UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies

Business School

MEASUREMENT AND FINANCIAL VALUE OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IN

DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANIZATIONS

Jonna Kumpu

291267

June 2020

Abstract

UNIVERSITY OF EASTERN FINLAND

Faculty

Faculty of Social Sciences and Business Studies

Department

Business School

Author

Jonna Kumpu

Supervisor

Juho Pesonen

Name of the Thesis

Measurement and financial value of social media marketing in destination marketing

organizations

Major

Tourism Marketing and

Management

Level

Master’s thesis

Date

12.6.2020

Pages

91 + 2

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to explore, how social media marketing is currently planned,

measured, and utilized financially as well as in decision-making in Finnish destination

marketing organizations (DMOs). The study focuses on Facebook and Instagram as

marketing channels. Previous study suggests that there are no standardized methods for

measuring social media marketing. Nevertheless, destination marketing organizations have

pressure to demonstrate the extra value they create with their marketing activities to maintain

the budgets and allocate the budgets more to digital and social media marketing.

The research method was qualitative, and the data for the research is collected by conducting

semi-structured theme interviews. Eight representatives of DMOs across Finland were

interviewed for the study. The interviewees were chosen with purposive sampling. The data

was analyzed with a theory-guided content analysis method. In this method, previous

research has been utilized in forming the research questions and interview questions for the

research. Also, the themes formulated for the study are based on theoretical framework.

The findings of the study suggest that the practitioners understand the role of social media

and they have gained understanding in how to utilize it in destination marketing.

Nevertheless, their actions may be more experimental, and the use of social media marketing

may not be documented, even though the goals were clear. When it comes to measurement,

basic metrics are used. The findings also suggest that measuring financial value is difficult.

However, in addition to the financial value, non-measurable data is important. Sensing the

feelings and thoughts in channels is the driving force for social media marketing, as it may

imply the engagement of customers. The value of social media marketing is extremely

valuable, even though challenges exist in putting the value into financial measures.

Nevertheless, social media marketing is utilized in decision-making by top management

especially with the help of measurable data. In addition to this, non-measurable measures

are utilized in product development and marketing planning. Key words

Destination marketing, social media marketing, destination marketing organization,

marketing measurement, financial value of social media marketing

Tiivistelmä

ITÄ-SUOMEN YLIOPISTO

Tiedekunta

Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja kauppatieteiden

tiedekunta

Yksikkö

Kauppatieteiden laitos

Tekijä

Jonna Kumpu

Ohjaaja

Juho Pesonen

Otsikko

Sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin mittaaminen ja taloudellinen arvo matkakohteen

yhteismarkkinointiorganisaatioissa Pääaine

Matkailumarkkinointi

ja -johtaminen

Työn laji

Pro gradu -tutkielma

Päivämäärä

12.6.2020

Sivut

91 + 2

Tiivistelmä

Tutkimuksen tarkoituksena oli selvittää, miten sosiaalisen median markkinointi nykyisin

suunnitellaan, sekä miten sitä mitataan ja hyödynnetään taloudellisessa mielessä

suomalaisissa matkakohteiden yhteismarkkinointiorganisaatioissa. Tutkimus keskittyy

Facebookiin ja Instagramiin markkinointikanavina. Aikaisemman tutkimuksen mukaan

sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin tulosten mittaamiseen ei ole standardisoituja tapoja.

Yhteismarkkinointiorganisaatioilla on kuitenkin painetta osoittaa sosiaalisen median

markkinoinnin synnyttämä arvo budjetoinnissa sekä kohdentaakseen budjettia digi- ja

sosiaalisen median markkinointiin.

Kyseessä on laadullinen tutkimus, johon kerättiin aineisto puolistrukturoiduilla

teemahaastatteluilla. Tutkimusta varten haastateltiin kahdeksaa Suomessa toimivaa

yhteismarkkinointiorganisaation edustajaa. Haastattelijat valittiin harkintaan perustuvalla

otannalla. Aineiston analysoinnissa käytettiin menetelmänä teoriaohjaavaa

sisällönanalyysia. Tässä menetelmässä aikaisempaa tutkimusta hyödynnettiin

tutkimusongelman ja -kysymysten muodostamisessa. Tutkimusta varten valitut teemat

perustuvat myös teoreettiseen viitekehykseen.

Tutkimuksen mukaan sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin rooli ymmärretään

yhteismarkkinointiorganisaatioissa sekä ymmärrys sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin

hyödyntämistä kohtaan on kasvanut. Siitä huolimatta sosiaalisen median markkinointia ei

ole välttämättä kirjattu mihinkään selkeistä tavoitteista huolimatta. Löydösten mukaan

taloudellista arvoa on vaikea mitata sosiaalisen median markkinoinnissa. Kuitenkin myös

sosiaalisesta median kanavista saatua laadullista tietoa pidetään tärkeänä. Tutkimuksen

mukaan sosiaalisen median arvo on mittaamattoman arvokas, vaikka sitä ei voidakaan mitata

välttämättä rahallisesti. Sosiaalisen median markkinointia hyödynnetään päätöksenteossa

johdon osalta erityisesti mitattavissa olevien määreiden perusteella. Lisäksi laadullista tietoa

hyödynnetään tuotekehityksessä sekä markkinoinnin suunnittelussa. Avainsanat

Kohdemarkkinointi, sosiaalisen median markkinointi, matkakohteen

yhteismarkkinointiorganisaatio, markkinoinnin mittaaminen, sosiaalisen median

markkinoinnin taloudellinen arvo

Contents

1 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1

1.1 Background ................................................................................................................ 1

1.2 Aims and scope of the study ...................................................................................... 2

1.3 Key concepts .............................................................................................................. 4

1.4 Structure ..................................................................................................................... 5

2 MEASUREMENT AND FINANCIAL VALUE OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING .. 6

2.1 Destination marketing ................................................................................................ 6

2.2 Social media marketing.............................................................................................. 8

2.2.1 Description of social media marketing .................................................................. 8

2.2.2 Paid, owned, and earned media............................................................................ 10

2.2.3 Social media marketing in tourism ...................................................................... 13

2.2.4 Branding and social media marketing.................................................................. 17

2.2.5 Social media marketing measurement and financial value .................................. 19

2.3 Theoretical framework ............................................................................................. 28

3 METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................................... 32

3.1 Qualitative research ................................................................................................. 32

3.2 Data collection ......................................................................................................... 32

3.2.1 Conducting the study ........................................................................................... 32

3.2.2 Semi-structured theme interviews........................................................................ 34

3.3 Analysis of the data – Content analysis ................................................................... 36

4 FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS ......................................................................................... 39

4.1 Description of social media marketing in DMOs .................................................... 39

4.2 Planning of social media marketing in DMOs ......................................................... 40

4.2.1 Goals of social media marketing.......................................................................... 40

4.2.2 Documentation of the goals ................................................................................. 45

4.3 Social media marketing measurement ..................................................................... 48

4.3.1 Ways of measuring .............................................................................................. 48

4.3.2 Other factors relating to social media marketing measurement........................... 51

4.3.3 The use of non-numeric data................................................................................ 54

4.4 The financial value of social media marketing ........................................................ 57

4.4.1 Financial value ..................................................................................................... 57

4.4.2 Financial models and frameworks ....................................................................... 60

4.5 Decision-making based on social media marketing................................................. 63

5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................ 69

5.1 Main findings and theoretical implications.............................................................. 69

5.2 Managerial implications........................................................................................... 76

5.3 Evaluation of the study - trustworthiness and ethics ............................................... 78

5.4 Suggestions for further research .............................................................................. 80

6 REFERENCES ................................................................................................................. 82

APPENDICES

Appendix 1 Interview questions

Appendix 2 Information to the interviewees

LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES

Figure 1. Tasks of the DMO ...................................................................................................... 7

Figure 2. Paid, owned, and earned media ................................................................................ 12

Figure 3. A cycle for steps for successful social media marketing .......................................... 16

Figure 4. Framework for branding in destinations................................................................... 19

Figure 5. Theoretical framework concerning the measurement and financial value of social

media marketing....................................................................................................................... 28

Table 1. Previous study relating to social media marketing measurement. ............................. 27

Table 2. Details of the interviews. ........................................................................................... 33

Table 3. Information about DMOs........................................................................................... 39

Table 4. Findings relating to the goals of social media marketing in DMOs .......................... 41

Table 5. Findings relating to documenting the goals in social media marketing in DMOs .... 45

Table 6. Findings relating to the most used metrics by the DMOs.......................................... 48

Table 7. Other findings relating to social media marketing measurement .............................. 51

Table 8. Findings relating to non-numeric data in social media marketing............................. 55

Table 9. Findings relating to financial value in social media .................................................. 57

Table 10. Findings relating to the use of financial models in DMOs ...................................... 60

Table 11. Factors relating to decision-making based on social media marketing ................... 64

1

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Social media has become an important marketing tool for destination marketing organizations.

It is an increasingly valuable means of sharing information and experiences while travelling

(Munar & Jacobsen 2014), thus creating word-of-mouth about travel destinations and

experiences. A great deal of decisions to travel to a destination comes from friends or relatives,

and the role of social media is also in the increase when making travel decisions (Pike 2016).

Also, social media has given new and vast number of possibilities for companies, but also

destinations to practice marketing and implement campaigns. It is widely known among

practitioners that destination marketing organizations (DMOs) have their role in marketing,

while trying to attract more visitors to a destination (Pike & Page 2014). Therefore, DMOs also

have their role in marketing the destinations of today via social media channels.

The pace of social media has accelerated in recent years and changing forms. When travelers

post their pictures and comments of their holiday in social media, this poses challenges in

demonstrating value for DMOs as they lose control of brand image in social media to user-

generated content (Pike 2016.) Also, Morgan, Hastings & Pritchard (2012) suggest that DMOs

no longer can control the destination story or its image with social media, but rather it is the

consumer who has the control. As a result of the rapid change and increased consumption in

social media and other digital marketing channels today, making accessing information

possible regardless of place and time, also the customer behavior and customer purchase

journeys have changed dramatically, as the consumers are moving unsystematically along the

purchase journey (Järvinen 2016).

Within the emergence of social media, practitioners in DMOs have gradually understood the

importance of social media marketing and its measurement. According to prior research,

however, there are no standardized methods for DMOs to measure marketing effectiveness.

Nevertheless, it is vital for destination marketers to know what to emphasize in social media

marketing and what actions would result in the best financial benefits and more visitors to the

destination. According to Agostino & Sidorova (2016), the performance metrics are difficult

to measure due to their fragmented nature. It is not clear, which forms of social media should

be measured and in what ways. Furthermore, Pike (2016) states that not enough research is

2

done to control the results of destination marketing around the world. Also, there is inadequacy

in the evaluation of online activities implemented in destination marketing organizations.

DMOs tend to evaluate “what can be measured instead of what should be measured”, meaning

that marketing tactics are not chosen according to social media marketing strategy, but rather

according to a tool that is easy to acquire and use. (Morgan et al 2012, 75.) However, the

question is how marketing practitioners know what kind of marketing is effective in terms of

financial value. How do they measure social media marketing, and what brings the best results,

the biggest audience in social media and possibly the biggest turnover to the destinations?

Therefore, it is vital for destination marketers to understand, what kind of financial value their

actions create when doing social media marketing. This is also because destination marketing

organizations are typically funded by public sector. Destination marketing organizations have

pressure to demonstrate the extra value they create with their marketing activities. If they fail

in proving the extra value, it is possible that the marketing budgets will be diminished (Morgan

et al. 2012.) Furthermore, organizations need the allocation of budgets increasingly to digital

marketing (Järvinen 2016). The same is likely to apply to destination marketing organizations

when they must be able to prove the value of social media in destination marketing.

The idea for this thesis generated from the author’s interest in digital and social media

marketing. First, an expert in the field was discussed with about the idea for the master’s thesis

topic. Consequently, the topic itself was formulated with the thesis supervisor. The author has

experience already in sales processes, however, an interest in developing knowledge in

marketing and its measurement made the author to choose the topic.

1.2 Aims and scope of the study

Previous research has been made to explore the possibilities of social media marketing in

increasing brand awareness, customer engagement and customer loyalty (Chan & Denizci

Guillet 2011). Previous studies concern specifically promotion, product distribution,

communication, management, and research (Leung, Law, van Hoof & Buhalis 2013).

However, there is not much research on investigating the social media effectiveness

implemented in marketing management (Morgan et al. 2012). Therefore, a need exists to

demonstrate the financial value of social media in the field of tourism. Also, when the financial

value can be measured, it is easier to prove its value to partners and stakeholders. In addition

3

to this, there is a need for case studies focusing on qualitative aspects concerning the effects of

social media (Zeng & Gerritsen 2014.) When it comes to the aspects of social media relating

to owned, paid or earned media, in earlier research, there is also less focus on company’s effort

(e.g. marketer-generated content) in owned social media (Goh, Heng, Lin 2013). So far, most

research has concentrated on earned social media in customer-centric focus, whereas in some

research, the attempt has been made to measure the effect of product characteristics (Ayeh,

Leung, Au & Law 2012; Chang, Chou, Wu, Wu 2018).

As a lot of prior research has concerned the traveler’s point of view (Munar 2012), this thesis

focuses on supplier’s perspective. Destination marketing can be implemented in various levels,

namely in local, regional or national level (Buhalis 2000; Mariani, Mura & di Felice 2018), so

in this thesis, the focus is on destination marketing organizations operating in regional level

across Finland. This kind of research has been implemented in some countries, like Italy

(Mariani, Mura & Di Felice 2015), but not in Finland. In addition to this, Usakli, Koc &

Sönmez (2017) have investigated the usage of social media marketing tools of DMOs in several

European countries by implementing content analysis.

The goal of the thesis is to investigate how social media marketing is planned and measured,

as well as to know how the financial value of social media marketing is utilized in DMOs.

Furthermore, a purpose of the study is to improve knowledge in how social media marketing

is utilized in DMOs’ decision-making. Therefore, the research questions of the thesis are:

• How is social media marketing planned and measured in DMOs and why?

• How is the financial value considered and measured in social media marketing in

DMOs?

• How is social media marketing utilized in decision-making?

The results of the thesis will contribute to current knowledge regarding measurement as well

as the implementation of financial value of social media marketing. With the help of this study,

destination managers will get insights into measurement and financial value of social media

marketing in destinations and perhaps do benchmarking. In this thesis, the focus of the study

is mainly on owned media, referring to the content that the DMOs produce themselves, as well

as paid media, referring to the content that the DMO buys from a partner. Previous research on

social media in tourism and hospitality has concentrated mainly on Facebook and Twitter

4

(Stankov, Lazic, & Dragicevic 2010; Hays, Page & Buhalis 2013; Jabreel, Moreno, & Huertas

2016; Mariani et al. 2018), because they have usually been the most utilized social media

platforms by tourism organizations. However, results of the study by Usakli et al. (2017) show

that Instagram and Facebook posts of DMOs create higher levels of customer engagement

compared to Twitter and YouTube posts (Usakli et al. 2017). Therefore, the focus of this study

is on Facebook and Instagram as marketing channels. They are used especially in B2C

marketing in DMOs.

1.3 Key concepts

social media marketing Kaplan and Haenlein (2010, 61 defines social media as “a group of

Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and

technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation

and exchange of user-generated content”. With the help of social

media, users generate and share content in social network sites

interactively, in the form of visual, narrative, or audio content

(Munar 2010). When travelling, with social media tourists can tell

about their real-time experiences online (Munar & Jacobssen 2010).

Social media marketing, on the contrary, is one of the marketing

tools applied in digital marketing context. The advantage of social

media is the possibility to do marketing in a cost-effective way. The

challenge of social media marketing, on the other hand is the

difficulty of engaging audiences when they are interacting with

their networks (Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick 2012.) Therefore, the

knowledge of well-functioning advertising techniques is important.

DMO The main tasks of the destination marketing organizations (DMOs)

are to manage the tourism system, to improve the destination

attractiveness, and to enhance the destination performance and

marketing effectiveness (Soteriades 2012), and thus, to attract more

visitors to a destination (Pike & Page 2014). Destination marketing

organizations are typically funded by nations, states, and cities.

Various stakeholders in the destination may have differing interests,

5

making it more challenging to make decisions concerning

destination marketing (Morgan et al. 2012).

social media

marketing measurement Social media metrics and analytics are commonly utilized to

measure the success of social media marketing (Peters, Chen,

Kaplan, Ognibeni & Pauwels 2013). The most established

evaluation techniques in digital marketing are KPIs (Key

Performance Indicators). ROI (return on investment) is commonly

used to evaluate the financial effects of marketing actions.

However, there are no unified methods for marketing measurement,

even though attempts have been made to develop different kinds of

measurement techniques. (Agostino & Sidorova 2016.)

1.4 Structure

This paper consists of sections based on structural guidelines typical of similar types of studies.

After the background and introduction to the study, the paper will proceed to theory section,

introducing the reader the theoretical concepts and previous research. First, the role of

destination marketing will be discussed, with a special focus on the differences compared to

corporate marketing. Second, the concept of social media marketing, and its effects on

marketing as such will be discussed. As social media marketing has its several forms; the

concepts of paid, owned and earned media will be discussed in the following chapter. Third,

how social media marketing has affected tourism sector and previous research concerning it

will be covered. Fourth, the role of branding in social media marketing will be introduced. Last,

in the theory part of the thesis the current state of measuring social media marketing and

financial value will be discussed from the point of view of previous research. The

methodological section of the study includes introducing the research methods – referring to

semi-structured theme interviews as a research method, leading to analysis and findings, which

are compared to the theory in the theoretical conclusions section. Finally, managerial

implications, research ethics and suggestions for further research are presented at the end of

the thesis.

6

2 MEASUREMENT AND FINANCIAL VALUE OF SOCIAL MEDIA

MARKETING

2.1 Destination marketing

Marketing of destinations is increasingly competitive today, and only the best managed

destinations are likely to thrive (Buhalis 2000). According to Pike & Page (2014), reasons for

the increased competitiveness between tourism destinations can be seen in the globalization of

travel and business, technology development, and the increase in the level of income providing

new opportunities for travelling. Therefore, destinations are forced to find new ways to be more

competitive and to provide their visitors memorable experiences. Destination marketing

organizations (DMOs) have a primary role in increasing the competitiveness of the destination.

One of the main purposes for destination marketing organizations is to attract more visitors to

a destination (Pike & Page 2014.) As Soteriades (2012, 109) states, the role of the destination

marketing organization is to “manage the tourism system, to improve the destination

attractiveness, and to enhance the destination performance and marketing effectiveness”.

(Soteriades 2012).

Despite of attracting more visitors to a destination, destination marketing organizations should

keep the balance between the strategic objectives of all stakeholders, such as business owners,

residents, authorities, and funders in the destination (Buhalis 2000; Morgan et al. 2012; Pike &

Page 2014). Moreover, they should consider the sustainability of local resources. Also, DMOs

should be able to differentiate their product offering as well as establish partnerships between

both public and private sector locally. Moreover, they should be able to take advantage of

technological development to stay competitive, as well as follow their strategic management

and marketing. Destination marketing is also defined by the tourism policy in the area, which

aims at coordinating with the regional strategic plan (Buhalis 2000.) Middleton and Hawkins

(1998, 8) state that “a marketing perspective is essentially an overall management orientation

reflecting corporate attitudes, that in the case of travel and tourism, must balance the interests

of shareholders and owners with the long-run environmental interests of a destination, and at

the same time meet the demands and expectations of customers.” (Middleton & Hawkins

1998). The main tasks of DMOs are also listed in figure 1.

