The social media cocktail party A qualitative study of how companies and organizations

communicate online

Sarah Ryrhagen

Department of Media Studies

Master Thesis 30 ECTS

Media and Communication

Master Programme in Media and Communication (120 ECTS)

Supervisor: Sven Ross

2017-05-23

Abstract

Due to the development of, and the opportunities that social media provides for different

groups in society, companies and organizations are encouraged to be present on, and be a part

of the new social media landscape. This research examines how five companies and five

organizations use social media as a tool to create relationships with individuals, and what role

social media plays in the daily communication work. The social media platforms discussed in

this research companies and organizations can utilize not only to create an identity and work

with branding, but also to apply two-way communication with individuals.

The research applies qualitative interviews with representatives from each company and

organization. The main findings revealed surprisingly that there are not any significant

differences between companies’ and organizations’ way of using social media, but that it

differs more between different kinds of companies and organizations. Most companies and

organizations use different social media platforms for different purposes or to reach different

target groups. Facebook and Instagram are the two platforms that most companies and

organizations from the research use. Facebook is generally used to share information and

Instagram to inspire. Furthermore, social media provides different possibilities to reach out to

people than more traditional ways of communication such as print advertising and

newsletters. Hence, social media plays an important role in the work with communication in

order to reach out to people and can have a decisive effect for companies and organizations.

The advantages of social media that the participating companies and organizations

emphasized are that they get to have their own voice, they can themselves create interest and

commitment, rather than using a PR-firm for example, and it enables two-way communication

which in turn foster relationships with individuals. Finally, one of the biggest advantages

highlighted is the fast communication that is enabled on social media platforms which keep

the companies and organizations closer to the public.

Key words: social media, companies, organizations, relationships, two-way communication

Table of Content

1. Introduction........................................................................................................................ 1 1.1 Conceptual Explanation…………………………………………………………… 2 1.2 Research Aim and Research Questions…………………………………….............2 1.3 Disposition………………………………………………………………………… 4 2. Background………………………………………………………………………………. 5 2.1 Definition of Social Media……………………………………………………….... 5 2.2 The New Communication Landscape……..………………………………………. 6 3. Previous Research………………………………………………………………………...8 3.1 Previous Research………………………………………………………………..... 8 3.2 Theoretical Framework………………………………………………….……..….. 10 3.2.1 The Transformation of the Media Over Time………………………..….... 10 3.2.2 Strategic Communication…………………...…………………………..… 12 3.2.3 Two-Way Communication………………..………………………….....… 13 3.2.4 Relation and Social Media Marketing…………………………………..… 15 3.2.5 Relationships Between Companies/organizations and individuals…..….... 17 4. Method and Material………………………………………………………………….… 19 4.1 Method….……………………………………………………………………….… 19 4.1.1 Interviews.……………………………………………………………….... 19 4.1.1.1 Thematic Analysis.……………………………………….……….. 21 4.1.2 Research Ethic Principals...……………………………………….……..... 22 4.1.3 Reliability and Validity..………………………………………………….. 22 4.2 Material………………………………………………………………………….... 23 4.2.1 Sampling.………………………………………………………………….. 23 4.2.2 Companies and Organizations…………………………………………….. 23 4.2.2.1 Companies..……………………………………………………….. 24 4.2.2.2 Organizations..……………………………………………………..25 5. Results and Analysis……………………………………………………………………... 28

5.1 Communication strategy: the company/organization’s external communication (channels, strategies, target groups etc.) ……….………………………………………28 5.2 Social Media: channels, field of application, views on, implementation, strengths, weaknesses etc………………….………………………………………………………31

5.3 Relationships: two-way communication, criticism, to answer etc…………..…….. 35 5.4 The Future…..……………………………………………………………………... 40 6. Discussion and Conclusion…………………………………………………………….....42 6.1 Discussion................................................................................................................. 42 6.2 Conclusion.…………………………………………………………………….…...48 6.3 Limitations and Further Research….……………………………………………… 50 7. References…………………………………………………………………………………51 7.1 Literature..……………………………………………………………………….… 51 7.2 Online Sources.……………………………………………………………………. 54 7.3 Oral Sources, Interviews...……………………………………………………….... 55 8. Appendices……………………………………………………………………………...…57 8.1 E-mail Sent to Companies and Organizations….………………………………… 57 8.2 Interview Guide..……………………………………………………………...……58 8.2 Table of Social Media Platforms Used....…………………………………...….......59

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1. Introduction

In this chapter, the reader is given a background to the subject of the thesis. Some terms used

throughout the thesis are explained and the aim and research questions are presented. In

conclusion, the chapter shortly argues for why the subject is relevant for the academic field

of media and communication and some limitations of focus are presented. Lastly, a

disposition of the thesis is presented.

With the rise of social media around 15 years ago, political discourse and public engagement

has changed (Social Media Week, 2016). Since then social media has somewhat filled an

obvious place in many people’s lives. Social media have gained a massive impact in short

time and some even refer to social media as a new media revolution (Falkheimer & Heide,

2011:33). There also seems to be a constant discussion about social media’s claimed

opportunities, and as companies and organizations have realised the possibilities of dialogue

and relation with individuals from working with social media, it has become more and more

popular for companies and organizations to become a part of the digital social world. Side by

side as the world has become more connected the one-way communication model, at least

partially, has been exchanged with two-way communication. Social media platforms

continue to grow rapidly and they have become important factors that have reshaped the way

companies and organizations engage with their customers (The Marketing Magazine 2016).

Internet and the explosion of social media have led to opportunities for companies and

organizations to actually build relationships with customers (Sashi, 2012:253).

