The role of social media in corporate communication in South African organisations.

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study is undertaken in the context of corporate communication strategies and the rise of social media as a communication tool. It is recognised that social media is gaining popularity amongst marketers and organisations, especially in light of an era of participative discourse between organisations and consumers. The intent of this research was to determine the state of integration of social media into the communication strategy of South African organisations while also investigating if these same organisations are using the information gained from these interactions with consumers to drive and adjust their organisational objectives. Overall the objective of the research is to investigate the role of social media in corporate communications in these organisations. The method employed in this research is one of in depth interviews conducted with various South African organisations and then followed by interpretive analysis of the responses. These responses were then aggregated in tables which allowed the identification of trends and patterns between the organisations. There are three specific questions which the research sought to answer and the major findings were: that organisations firstly see corporate communications as fulfilling and articulating the objectives of the organisation, and secondly, the organisations revealed that there they are starting to integrate social media into their communications initiatives. This has enabled these organisations to realise some real benefits and enabled them to meet some of their consumer’s needs. Thirdly the research revealed that these organisations are measuring their social media interactions however the level of analysis could be enhanced to substantially add value to the objectives of the organisation. In conclusion it can be said that South African companies are in general successfully using social media in their communication strategies and these strategies do enable the realisation of corporate objectives. However this area of research requires far more investigation to pinpoint specific tools and strategies that yield the most benefit.