7

Figure 1. Tasks of the DMO (Paraphrasing: Buhalis 2000; Soteriades 2012; Pike & Page 2014)

However, as there are similarities in tourism marketing and corporate marketing, tourism

destinations cannot be marketed in the same way as companies, which have budgets of totally

different scale. Destinations, referring to areas where consumers travel to spend their holidays

or travel for business, usually comprise of multiple small or micro enterprises providing the

service offering with their own marketing plans, still competing against each other (Buhalis

2000; Soteriades 2012; Pike & Page 2014.) Therefore, destinations are more complex and

diverse than specific tourism products (Ooi & Stöber, 2010). Different stakeholders have their

own interests, which need to be managed by destination marketers (Buhalis 2000; Morgan et

al. 2012; Pike & Page 2014). Destination marketing organizations continuously aim at putting

resources together with all stakeholders to promote the destination as one instead of competing,

thus making destination marketing very challenging (Buhalis 2000; Pike & Page 2014).

However, DMOs have no control over marketing actions and product development of tourism

companies operating in the region. (Pike & Page 2014).

8

Destination marketing organization can exist in local, regional, or national level (Buhalis 2000;

Mariani et al. 2018). Another typical characteristic for the destination marketing organizations

is the funding by nations, states, and cities (Morgan et al. 2012; Pike & Page 2014). DMOs

also have a challenge of showing the value of the marketing actions they implement to their

stakeholders to get proper funding in the form of budgets (Morgan et al. 2012). To be successful

in the competitive environment, destinations are considered to apply strategic marketing focus.

The destinations, which respond to changes proactively and apply strategies, are the ones that

foster (Soteriades 2012.)

To date, destination marketing has been researched from several points of view. Examples of

the research themes in the supply side are “destination information systems, the politics of

DMO governance, destination lifecycles, stakeholder collaboration, brand identity and

development, funding and marketing communications”, whereas in the demand side, themes

referring to “consumer perceptions, decision making and loyalty have been interesting topics

for the researchers” (Pike & Page 2014, 202-203.) Especially during the last fifteen years,

attention has been paid by researchers to digital marketing in destinations (Mariani et al. 2018).

Today, social media is one essential form of digital marketing; therefore, it deserves the focus

on research concerning destination marketing. Therefore, it will be discussed more closely in

the following chapters.

2.2 Social media marketing

2.2.1 Description of social media marketing

Social media has emerged in the 2000s as one form of digital marketing (Kaplan & Haenlein,

2010). The aim of digital marketing is to gain marketing objectives with digital technologies

(Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick, 2012). In the era of “Web 1.0”, there was hardly any interaction

among the users and publishers on the Internet. Moreover, information published online was

static (Hays et al. 2013.) With Web 1.0, one-way communication is enabled, whereas with Web

2.0, first introduced by O’Reilly in 2007, is a platform, which enables communication

exchange, therefore giving advice to consumers better than before (Yu, Duan & Cao 2013).

There is no one single definition for social media. However, depending on the context, it can

be linked with terms such as “social websites, consumer-generated media, user-generated

9

content and even Web 2.0” (Chan & Denizci Guillet 2011, 347). According to Kaplan &

Haenlein (2010), social media means online tools based on social interactions and user-

generated content (UGC). It is defined by three main aspects, which separate these

technologies by other “web-based tools, real-time communication, many-to-many interactions

and user-generated content” (Kaplan & Haenlein 2010, 61). Today, in the era of Web 2.0, the

internet consists of various review sites and social media platforms, where information is

created and shared actively by posting comments, photos and videos by the users in real time

(Kaplan & Haenlain 2010; Munar 2010; Ayeh, Au & Law 2013; Agostino & Sidorova 2016).

In this way, a company can create engagement to social media posts. Types of social media are

“blogs and microblogs, social networking sites, virtual worlds, collaborative projects, content

community sites, and sites dedicated for feedback”, to name but a few (Chan & Denizci Guillet

2011, 347).

Social media marketing, in turn, can be defined as “a social and managerial process, by which

individuals and groups obtain what they need and want through a set of Internet-based

applications that enable interaction, communication, collaboration of user-generated content

and hence, sharing of information such as ideas, thoughts, content and relationships” (Kotler,

Bowen & Makens 2006, 30). In terms of marketing, user-generated content refers to the idea

of the relationship between the buyer and the seller. For both small and large businesses, social

media brings opportunities to either generate or increase sales or lower advertising costs

(Järvinen 2016). In addition to this, UGC on social media might help learning more about the

traits of consumers using specific social media channels (Leung et al. 2013). Therefore, by

accessing the valuable information of UGC will help marketers in designing and developing

the marketing of products, as well as in product development as such. Even though social media

marketing is one of the digital marketing tactics, it does not equal to online marketing, even

though it can be regarded as web-based in nature (Chan & Denizci Guillet 2011; Järvinen

2016).

As it was mentioned, with social media consumers can take part in communication. In social

media advertising, advertisers can create a dialogue with the target group. In this way, the

advertisers can react to possible negative comments, use positive comments in future

advertising and utilize direct feedback to improve product’s performance and characteristics.

Thus, it is vital for advertisers to remember that they cannot control content but become part

of the conversation by talking to consumers, thus being actors in the network. This is the main

10

difference compared to traditional advertising, where it is possible to control communication

only by sending one-way message to the consumer (Ayeh et al. 2012; Peters et al. 2013;

Blakeman 2014.) Also, Lalicic & Gindl (2018) point out that marketers should understand how

to create social media campaigns in a way that they create appeal in comparison with traditional

marketing campaigns. In addition to this, it is important for marketers to understand, which

social media campaigns are most effective for engaging consumers. Srinivasan, Rutz &

Pauwels (2015) say that special features in social media marketing are better targeting, better

tracking, and better responding (Srinivasan et al. 2015). Compared to traditional media, social

media enables new and more closely targeted forms of advertising. As an example, owned

brand messages can be targeted based on earned messages the consumer has been exposed to

via re-targeting. The ways of retargeting can be friend referrals, self-posting or mentions

(Lambrecht & Tucker 2012.)

In today’s marketing environment, marketing actions should be combined by online and offline

marketing. Marketers must take one step further and use interactive social media to able to

communicate with their customers. Moreover, for marketing practitioners, social media should

not only be an online distribution channel, but in addition to this, an effective tool to implement

service recovery, build relationships with customers and build brand loyalty in the community.

That is why companies actively engage in social media (Chan & Deniczi Guillet 2011; Ayeh

et al. 2012; Lalicic & Gindl 2018.) Due to rapid development, some companies even have a

pressure to adopt various digital channels (Leung et al. 2013). Because social media is growing

much faster than traditional marketing, it has become an essential part of a company’s

marketing mix. As digital media in general is fragmented in nature, it may cause challenges in

allocating marketing budgets from traditional media to digital and social media (Valos, Ewing

& Powell 2010.) It should be noted that as the marketing budgets tailored to social media

marketing tend to increase, there is a need for understanding the effectiveness of these

marketing metrics within the social media (Thornhill, Xie, Jin Lee 2017).

2.2.2 Paid, owned, and earned media

In order for marketers to be able to apply their marketing strategy, they have to take into

consideration three types of media in order to reach their potential customers online, namely:

paid media, earned media (also referred to as earned social media or ESM) and owned media

(also referred to as owned social media or OSM). According to Chaffey & Ellis –Chadwick,

11

(2012), paid media especially refers to bought media, covering traditional print and TV

advertising as well as in digital advertising, a pay for a click, lead or sale, which eventually

generates sales. In other words, it refers to communication created and shared by the brand in

its online social network channels, such as a Facebook Fan page or in YouTube, and the content

is therefore controlled by the brand (Thornhill et al. 2017; Colicev, Malshev, Pauwels &

O’Connor 2018).

Owned media refers to different kinds of media, which is controlled by a company owning the

channel’s purpose (Chaffey & Ellis –Chadwick, 2012). So, owned media is distinguished from

earned media in terms of who owns the site and who begins the communication. These may

include websites, blogs, e-mail lists and social media presence (Thornhill et al. 2017; Colicev

et al. 2018.) Owned content (also referred to as organic content) in social media is a low-cost

form to find information on products and services. This kind of information is free and offers

an opportunity for consumers to learn about the product (Thornhill et al. 2017).

Finally, earned media refers to engagement received from audience in the form of likes,

comments, or shares, and even creating the content in social networks (Chaffey & Ellis –

Chadwick, 2012; Thornhill et al. 2017; Colicev et al. 2018). It is kind of media in which social

media activities are not directly generated or controlled by the company, but communication

is initiated by a third-party. These include for example “blog posts, conversation in online

forums and communities and online ratings and reviews” (Stephen & Galak 2012, 625). In

other words, the main difference for a marketer between owned and earned social media

marketing is that owned marketing is controllable, while earned marketing is type of business,

which is out of company’s control (Thornhill et al. 2017).

12

Figure 2. Paid, owned, and earned media (Adapted from Chaffey & Ellis-Chadwick 2012)

Despite the popularity of social media marketing today, the impacts of OSM and ESM are not

understood well enough, leading marketers using any form of media without proper knowledge

of their implications. According to Baker, Donthu & Kumar (2015), research was only started

to help marketers to implement their social media channels and engage today’s digitally

knowledgeable customers. However, the business value of OSM exposures initiated by

companies and consumer-generated ESM exposures is less recognized (Thornhill et al. 2017).

According to research, OSM that is positive in nature, also has a positive impact on brand

purchase (Anderson & Simester 2013). Also, OSM offers informative messages to consumers,

which in turn provides information accessible to consumers more easily (perceived

knowledge). Thus, it is more likely to contribute to purchase behavior (Thornhill et al. 2017.)

However, getting information from ESM source may have a bigger effect on changing

consumers’ opinions and thus, it influences purchase behavior. Also, because WOM often

relates to a certain topic and is socially interactive, ESM is likely to have a bigger impact on

high-involvement consumers who want to have a conversation on mutual interest topics with

like-minded people (Srinivasan, Rutz & Powels 2015.)

When it comes to tourism business, owned social media is maintained largely in smart tourism

practices to maintain the tourist’s emotional connection to a product (Wang, Li, & Li 2013).

Marketing practitioners can utilize owned social media as a source of customer voice and

market information to learn from their experiences about tourism products, to identify new

13

tourism destinations or get warnings concerning certain tourism products on time (Sun & Lee

2017). Also, getting insights from customers would contribute to getting customers engaged in

co-creating tourism products or improving existing ones, for example by employing questions

or polls. In addition to this, companies can operate marketing campaigns in owned social media

to stimulate sales. In Facebook for example, marketers can use different kinds of methods for

engaging the customers in their brand page, such as photos of landscapes, words, quotes,

questions, or contests (Chang et al 2018.)

Previous research suggests that more visitors can be attracted to a company’s website with

successful marketing campaigns in social media due to greater levels of ‘range, richness,

reliability and timeliness’ in social media compared to traditional ways of marketing (Hays et

al. 2013, 225). Also, a study by Chang et al. (2018) investigated a company’s marketing efforts

on its Facebook brand page, referring to owned media in a travel agency. The results implicate

that campaign activities on Facebook positively affect sales of tourism products.

2.2.3 Social media marketing in tourism

The emergence and development of social media has also impacted the hospitality and tourism

industry deeply (Tussyadiah & Fesenmaier 2009; Chan & Denizci Guillet 2011). Until now,

social media marketing has been studied in tourism from several points of view, such as hotels,

airlines, travel agencies. According to these studies, social media is effectively utilized as a

marketing tool in the industry (Chan & Denizci Guillet 2011; Leung, Schuckert & Yeung 2013;

Denizci Guillet, Kucukusta & Liu 2016). However, this has not always been the case. In this

chapter, previous research concerning the impacts of social media marketing in tourism and

especially in destination marketing will be discussed in greater detail.

Social media has changed the way consumers plan and spend travelling (Gretzel & Yoo 2008;

Hudson & Thal 2013). Travelers increasingly search information on the internet and social

media channels. For today’s travelers, social media is an important means of information

searching and decision-making, as they share their experiences with social media technologies

(Inversini, Cantoni & Buhalis 2009; Xian & Gretzel 2009; Chan & Denizci Guillet 2011;

Munar 2011; Zeng & Gerritsen 2014; Leung et al. 2013.) Within social media, tourists rely on

the opinions and experiences of others in their decision-making, as a result of the experimental

character of tourism products and services (Litvin, Goldsmith & Pan 2008). Several social

14

media channels are important advocates in tourism purposes. Some of the channels are “blogs,

podcasts, messaging applications, or media-sharing sites such as YouTube, a microblogging

site Twitter, social networking sites, like Facebook, Instagram or a review site, such as

TripAdvisor” (Munar 2012, 104.)

Now that tourism is increasingly competitive, destinations are compelled to find new ways to

enhance their market position. Due to the rise of social media, companies within tourism cannot

ignore the role the evolving reputation of social media and its role in travel planning. (Leung

et al. 2013.) In this perspective, social media provides a tool for DMOs to reach a global

audience with less resources (Hays et al. 2013). Therefore, if well managed, social media

demonstrates a source of competitive advantage for destinations (Mariani et al. 2018).

Companies and destinations can get valuable information on competitive advantage and the

desires that customers have by communicating with customers in social media channels. This

will help marketers in getting new ideas and utilizing them in planning their products and

services for customers’ needs (Huang, Yung & Yang 2011.)

Compared to traditional marketing, social media marketing offers new ways of reengineering

and applying business models and operations in destination marketing organizations. In

addition to service and product development, these include marketing, networking, and

knowledge management (Zeng & Gerritsen 2014.) Social media is an effective marketing

channel and can be wisely used in combining marketing communications and tourism

marketing (Sotiriadis & van Zyl 2013). In overall, the idea of combining the traditional

marketing with social media marketing might help in spreading marketing to a greater

audience, by also contributing to an enhanced destination management partnership (Cho & Huh

2010; Huang et al. 2011; Tham 2013). Also, with social media, the website popularity can be

improved with increasing number of visits to the website (Zeng & Gerritsen 2014). Lalicic &

Gindl (2018) even state that tourists usually visit social media platforms more frequently than

destination’s websites. In their study, Leung & Bai (2013) suggested that travelers’

involvement is also likely to have a positive effect on their intention to revisit social media

pages.

Research reveals that social media is mainly us ed by tourism organizations in the areas of

marketing, management, communication and product distribution (Leung et al. 2013; Leung et

al. 2013). According to earlier research relating to supplier’s perspective, DMOs have struggled

15

with understanding the uniqueness of social media, even though they have accepted it as part

of their online marketing strategies. As a result of this, it was previously underfunded or even

neglected (Agostino & Sidorova 2016). According to Hays et al. (2013), the majority of DMOs

are not using social media as effectively as they could in terms of interacting with and engaging

customers. In the study, it was also found that especially DMOs with proper leadership

distinguished the opportunities of social media. However, according to Mariani et al. (2015),

DMOs are starting to understand the role of social media as a marketing tool, some of them

having distinct ways of utilizing social media, while other being more passive. Thus, the divide

between regions in the use of digital marketing is decreasing.

Research shows that the aim of destination marketers is to get as much engagement as possible

through the social media channels. Different companies can attract their consumers, however,

marketing efforts that should lead to engagement may be unauthentic or inconsistent (Kwok &

You 2016.) However, the most important thing for a destination marketer is not actually the

number of followers in the social media channel, but rather how much it increases web traffic

and generates travel bookings (Pike 2016). Usakli et al. (2017) found in their study, that the

higher the engagement or interaction in social media, the higher the number of international

tourist arrivals is. This is the goal for every destination marketer in increasing the number of

visitors in the destination. In addition to this, the results of the study suggest that DMOs use

social media marketing as a marketing channel rather than as a customer service tool. In the

figure below, the steps for successful social media marketing in terms of engaging customers

by Gretzel, Yuan & Fesemaier (2000) are presented.

16

Figure 3. A cycle for steps for successful social media marketing (Adapted from Gretzel et al. 2000)

When it comes to marketing strategies in social media marketing, they should be planned to

document the long-term, strategic perspective of the organization to show the direction and

help in executing the tactics over a time period (Heinze, Fletcher, Rashid & Cruz 2017). As

social media in tourism has become at least as important means of doing marketing as in other

industries, it is also becoming a more and more important element in marketing strategies. The

study by Hays et al. (2013) show that the use of social media is still largely experimental,

leading to significantly varying strategies among DMOs. Therefore, destinations should

provide a formal, but flexible strategy, which can be modified in ever-changing marketing

practices. This would improve the social media efforts in the future (Hays et al. 2013.)

Also, Munar (2012) suggested that the ever-changing forms of social media results in unformal

strategies based on trial and error, which are the result of informal knowledge and personal

involvement. However, the success may be affected by the need for formalization between the

organizational cultures and social media initiatives. Also, the top-management level may not

totally understand the strategic value of social media nor the fast transformation pace of web-

based communication (Munar 2012.) Nevertheless, DMOs should be able to adapt to the

changing marketing environment and use social media more effectively (Lalicic & Gindl

2018). Also, previous research suggests that the adoption levels of social media are likely to

vary depending on the country, showing variation of social media combined in their online

marketing strategies (Mariani et al. 2015).

17

2.2.4 Branding and social media marketing

With destination branding, it is possible to communicate the uniqueness of a destination, thus

separating it from its competitors (Marine-Roig 2015). Many destination marketing

organizations believe in the power of social media in building a strong brand. Nevertheless, the

right communication is a challenge for a destination brand in DMOs (Huertas & Mariné-Roig

2016a; 2016b.) In this chapter, the role of branding in social media marketing is discussed,

including recent research concerning the topic.

There are several definitions for what destination branding in the field of tourism is. One of the

most comprehensive definitions for branding is formulated by Blain, Levy & Ritchie (2005),

referring to destination marketing as a set of activities, which “1) supports the creation of a

name, symbol, logo, word mark or other graphic that readily identifies and differentiates a

destination; (2) that consistently convey the expectation of a memorable travel experience;

which (3) serves to consolidate and reinforce the emotional connection between the visitor and

the destination; and which (4) reduces consumer search costs and perceived risk. Collectively,

these activities serve to create a destination image that positively influences consumer

destination choice.” (Blain et al. 2005, 337.)

Just like in marketing across industries, the purpose of all marketing communications of

destination marketing organizations is to contribute to brand identity, which is a way for the

destinations of transmitting images of the destination to the minds of the tourists, whereas the

destination image represents the perception of the tourists concerning the destination (Marine-

Roig 2015). Several users of the destination brand can associate and identify themselves with

the identities built by the destination (Huertas & Mariné-Roig 2016a). This association

ultimately leads to the attachment of the brand and the intention to visit the destination. Within

the existence of social media, the users are the ones who shape the brand and the media.

Eventually, building brand awareness and brand loyalty are the communication objectives of

social media (Blakeman 2014). Algesheimer, Dholakia & Hermann (2005) demonstrated that

active participation of users in social media contributes to the emotional attachment and

consequently, increases brand loyalty. Also, Laroche, Habibi & Richard (2013) found in their

study that brand communities in social media positively impacts the relationship between the

brand and the users, as well as credibility and brand loyalty.

18

The study by (Ekinci & Hosany 2006) states that by building a strong destination brand

personality, destinations can stay better competitive in comparison with other destinations.

With social media, the likelihood of influencing brand building of the destination increases in

the long run. However, it is less likely to have an immediate increase the tourist visitor numbers

(Wang, Yu & Fesenmaier 2002; Gretzel, Fesenmaier & O’Leary 2006). According to (Hosany,

Ekinci & Uysal 2007; De Moya & Jain 2013; Stepchenkova & Zhan 2013; Huertas & Mariné-

Roig 2015; 2016b), destinations can communicate their brand through functional or emotional

elements. To compete with other destinations, they should take the both elements into account

when communicating the brand (Hosany et al. 2007; Huertas & Mariné-Roig 2015; 2016b.) In

their study, Lalicic, Huertas, Moreno, Gindl & Jabreel (2018), suggested recommendations for

destination managers to adjust their communication strategies with a destination brand and to

speak with one emotional message. Thus, it is recommended for the destinations to compare

their brand communication strategies and develop their own distinctive ones, especially in

terms of emotional brand values. By doing this, the strategies, the positioning of the destination,

online image and ultimately destination competitiveness can be improved, as the emotional

values of a brand generate positive reactions from potential visitors. (Lalicic et al. 2018.)

