonald’s, 2018).

The social media has gained significant momentum as business tool in last 10 years. It is accompanied with the several portals such as Facebook, Myspace, twitter and Instagram which could be used by corporations to directly communicate with the clients. The allure of social networking is consistently making possible for organization to connect globally and provide assistance in collecting the data from the clients to make its business services and products more customized. The main use of social media in this cut throat completion is related to creating core competency in market. McDonald has used social media methods such as Facebook, Myspace, twitter and Instagram to identify the possible issues which clients might have faced and demand of clients from the organization. Company has used Facebook and Instagram as primary survey method to collect the data from the market. This will not only assists organization to identify the values, belief, culture and demand of the market but also assist organization to mitigate the possible client’s issues in long run. Many companies such as GE capital, Pizza hut, Tesco, Morrison plc and Wesfarmers have used this social media tool to create competitive advantage in market. It provides the possible methods or mean to collect the required data from the market and assist organization to mitigate the client’s issues and problems with the offered products and services in market (McDonald’s. 2018).

The Role of Social Media in McDonald’s Marketing Strategic Planning Process

The social media could be described as online tool that allow people with the similar interest to share information, learn from others and set up network to establish the nexus with each other. With the ramified complexity of the workplace in McDonald, the management department needs to identify the choices, demand, nature of clients and their values while customizing its products and services in international market. The social media is the best effective tool which assists McDonald to identify the requirement and changes in its value chain activities to create core competency in offering the customize products and services on international level. In addition to this, in context with the motivation of employees in McDonald, social media has played pivotal role. McDonald could use Facebook and twitter page for its clients and employees to connect with each other. The appreciation from the clients given on the social media will not only individually motivate employees but also influence them to deliver the best quality services in the best interest of clients.  The social media has developed as new form of platform for the company to connect with its clients and other stakeholders.  In addition to this, now days, many organizations are using the social media to set up online community groups for its employees where they could share their views, thoughts and belief on the particular points. IT will not only assist management department of McDonald to identify the possible business issues but also assists in mitigating these problems in best effective ways (Zarrella, 2009). It is considered that company could use the social media in its marketing strategic planning process to strengthen the communication with its stakeholders.

It is analyzed that McDonald is the international food retail chain which have been servicing more than 1 billion clients around the globe. The main positive impact of social media and its uses in the process system of McDonald will be related to its prompt connectivity with its clients (Grier, and Bryant, 2015).  It will assist in identifying what type of changes client’s wants from the business process system of McDonald. The main positive impact of using social media in McDonald is related to customization of its process system and offered products and services. It will not only strengthen the client’s satisfaction but also increase the value of the business.  It has assisted organization to create core competency in market and set up strong communication channel to connect with its clients and other stakeholders. In addition to this, McDonald could also use this social media to share business ideas and values with its employees. These platforms could also be used by management of company to keep its employees motivated with the offered business services and products in market (Hays, Page, and Buhalis, 2013).

Positive and Negative Impacts of Social Media on Business

The negative impact of using social media is related to maligning in the brand image by the people if anything negative comes on the line. It has been observed that company has faced high complexity while communicating with the clients on social media (Huang, and Benyoucef, 2013). In addition to this, some malware acts of the ill-intentioned person may also negatively impact the business position or brand image of company through their ill-intentioned minds. In addition to this, if client puts negative comment about the company on the social media then it will also impact the other client’s thinking about the company. Therefore, use of social media as one of the major communication channel should be taken very strictly by the management department (Leung, Law, Van Hoof, and Buhalis, 2013).

It is analyzed that McDonald needs to use the strategic planning to mitigate the long term issues and problems. It is analysed that the social media could be used by McDonald as strategic tool or method to establish the competitive advantage in market. In this ramified economic condition, company needs to identify what client’s want from the company (Michaelidou, Siamagka, and Christodoulides, 2011). The social media such as Facebook and Twitter are the median where clients could easily provide their views and required changes in the process which company needs to make for the better satisfaction of clients. In addition to this, the biggest advantage of the social media is related to its cheap costing. It takes very low cost to use the social media as communication channel with its clients. Nonetheless, McDonald has created the web page and social media page for its business to communicate with its clients. It has provided existence of company in virtual world which helps in collection of imperative data from the clients which could be used by company to mitigate the possible business issues (Vargo, and Lusch, 2014).  There are several different social media sites such as Facebook, Myspace, twitter and Instagram which could be used by McDonald in its implementation strategic plans.  These social media should be undertaken by the company as an effective strategic tool. For instance, if McDonald wants to tap the new market or coming in the existing market with the new products then these social media plays pivotal role in communicating with the clients (Trusov, Bucklin,. and Pauwels, 2009).  This helps in identifying the issues and problems faced by clients and what kind of adaption in the offered products and services they want from company to have. In addition to this, marketing team could also collect the required data from the clients by using the social media sites. It assists them to identify the values, belief, perception, demand and choices for the particular offered products and services in market (Weinreich, 2010).  Therefore, after analysing all the positive and negative impact of social media on business, it could be inferred that with the changes in time, company should not be more stick with the traditional marketing models but endeavour towards embedding social media in the marketing strategic plans and strategic idea.

• It is analyzed that McDonald needs to develop the interactive relationship with its clients through the social media which will assist company to share imperative information in determined approach.
• In this ramified economy, Social media will play pivotal role in customization of the process system and offered services as per the clients need. Therefore, social media should be used by company to create competitive advantage in market.
• Social media and other online methods or tools assists in gather the information about the company and client’s perspective and their choices with the offered products and services in market.
• The social media is the best possible marketing strategy which overrides all the benefits of the traditional marketing tools and assists company to achieve their set objective and goals in long run
• The social media such as Facebook and Twitter provides the platform to McDonald to connect with its stakeholders. Employees of McDonald could also use this platform to communicate with the managers and stating their facts and figure regarding the undertaken work program.
• The selection of the right social media is the very much important factors for the business success. It is analyzed that when a organization does not select the correct methods, then advertising may lose value or tarnish a company’s image.
• It is analyzed that a high- Traffic, highly interactive platform like MySpace or Facebook may negatively impact the brand image of company if it is not used in the proper manner.
• The markeing process of McDonald may be changed to adapt with the social media marketing plan which may negatively impact the business process if proper cost and benefit analysis is not undertake in proper manner (Mckenzie?Mohr, 2010).

Conclusion

After analysing all the positive and negative impact of the social media and its implication in the business marketing plan, it could be inferred that social media is the most effective marketing tool to communicate with the clients in long run.  However, choice of right social media and setting up proper surveillance on the selected portal is very much require drawing the best possible best outcomes from the undertaken marketing strategic planning.  Nonetheless, McDonald needs to hire more expert employees who could consistently use the web page of company to communicate with the clients and other stakeholders who raises their points with the offered services and products in market. The main use of social media is related to customizing the offered products and services in market so that company could increase the satisfaction level of clients in different international market segments.  However, social media could also be used by management of company to keep its employees motivated and identifying the possible employee related issues in the process system of organization.

References

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