Managing Crisis Via Social Media

Purpose - The paper aims to understand the way that social media functions. This is the main reason why our efforts are directed at analyzing the environment in which it develops. The consumer behavior has changed as the economic crisis has emerged, therefore managers have to meet the consumers' needs in a different manner. Mainly, this study's purpose is to identify their needs in a crisis economy. Methodology/approach - The study was undertaken from a consumer's perspective. Therefore, a questionnaire was applied on 208 young adults ranging 18 -35 years old. Findings - We found out WHO the consumers are, WHERE they are and WHAT they are interested in as far as brands are concerned. The paper takes the research further by determining HOW the information should be placed in order to reach the consumer efficiently on social media platforms. Research limitations/implications - This approach is limited to online behavior and can be further extended to the design of various spreading schemes for online marketing techniques. Practical implications - The results open several interesting avenues for future research that Social Media Marketing can explore because it is a fairly new phenomenon. Originality/value - The study represents a step forward regarding the better use of technology in the marketing area. Furthermore, it approaches a different angle on which social media marketing has been tackled so far.