According to Huertas & Mariné-Roig (2015), communicating certain emotional brand values

in social media leads to greater interactivity and consequently, it improves the brand image of

tourism destinations (Huertas & Mariné-Roig 2015). The model for successful branding in

social media marketing can be seen in the figure 4 on the next page.

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Figure 4. Framework for branding in destinations (Adapted from: Mariné-Roig 2015; Huertas & Mariné Roig

2016a, b; Blakeman 2014; Algesheimer et al. 2005; Laroche et al. 2013; Ekinci & Hosany 2006; Lalicic et al.

2018)

Harrigan, Evers, Miles & Daily (2016) argued in their study that to engage customers, tourism

brands must have strategies for developing customer engagement. Also, it is vital for tourism

brands to understand, how they can use different functions of social media, namely pictures,

videos, polls, reviews, comments, or blogs in terms of branding. With different actions, it is

possible for brands to build an outstanding image on social media. This would ultimately lead

to customers identifying the brand among others (Harrigan et al. 2016.) However, Moreno,

Jabreel & Huertas (2015) and Huertas & Mariné-Roig (2016a, b) state that DMOs do not have

certain strategies for communicating their brand values nor brand communication strategies for

various social media channels.

2.2.5 Social media marketing measurement and financial value

In this chapter, various types of measuring social media marketing and its financial value are

explored, starting with the definition of the most essential terms relating to the topic, such as

metrics and analytics. The research implemented so far concerning the topic will be reviewed,

with a focus on tourism sector. Also, the importance of measuring social media marketing is

discussed. Finally, recently developed frameworks for measurement are presented.

20

Measurement of social media marketing

In earlier days, the focus of tourism industry has been on visitor numbers instead of yield.

However, the notion that tourism visitor numbers have less meaning if the expenditure invested

into the destination is not considered has gained popularity. A focus on yield is now considered

to be an important aspect in business strategies in order to improve competitiveness of the

destination (Dwyer, Forsyth, Fredline, Jago, Deery & Lundie 2007.) Social media is a source

of strategic information, among other things, which can be utilized for developing several

business strategies in tourism sector, such as visitor satisfaction as a result of product

development, solving visitor problems, learning about visitor experience, analyzing

competitive strategies as well as monitoring the image and reputation of the destination (Munar

2010). Thus, strategic management of social media is vital to a destination marketing company

if it desires to have financial returns and a successful business (Leung et al. 2013). According

to Peters et al (2013), social media must have a distinct approach to measurement, which cannot

follow the measurement systems of traditional or offline media. Also, utilizing marketing

performance data in marketing decisions in overall positively impacts the performance

(Zoltners & Singa 2005).

From marketing perspective, it is especially important that social networking sites, namely

social media channels should be evaluated for their effectiveness (Michalediou, Siamagka &

Christoduulides 2011), highlighting the importance for companies to assess the financial

contribution of social media activities (Hanna, Rohm & Crittenden 2011). According to

Germann, Lilien, & Rangaswamy (2013), many marketing managers are skeptical towards the

use of performance measurement data. Thus, they tend to count on intuition and experience

when making decisions. On the contrary, Agostino & Sidorova (2016) state that with the

adoption of different social media technologies widely, both practitioners and academics have

understood the organizations’ important role in measuring the contribution of social media

activities in business purposes. This applies in terms of financial input as well as value

generated by social media data from users’ interactions (Agostino & Sidorova 2016.)

In general, there is little research done to give guidelines on the ways for planning engagement

tactics and the impacts on social media communities (Järvinen & Karjaluoto 2015).

Nevertheless, within the emergence of digital marketing platforms and the possibility to utilize

data obtained from them, the use of real-time quantitative data and statistics is increasing in the

21

form of data-driven marketing (Patterson, 2007; Valos et al. 2010; Gök, Peker & Hacioglu

2015). Also, many times the information on marketing evaluation that destination marketers

have is mainly tacit, lacking shared knowledge on marketing management (Morgan et al.

2012). According to marketing literature, this phenomenon is quite common among marketing

practitioners (Phippen, Sheppard & Furnell 2004).

In addition to this, several studies relating especially to traditional, offline marketing state that

marketing performance measurement is usually affected by the focus on subjective measures,

including brand loyalty and customer satisfaction. There are difficulties in linking them with

financial metrics, which often are in the interests of top management (Rust et al. 2004; Seggie,

Cavusgil & Phelan 2007; Stewart 2009.) According to research so far, industry practitioners in

tourism sector have inadequate knowledge about the financial returns on their investment in

terms of social media marketing, leading to significant differences in the knowledge of social

media assessment among DMOs. (Leung et al. 2013; Mariani et al. 2015.)

Another challenge in measuring social media marketing is the impact of spillover effects,

meaning that the exposure to other marketing channels may influence the exposure of social

media channels. (Li & Kannan 2014). Also, Järvinen (2016) mentions difficulties relating to

the impact of a marketing activity from other effects. For example, if the sales of a product or

service increase as a result of a marketing campaign, it is challenging to determine which part

of the total sales increase as an outcome of a particular campaign, such as campaigns relating

to new products, news published about the company, price promotions or improvements in the

economic situation, to name but a few (Järvinen 2016.) Therefore, metrics, which not only

listen to the core brand, but also the noise across the system are needed in social media

dashboards (Peters et al. 2013). Metrics will be further discussed in the next chapter.

Metrics selection

According to Peters et al. (2013), social media needs to be managed in the same way as all

other media, which have goals in the organization. Nevertheless, as social media differs from

other forms of media, it also needs to have its distinct approach for measurement.

In digital marketing, strategy and digital marketing metrics should be aligned, just like in any

other marketing strategies. By doing this, the assets of measurement will increase. (Phippen et

22

al. 2004; Järvinen & Karjaluoto 2015.) Also, both in online and offline marketing, performance

metrics that would be well-defined helps organizations to assess their relevance and avoid

misunderstandings and confusion (Bourne, Mills, Wilcox, Neely, & Platts 2000). According to

marketing literature, selecting too few metrics will not capture the multidimensional nature of

marketing, and too many may lead to confusion (Clark 1999; Pauwels, Ambler, Clark,

LaPointe, Reibstein, Skiera, Wiesel 2009). Homburg, Artz, & Wieseke, (2012) state that cause-

and-effect relationships in metrics are more likely to lead to better performance in terms of

strategy and the ’breadth’ of the metrics system. Thus, the key point for marketers is to

understand the interrelationships between the metrics (Stewart 2009).

According to Järvinen, Töllinen, Karjaluoto & Javawardhena (2012), large companies use

digital marketing measurement more actively compared to small and medium-sized firms. This

relates to the notion that larger companies have more resources and knowledge for the

implementing web analytics successfully. On the contrary, Frösen, Luoma, Jaakkola &

Tikkanen (2016) state that the benefits depend on the context; large firms may benefit from a

marketing performance measurement system that is comprehensive, while small firms will

manage better with a more focused set of metrics. Also, smaller budgets in small companies,

including destination marketing organizations, are one of the main reasons for implementing

the metrics acquired directly from social media channels (Hays et al. 2013). Nevertheless,

Chaffey & Patron (2012) suggested that organizations should first select the digital analytics

metrics by identifying the key performance indicators (namely the ones that take the company’s

digital marketing goals into considerations and applies such metrics) and then differentiate

them from other metrics.

Nevertheless, previous research suggests that firms tend to focus on following simple metrics,

such as the number of likes or followers without having a system for supporting assessment of

social media or other marketing methods (Agostino & Sidorova 2016). Also, Peters et al.

(2013) state that single metrics, such as likes, followers, and views are tempting to focus on.

However, these aspects may not reflect the important forms of social media. For example, the

number of followers is not sufficient, if the followers are not engaged or their networks are

small. Therefore, managers should assess the reach out of their core network to be able to assess

the potential organic reach of any message. The organic reach mentioned does not have to be

equal with the number of core followers, mainly because highly influential and engaged users

23

may overcompensate with less engaged followers with smaller networks and less influence.

(Peters et al. 2013).

Analytics

Analytics is an essential part of social media marketing measurement. Next, analytics will be

further explored based on the literature review.

The literature concerning analytics provides insights not just on social media marketing, but

mainly to digital marketing in general. However, the marketing literature generally provides

only little information on how to analyze and interpret the performance (Järvinen 2016).

Analytics can be defined in several ways. For example, the web analytics data (WA) are utilized

for the purpose of understanding behavior of online customers, for measuring their responses

to digital marketing (DM) stimuli and to optimizing digital marketing elements and actions,

which enhance customer behavior that benefits the business (Nakatani & Chuang 2011). In this

thesis, the concept of analytics refers especially to social media analytics. In his dissertation,

Järvinen (2016, 20), defined digital analytics as “the collection and deployment of digital data

for measuring and optimizing digital marketing performance”, referring to the web analytics,

social media monitoring and marketing automation. Social media analytics can be divided into

content-based analytics and structure-based analytics, depending on whether the object of

analysis relates to the investigation of customer feedback, products reviews, images and videos,

or the investigation of likes and comments and their relationship (Gandomi & Haider 2015).

Web analytics in general offer objective and quantitative metrics, which can be easily

communicated to top management (Järvinen 2016).

The research shows that with the help of analytics, it is possible to generate more sales, profit

and return on investment (Germann et al. 2013; Germann, Lilien, Fiedler, & Kraus 2014).

Järvinen (2016), names several opportunities for digital analytics. First, with digital data,

including social media channels, more detailed data concerning customer behavior is provided,

when traditional marketing analytics only provides the outcomes of behavior, namely

transactions. Second, with digital analytics it is easier to acquire genuine behavior and users’

opinions in their natural environment, instead of just asking for the preferences of customers

with surveys and interviews. Third, with digital analytics it is easier to track the behavior of

not just customers but of all users, which helps in acquiring more customers. Fourth, the

24

behavioral data including locational information enables delivering personalized marketing

messages. Finally, the insights from digital analytics data can be utilized in offline marketing.

For example, it is easier for marketers to analyze how offline advertising increases the number

of website visitors, thus enhancing the results (Järvinen 2016.)

Analytics skills and measurement technique knowledge is vital in utilizing data for marketing

performance (Germann et al. 2013). In addition to this, web analytics can be automated and

standardized, nevertheless, they require adequate analysis and interpretation (Phippen et al.

2004; Chaffey & Patron 2012). However, the data consisting of various types of formats,

including text, videos, or photos can be a drawback in digital analytics (Sivarajah, Kamal, Irani,

& Weerakkody 2016). Another challenge in web analytics is the nature of the backwards

looking analytics, thus giving implications on the past and not the future (Seggie et al. 2007;

Järvinen & Karjaluoto 2015).

Nevertheless, the data analysis is the most important phase of marketing performance

measurement if the company is willing to improve its performance. It is useless to gather

information from digital analytics, if the data obtained from digital analytics is not analyzed

sufficiently (Phippen et al. 2004; Chaffey & Patron 2012). According to Patterson (2007),

analytics skills are not regarded as main assets of the organizations, as marketers rather rely on

creativity rather than analytical skills. When it comes to web analytics tools, according to

Nakatani & Chuang (2011), they should be chosen according to organization’s goals instead

of using free, easily accessible analytics, which are many times used among marketing

organizations. Peters et al. (2013) have similar views in their research, as many companies have

a bottom-up, data-driven process of collecting and using the metrics, referring to the notion

that the metrics are acquired in the easiest way possible. For example, small and medium sized

companies choose the tools for metrics offered for free, like Facebook Insights or Google

Analytics.

In their study, Järvinen & Karjaluoto (2015) highlight that metrics selection tends to vary

between the organizations, referring mainly to web analytics in digital marketing in general.

Also, in the field of tourism, benchmarking the social media analytics is challenging, because

DMOs are reluctant to reveal their strategic information to competitors (Mariani et al. 2015).

This also applies to strategies and marketing plans of the destinations (Buhalis 2000). In the

next chapter, the techniques, and frameworks for measurement especially in social media

25

marketing are introduced as they appeared in the literature review.

Frameworks for measurement

ROI (return on investment), which is probably the most utilized financial indicator both in

traditional and social media marketing, can be measured through different tools. It is

traditionally used to measure short-term returns (Rust et al. 2004). It was initially developed

for comparing capital projects where the investment is made one time, after which the returns

flow during the following years (Ambler & Roberts 2008). In tourism, measures of the return

on marketing investment can inform organizations in the private and public sectors similarly

about allocating marketing resources effectively as well as the ways of tourism development,

which best match with the goals of operators and destination managers. Stakeholders with

differing goals focus on different target markets (Dwyer et al. 2014.) Fisher (2009) states that

ROI in social media is lacking its point because it is unable to measure community reactions.

Therefore, this metric is lacking the overall picture. As it was mentioned, there is no universal

system for measuring effectiveness or return on investment (ROI) (Mariani et al. 2015; Moro,

Rita, Vala 2016; Agostino & Sidorova 2016).

According to previous research of social media marketing measurement, managers are not only

interested in cold numbers, but rather the sentiment gained through social media posts. Then

again, social media managers in DMOs have said they are more interested in promotional value

of social media rather than sales of tourism packages and services in the destination (Mariani

et al. 2015.) The study by Chan & Denizci Guillet (2011) report similar types of results: some

companies are not committed to their actions in social media marketing, because there is not

enough evidence on the usefulness of return on investment in social media marketing efforts

(Chan & Deniczi Guillet 2011). As there is a limited amount of evidence on the financial value

on social media marketing, companies may not be convinced that their marketing efforts in

social media would bring results efficient enough. They are also not sure about how much they

should invest in social media marketing to get satisfying results. Measuring the success and

effectiveness of social media activity is a challenge for DMOs because they may use metrics

from social media accounts in different ways (Leung et al. 2013.)

Nevertheless, several researchers have developed ways to measure social media marketing,

which are applied in different ways in different contexts. These methods have used in tracking

for long in the tourism sector and they are used tools for marketing across industries (Morgan

26

et al. 2012). For example, in the study by Morgan et al. (2012, 75), an established method of

key performance indicators (KPIs) was studied. It traditionally measures various “destination

marketing evaluation techniques, such as advertising awareness and impact (tracking research),

response levels and cost per response (response reporting), conversion of enquiries to

customers (also known as conversion research), value of business and return on investment”,

which was already discussed above. In collaboration with industry practitioners, the researchers

updated the KPI system for Visit Wales in their study. The effective balancing in long- and

short- term marketing strategies and reacting to market conditions were regarded as important

goals of the new framework. As a result, the ever-changing marketing environment may require

ever-changing framework for marketing evaluation (Morgan et al. 2012.)

In their study, Peters et al. (2013) suggested nine guidelines for managing social media

successfully, namely appropriate metrics. The set of metrics is called a dashboard. Linking

marketing inputs via social media metrics to outcomes relating to organization’s goals are

required in the dashboard. There is not just one single dashboard or metric relating to social

media, but all organizations must define their own, appropriate set of metrics according to their

goals, structure, and social media selection. The metrics used by the organization may not

actually be the most relevant ones to the organization in terms of marketing decisions. The

framework introduced in the study enables the managers to decide what is important to know,

and then search for the best possibilities available (Peters et al. 2013.)

In their study, Agostino & Sidorova (2016) created the PMS (Performance Measurement

System) to evaluate the social media activities in companies and organizations both in terms of

financial and non-financial indicators (Neely, Adams, & Crowe 2001; Sihm & Koh 2001;

Agostino & Sidorova 2016). This system has been widely used by many individuals and

organizations for learning and decision-making support, to name but a few (Canonico, De Vito,

Esposito, Martinez, Mercurio & Pezzillo 2015), and is now applied in social media

measurement. The PMS system comprises of the components of metrics, which refer to

indicators facilitating the quantification of social media activities in this context and methods,

which refer to the approaches for computing the methods mentioned above (Agostino &

Sidorova 2016). In addition to the financial measures, there are indicators relating to network

structure, interactions, conversations, and users’ opinions included in the measurement system.

Also, being able to collect and analyze data, it is necessary to have adequate IT and statistical

skills for analyzing social media data. (Agostino & Sidorova 2016.)

27

Table 1. Previous study relating to social media marketing measurement.

Paraphrasing: Lamberti & Noci (2010); Chaffey & Patron (2012); Morgan et al. (2012); Sigala (2012); Germann

et al. (2013); Peters et al. (2013); Mariani et al. (2015); Järvinen & Karjaluoto (2015); Agostino & Sidorova

(2016); Järvinen (2016). To sum up, there are different methods for assessing social media performance both in

academic literature as well as in DMOs. These are just some examples of the models that can

be created for social media and digital marketing measurement. According to the research so

Author(s) and yearMajor findings relating to the previous study of social media marketing

measurement

Lamberti & Noci 2010The outcomes show that companies pursuing different marketing strategies adopt

different kinds of MPMS (marketing performance measurement system).

Chaffey & Patron 2012

Technology already exists in making the most of digital analytics, but according to

the study, the major constraints for companies in digital analytics in fact are people

and resources.

Morgan et al. 2012

It is argued in the article that the KPIs (key performance indicators) used

traditionally are partly unsuitable for assessing the impact of DMO digital

platforms. The article suggests that traditional marketing KPIs evaluate what can be

measured instead of what should be measured.

Sigala 2012

The public and private stakeholders had differing views about the roles of DMS

(destination marketing system) as well as about the metrics that need to be used for

evaluating DMS performance. The findings also showed that the perceptions that

stakeholders had about the roles of the DMS influence their perceptions about the

performance evaluation of DMS.

Germann et al. 2013

The use of marketing analytics depends on the competition in the field of business

the company operates in, as well as the needs and wants of the company's

customers. A suitable culture for the use of analytics in the organisation contributes

to better marketing performance. Most companies will benefit from the use of

marketing analytics.

Peters et al. 2013

In the study, three components of appropriate metrics for social media were

developed, namely a holistic framework for social media elements and nine

guidelines for social media management. Also, the theoretically driven metrics for

dashboards were established, including the requirement of the new kind of input for

social media and organizational changes that need to be followed when

implementing social media.

Mariani et al. 2015

In the paper, factors contributing to superior level of social media activity are

investigated. There are differences in the ways in which Facebook is tactically and

strategically practiced among Italian regional DMOs. Different tools and ways to

measure the ROI of social media are used among DMOs. Some DMOs rather rely

on sentiment gained from social media instead of numbers, when assessing the

impact on sales of tourism products and services.

Järvinen & Karjaluoto 2015

An organization should consider the the chosen metrics, the processing of metrics

data, and the organizational context surrounding the use of the system. KPIs, which

can be managed and corresponds to the firm's objectives are recommended. In

addition to this, the collected data should be continuously modified in order to

make right decisions. In marketing metrics management, time and resources should

be invested.

Agostino & Sidorova 2016

A PMS (performance measurement system) framework was developed, making a

difference between metrics and methods. The measurement of financial and

relational impact of social media are supported in PMS metrics, as well as the

impact of social media conversations and opinions of the users. However, as social

media evolves continuously, the system should be updated on a regular basis.

Järvinen 2016

In the measurement of digital marketing performance digital analytics can be used,

however, its actual value is processed by the company's ability to process the data

into meaningful information and thus, better performance. With digital analytics,

moving to data driven marketing instead of relying on experience and intuition in

decision-making is possible.

28

far, quantifiable measures are highly appreciated, while analyzing the reactions from the user

sentiment is gaining more popularity among practitioners. However, the method for analyzing

the customer sentiment is especially challenging to find. Also, as it is the consumer who is

responsible for shaping the brand and the media, it is crucial that DMO managers are able to

show the impact of their marketing actions against a ‘clear and communicable set’ of KPIs

(Morgan et al. 2012). In the following chapters, while diving into the research part of this thesis,

the viewpoints of DMOs taking part in this study will be presented and analyzed.

2.3 Theoretical framework

In this chapter, the theoretical framework will be summarized based on the literature review.

Figure 5 illustrates the main theoretical concepts relating to the topic as they were discussed in

the theory section. The central objective of this thesis is to understand, how the planning of

social media marketing in DMOs reflect the marketing measurement, as well as how the results

of social media marketing measurement affect decision-making in the DMOs.

Figure 5. Theoretical framework concerning the measurement and financial value of social media marketing.

Social media provides a tool for DMOs to reach a world-wide audience with smaller resources

(Hays et al. 2013). Therefore, if well managed, social media can be utilized as a source of

competitive advantage for destinations (Järvinen 2016; Mariani et al. 2018). Marketing

planning is required because the nature of social media marketing changes continuously.

Advertising usually stimulates short or long-term consequences for the destination or its brand

(Morgan et al. 2012). To gain results in marketing the destination, a DMO should define the

29

goals for social media marketing. Previous research by Hays et al. (2013) suggests that social

media in tourism is as important means of implementing marketing as in other industries,

nevertheless, it is also becoming an important element in marketing strategies. However, the

use of social media is still experimental, leading to significantly varying strategies among

DMOs. Destinations should provide a formal, but flexible strategy, which can be modified in

ever-changing marketing practices. Also, Munar (2012) has found that the ever-changing forms

of social media results in unformal strategies based on trial and error are the results of informal

knowledge and personal involvement. The success may be affected by the missing

formalization between the organizational cultures and social media initiatives. The top-

management level may not totally understand the strategic value of social media, either.

Social media marketing may be implemented and measured using different kinds of content,

namely, owned, paid, or earned media (Ellis-Chadwick 2012; Thornhill et al. 2017).

Implementing social media marketing in practice with campaigns and such, leads to assessing

the social media campaigns. The form of media may also affect how it is eventually measured.

In addition to this, companies operate marketing campaigns in owned social media are able to

stimulate sales (Chang et al. 2018). Assessment of the marketing is done by measuring the

success of quantitative measures, such as metrics and analytics, as well as qualitative measures,

such as textual measures (Agostino & Sidorova 2016).

When it comes to the measurement of marketing performance, many marketing managers are

skeptical towards the use of performance measurement data. Thus, they may rely on intuition

and experience in decision-making (Germann et al. 2013). However, Agostino & Sidorova

(2016) state that with the adoption of different social media technologies widely, both

practitioners and academics have gradually understood the organizations’ importance for

measuring the contribution of social media practices in business purposes. This applies in terms

of financial contribution as well as value generated by social media data from users’

interactions. (Agostino & Sidorova 2016.) Also, Mariani et al. (2015) state that DMOs are

gradually understanding the important role of social media as a marketing tool.

Whatever style for measurement is chosen, the most important thing in the metrics selection is

the alignment of metrics and strategy. Consequently, the benefits of digital marketing analytics

will increase. (Järvinen & Karjaluoto 2015.) Both in online and offline marketing, performance

metrics that would be well-defined helps organizations to evaluate their relevance and avoid

30

misunderstandings and confusion (Bourne et al. 2000). Also, Frösen et al. (2016) state that the

benefits of the metrics are context-dependent; small firms will do better with a set of more

focused metrics. Chaffey & Patron (2012) suggested that organizations should select the digital

analytics metrics by identifying the key performance indicators (namely the ones that take the

company’s digital marketing goals into considerations and applies such metrics). Research

shows that firms rather focus on following simple metrics, such as the number of likes or

followers without having a system for supporting assessment of social media or other

marketing methods. (Peters et al. 2013; Agostino & Sidorova 2016). Instead, in many

companies the managers tend to choose the metrics that are easily available instead of metrics

that would suit their goals better (Peters et al. 2013).

The data analysis is the most important phase of marketing performance measurement for the

company to improve its performance. There is no point in gathering information from digital

analytics, unless the data obtained from it is analyzed properly (Phippen et al. 2004; Chaffey

& Patron 2012.) The research shows that with the help of analytics, which is used in assessing

the performance, it is possible to generate more sales, profit and return on investment (Germann

et al. 2013; Germann et al. 2014), which are also essential goals for DMOs. Assessing the

financial value is another essential part for the tourism companies to demonstrate their success

in social media marketing. However, previous research suggests that industry practitioners

have not enough knowledge about the financial returns on their investment in terms of social

media marketing, leading to significant differences in the knowledge of social media

assessment among DMOs. (Leung et al. 2013; Mariani et al. 2015.)

Another measure for successful social media marketing management is to create engagement

in social media among the travelers. The latest research shows that the aim of destination

marketers is to get as much engagement as possible through the social media channels.

However, the most important thing for a destination marketer is to know how much it increases

web traffic and generates travel bookings instead of the mere number of followers (Milano,

Baggio & Piattelli 2011; 2016.) As the ultimate goal for every destination marketer is to

increase the number of visitors in the destination, Usakli et al. (2017) found in their study that

the higher the engagement or interaction in social media, the more there are international tourist

arrivals. Therefore, adequate planning and implementation of social media marketing affects

the engagement, as well as the tourist arrivals (Hays et al. 2013).

31

Finally, social media marketing can be utilized in decision-making in many ways. According

to Mariani et al. (2015) and Agostino & Sidorova (2016), practitioners are starting to

understand the importance of social media marketing. Especially DMOs with proper leadership

have distinguished the opportunities of social media (Hays et al. 2013). However, more

knowledge on how it is done is needed.

32

3 METHODOLOGY

3.1 Qualitative research

The research method in this study is qualitative. Qualitative study is used in explaining or

qualifying a phenomenon (Hirsjärvi & Hurme 2008). Unlike in quantitative research, it is said

that qualitative research focuses more on rich description of a phenomenon, instead of

quantifying it. Qualitative data includes the collection of “observations, stories or narrative

histories, sounds, pictures or videos” (Johnson & Duberley 2000, 398.) It is conducted in

interaction with the researcher and the object of research, whereas in quantitative research, the

object of research is independent from the researcher (Hirsjärvi & Hurme 2008).

Typically, qualitative research brings a new point of view to research that is already existing

in areas, where quantitative research method is usually dominating. In qualitative study, the

researcher tries to get detached from the existing theory and preconceptions, however, he or

she inevitably has an impact on the research situation. In addition to this, in analysis process,

it is likely that the researcher will have an impact on the findings in one way or another with

his or her previous knowledge or experience. Qualitative research can only be valid when the

researcher follows a certain process when collecting and interpreting the data (Johnson &

Duberley 2000.)

The primary data collection method in the thesis is semi-structured theme interviews, therefore

it will be covered in more detail in the next chapter.

3.2 Data collection

3.2.1 Conducting the study

The study itself concerning the measurement and financial value of social media marketing

was implemented by semi-guided theme interviews. The research was conducted by

interviewing Finnish DMOs during April, May, June, and September of 2019. In the study,

altogether eight interviews were conducted. According to Tuomi & Sarajärvi (2002), the size

of the data is usually smaller in qualitative interviews compared to quantitative research, as the

emphasis in qualitative studies is on understanding a phenomenon, thus the number of

informants being small. In qualitative interviews, the number of interviewees is not the crucial

success factor for the research, since statistical generalizations are not made, but rather it is the

33

depth and quality of the information gained from the interviewees. The data will eventually be

saturated, when nothing new concerning the central themes rise in the interviews (Tuomi &

Sarajärvi 2002.) This data started to be somewhat saturated after eight interviews in this study.

In the table below, the time and duration of the interviews, and the corresponding codes used

in the analysis are presented.

Table 2. Details of the interviews.

The contact information for reaching the interviewees was accessed by Suoma Ry website and

by Googling (Suoma Ry 2019). Suitable persons for the interview were first contacted by

sending them an e-mail concerning the interview. If necessary, they were further contacted via

telephone. When selecting the possible interviewees, focus was paid on how easily the

interviewees could be contacted. For example, when the contact details were easily found on

the website of the DMO in question, the person was more likely to be contacted. This is called

purposive sampling (Hirsjärvi & Hurme 2011). In some cases, the persons the e-mail were sent

to, forwarded the email to some other person responsible for marketing in the organization.

However, some DMOs refused the interview, thinking that their social media marketing

measurement would not generate valuable contribution to the study in question. In general,

however, the DMOs seemed to be interested in the topic of the thesis, which made it easier to

get them to participate in the interview and research. In practice, the interviews were conducted

mostly over telephone. In one interview, a Skype connection was used, and one interview was

conducted face-to-face. The reason for conducting the interview over telephone was the most

secure connection without any breaks since the Internet connection in Skype may break from

time to time.

Code Date of the interview Duration

I1 24.4.2019 1.10.18

I2 25.4.2019 1.12.18

I3 26.4.2019 1.06.06

I4 13.5.2019 00.55.05

I5 28.5.2019 1.01.41

I6 5.6.2019 1.05.33

I7 13.6.2019 1.05.23

I8 9.9.2019 1.24.02

34

The interviewees ranged from marketing managers to CEOs. Before the interview, a letter

concerning the interview was sent to the interviewees to get more information about the

background and practicalities of the interview, including anonymity and confidentiality, which

is important in interviews where businesses and their tactics are handled (Eriksson &

Kovalainen 2008). The letter can be found in appendix 2 at the end of this paper. All the

interviews were conducted in Finnish and they typically lasted for about an hour, including the

forewords and an informal discussion at the end. To limit the topic, in the interview the focus

was on certain social media channels, namely Facebook and Instagram.

During the data collection phase – that is the actual interview, the purpose of the interviews is

to record the interviewee’s perspective as well as possible. By doing this, the interviewer

captures the actual things said by real people (Patton 2002.) In the study in question, the

interview questions were recorded and later transcribed. In business research, it is usually

enough to transcribe all that have been said. (Eriksson & Kovalainen 2008.) So, when

transcribing the interviews of this study, only the words that were said, excluding mumbling

or pauses were written down and analyzed at a later phase.

3.2.2 Semi-structured theme interviews

In semi-structured interviews, the interviewer has a topic to learn about (Rubin & Rubin 2012).

Semi-structured interviews include questions starting with “what” and “how”. In these

interviews, the interviewee has questions, which relate to some topic, themes, or issues. As

semi-structured interviews are not strictly structured, it is possible to acquire type of

information that the interviewee would have not necessarily taken into consideration when

planning the interview questions (Puusa 2011a.) An advantage with these interviews is that

they are systematic and comprehensive, still the interview itself being informal and

conversational. Also, during any type of interview, it is the responsibility of the interviewer to

maintain the flow, how the interviewee reacts to questions, and what type of communication is

appropriate for maintaining the flow in the communication (Patton 2002.) In this study, an

attempt was made to keep the interview conversational. Flow was more easily maintained,

when the interviewer was able to modify the interview structure according to the interviewee’s

answers and naturally move from one theme to another.

35

Typically, interviews consist of main questions, probes, and follow-up questions. With main

questions, it is ensured that each main question of the research questions is answered (Patton

2002). In this study, the research questions were planned in a way that the main questions were

determined, and attention was paid that they were asked from each interviewee. In interview

questions it is good to know how the interviewee him- or herself sees a certain phenomenon

covered during the interview. By doing this, misunderstandings can be avoided in relation to

the meanings used by the interviewee when analyzing the data at a later phase (Patton 2002).

In the beginning of a theme, each interviewee was first asked a question, which they could

answer by telling, what comes to mind relating to the theme. After that, the interviewer

proceeded to probe and follow-up questions. In probe questions, it is ensured that the

interviewee keeps talking about the subject, giving details and examples. In follow-up

questions, the interviewee is inspired to deepen the key concepts, themes, ideas, or events that

they have first presented (Patton 2002.) Clarifying questions are also an essential part of the

thematic interview. In the interviews of this study, clarifying questions were asked especially

if the interviewer wanted to get more information about what the interviewee had just said. All

in all, during interviews, the interviewees’ interpretations about certain issues, meanings given

to them and how the meanings develop in interaction. (Puusa 2011a; Tuomi & Sarajärvi 2018.)

In theme interviews, it is typical that the interviewee has knowledge or experience about a

certain phenomenon or a process, namely about social media marketing and its measurement

in this case. The researcher, on the contrary, has acquired essential information about a

phenomenon, including the structure and processes essential for the phenomenon in question

before the interview, thus forming the basis for undertaking the interview successfully. By

doing this, the researcher deepens her understanding about the phenomenon in question (Puusa

2011a.) This was done also in this study before planning the themes and interview questions.

The interview themes should be based on theoretical, predetermined, framework applied in the

research, and the questions relate to the themes in the interview. With the help of themes, the

whole phenomenon is built into parts, and the researcher aims to understand the contents and

the meanings with the help of questions she poses during the interview. Observing a single

theme requires considering several viewpoints. In this way, the theme is a bigger entity than

just one question (Puusa 2011a.) Based on the theory, the themes in this study were formulated

to relate to the planning of social media marketing, measurement and financial value of social

media marketing, as well as decision-making relating to social media marketing. The interview

36

questions were planned not to be equal with research questions. Also, the questions asked in

the interview may have differed from the theoretical framework, as intuitive questions or

questions relating to previous experience were asked with regards to the themes (Hirsjärvi &

Hurme 2008; Puusa 2011a.)

During the interview, all the themes should be explored, nevertheless, the interviews are

different in length, shape, and forms of questions depending on the interviewee. In this way,

the role of the interviewer may be different in each interview; in some interviews, she may be

more of a listener, while in others he or she may have a more active role in asking clarifying

questions (Puusa 2011a.) In the interviews of this study, the interviewees talked more than the

interviewer, who was mainly a listener and kept asking additional questions and making short

comments. Only in the beginning of the interview, the interviewer spent some time introducing

the topic and telling essential information about the topic in question, thus, the interviewee was

more of a listener. In general, the information gained from the interviewees was abundant and

informative. The interview questions can be found in Appendix 1 at the end of this document.

3.3 Analysis of the data – Content analysis

In this chapter, the analysis process is explained and described how it was implemented in this

study. Content analysis is a suitable method in many types of qualitative research; thus, it was

also applied in this research. The main purpose of content analysis is to organize the data so

that the essential information is not lost. It is a methodological framework, which can be used

in various ways, enabling the analyzing of data in versatile manners. The analysis process is

based on interpretation and reasoning, where it is possible to proceed from the empirical data

to conceptual perception about the phenomenon. The analysis must be based on truthful and

credible interpretation as well as justifying the decisions made in the process (Puusa 2011b.)

When it comes to data analysis in qualitative research, the data can be rich. Therefore, many

interesting viewpoints can be found, even such viewpoints that the researcher does not expect

(Puusa 2011b; Tuomi & Sarajärvi 2018). The data of this study also ended up being rich. In

the interviews conducted in this study, the order of questions varied as the interviewees started

talking about certain topics before the interviewer had proceeded to that question. Therefore,

data-analysis may be more complicated in semi-structured interviews, as it may be more

37

difficult to locate the answers of every respondent regarding the same question and to organize

questions and answers that are quite similar (Patton 2000).

According to Tuomi & Sarajärvi (2018), the analysis process can be either data driven, theory

guided, or theory driven, depending on how strongly the research and its analysis is based on

theory or data. In this study, the analysis is theory guided, also called abductive reasoning, for

the research itself is based on theory and previous theory was studied before the interviews

were conducted. However, it does not strictly follow a certain theory nor does not try to test a

theory. In abductive research, focus is on the meanings and interpretations, the motives, and

intentions that people use in their daily lives (Eriksson & Kovalainen 2008; Ong 2012).

The aim of the content analysis is to make the data a meaningful, clear, and compact entity,

with which the researcher can make conclusions about the phenomenon under research (Puusa

2011b). When starting the analysis process, the data will be gone through several times. The

first task in the analysis process is to organize the data by checking, completing, and organizing

the data for saving and analysis (Hirsjärvi 2000; ref. Puusa 2011b.) This was done in this study

at the end of the transcription process. The interviews were re-listened and corrected wherever

needed. When the researcher has gained a holistic view about the data, it will be divided and

examined in more detail. Phrases can be simplified into single expressions. This is also called

coding (Puusa 2011b). Coding was done for the data in question by collecting single

expressions into an Excel sheet. Subsequently, findings will be categorized and thus,

thematized into the most important topics aroused from the data. (Puusa 2011b). In the data of

this study, the similar expressions were later unified under one. As Eriksson & Kovalainen

(2008) state, the analysis process took place in several phases and the phases mentioned above

took place simultaneously.

Themes can be made according to a preplanned structure, or alternatively, new themes can be

generated from the data (Puusa 2011b.) In this study, the preplanned themes were followed

when analyzing the data, however, the information and even themes were documented when

something unpredictable came out. However, the themes must be carefully considered to

ensure that they are the most relevant concerning the study. During this study, the themes were

determined based on theory when the research question and interview questions were planned.

Also, it is worth noticing that one theme can be generated from several questions in the data

and some of them may even relate to several themes. (Puusa 2011b). This notion also became

38

apparent when interpreting the data under different themes, as multiple meanings under several

categories could be found in one sentence.

Ultimately, the chosen themes are taken out from the data with regards to the research questions

and compared with each other (Eskola & Suoranta; ref. Puusa 2011b). In practice, similar

expressions were categorized under the same theme. Furthermore, distinct phrases were written

down in the analysis phase to describe what the interviewee had said about a certain, central

phenomenon concerning the study. Especially the sentences that were quoted were translated

with the help of Google Translator. This is a crucial phase, as the decisions of the researcher

determine the themes (Tuomi & Sarajärvi 2002; ref. Puusa 2011b; Tuomi & Sarajärvi 2018).

Finally, similar types of categories are combined into distinct categories, which should

eventually answer the research questions. These categories, also called typologies are used in

finding not the most typical phenomena, but rather phenomena that differs from the typical

viewpoints known in the field. This was also the case in this study, as in addition to comparing

the findings in the existing theory, an attempt was made to find new information. However, the

research questions were kept in mind, as the ultimate purpose of the analysis is to find the most

essential information considering the goals of the study (Liane 2001; ref. Puusa 2011b). All in

all, the analysis of the data must be made carefully, so that new theory or new information to

theoretical discussions can be produced. (Puusa 2011b).

After having analyzed the data, the researcher interprets and explains the results generated

through research. Also, the results should be synthesized. With the help of synthesis, it is

possible to compile the main points of the research results. Conclusions, in turn, are based on

the synthesis (Puusa 2011b.) In this study, the conclusions were determined as explained above,

first by synthesizing the findings and consequently, turning them into conclusions. However,

making conclusions may happen all the time during the analysis process (Puusa 2011b). This

also happened during the analysis of the findings in this study. The theoretical conclusions

should be made based on the theoretical framework, namely, what kind of new information is

acquired from the results. Central research results also form the theoretical contributions, and

the researcher should be able to answer the research questions with the help of theoretical

contributions (Puusa 2011b.) The conclusions of the study in question will be explored more

closely in chapter 5.

39

4 FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS

4.1 Description of social media marketing in DMOs

The purpose of the following analysis is to introduce the most crucial findings of the interviews

relating to the research questions. In this first chapter, the focus is on describing how social

media marketing is organized by the DMOs of this study.

At the time of the interviews, the number of followers and likes ranged from 6427 to 160 000

in Facebook and 4080 to 55 300 in Instagram in the social media channels of the DMOs

participating in the study. Also, many of the DMOs have other channels in use, such as Twitter,

LinkedIn or TikTok. In addition to this, social media channels especially for Russian or

Chinese markets were in use in some DMOs. Some DMOs had several channels in Facebook

for example in different languages. YouTube was in general regarded as a channel to store

video content rather than a marketing channel.

Social media channels have been taken into use with the emergence of different channels into

markets. Social media marketing has been implemented for 3 to 10 years, depending on the

DMO. Also, as Facebook gained its popularity before Instagram, it was taken into use even

some years before Instagram in several DMOs of the study. In the table 3 below, the usage of

social media channels is presented by DMO.

Table 3. Information about DMOs

The mostly used languages in social media channels of the DMOs are Finnish and English,

depending on the main target groups of each channel. Also, in several interviews it stood out

Code

How long social

media marketing has

been practised

(years)

Number of

employees

Number of followers

Facebook/Instagram

I1 11 9 160 000 / 35 500

I2 10 3 9980 / 4080

I3 3 3 24 600 / 55 300

I4 5 3 6427 / 7288

I5 3 2 78 070 / 43 900

I6 5 3 8875 / 4390

I7 8 2 57 400 / 20 100

I8 9 3 8298 / 2604

40

that there is continuous pressure to implement new channels. According to the interviews, the

role of social media channels has changed dramatically over the years. For example, Facebook

was initially a small community of super fans.

The table above also indicates that the number of full-time employees in the DMOs of the study

ranged from 2 to 9. In addition to this, the DMOs may have utilized part-time employees, free-

lance photographers or they may have trainees also working in the organization for a certain

period. There were also differences in how social media marketing was implemented. In some

of the DMOs, the employees were designated to do as much as possible by themselves, whereas

some of the DMOs actively used partners outside the organization, such as social media offices

or advertising agencies for producing content or measuring marketing, which may produce paid

content. In addition to this, social media influencers or press may have been used to produce

earned content. In some DMOs, all employees were involved in social media, whereas in others

there were designated persons for managing social media channels. There were also differences

in how the operations in DMOs are organized, some of them being purely marketing

organizations with no intention to sell anything but rather concentrate on branding of the

destination, whereas some of the DMOs have a sales function themselves.

4.2 Planning of social media marketing in DMOs

4.2.1 Goals of social media marketing

In this chapter, the most important notions regarding the goals of social media marketing are

described according to the findings of the interview. As it can be seen in the picture of the next

page, the most frequently mentioned issues were branding and profiling the destination (I1, I2,

I3, I5, I6 and I7), promoting the services and products in the destination (I1, I2, I4, I6 and I8),

increasing the awareness and demand (I2, I3, I4 and I7), and a tool for reaching or knowing the

target groups and customers (I2, I3, I6 and I8). Other issues mentioned were that social media

is regarded as a part of customer purchase journey (I1 and I4), a tool of communication with

followers and fans (I3), and a customer-service channel (I3 and I6). Also, social media was

considered a tool for spreading current information, but also a source of information for

travelers (I6 and I7). In addition to this, two interviewees mentioned that the goals are linked

to sales targets as well as directing customers to the website (I5 and I6). The most findings are

explained below the table in more detail.

41

Table 4. Findings relating to the goals of social media marketing in DMOs

Branding and profiling the destination

As it can be seen in the table above, branding and/or profiling the destination is a major goal

in social media marketing for nearly all the DMOs (I1, I2, I3, I5, I6, I7) interviewed in this

study.

As an interviewee puts it: “We've been seen in the past very heavily as some kind of branded

medium” (I3). One interviewee (I5) says that their goals relate to “sales and brand building”

(I5), and “each campaign is dependent on the goal” (I5). For example, if the goal is to

contribute to branding, video advertising can be used in campaigns. If the goal is to create more

sales, the visitors are directed to the website from a social media channel to make a purchase.

One interviewee mentions especially the role of Instagram in branding the destination:

“Instagram is so much more now that we are purely international, like, there's

more that we're trying to grow the number of followers.”…“Especially to inspire

and profile this area of ours, and to raise awareness about this area through

I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8

Branding/profiling the

destinationx x x x x x

Promoting the services and

products in the destinationx x x x x

Being involved in the customer

journeyx x

Increasing the

awareness/demandx x x x

A tool for reaching/knowing

the target groups and

customers

x x x x

A tool for communication with

followers and fansx

A customer-service channel x x

Inspiring/building long-term

relationships with the audiencex x x

Directing customers to the

website and sellingx x

Spreading current

information/source of infox x

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Instagram and this is related to the image, because it has worked the best, too.”

(I6)

An interviewee tells that there is need for branding the destination especially in foreign

markets: “But overseas, the need for marketing is more like raising awareness, that is,

promoting the brand and telling that we exist.” (I7) It is worth noticing, that DMOs regard

social media as a tool for reaching the goals. As one of the interviewees puts it, “so in a way,

it's kind of a tool to bring out your own message, your brand” (I1), also it was stated that social

media is ”Not as an intrinsic value, we don't do social media for the case of it, but because we

want get our stuff heard” (I1). One of the interviewees sees social media channels as ”a tool

for communication that functions on both directions.” (I3)

Promoting the products and services in the destination

Also, promoting the products and services in the destination is the second most mentioned goal

for the DMOs of this study. Interviewees I1, I2, I4, I6 and I8 mentioned promoting products

and services as one of their major goals. An interviewee states that one of their main goals is

“to promote the companies in our destination as well as the services” (I1). Also, one

interviewee states the following relating to highlighting the products and services in marketing

communication:

“..It comes with the fact that it has to be a tourist attraction of its own and is

based on these top-notch products”…”If they are not our key products, key

services, key experiences, they are not so much highlighted. It is quite a conscious

choice, that communication and marketing are consistent and coherent, in that

sense, it's not a mish-mash.” (I2)

Increasing the awareness and demand of the destination

Interviewees I2, I3, I4 and I7 regard increasing the awareness and demand of the destination

as one of the goals in social media marketing. An interviewee says that: “And this kind of pure

awareness - raising awareness has been ours - it's also because we have been purely a

marketing company” (I3). Here are some of the thoughts regarding the goals and creating

demand of another interviewee: “Well then, well known and then of course it’s like creating

demand, or a little bit like an inspiration thing, and then, just like that, how do we support this

trip planning, I think the classic three are, how they are now defined, those we use in that.”

(I4) Another interviewee mentions the awareness as one of the goals especially relating to

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branding. ”The first goal is to talk about awareness, or awareness, and talk about brand-level,

that the region X, its visibility is increasing, and now I refer first of all to overseas.” (I2)

Inspiring/building long-term relationships with the audience

Interviewees I4, I6, and I8 stated that inspiring the customers and even building long-term

relationships are their main goals. For example, one interviewee states that “And then, of

course, already reached customers who like us staying and have stayed here once, we are

trying to commit them to want to choose the destination again, that is, to highlight the breadth

of our range of our products and services.” (I8) One of the interviewees (I6) specifically sets

inspiring the audience one the main goals for their social media marketing: “Indeed, Facebook

now aims to be more of an inspiration like this, to give current information to the right kind of

audience” (I6).

Another interviewee also talks about committing the customers with social media: “Having a

certain percentage of our customers, they kind of have this kind of commitment” …”And

through that, social media marketing is aimed at bringing these customers who repeatedly use

the destination's tourist services, so of course they are directed to see what we offer to visit us

more and stay longer..” (I8)

A tool for reaching/knowing the target groups

Some interviewees (I2, I3, I6 and I8) mentioned they utilize social media channels as a tool for

reaching and knowing the target groups: “In other words, we also try to reach new target

groups in order to increase the awareness.” (I2) Another interviewee said they continuously

investigate how the target groups behave in social media: “That is to say, we are always test a

little bit and see how our target audience changes there, and in a way, what works, what

engages best, and in a way, that information is then searched for.” (I6)

Other goals mentioned

Two interviewees (I1, I4) consider being involved in the customer purchase journey important,

and especially that the goals have been chosen “probably from the point of view of consumer

behavior, the customer path, which is much talked about now..” (I4). One interviewee tells that

44

with social media channels, it is easier to be involved in the different stages of customer

purchase journey:

“Trying to produce content and inspiration to be inspired there, like in the dream

phase and the inspiration stage and the travel planning, and nowadays we can

be involved in the buying phase because of online sales which was recently

opened, and which is being promoted to social media, and then also as a tool for

after-marketing, as people strongly stay in the channel to sense it, and in the

channels after visiting, and they'll eagerly share experiences and comments and

like that.” (I1)

An interviewee also regards social media as a tool of communication with followers and fans:

“…and in a way, the fan of communication - the medium of communication for

us, for us – fan is a pretty powerful word, but maybe I say that it was

communicating with our fans.”…”And in that sense, absolutely, social media is

like a means of communication that works in both directions.” (I3)

In addition to this, the interviewee I3 together with I6 see social media as a customer-service

channel. Interviewee I6 mentions especially Facebook to have a such role:

And kind of a channel to help entrepreneurs, and then of course in Facebook,

one somehow cannot think about it separately from customer service,

it is just clearly a customer service channel also.” (I6)

Also, two interviewees (I5 and I6) think that the goals are linked to sales targets or directing

customers to the website.

“We have goals for how much we want growth for the year, we also monitor all

the time - every Monday and then every month, after the turn of the month, I do

the reporting and I follow the sales development and compare it to the last year’s

sales.” (I5)… “and it's not like we measure directly how much we get sales but

also in order to get enough sales, we have to have enough reach there,

we have to have enough interested people.” (I5)

Two interviewees also told that spreading current information and on the contrary, being a

source of info (I6 and I7) were mentioned as goals for social media marketing. Interviewee I7

especially mentioned the importance of spreading current information about the destination:

“Then again, at home, the intention is to tell more about what's on offer in the

destination, and more specifically on current affairs, so that people know what's

going on in the city.” (I7)

Interviewee (I6) mentioned that they like “to listen to what our residents and our tourists think

of us, how they kind of commit to certain things, and what they are proud of, and it is like that,

a source of information as well.” (I6)

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Finally, acquiring new customers were also mentioned as goals for social media marketing by

two interviewees (I6 and I8): “but that is our social marketing goal, on the other hand, to get

new customers” (I8) Another interviewee also highlights the importance of getting customers:

“And then, of course, raising our heads, this kind of imaginative buzz is always

going to be strong everywhere, but after all, clearly getting that international

clientele and raising that is a big goal for us in both channels.” (I6)

Based on findings, the goals mentioned in social media marketing are either strategic or

tactical.

4.2.2 Documentation of the goals

In this chapter, the perceptions of interviewees regarding the documentation of the goals and

strategy are analyzed. Furthermore, the interviewees’ views regarding the comparison of goals

to the targets set for social media marketing are described. In the table below, the most

significant findings concerning the documentation of the goals for social media marketing are

presented.

Table 5. Findings relating to documenting the goals in social media marketing in DMOs

According to the findings, only one interviewee (I1) states that the strategy for social media is

included the master plan of tourism. Instead, interviewees I2 and I5 said that the strategy for

social media is included in the brand book or other marketing plan of the DMO in question.

Here are some thoughts of an interviewee:

I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8

The goals of social media marketing are written

inside the tourism strategyx

Social media is implemented in practice x x

Brand book where social media marketing is

includedx x

Commonly agreed rules x x x x

Toolkit for marketing/digital marketing strategy x x x x

No strategy currently x x x x

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”We have to say, that the social marketing strategy is very consistent with our

overall marketing plan. So, for example, tone of voice is very much the same we

do, when it comes to picture choices or choices of style.” (I2)

Four interviewees (I3, I6, I7 and I8) stated that they currently have not any kind of separate

strategy for social media. Even though several interviewees stated that they may not have their

goals documented, or they have not been documented clearly enough, they still had plans to

improve the documentation in the future.

However, several interviewees (I2, I6, I7 and I8) stated that they do not want to make too tight

plans for social media, since operating with social media changes continuously. Instead of

strategy, they are more in favor for commonly agreed rules or alignments concerning the use

of social media. This is what one of the interviewees says about their documentation of social

media:

“..But somehow, really, like I said so social media is completely handled by our

operational team, so kind of, we kind of have a nice team that we all do this job

so we all have education in marketing and background in marketing... And

maybe a little bit like a shoemaker's kids don't have shoes, that certain things may

be familiar to us in that way, and so obvious that it has not yet been felt as

necessary to record a separate strategy, but without denying now that our team

has grown bigger, there has been talk of whether we all see things the same way.”

(I8)

In addition to this, two interviewees (I1 and I2) mentioned that they like to implement social

media marketing in practice. Also, interviewee (I5) sees updating the strategy is a continuous

process. Interviewee I2 added that they like to have an experimental culture concerning social

media implementation:

”And, of course, we have a common name like the brand manual and the annual

plans, but our marketing is based on agile, flexible, fast response. We do not have

an annual plan in that sense, we do not know what we are doing in November.

We will do something, but what it is not written down in advance, because the

world is changing at such a fast pace. I prefer to be awake and ready to react

and do things quickly if necessary..” (I2).

Several interviewees (I2, I3 and I4) state that social media is one of the toolkits in their

marketing. In the following, an interviewee’s (I3) thoughts on social media as one of the

toolkits in marketing are described:

“For example, writing down strategy stuff like that and channel-specific stuff,

maybe that it is more in our operational work - how do I say right now, that if the

house is being renovated, you may not want to write down in the plan that which

tool will do what kind of operation, but rather decide to do certain things. And

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then it is always done with the best possible tool. I think that's the way I think

social media - it's like a tool, and you might not want to tie your hands too much

to any channel or any production method, because social media always teaches

us what works and what does not work, and perhaps strategic channel choices

may become obsolete very quickly. (I3)

In addition to this, one interviewee (I6) said that they are planning to have a digital marketing

strategy, including social media in the future.

It is worth noticing that in some cases (I6 and I7), as DMOs are a part of city or a municipality,

the goals and thus strategy come at least to a certain extent given from the city or municipality.

In some cases, there is room for development when it comes to planning and documenting

social media marketing goals. For example, (I7) says that as they are a part of the municipality,

the goals come from the city government, and the goals set by the city municipality regarding

social media marketing may not be relevant or realistic. ”So, that is, a little bit like that, an

amateur atmosphere exists in the sense that these kind of control documents absolutely need to

exist. Without them so, everyone has the goals only in their heads.” (I7)

Another reason for not making too tight plans is the lack of time. Timely resources are so tight

that the employees in DMOs are only able to invest their time in every-day practicalities:

“Well it is written there pretty much, our main job is international marketing,

international tourism marketing, that we have not written specifically, you should

have precise plans and stuff but in this everyday life it is focused on practical

doing ..” (I1)

When asked about comparing the goals set and documented with the results gained, several

types of ideas were received. For example, two interviewees (I1 and I3) mentioned that they

tend to follow the set goals in a general level, furthermore, following whether the goals have

been reached is not measured. Interviewee I3 says that they tend to measure quantitative goals

“three or four times a year” in a sense that “where we have succeeded and where not” (I3).

Following the qualitative measures, on the contrary, has been more like “based on vibes” (I3).

Interviewee (I1) has similar thoughts concerning the issue:

“Yes we compare and measure our own success on a general level of course it is

monitored, but if in the strategy we don’t have such quantitative goals, so of

course, it has been impossible then to say quantitatively or so precisely that how,

whether the objectives were exceeded or not..” (I1).

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An interviewee mentions that they tend to compare their results with the ones of the previous

year. “Well, we compare and compare a lot to the previous year, especially if something similar

has been done…” (I6) Last, one interviewee says that the main purpose for providing the

information about the results is for the partner companies operating within the destination:

”Partners, in other words the companies that are involved, if they are satisfied with what

information is available to them, then at the moment it has been just enough for us.”(I7)

4.3 Social media marketing measurement

4.3.1 Ways of measuring

In this chapter, the most common metrics used by DMOs, as they mentioned them in the

interviews will be introduced. Moreover, the reason for using the specific tools are explained

as they appeared in the interviews. Not just knowing which metrics are used is important, but

also, what other issues are important for measurement in the DMOs are analyzed.

According to the findings, different types of measurement were quite typical to social media

marketing. As it can be seen in the table below, nearly all interviewees mentioned they track

the number of followers. Also, several interviewees stated they are interested in engagement

(I1, I3, I4 and I8), number of likes (I2, I4, I6 and I8) or video views (I3, I4 and I5). Some

mentioned they are interested in number of shares (I2 and I6) or number of reactions (I6 and

I8) in posts when measuring social media marketing they practice.

Table 6. Findings relating to the most used metrics by the DMOs

Some interviewees (I1 and I2) state that the metrics used are considered basic metrics.

However, according to the interviewee, this type of measurement relates more to the

measurement on content production, stating that the measurement is “..Not so much the final

product, which is to bring passengers or bring tourists to the destination, it does not measure

I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8

Number of followers x x x x x x

Engagement x x x x

Number of likes x x x x

Reach x x x x x x

Number of shares x x

Number of video views x x x

Reactions x x

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the final goal but the success of the content work” (I1). Another interviewee has a similar

opinion concerning the issue: “If marketing is difficult to measure, then the relationship

between marketing and sales is even harder to measure,” (I2) continuing with “…how much

marketing is generating sales, as in our area with 200 travel companies, it is quite difficult to

prove how much our branding campaign, for example, how much money it brings to a single

company.”

The interviewee also mentions the effect of long-term marketing on sales: ”Yeah, and then the

chains of influence can be really long. Of course, with these tactical campaigns we can measure

how much bookings went up, how much web traffic was generated, or how many thumbs went

up. But then when it comes to longer-term marketing, then the chain of influence is blurred.”

(I2) The same interviewee points out that social media measurement should not be done for the

case of itself: ”..because we have such a top-notch goal that the tourist area is growing and

developing, social media dashboards should not steer our all doings.” (I2)

When it comes to measurement of social media marketing, one of the interviewees (I3) state

that for them, engagement in channels comes before reach: “And of course, of two metrics, how

many people are being reached, that is quite significant, …but it is a cause of joy for us if other

players in the market are on a bigger channel, nevertheless, we are better able to engage our

audience” (I3). However, instead of just quantitative metrics, the interviewee raises the point

of qualitative aspects in measurement.

As to likes as a metric, an interviewee pointed out that they prefer to get so called “real likes”,

meaning that the likes they would get concerning a shared video would make the viewers

comment and share it: “So I don't like that, I'm always going deeper there, and I'm not

interested in x the number of likes, but the only interesting would be the “real likes”… Would

they really be the foreigners who became interested, and in a way, it was a pretty good relation

after all, because people went to recommend it, to share it ..” (I6)

When asked about how the ways of measurement have been chosen, one interviewee said that

the metrics chosen are ”..probably the most unambiguous one, is that to say so briefly. Easier

to deploy and also easier to communicate to a large group.”(I4), pointing out the easiness to

adopt certain metrics for use. Another interviewee states that they have ended up in certain

50

ways of measurement by “learning by doing, testing what works out and what doesn’t (I3)”.

According to the interviewee (I5), the metrics are chosen in terms of the goals set:

“So we have it in two levels; we have always defined in campaigns whether the

goal is to get video views, or whether the aim is to get wide reach, or whether I

want to drive traffic to a site. For example, if there is an event coming up, where

we want people to join, the registration takes place on the partner's page, and we

don't have access to the registration, so we're looking for traffic in those cases.

If it's just a sale of accommodation that we can measure ourselves, then we can

optimize it right up to the conversion.” (I5)

As part of this, the interviewee adds that they are willing to follow where the sales come from;

“then that's what we want to keep track of where that sales really comes from”, as well as

which themes turn out to be interesting to the audience. “…Which themes are pulling and which

ones are worth to... for example in March, we may have more themes, say five or six themes,

and I see that now, a certain Easter or May Day or something like that brings more sales, and

we have accommodation there yet to sell, and well margin at that time, so that's what we're

optimizing for” (I5). So, optimization of the campaigns is done where the sales or conversions

are needed the most.

However, the metrics are not always without challenges. The interviewee calls for questioning

the metrics when analyzing the results: ”There can be many cause and effect -relationships

behind that, but at least internally you should always question all the readings and figures on

it, and kind of think carefully about where this comes from, and what else it requires, a bit

more precise digging many times, and also time”. (I6) According to the same interviewee, the

metrics should be carefully chosen. “And one should not choose them (metrics) abundantly,

one should be really clear in what is selected, and then as the data studio is being built all the

time, the data studio is built according to what are most important.” (I6)

One interviewee raises the question of the importance of numbers, which is not always enough,

calling for the importance of the analysis with regards to the figures. ”But just what I learned

in this job, just getting the numbers alone is not enough, but having to do some kind of analysis,

having to look at sales figures and having to do these things, that is to say, have to do some

statistics function so that you know every month, if you haven't had a lot of visitors and new

followers, so it really doesn't add much to me unless they suddenly start to drop, which is then

about crisis management and not so much about seeking growth.” (I7) So instead of just

looking at the numbers, real analysis should be made.

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The measurement introduced mainly concerns owned, or organic media, as the interviewees

are more familiar with measuring the owned content. However, paid media is also utilized in

several DMOs mainly by advertising agencies.

4.3.2 Other factors relating to social media marketing measurement

In addition to pure social media metrics, there are also other issues to consider in social media

marketing measurement. According to the findings, several DMOs (I2, I3, I5 and I7) mentioned

metrics relating to the web page important in their measurement. Other important factors in

social media marketing measurement are the success of content production mentioned by three

interviewees (I1, I3 and I8) customer behavior relating to the website, as three interviewees

(I1, I2 and I4) mentioned them. In general, factors relating to the audience in their measurement

was mentioned also by three interviewees (I1, I2 and I5). On the contrary, interviewees I6 and

I7 mentioned in their interviews that their partner (typically an advertising agency) takes care

of the measurement of social media marketing, so it is them who have the most prominent

information concerning measurement, especially when it comes to paid advertising. In addition

to this, one interviewee (I3) mentioned they do competitor analysis on a regular basis as part

of their social media marketing process.

Further thoughts of the interviewees concerning these issues will be presented more below the

following the table.

Table 7. Other findings relating to social media marketing measurement

I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8

Metrics relating to web page x x x x

The success of content

productionx x x

Customer behaviour relating to

the websitex x x

Factors relating to the audience x x x

A partner takes care of social

media marketing measurementx x

Competitor analysis x

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Metrics relating to the web page

According to the findings, website is an important part of digital marketing, since from social

media channels the customers can be directed to the website to read more information, and

even more importantly, to make bookings, thus resulting in sales for DMOs and especially to

tourism companies in the destination. Four interviewees (I2, I3, I5 and I7) mentioned metrics

relating to the webpage as other important metrics in their digital marketing. Examples of the

metrics mentioned in the interviews included conversions (to the landing page), clicks,

impressions, bounce rate, cost-per-click and time on site, to name but a few.

I2 also mentioned that it is in their interests to follow, how well social media marketing and

websites go together: “But we have the main goal of growing the number of our followers, our

web traffic. And to increase web traffic, it is not enough that we absolutely get redirected traffic

to our main page or landing page, but we also need to get them to stay on our site.” (I2)

The success of content production

Two interviewees (I1, I3 and I8) mentioned the success of content production as an important

factor in their social media marketing measurement. Here are some thoughts of an interviewee

concerning the issue:

“After all, we measure the basics there - number of followers, engagement, reach,

who we reach, what messages we are interested in, and in the ads, of course, if

the themes in those ads were interesting to the audience and thus, that can be

seen in the numbers there that indicates what there is. But after that, it in a way

that path ends, we see the things there, but we do not see whether they travel to

the destination.” (I1)…”It remains nothing but a measure of content work. Not

so much the final product, which is to bring passengers or bring tourists to the

destination, then it does not measure that final goal, but just the success of the

content work.” (I1)

Another interviewee emphasizes that to be successful, the content should be in line with the

main products of the destination:

“If we talk, but randomly put the content we want in social media, but yes, the

content has to be in line with our main products. That is, for example, if we

have a certain product for the summer, we must embody the main message in

social media from many different angles, considering different target groups.”

(I3)…“So, by that I mean maybe that, that even though we know that

in Instagram a brim hat raincoat girl in a canoe works, but because kayaking is

not our main product, then we can’t keep sharing that image. Even if

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we knew that it would collect no matter how much – how much audience it

would reach and how many people would be committed to it, then it is kind of

the wrong angle.” (I3)

So, an important aspect of social media marketing measurement is that it relates to the

measurement of the content work. However, the content produced must be well considered and

in line with the main message that the destination wants to spread.

Customer behavior relating to the web site

Some interviewees (I1, I2 and I4) brought out the importance of the connection of the social

media channels and the web site, as visitors in social media are often directed to the web site.

According to the interviewee (I4), the behavior and differences of social media visitors are

being followed on a regular basis:

“And then, of course, social media has been added even more in our operations,

and then we are trying to follow those as well. In other words, to follow, how

those who come from social media differ in quality from other web site users, and

what kind of things are there that become significant in social media” (I4) …”If

you think of visibility, reach and engagement, they are probably checked per

channel, and then how much we make them as an example go to the site, then

how they will differ in terms of quality, bounce rate or time-on-site.” (I4)

Interviewee (I1) states that they are interested in measuring what customers do in their web

site:

“Of course, at the moment it is measured by the success of the work, the success

of its content work. And the fact that we care about our audiences.…

And, are they of such interest that they go to our website, what happens on our

website; do those of our customers find the information they need on our web

site, or buy services there, so a little loosely, all these sections are measured and

tracked….” (I1)

Factors relating to the audience

In general, a few interviewees (I1, I2 and I5) mentioned they are also interested in factors

relating to the audience when measuring the success of social media marketing. These include

knowing the target group as well as how much and what kind of audience is reached, to name

but a few. Here are some thoughts of an interviewee:

“And then of course, if we're just talking about some social channels then that,

then, visitor profile is of course important, we also try to know what type our

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followers are. But what's interesting about marketing is to know where our

potential target audience is and how do we reach it?” (I2)

In the future, the purpose in one DMO is to improve the measurement so that they would be

able to get even more information concerning the customers:

”…that what kind of customer buys where, where does that customer come from,

what it researches, does it buy what it buys, how much does it buy? And, like that,

you also try to increase that customer understanding, and in a way, I don't know

if it's after customer measurement, not really, but kind of collecting that customer

information because it helps again, in marketing.” (I1)

A digital marketing partner takes care of social media marketing measurement

Using an advertising in marketing measurement to a certain degree depends on the DMO. In

some interviews (I6 and I7) it turned out, that as the advertising agency or another digital

partner takes care of the social media marketing especially with regards to paid media, the

DMO itself may not have very accurate information concerning the measurement of social

media marketing, even though the analytics are delivered to the DMO from the agencies.

4.3.3 The use of non-numeric data

In this chapter, the use of non-numeric data is analyzed according to the findings of the

interviews. According to the interviews, only one interviewee (I4) stated that non-numeric data

would not be utilized at all. A few others (I1, I5 and I8) stated that they follow it irregularly.

Furthermore, interviewee I8 states that the way they follow what happens in social media

channels “is based on instincts” (I8). Of the answers of the other interviewees (I2, I3, I6 and

I7) it could be said that they utilize non-numeric data on a regular basis. In the following, the

thoughts of the interviewees are introduced in more detail.

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Table 8. Findings relating to non-numeric data in social media marketing

Several interviewees state that their social media team follows what is being written about the

destination in social media. This is how one of the interviewees describes the use of the non-

numeric “soft” data:

“We follow what kinds of comments there are, and the comments will be used as

well if there are any queries concerning activities, or why not this and this and

or stuff, and we deal with them in weekly meeting of our sales and marketing,

where we deal with the topic, like what actions should be supported

and what's happening, and state if there is something you need to communicate

and this and that is now going on in social media and so.” (I5)

One interviewee (I3) say that instead of just following what is said about the destination in

social media, they like to participate actively in the conversations by followers in social media.

“We just don’t follow, but engage in conversation” ...” We try to respond to all comments and

all the answers ..if someone comments "yes it's wonderful" then it is liked or answered ”thanks”

or something, but always try to respond to all of our fan comments” (I3). On the contrary, an

interviewee (I7) states that they consider non-numeric data more as part of customer service

I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8

Tools of external providers in use

for following the conversationsx x x

Non-numeric data is followed

irregularlyx x x

Social media team follows what

is written about the destination in

social media

x x x

Taking advantage of discussions

in marketing planning/content

creation

x x

Participating in the conversations

in social media channelsx

Non-numeric data is not utilised x

Non-numeric data is considered

part of customer servicex

Receiving continuous feedback

from the audience or

entrepreneurs

x x x

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instead of something that could be utilized in marketing: “Let's say customer service is like

being active and commenting, if somebody comments and is thanked and yes, but not that much

analytics could come out of it.” (I7).

One interviewee say they utilize the discussion in social media in their content production.

”Well that is utilized (non-numeric data), if I think it is important in that it is kind

of sensing what may come, what is wanted, and in fact it has had a very significant

impact on many things, for example what kind of content we decide to create”

(I6) .. And, and say, how we are kind of knowledgeable, look, anticipate, or

predict what kind of content will work in marketing” (I6).

Also, three interviewees (I1, I2, I3) state that they utilize the tools of external providers in their

monitoring of social media discussions. Just like (I2) states, “Not because all of the

conversation is not done in our channel, but in channels where we are not at all involved” (I2).

Also, another interviewee describes the process in the following way: “But just following social

media tracking, of course, by sensing the conversations where our destination is mentioned, or

what we find as a search term in the battery, that with what keywords and terms it collects

those hits…” (I1).

An interviewee also mentions monitoring the discussions in social media, and how they are

ultimately taken into consideration in content production: “We also monitor what we are talked

about around the world, and we try to make the most of it, that if a good thing comes up, we

will anneal it, and that will also give us an idea of which themes in the area to say, what are

those keywords and key themes, and after all this volume, how, how much buzz there is in

Twitter, for example..” (I2)

According to the interviews (I2, I4 and I8), they say they receive continuous feedback from the

local entrepreneurs concerning social media.

“Because we are very much dealing with our operators daily, we ask a lot about

what's going on and try to get concrete answers about it; what has worked well

lately or what kind of feedback has been received or what product has sold well

or so.” (I8)

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4.4 The financial value of social media marketing

4.4.1 Financial value

The interviewees were also asked about their views on financial value of social media and how

they see it. In general, the representatives of the DMOs regarded the financial value of social

media marketing important, however, according to them, measuring it is not very

straightforward. Most respondents (I1, I2, I3, I4, I5 and I6) said they think that social media

has other important dimensions that just financial. Findings revealed a few common ideas

among DMOs considering the financial value of social media. The findings are presented in

the table below.

Table 9. Findings relating to financial value in social media

Measurement of financial information is difficult

According to the findings, some (I1, I4, I6 and I8) considered financial value difficult to

measure. When asked about how the DMO gets information concerning the financial value, I1

said: ”Well factual information, no factual information at all.” One of the interviewees tells

about the challenge of the marketing organization: ”..Since we are a marketing organization,

we do not have a sales function at the moment, so it is even more difficult to demonstrate this

kind of economic or financial value” (I4). One interviewee even questions the importance of

financial value. ”If we set some computational values even though our engagement is this per

month or our reach is this per month, or per person the price is this, then of course we may

have some computational value, but when I just see that it is of no use.” (I1)

However, some of the DMOs have plans for being able to demonstrate the financial value in

the future. “Then in the future, hopefully this thing will be corrected, and we can say that we

I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8

Measurement of financial

information is difficultx x x x

The relationship between

marketing and salesx x x x

Value in social media has other

important dimensions than

financial

x x x x x x

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have something like so many people like about posting about activity so that means this in

euros.” (I1) … “So, yeah, then we have that information. You don't have to mumble around

that thing so to speak or come up with computational values” (I1).

In addition to this, an interviewee mentioned the difficulties in measuring how much money a

service is producing to a member company in the destination, as they are also involved in the

measurement of the DMO in question:

“But here I come again a little behind the limitations of this operating model in

the sense that we are sadly able to directly measure that, once we have been done

with a particular service, how much is it finally bringing in cash of a particular

member company defining that chain like that, for us it is still - we know what we

need to do to get it more straightforward to figure out that equation, but not quite

all of our member companies, they don't have the tool you could figure it out with,

or they wouldn't be willing to share it so fully with us.” (I8)

The relationship between marketing and sales

As it was briefly mentioned above, for an organization whose main function is to do marketing,

it is challenging to measure financial value. Measuring financial value becomes easier when

the organization sells products or services and the goal is to get more sales. According to

several interviewees (I1, I5, I7 and I8), the revenue would be measurable, when it is possible

to show how many euros the marketing in social media has generated. According to an

interviewee, with social media it is possible to generate financial value:”Yes, at least for us,

really financial value, because I see these follow-ups and follow them to previous years too, so

yes, this has had a positive impact on our sales directly, so this has quite an financial value

too.” (I5)

One of the interviewees states that they currently have no way of getting exact value from their

social media marketing, ”It’s pretty much a guess as long as you don't properly measure that

thing and link it to sales data and data,” (I8) but online shop might make a difference: ”If at

some point we had this kind of online store for these individual customers,… targeted to them

and then marketing still connected to it, then you really don't have to guess what the

effectiveness of its marketing is.” (I8)

Also the same interviewee makes a connection between social media marketing and sales in

order to generate financial value: “It would be nice to throw in some euros to study that once

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we get an x, there will be more sales, but we don't have that much of an equation to do that.”

(I8)

Value in social media means other important dimensions than financial

Nearly all the interviewees (I1, I2, I3, I4, I5 and I6) stated that financial value is not the only

important value there is. For example, one interviewee raises the point of view for looking at

the financial value. The entrepreneurs in the destination may have expectations for raising their

financial value in terms of social media marketing. ”We also notice that the operators then

want traffic even to their own page.” (I4) On the contrary, the interviewee raises the perspective

of customers: ”from a customer perspective, it could be something like, that content is

interesting, and that he or she will continue to be interested in being in our sphere of

influence.” (I4) and finally questions, that which one the DMO should be more focused on –

on the entrepreneurs or the customers: “Must feel like this kind of operator focus and customer

focus is pretty much after all, maybe under the scrutiny of on which one to focus - what's the

ultimate financial value after all?” (I4)

The interviewees mentioned also other important aspects in terms of value, which may not be

financial. This is what one interviewee said about the value and the deepening relationship with

the customer:”In tourism in general, I think the importance of feelings has a big impact, that

is how people experience the destination, what kind of image the trip brings, and here the value

of social media is so immeasurable that you can influence or feel what the customer wants, or

you can help the customer or there are many aspects where it's hard to put a price tag on. My

own judgment is that it does, it really matters.” (I3) This comment supports the notion that the

value of social media is immeasurable.

The same interviewee continues to reflect the financial value for social media:

”That is, I actually believe that it has a great value, and that value is not just that,

if you sell something, that value is not just that conversion - that realized trade.

But yes, the value is like, its like something, like I'm really poetic about it, it's

such a deepening affair. That customer relationship is something poetic. But yes,

it is like an in-depth relationship between its customer and the brand or travel

destination. That's the value. And its hard to measure in money, like, even

quarterly or even yearly. I think about it as a long-term investment in customer

relationships - that's the value of social media that comes out of it. And from the

DMO's point of view, in retail it is quite different, as the goal is, only to get a

packet of coffee to move off the shelf or sneakers off the shelf.” (I3)

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Finally, another interviewee has similar considerations concerning the value of social

media.”That we have such a belief that with our social media activity and with our content

production and marketing and advertising, it really plays a big part in our business sales

figures” (I8). …”So, vaguely I can respond to that, other than that it matters a lot.” (I8)

4.4.2 Financial models and frameworks

As it can be seen in the table below, according to the interviews of the study, creating models

for assessing the financial value of social media marketing is not a current practice in DMOs.

Majority of interviewees (I1, I4, I7 and I8) stated they do not have any kinds of models in use

but are interested in creating one in the future. As a matter of fact, only one of the interviewees

(I5) stated that they use ROI for calculating the success of their social media marketing. One

interviewee (I2) stated that they make calculations before each campaign to set goals to be

achieved. Also, two of the interviewees (I3 and I6) stated that creating financial models for

calculating the marketing success remains a challenge, since the DMO does not practice sales.

An interviewee (I7) states that the information and help with the models should come from the

partner, namely an advertising agency or so. Finally, one interviewee (I8) highlighted that

DMO cannot be responsible for the whole sales channel. The thoughts of the interviewees are

opened below the table in more detail.

Table 10. Findings relating to the use of financial models in DMOs

I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8

Calculations before the campaign x

No models yet x x x x x

Conversion rate x

ROI x

The help of advertising agency with

modelsx

Creating models is difficult since the

DMO does not practice salesx x

The DMO cannot be responsible for the

whole sales channel x

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No models yet

Like it was mentioned above, most DMOs in this study do not currently have any financial

models to measure the success of social media marketing. Yet, according to the findings, the

DMOs in general were interested in acquiring them in the future. On the contrary, one of the

interviewees (I1) stated their critical attitude towards financial models, and whether they are

really needed:

”I'm not really sure of anything is like that if it is that the value of an action is

defined as something but not based on the actual trade it has, but on a certain

value and like that, even if it was 20,000 €, there have been 300 people out there

doing that function, so whether that's a sensible measure, that’s just what I was

thinking about.” (I1)

Another interviewee (I6) has similar thoughts concerning the issue, pointing out that the

financial measures have not been calculated, but it is rather something that has been reflected

in the organization:

“Well it is not really that computational, it has been more of what has been

reflected, that we have invested this much into this and now these are the results,

and then we kind of think about it either during campaigns or after and then, in

a way, many times the things is that we do not sell anything. So, Visit xx does not

sell anything alone”. (I6)

ROI (return on investment)

When it comes to ROI, only one interviewee mentioned it as part of their calculations.

”And that is how we are, in the same month we have, brand building, and sales support, so

there are different goals, you don't calculate the ROI of what the brand value is, that is quite

challenging.”(I5) However, during the interview it became apparent that calculating ROI in

this context actually refers to calculating it in terms of sales: ”Yeah, because not like you can't

really measure it in euros, whether it makes you more well-known in a specific target group or

you get reached by so many people.” (I5)

The same interviewee also mentioned the use of conversion rate, referring to online sales,

which is also being followed on a regular basis.

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Creating models is difficult, since the DMO does not practice sales

Some of the interviewees (I3 and I6) brought out the challenge of calculating sales or marketing

success since their main purpose is to brand the destination in social media instead of selling.

An interviewee thinks that “Yeah looks like its kind of hard to measure what value you put to

the benefits related to the image”. (I6)

Also, one interviewee (I3) stated same kinds of thoughts regarding the financial value: ”It's

more related to our brand ..So maybe it's harder to measure if we, like the retailer, they have

an easy way of thinking how much or how many windbreakers sold on this rig. So we, of course,

we see it is a lot longer for us, the fact that we can only see that okay, how much attention we

are attracted to – earned attention.” (I3)

The DMO cannot be responsible for the whole sales channel

One interviewee (I8) brings out the notion that the DMO is only involved in marketing certain

products or services offered in the destination. It is in the hands of the entrepreneur in the

destination that marketing of a service leads to a conversion:

“So we don't own the whole chain in the sense that, in a way, if we do social

media like marketing a product, we can't take care of it all the way down there,

even to the point of booking.” (I8) … So, we can but direct traffic to a certain

point, and after what happens, it is not completely under our control.” (I8)

Also, there might be some constraints to a conversion, which would slow down the process of

selling or making contributions to selling, which even affect the way the DMO itself does

marketing:

“But then if that part of the chain, the chain is still so weak that we don't want to

do it, then we kind of have to, there are situations where we have to curb our own

marketing work because there is some problem with e-commerce.” (I8) … Or

digital access. In a way, we would have the stuff to market something, but it might

not be worth doing at the volume it could be.” (I8)

Other findings relating to financial models and frameworks

A few other findings relating to financial models and frameworks were mentioned in interviews

by interviewees once each, namely calculations in advance (I2) and the help with models from

advertising agencies (I7).

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One interviewee stated they have made calculations beforehand for each of their goals in social

media marketing campaigns, for example.

“It is based on A/B -testing and it is based on pre-calculations, if we do a limited

campaign, in some market area, let’s in Northern Italy, so I first figure out what

our goal is, who we need to reach and with what content. And then how

much money we need for that. Like what percentage of the target group we

need to reach out.” (I2)

The help from advertising agencies

One interviewee (I7) also stated that if they had any financial models, they would most likely

get them from advertising agencies, whose role is to produce the analytics concerning the

paid media.

“The fact that what the advertising agencies produce - unless you demand from

them, so you cannot really trust that there is enough information available. And

then we have consultants here to help, so-called and appointed tourism online

business consultants, so that they would provide separate figures to the tourism

industry…and because in retail they would be metrics, so that is why if have not

wanted to find them out myself, because one should sit just loose the focus totally

if no help has been available.”

So if specific financial models were utilized, the interviewee would require help from the

partner in producing them.

4.5 Decision-making based on social media marketing

In this chapter, the most important findings regarding decision-making based on social media

marketing are introduced as they were perceived by the interviewees. According to the

findings, several notions arose concerning the decision-making based on social media

marketing in DMOs. The mentioned issues included the notions that the management

understands the role of social media marketing (I1, I2, I3, I4, I5, I6 and I8), the DMOs utilize

social-media marketing in decision-making (I1, I3, I6 and I8), social media is utilized in

marketing planning (I1, I5 and I6), partner companies in the destination are kept informed in

terms of plans regarding social media marketing (I2, I4 and I8), as well as measuring the

financial value is in the interests of the board (I2, I3, and I5). Other issues mentioned were that

social media measurement will increasingly be a tool for the management (I1). In the table

below, the key points concerning the findings are presented and described in more detail.

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Table 11. Factors relating to decision-making based on social media marketing

The management understands the role of social media marketing

According to interview findings, it was mentioned in nearly all the interviews (I1, I2, I3, I4, I5,

I6 and I8) that the management understands the role of social media marketing in marketing of

the destination. Especially three interviewees said social media is (I1) or will be (I4) utilized

in decision-making and budgeting (I1, I4, I6) as well as in investments (I8). One interviewee

states that “probably in budgeting and like marketing planning and well really in everything,

it’s such a central part of everything we do, I don’t really come up with anything where it’s left

out like that. Or where you could exclude it.” (I1)

When discussing with one of the representatives of the DMO (I2), it appeared that the board is

aware all the time how the DMO is doing. The board’s role is to take care of the big picture:

“It (decision-making) may be related to our regular reporting, so that our board is always

aware of how we are doing.” (I2). Also, the board listens to the CEO when making decisions

concerning social media. In addition to this, one interviewee (I4) adds that with social media

data, especially analytics, the board management is convinced about decisions: “And the goal

really is to take, like, words to the board level so that we get the understanding - to increase

the understanding, and then to point it out as the direction of action through those social media

indicators” (I4). Also, I6 states that continuous efforts are made for increasing the budget for

social media: “...generally from the digital side, the efforts are made continuously to grow the

budget to a certain extent, that it does not necessarily apply to social media always but, at least

to the digital side certainly...” (I6).

I1 I2 I3 I4 I5 I6 I7 I8

Utilizing social media discussions in

decision-makingx x x x

The management understands the role of

social mediax x x x x x x

Social media measurement will be the

tool for managementx

Social media is utilized in marketing

planningx x x

Measuring the financial value is in the

interest of the boardx x x

Informing the partner companies about

the plans regarding social mediax x x

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Two interviewees had similar types of thoughts concerning justifying the actions to the

board/management of the DMO. Here are some thoughts concerning of the interviewee

especially concerning the use of analytics:

“But it is considered really important, analytics is important in that it can justify

our role to our member actors, that is, we can show our part of what it is that our

work is relevant to their awareness building or use of product-related content.”

(I8).

Another type of finding made in the interviews is that decisions in social media are made

regarding the use of resources. Interviewee I4 states, that especially timely resources can be

justified, when those working with marketing in DMOs are able to demonstrate how much time

has been spent on certain operations.

“And yes, those are the choices, let us say about just moving something in-

house. As you can see, it does not come from a two-hour weekly work, but

requires eight hours at a minimum. In a way, with these results, I hope that

we can also support such resources and other decision making.” (I4).

One interviewee stated opposing thoughts concerning the top management’s (or board’s) role

in social media marketing. According to the interviewee (I7), also the management must

understand the role of analytics and strategic management. There is no point in collecting social

media data if the management is not interested:

“So, if the whole organization's decision-making is spoken of, yes, there never

has been a question of what those numbers have been, that is to say, it would be

quite different to put pressure on them if they were interested, but if I don't know

if analytics and figures are going to be utilized, so it is also useless to pay for

collecting them.” (I7)

Utilizing social media discussions in decision-making

In the interviews, several representatives of DMOs (I1, I3, I6 and I8) said they utilize social

media discussions in decision-making. Interviewees I1 and I6 said they tend to sense what

happens in social media. “Well, yes we smell quite a lot of that and talk about what's up there,

what's happening there, based on what, the solutions, or the decisions we make about the next

step” (I1).

Two interviewees (I3 and I8) think that knowing the customers is the prerequisite for the

management of the organization and the whole destination. They also said that they learn to

know the needs of the customers through social media. “

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I would still say that when you are doing market research, you are looking for

data in the market research, whether people are interested in cross-country

skiing or not, even though you learn to recognize - to know those cross-country

skiers, it may come from social media. Because I believe that the social media

sentiment and information can complement, for example, data made through

market research.” (I3)… “Then- if you get that feeling - customer understanding

there, then you support that decision with the data you get from both the market

research and social media.” (I3)

The interviewee continues at a later phase: “So this may be real deep right now, but I think

you will leave a trace of that interaction where we can make better decisions as

an organization. Where we are taken to as a destination is not just based on the

data, but also based on the feeling we receive from that customer.” (I3)

So, according to the interviewee data and vibes received from social media are two different

things, nevertheless, they should go hand in hand in decision-making.

Also I1 states in the interview, that “with social media it is the easiest to get information about

travelers and their thoughts.” (I1) In some DMOs, social media may not be utilized to a great

extent at the time of the interviews. However, an interviewee (I4) predicted that the role of

social media will increase in their decision-making in the future.

Social media is utilized in marketing planning

Some DMOs (I1, I5 and I6) mentioned that they utilize social media channels when planning

their marketing. For example, one interviewee told in the interview more closely about the

utilization of marketing planning. Important factors included “finding the themes that are

interesting to the audience” (I5), “continuous interaction with sales and marketing concerning

the development areas for communications for social media“ (I5), as well as “executing

projects to help reaching the target groups and getting sales” (I5).

In addition to this, the interviewee said that ideas for developing services and so on come from

social media (I5), when (I6) said that “social media channels are helpful in the development of

the future.” The same interviewee added that the results from social media are utilized when

taking things further (I6), referring to decision-making and development of marketing

operations in the DMO in question:

“Well, of course, it always affects no matter what, or it may affect what kind of

focus is taken .. taken to certain things. In a way, things to grab or change

may become apparent through social media, then I may end up talking to

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managers at the end of the year, or sometimes in the middle of the year,

to ask for a permission to take a particular line somewhere.” (I6)

Measuring the financial value of social media is in the interest of the board

Some interviewees (I2, I3 and I5) mentioned in the interview, that measuring the financial

value of social media is especially in the interests of the board. Also, numeric data is presented

to the board. One of the interviewees describe the situation in the following way: “That is, they

go hand in hand in a way, not that if you are trying to sell an idea to a board or stakeholder at

a general meeting, so often that idea has come from such social media communication.”…

“We should start working on this, we have to look for that data in the numbers to find out if

this holds true?” (I3)

Informing the partner companies about the plans regarding social media

In some interviews it turned out, that not only the role of the board or investors are important

when making decisions about social media marketing. According to the findings, DMOs co-

operate closely with local tourism businesses in terms of content production, for example.

These issues specifically stood out in three interviews (I2, I4 and I8). These are some of the

thoughts of an interviewee (I2) in involving them in marketing actions:

“And then that is how the companies in our area are told that what, for example,

what has been done and what has been achieved. It has been opened up so that

with 2000 € stake such a thing was achieved”.…“Because you also need this

content specifically from companies and in order to gain an understanding of

what our social marketing is, so how they can be involved or how they should be

involved.” (I2)

Interviewees I4 and I8 add also that justifying the actions for partner companies within the

destination is easier with social media data, when there are different views concerning the

postings in a social media channel. For example, I8 states the following:

“That is, we also do this kind of content statistics all the time, what kind of posts

have been made and by whom - what kind of companies are involved.”…”So if

this is our own statistics, which we obviously don't get anywhere, that we need to

dig it up to keep book about it, then we use this for our internal communication;

some companies may think that now someone else who is involved with less

investment has gained more visibility than me…”So then, after all, we dig up our

own like numbers and say, well, in fact, you have both been given the same

amount of visibility” (I8).

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Social media measurement will be a tool for management

One interviewee (I1) also states that social media will be a tool for management even more in

the future:

“Well now we use the information we research from there, who we target, where

to market, what things work, this information, but in the future, when we build it

better, then measuring it will be a part of our leadership, our management tool

and in a way, like an instrument of lobbying and all that is capable of showing

those results, the results are better then, than if we do that and use the euros so

much, the result will be, of course, of being able to utilize, much better. That the

current knowledge of what is - is not enough. And that is why the job is started,

no measurement process is started for fun.” (I1)

To summarize, in general, the interviewees said that the importance of social media is well

understood in the top management, however, involving social media in decision-making may

not be very organized.

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5 DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

5.1 Main findings and theoretical implications

The purpose of this thesis was to explore, how the Finnish DMOs plan social media marketing

and utilize marketing measurement and financial value in their decision-making, the research

questions being how social media marketing is planned and measured in DMOs and why, how

the financial value of social media marketing is considered and measured, and finally, how

social media marketing is utilized in decision-making of the DMOs. Next, the most crucial

findings regarding the research questions and theoretical framework will be compared and

concluded as appeared in the analysis.

According to Peters et al. (2013), social media needs to be managed in the same way as all

other media, which have goals in the organization. As the nature of social media marketing

implies, the major goals for the DMOs of this study are versatile, yet mostly relating to branding

the destination as well as promoting the products and services in the destination. Building long-

term relationships with the customers also stood out as important goals in social media

marketing, thus contributing to emotional brand elements and brand value presented in the

theoretical framework (Hosany et al. 2007; Huertas & Mariné-Roig 2015; 2016b).

Previously, social media was not recognized as an important tool in marketing strategies, that

is why it has been underfunded or even neglected (Hays et al. 2013.) Therefore, documenting

the goals for social media marketing by including it in the strategy is important. As to

documenting the goals, the findings are somewhat in line with Munar (2012) and Hays et al.

(2013) concerning formal but flexible strategy for social media marketing. The findings reveal

that documenting the goals for social media marketing are more likely to be based on

commonly agreed rules, rather than officially documenting them. However, there are

differences in documenting the goals among the DMOs. According to the findings, the

documentation of the goals for social media marketing depend on whether the actor in charge

for planning social media marketing is the DMO management or a city or municipality. Thus,

the relevancy of the goals is affected by who makes the plans for social media marketing in

DMOs. Social media is also regarded as one tool among others in digital marketing (Järvinen

2016). The same applies to the views of the DMOs of this study, and therefore social media

marketing was considered a part of some other, such as digital marketing strategy. In the

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interviews, reasons for the commonly agreed rules or lacking the strategy documented was the

fast change pace of digital marketing or the lack of time outside everyday work.

Another theme in this study was the measurement of social media marketing. According to the

findings, the so-called “basic metrics” are used for measuring the results of social media

marketing, as they can be easily acquired and implemented inside social media channels. This

supports the finding made in the study by Morgan et al. (2012), which suggests that tools for

social media measurement tend to be chosen according to the easiness of adoption and use.

This finding is also consistent with the finding of the study by Peters et al. (2013), stating that

especially small companies are likely to be in favor for the basic metrics. However, in the

worst-case scenario, simple metrics (e.g. likes, followers) in measurement can mislead

marketing efforts in a way that it may even be harmful to organization’s goals. (Peters et al.

2013). Nevertheless, based on the findings of this study, it is challenging to evaluate, whether

the metrics selected are most appropriate for the DMOs’ social media marketing and their

goals.

In their study, Hays et al. (2013) and Järvinen & Karjaluoto (2015) highlight that metrics

selection varies between the organizations, referring mainly to web analytics in digital

marketing in general. The findings of this study report similar findings. Even though there were

similarities in the measurement techniques, it still seems that different types of measurement

techniques are highlighted depending on the DMO. The study by Agostino & Sidorova (2016)

provided similar types of results in the metrics selection, stating that choosing the metrics for

marketing measurement is fragmented among DMOs. This is natural, as the goals may differ

among DMOs. Not just one metrics system exists in social media measurement, but rather,

organizations need to define their own measurement systems, which are in line with the

strategy. (Peters et al 2013; Järvinen & Karjaluoto 2015).

It can be agreed based on the interviews that with social media metrics, the success of content

production is measured rather than number of bookings or number of visitors in the destination.

However, the DMOs’ main goal is to do destination marketing, and after all, attracting visitors

is in the ultimate interests among tourism practitioners in the destination. This finding is in line

with the study of Peters et al. (2013), suggesting that various types of social media interactions

are measured in many social media dashboards by grouping them by the level of interaction

linked with engagement (Peters et al. 2013). Some DMOs recognized in the interviews the

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importance of engaging the travelers, however, the most mentioned metrics in the interviews,

such as like or reach, does not imply the engagement of the user.

Based on the interviews of the study, other important aspects relating to measurement are

digital marketing metrics relating to web page. This indicates the importance of combining

social media channels and the destination web page, which can be a source of further

information to the travelers or even make them buy products or services. In addition to this,

factors relating to the customer behavior in the web site as well to the audience in general are

considered important among DMOs. According to the interview findings, social media has its

role when it comes to learning to know the customer. In the interviews, the practitioners in

DMOs highlighted the importance of engaging consumers in their social media marketing. This

finding is in line with the Lalicic & Gindl (2018), stating that marketers should understand,

which social media campaigns are most effective for engaging consumers. Also, the study by

Peters et al. (2013) confirms that highly engaged fans are vital when authentic and sustained

reach is being built via social media, and this type of engagement is only achieved with time

and care. (Peters et al. 2013).

According to the interview findings, non-numeric data from social media is being followed in

DMOs, though following it is not very systematic, either. This is in line with the finding of the

study by Mariani et al. (2015), in which it is stated that the marketing managers are not only

interested in cold numbers, but rather the sentiment gained with social media posts. According

to the findings of this study, non-numeric data is utilized in the form of following and

commenting on the travelers’ discussions in social media channels. According to the study by

Mariani et al. (2015) and Leung et al. (2013), social media managers in DMOs are more

interested in promotional value of social media rather than sales of tourism packages and

services in the destination. Similar types of findings were found in this study. This is the case

when the DMO’s main task is to brand the destination.

According to Agostino & Sidorova (2016), social media measures are moving towards

subjective, text-based measures by quantifying discussions and users’ opinions. According to

the findings of this study, this is also the case among DMOs. The conversations and comments

in social media channels are utilized in further marketing planning and content creation. This

also helps in engaging the customers and leveraging the emotional brand elements, which in

turn contributes to emotional brand values (Huertas & Mariné-Roig 2015; 2016b).

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Furthermore, from the findings of this research it can be concluded that not only the feedback

from the travelers is vital, but also the opinions and feedback of tourism companies operating

in the destination are listened to carefully in the Finnish DMOs. One interviewee highlighted

the DMO’s role of working on the favor for both travelers and tourism companies of the

destination, thinking how the DMOs could keep the balance between these two stakeholders.

This finding is something that was not found in previous research.

As to the financial value, several DMOs of the study agreed that it is an important factor also

in social media marketing. However, it is difficult to measure, especially if the DMO’s main

task is to brand the destination instead of selling products or services. Measuring the financial

value becomes easier, when the DMO practices sales in their digital marketing channels, since

the results of marketing become more measurable when it can be shown that marketing results

in sales. However, social media improves the website popularity with increasing number of

visits to the website (Milano, Baggio & Piattelli 2011; Lalicic & Gindl (2018), so in this way,

visitors and ultimately buyers can be directed to the website, where they may end up buying

tourism services. On the contrary, the findings revealed that in social media marketing other

measures, mainly the so-called qualitative measures are also important, and not just financial.

This finding is in line with the study by Agostino & Sidorova (2016) stating that both

practitioners and academics have understood the organizations’ importance for measuring the

contribution of social media practices in business purposes, referring to both financial

contribution as well as value generated by social media data from users’ interactions. Also,

Huang et al. (2011) state that by communicating with customers in social media channels,

companies and destinations can get valuable information on competitive advantage and the

desires that customers have. This will help marketers in getting new ideas and utilizing them

in planning their products and services for customers’ needs. From the study in question,

similar types of conclusions can be made.

According to the findings, some DMOs have plans to improve ways of measuring the financial

value of social media marketing. Nevertheless, some interviewees in the study even questioned

the importance of financial value. According to Leung et al. (2013) and Mariani et al. (2015),

industry practitioners have inadequate knowledge about the financial returns on their

investment in terms of social media marketing, leading to significant differences in the

knowledge of social media marketing assessment among DMOs. Based on this study it can be

said that the practitioners are in different stages of assessing social media marketing and its

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financial value. Nevertheless, it can be concluded that social media marketing has its effect on

creating financial value in the destination because of continuous branding and informing about

the products and services in the destination. In some DMOs, the follow-up of sales and linking

it with marketing has been solved by building a webstore selling the services offered in the

destination, thus improving the tracking the relationship with marketing and sales. In the

interviews the webstore was referred to quite often, so based on findings, it may be one solution

for assessing the financial value of social media marketing.

The findings also implicate that the DMOs do not really rely on any financial models or

performance measurement systems in their social media marketing, however, there is interest

in creating them for the future. The models mentioned were mainly relating to conversion

rate, KPIs or ROI in relation to sales. On the contrary, even some doubt concerning the

usefulness of financial value was perceived among some interviewees. This finding is in line

with Hays et al. (2013) stating that limited amount of evidence on the financial value on social

media marketing may result in companies not being convinced that their marketing efforts in

social media would bring results efficient enough (Leung et al. 2013). According to some

interviewees, creating models is challenging since as it was stated above, the DMO does not

practice sales but is rather concentrated on branding, and counting value to an image is

challenging in social media marketing. In addition to this, the relationship between sales of

tourism companies in the destination and marketing practiced by a DMO cannot be directly

linked to each other, since it cannot be proved, whether the marketing actions of the DMO

directly relate to the sales of the individual tourism companies.

Also, the different levels and practices between DMOs and tourism companies in the

destination may create challenges in marketing. The findings made in this study are in line

with the research by Mariani et al. (2015); Moro et al. (2016) and Agostino & Sidorova (2016),

stating that measuring the success and effectiveness of social media activity is a challenge for

DMOs, because they are likely to utilize the data from social media accounts in different ways.

The studies by Leung et al. (2013) and Chan & Denizci Guillet (2011) report similar results,

confirming that a universal system for measuring the financial value of social media

marketing does not exist. Therefore, destinations and even companies within the destination

cannot be compared with each other in terms of social media marketing measurement. That

is why some companies may not be committed to their social media marketing practices.

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The last theme of the study was decision-making based on social media marketing. The

findings show that social media marketing is generally taken into consideration in decision-

making and furthermore, its role is usually understood also by the board or top management of

the DMO. This finding is in line with Mariani et al. (2015) and Agostino & Sidorova (2016)

suggesting that the DMOs understand the importance of social media marketing today. Also,

the findings show that social media often plays its role when deciding about budgets as well as

investments both in social media and otherwise. The findings also implicate that especially

with the help of social media analytics and other data, the board can be convinced about new

decisions, as well as in justifying timely resources or future actions. The findings suggest that

measuring the financial value is clearly in the interests of the board of the DMOs, as with the

help of analytics, it is possible to generate more sales, profit and return on investment. This

finding is in line with the studies by and Germann et al. (2013) and Germann, Lilien, Fiedler,

& Kraus (2014) stating that web analytics in general offer objective and quantitative metrics,

which can be easily communicated to top management.

In addition to metrics and analytics, the findings suggest that social media discussions are

utilized in DMOs, thus benefiting from it in the decision-making. Social media acts as a tool

for learning about the preferences and feelings of customers, which can consequently be

utilized in decision-making. With the help of social media channels, it is easier to find themes

that that are interesting to the audience and especially to different target groups, thus, it can be

utilized in marketing planning. This finding is somewhat contradicting with the study by (Lilien

2011; Germann, Lilien, & Rangaswamy 2013) in terms of analytics and marketing decisions,

stating that marketing managers tend to rely on intuition and experience when making

decisions, as the DMOs still gain valuable information about the customers over social media

channels. Nevertheless, the utilization of analytics in decision-making is likely to provide more

information based on facts than intuition in social media marketing.

However, there still might be cases when the board or management of the DMO may not

completely understand the importance of social media. The DMO may be managed without

taking social media marketing let alone metrics enough into consideration. This research partly

confirms the study by Hays et al. (2013), stating that proper leadership plays its role in

acknowledging the opportunities of social media and a high level of social media activity.

According to the study mentioned, implementing social media marketing is easier, when the

management understands its importance in today’s destination marketing.

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Based on the findings of the study it can be concluded that the practitioners understand the role

of social media and as opposed to previous research, they have gained understanding in how

to utilize it in destination marketing. Nevertheless, their actions are more based on learning by

doing, which may not be based on an online strategy, even though the goals would be clear.

The ever-changing forms of social media channels and technology should leave space for

experimentation and fast changes in the field; however, the question remains how deeply social

media marketing should be taken into consideration in strategies? Nevertheless, according to

Hays et al. (2013), as the utilization of social media as a tool in destination marketing becomes

more and more common, the marketing strategies of DMOs are likely to evolve. As Morgan et

al. (2012) state that the ever-changing marketing environment requires ever-changing

framework for marketing evaluation, this should be the case also among DMOs.

When it comes to financial value, this research confirms the earlier research results (Agostino

& Sidorova 2016) in a sense that not only financial value is what matters in social media

marketing, but it is also the non-measurable data from social media that is important. This study

confirms the notion that instead of hard, financial measures, qualitative measures in the form

of sensing what happens in channels are the driving force of social media marketing. With the

help of non-measurable data, the understanding of customers can be increased and further

utilized in social media marketing. The value of social media marketing is extremely valuable,

even though challenges exist in putting the value into financial measures. Nevertheless, DMOs

are still expected to show the results of social media marketing in the form of financial

measures or analytics to the top management.

Finally, social media can be utilized as a source of strategic information, which can be used to

develop several business strategies in tourism sector (Munar 2010). Therefore, the role of social

media marketing in destination marketing is crucial. According to the findings of this study,

the interviewees consider the role of social media important. As the findings of this study

suggest, even though financial value in social media cannot be measured directly, it eventually

leads to sales, engagement, and eventually more visitors to a destination. Finally, appropriate

leadership is likely to contribute to destination success.

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5.2 Managerial implications

In this chapter, the managerial implications are presented according to the findings made in the

study. Based on the thoughts that the interviewees presented in their study, ideas concerning

the theoretical framework, namely the documentation of goals, measurement, future

development and co-operation are presented in the following.

According to the findings, the metrics presented by DMOs are so called basic metrics obtained

from the social media channels and they are easy to adopt into use. However, the metrics should

not be used in isolation. First, the metrics utilized should be well considered. Also, Peters et al.

(2013) state that the metrics require theoretical grounding and completeness. Careful

consideration when selecting the suitable metrics will contribute to better results in terms of

marketing and thus, give more value to it. It is not a matter of the number of likes or followers,

but rather how the potential visitors can be engaged. Therefore, by focusing on reactions or

engagement, for example, would give more implication on how committed the customers are.

Also, the metrics should not be analyzed for the sake of it, but certain goals should be attempted

to achieve with them. The goal should be to make the travelers not only to engage with the

destination, but also encourage them to travel to the destination and even return on their future

holidays and most importantly, to recommend it to others. Also, if not applied so far, perhaps

different frameworks for measurement could be applied even more. Carefully analyzing the

results of social media marketing also contributes to better results in performance.

According to Homburg et al (2012), better performance in metrics are achieved in terms of

strategy, when cause-and-effect relationships are applied. However, the set of metrics should

be manageable and focused on the context of small companies (Frösen et al. 2016), which

tourism companies and especially DMOs mostly are. However, not just one type of a dashboard

or metric relating to social media exists, and all organizations should select their own, suitable

set of metrics in line with their goals, structure, and selection of social media tools (Chaffey &

Patron 2012; Peters et al. 2013.) These are some of the issues, which DMOs could also apply

in the future even more than this far.

Utilizing data systematically in social media marketing might also help in developing the

marketing and make better decision concerning the future actions of DMOs, not leaving too

much room for decisions based on intuition or experience. According to several researches, the

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role of data-driven marketing is in the increase (Patterson 2007; Valos et al. 2010; Gök et al.

2015). Technology already exists form different kinds of solutions for measurement and

analytics, however, the major constraints are said to be people and resources (Järvinen 2016).

Putting effort on deep analysis may give results, which can be utilized to a greater extent to

take advantage of social media marketing (Nakatani & Chuang (2011). Thus, social media is a

source of information, it should also be utilized actively in decision-making and planning of

the future. Also, social media can be utilized as a source of strategic information, which can be

used to develop several business strategies in tourism sector (Munar 2010).

According to findings, social media marketing has its effect on creating financial value in the

destination. The models for showing the financial value is especially important for the top

management as well as funders. In some DMOs, the follow-up of sales and linking it with

marketing has been solved by building a webstore, where the relationship with marketing and

sales could be tracked more easily. Nevertheless, it is not only the numbers that counts. Instead,

taking advantage of sensing what happens in social media channels is surely something that

should be utilized also in the future, since it can be a source of strategic information and helps

in developing the marketing planning and decision-making. Also, the two-way communication

between the representatives of the destination and travelers in social media channels helps in

maintaining the customer relationships and makes the travelers more engaged towards the

destination, thus increasing brand loyalty.

Another option would be to do more close co-operation with local entrepreneurs in developing

social media marketing and its measurement. According to the findings of this research, not

only the feedback from the travelers is vital, but also the opinions and feedback of tourism

companies operating in the destination are considered carefully in the Finnish DMOs. Thus,

more could be done for development in co-operation also in social media marketing between

the DMOs and the local tourism companies. Social media marketing is not only a task for those

in DMOs, but it also concerns the tourism companies in the destination, as their products and

services are marketed as part of the marketing in destination level. When it comes to social

media, an even quality in the content production, or similarities in marketing measurement

might contribute to more effective co-operation, thus leading in better results in social media

marketing. Attempts could be made for example to educate the tourism companies in the

destination in social media marketing in terms of content production and measurement. After

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all, marketing practices are implemented for the sake of local tourism businesses to receive

more visitors in the destination.

5.3 Evaluation of the study - trustworthiness and ethics

In this chapter, the trustworthiness and ethics of the study are evaluated. According to Eriksson

& Kovalainen (2008), trustworthiness of a qualitative study is determined by four factors: its

dependability, transferability, credibility, and conformability. As these evaluation methods are

typical for qualitative study, they are applied also when evaluating the trustworthiness of this

research.

First, dependability is linked with the responsibility for offering information to the reader,

meaning that the research process has been logical, detectable, and well documented. The

activities mentioned together form the trustworthiness for the research (Eriksson & Kovalainen

2008). In the thesis in question, an attempt has been made to explain every process so that the

reader can form an overall view of the research. For example, in the analysis, what was said by

the interviewees were cited in the analysis to back up the findings. Double-checking was made

when analyzing the data to avoid mistakes, which might ultimately lead to fails in conclusions.

However, slight changes may have occurred when transcribing and translating the interview

material with the help of Google Translator, even though careful attention was paid to the issue.

Second, transferability refers to the idea that the research should form similarities with

previous research or parts of it at least to a certain extent. Rather than replication, some sort of

similarity should be found with previous research (Eriksson & Kovalainen 2008). The results

of this study offered similarities at several points in comparison with previous studies, thus in

their part confirming the results or findings of the previous research. Nevertheless, there are

some issues, which may affect the findings made in this study. For example, material for this

thesis was collected during 2019. Digital marketing and social media marketing evolve at an

accelerating rate, so by the time this thesis was finished, some factors relating to the topic may

have already changed. Also, the use of marketing agencies in the deployment of different

metrics may affect the DMOs’ knowledge about the metrics used, so it may affect the

transferability.

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Third, credibility refers to notion of whether the research is familiar enough with the topic and

whether the data is worth the claims. (Eriksson & Kovalainen 2008). It must be acknowledged,

that the researcher had limited knowledge about the topic before the study, so in spite of

familiarizing with the topic in the beginning of the study, some gaps in the knowledge might

have still existed when planning the research. Credibility also includes the notion of whether

any other researcher, based in the same data, can get close to the interpretations, or agree with

the claims of the researcher of the study itself. (Eriksson & Kovalainen 2008).

Last, conformability refers to linking the findings and explanations of the data in the way that

is easily understood by others and is not just a result of imagination. (Eriksson & Kovalainen

2008). During the research and analysis process it became clear that some themes and concepts

were overlapping, thus, coding and categorizing the interview answers to different themes was

challenging from time to time. For example, digital marketing analytics may not correspond

with social media analytics, since digital marketing analytics is a wider concept, social media

analytics being one part of it. But then again, careful consideration was used when making

conclusions based on the study.

The answers of the interviewees also influence the findings and the conclusions made based on

the interview data. According to Puusa & Juuti (2011a), the participants may give so called

socially accepted answers instead of what they truly think. The interviewees were not required

to prepare themselves in any way to the interview beforehand, so the interview answers are

based on what the interviewees spontaneously said about different topics. The answers could

be based on the interviewees’ point of view and what the interviewees regarded as most

important to them. Not remembering every detail correctly is possible in the interviews, thus

what the interviewees tell may be different the next day (Bold, 2012). In addition to this, the

employees in DMOs may have differing points of view when it comes to social media

marketing in their organizations, as they have different responsibilities in their duties. This may

have affected the subjectivity in the answers. Also, the organizations they work in may have

organized marketing functions in a different way.

Also, certain constraints, such as timely resources or the selection of participants may influence

the outcomes of the study. The interviews started to show signs of saturation, however, the

interviews of other DMOs or a bigger number of interviews might have result in somewhat

different types of findings and conclusions. With the number of interviews, making conclusions

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about the evolvement of social media marketing would not even result in valid results.

Therefore, the findings of this study cannot be generalized.

The interviews as such were implemented by the researcher for the first time, so the

interviewer’s pre-assumptions, interpreting or possible leading or limiting questions may have

influenced the interviews (Puusa & Juuti 2011a). However, this situation was attempted to be

avoided before the interview by familiarizing into the topic and planning the interviews

carefully. Also, attention to research ethics was paid to in the research in the form of anonymity

and confidentiality (Eriksson & Kovalainen 2008). The interviewees were advised before the

interview about anonymity and confidentiality in a sense that the participants were not going

to be published in the research. Also, all information given by the participants was handled

confidentially so that the reader is not able to make conclusions about the interviewee based

on analysis.

5.4 Suggestions for further research

Based on this research, several ideas for further research came up. First, as it was mentioned in

the previous chapter, there is a huge, ongoing change in digital and social media marketing.

Therefore, continuous research concerning the topic is needed. This study did not intend to

investigate, in what stages the DMOs in Finland in their social media marketing and their

measurement. Therefore, a closer look into what phases the DMOs are in social media

marketing in general may bring out useful information and give an even more extensive idea

on what stage the DMOs in Finland, for example, are when it comes to social media marketing.

According to this research, there are differences in implementing social media marketing based

on how social media marketing is organized, what its goals are, or how the destination is

marketed to engage more visitors. Issues like budgeting, the number of personnel and the role

of management affect social media marketing is implementation in DMOs. Therefore, the role

of leadership or organizational differences and their impact on social media marketing and its

measurement would also be an interesting area of further research. Co-operation with

entrepreneurs of the destination is also essential in social media marketing. This also requires

more attention in research in terms of how co-operation could be developed. Also, a closer look

at the role of paid or especially earned media in destination marketing through social media

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may require further research. In addition to the research focuses mentioned above, interesting

findings could be made from benchmarking studies or comparative studies in the field.

Continuous evolvement in social media marketing also affects its measurement and especially

with regards to financial value. It would be interesting to know, that as the knowledge,

technology, and ways of organizing and implementing social media marketing develops, how

it affects the success, efficiency, and effectiveness of social media marketing in the future.

Therefore, further research concerning this phenomenon is vital.

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THEME INTERVIEW FRAMEWORK APPENDIX 1 (1/1)

Taustakysymykset:

• Mitä sosiaalisen median kanavia käytätte markkinoinnissa?

-Millä tavalla nämä kanavat ovat valikoituneet?

• Missä tehtävässä toimit DMO:ssa?

• Kuinka kauan olette tehneet sosiaalisen median markkinointia eri kanavissa?

• Miten olette organisoineet sosiaalisen media markkinoinnin DMO:ssa?

TEEMA 1: SOME-MARKKINOINNIN TAVOITTEET

• Mitkä ovat tavoitteenne sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin suhteen?

-Miten nämä tavoitteet ovat valikoituneet?

-Millä tavoilla tavoitteet eroavat toisistaan eri kanavissa?

• Miten dokumentoitte tavoitteet organisaatiossanne?

-Jos sosiaalisen media markkinoinnille ei ole omaa strategiaa, niin miksi?

-Miten mahdollinen strategia on luotu?

TEEMA 2: SOME-MARKKINOINNIN MITTAAMISEN TAVAT

• Millä tavalla mittaatte sosiaalisen median markkinointia?

-Minkälaisia mittareita sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin strategiassanne on

määritelty?

• Mitkä ovat tärkeimmät mittarit ja mitkä vähemmän tärkeitä, mutta joita silti seuraatte?

• Minkälaisia malleja mahdollisesti käytätte?

-Miten nämä mallit ovat valikoituneet?

• Minkälaista laadullista dataa käytätte some-markkinoinnin mittaamisessa?

TEEMA 3: SOME-MARKKINOINNIN TALOUDELLINEN ARVO

• Millä tavalla saatte tietoa sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin taloudellisista arvosta?

-Miten arvioitte tuotoksia tällä hetkellä?

-Miten hyödynnätte tätä tietoa?

• Minkä verran vertaatte some-markkinoinnin tuloksia strategiassa määriteltyihin

tavoitteisiin?

TEEMA 4: PÄÄTÖKSENTEKO

• Millä tavoin hyödynnätte sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin tuloksia päätöksenteossa?

-Minkälaista some-markkinoinnista saatua tietoa käytätte päätöksenteossa?

• Minkälaisia vaikutuksia tuloksilla on päätöksen tekoon markkinointitoimenpiteiden

kannalta jatkossa?

• Minkälaisia some-markkinoinnista saatua laadullista dataa käytätte päätöksenteossa?

A LETTER TO INTERVIEWEES APPENDIX 2 (1/2)

Jonna Kumpu

ITÄ-SUOMEN YLIOPISTO

SOSIAALISEN MEDIAN MARKKINOINNIN MITTAAMINEN JA

TALOUDELLINEN ARVO

TIETOA HAASTATELTAVALLE

Opiskelen Itä-Suomen yliopiston yhteiskunta- ja kauppatieteiden tiedekunnassa

matkailumarkkinoinnin ja johtamisen koulutusohjelmassa. Teen pro gradu -tutkielmaani

aiheesta sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin mittaaminen ja sen taloudellinen arvo, ohjaajanani

Juho Pesonen. Tutkimuskohteenani ovat Suomessa toimivat kohdemarkkinointiyritykset

(DMO). Käyn seuraavaksi läpi tarkemmin asioita, joita tutkimukseen osallistuvan olisi hyvä

tietää ennen haastattelua.

Tutkimuksen aihe ja tavoitteet

Tutkimuksen tavoitteena on selvittää, minkälaisia tapoja kohdemarkkinoinnissa on mitata

sosiaalisen median markkinointia ja sen taloudellista arvoa. Tieto sekä toimintatavat tähän

liittyen ovat tällä hetkellä hajanaisia. Digitaalinen ja sosiaalisen median markkinointi ovat

muuttuneet viime vuosina hurjaa vauhtia, joten tutkimuskaan ei ole pysynyt siinä täysin

mukana. Kun arvioidaan mittareiden hyötyä taloudellisessa mielessä, yleensä niissä

yhdistyvät markkinointibudjetin mukaiset panostukset ja niistä saatu tuotto. Tehokkuutta

arvioitaessa taas verrataan kohdemarkkinointiyrityksessä asetettuja tavoitteita markkinoinnin

suhteen ja markkinoinnin avulla saavutettuihin tuloksiin. Tätä on monissa tapauksissa

sovellettu myös sosiaalisen median markkinointiin.

Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on keskittyä Facebookin ja Instagramin markkinoinnin

mittaamisen arviointiin. Tutkimuksen avulla saamme arvokasta lisätietoa sosiaalisen median

markkinoinnin mittaamisen ja sen taloudellisen arvon nykytilasta. Lisäksi haastattelun avulla

matkailumarkkinoinnin toimija voi reflektoida nykyisiä toimintatapoja kohteen

markkinoinnin suhteen ja kenties saada ideoita, miten sitä voisi kehittää jatkossa.

Aineistonkeruutapa ja arvioitu ajankulu

Aineisto kerätään teemahaastattelun muodossa, eli tarkoituksena on käydä vapaata

keskustelua ennalta suunniteltujen teemojen pohjalta. Teemat liittyvät sosiaalisen median

markkinoinnin tavoitteisiin, markkinoinnin mittaamisen tapoihin, taloudelliseen arvoon sekä

päätöksentekoon sosiaalisen median markkinoinnin pohjalta. Haastateltavan ei tarvitse

valmistautua haastatteluun etukäteen millään tavalla. Haastattelun arvioitu kesto on 60

minuuttia.

APPENDIX 2 (2/2)

Aineiston käyttötarkoitus

Kerättyä aineistoa hyödynnetään Itä-Suomen yliopiston kauppatieteiden laitoksen

tutkimuksessa, pääasiassa tässä pro gradu -tutkielmassa ja siihen perustuvissa tutkimuksissa.

Pro gradu -tutkielmat voidaan julkaista internetissä tutkijan antaessa siihen luvan ja tällöin

kuka tahansa voi hyödyntää tutkimustuloksia. Tutkimusaineisto on kuitenkin vain

tutkimusryhmän käytössä.

Osallistumisen vapaaehtoisuus ja anonymiteetti

Haastateltavalla on oikeus keskeyttää tutkimukseen osallistuminen milloin tahansa.

Haastattelut voidaan käsitellä anonyymisti, jolloin haastateltavien nimiä ei tuoda esiin

tutkimuksessa. Myöskään toimijoita tai muita tunnistetietoja ei julkaista tutkimuksessa.

Tuloksista raportoidessa myöskään yksittäisiä matkakohteita ei voi tunnistaa, vaan nekin

käsitellään anonyymisti.

Lisätietoja ja yhteystiedot

Annan mielelläni lisätietoja tutkimuksesta puhelimitse tai sähköpostitse. Yhteystietoni ovat:

Jonna Kumpu, puh. 050-4672202, s-posti: jonnakum@student.uef.fi.