Social media hold the power of changing the media image from communication towards

dialogue. Individual users as well as companies and organizations can now reach out to

others without being held back by traditional gatekeepers or physical space (Karlsson,

2008:9). Social media therefore becomes a space where one can send a message, but also to

ask for a message or collect opinions from others. The consumers of today use the Internet as

an arena for information and communication (Svensk Handel 2014). Internet and social

media is the place where the conversation never dies and people never sleep, and companies

need to keep up with that. According to Internetstatistik.se (2014) more than half of all

Swedish companies are present on social media and in large, a study by Cone (2008) shows

that 93% of social media users believe that companies should have a social media presence,

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while 85% think that companies should interact with them via social networking sites

(Michaelidou, Siamagka, Christodoulides, 2011:1153).

Social media includes a range of different features that companies and organizations can

make use of to engage with a wider public. These features include blogs, micro-blogs, social

networking, photo and video sharing, online chat forums, online media monitoring and much

more (Thackeray, Neiger, Hanson & McKenzie, 2008; Eyrich et al., 2008; Waters et al.,

2011). The features provide new and different ways to reach out to the public and enable

people to interact and have a conversation with companies and organizations today.

1.1 Conceptual Explanation

The study includes concepts such as individuals, customer/s, consumer/s, the public,

companies and organizations. Individuals, customer/s, consumer/s and the public in this

research refer to private persons who do not represent any company, organization or

association, but only represent him or herself as an individual. Companies refer to businesses

where the purpose of the coordination is to develop, produce and sell goods or services for a

profit-driven outcome. Organizations refer to non-profit organizations.

1.2 Research Aim and Research Questions The aim of this research is to identify companies’ and organizations’ approaches to social

media, what role they fulfil in the daily communication work and to get an insight into how

companies and organizations use social media as a tool to communicate with individuals, with

the purpose of creating a relationship with them.

The research questions are

1. In which ways do companies and organizations approach different social media

platforms to communicate with individuals?

2. Are there any differences between how companies and organizations use social

media? If yes, in what way?

3. What role do social media play in order to reach out and interact with individuals?

4. What advantages does social media hold in comparison to more traditional ways of

corporate and organizational communication?

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More and more companies and organizations realise the importance and potential of social

media presence and therefore more and more companies and organizations also become active

users of it with company blogs, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and even Instagram accounts.

Companies, organizations and individuals can now engage in a different and new kind of

relationship where communication is more accessible. Traditional media such as television,

film and radio are of course still very significant but the internet has changed the paradigm as

(almost) everyone today have a mobile phone with internet access (QS Top Universities,

2011) which makes social media an easy, accessible and simple way of communicating. How

this new form of communication through social media is developing and influencing all

possible aspects of society is very interesting and up-to-date from a perspective of media

science. As can be seen from the previous research presented below, companies and

organizations are urged to engage more with individuals through social media. Research

conducted also suggests different ways in which companies and organizations should use

social media to avoid lagging behind as individuals become more powerful. However, there is

a visible gap of research and knowledge about how companies and organizations have

adapted to the new communication landscape where social media is an important

communication tool and how they actually use it. This research seeks to focus on that gap in

the research field of media and communication by targeting the knowledge about how

companies and organizations work with social media in relation to meaning making, dialogue

and relation building with customers, and what impact social media have on communication

on a corporate level. However, the research is concerned with the companies’ and

organizations’ self-experienced work with social media platforms and their experiences and

thoughts about it.

Studies on social media is very significant in the media and communications field as it can

contribute with a practical viewpoint of how different actors, such as companies and

organizations, work with it to gain the knowledge and skills needed to understand all of its

functions, but also from an analytical point of view to understand its significance and impact

on society. Social media does not only have an impact on how individuals communicate with

each other, but it also has the power to change how companies work with external

communication. Therefore, it is relevant for the field of media research to put more emphasis

on social media and different aspects of it. However, the focus of this thesis will lie on the

companies’ and organizations’ experiences and work with social media, and not highlight

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how individuals experience companies’ and organizations’ presence and communication on

social media. The individuals’ perspective is in other words not focused on at all.

1.3 Disposition After giving a short introduction to the subject of study and presenting the aim and research

questions above, the thesis will continue with the second chapter, Background, that introduces

the reader to the concepts of social media and the new communication landscape. Thereafter,

the third chapter, Previous Research and Theory, provides an account of what research have

previously been conducted concerning companies, organizations and social media. The theory

section deals with theories such as the transformation over time, strategic communication,

two-way communication, relation and social media marketing, and relationships between

companies or organizations and individuals. In the fourth chapter, Method and Material,

interviews and thematic analysis that have been used are introduced and the steps taken in the

study presented. The participating companies and organizations are likewise presented. The

fifth chapter, Results and Analysis, presents the results from the analysis of the interviews.

The sixth chapter, Discussion and Conclusion, provides a discussion of the results in relation

to the theories from the theory section and ends with a short conclusion including limitations

and suggestions for further research.

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2. Background The background chapter introduces the reader to the concepts of social media and the new

communication landscape.

2.1 Definition of Social Media Social media is an umbrella term used for different digital communication channels that allow

users to communicate directly with each other through text, image and video. Social media is

set apart from mass media as they build on content that is produced by the users of the

medium. While the content of mass media is produced by companies and/or organizations,

social media can be seen as a network where many individuals can communicate with each

other. Every user on social media can produce and receive content on the same terms.

Social media is a combination of technology, social interaction and user generated content

that can be used for social relations, news distribution, marketing, culture and entertainment.

The core of social media is that users do not have to invest lots of money or knowledge to be

able to produce and receive content (NE 2017). User Generated Content can be described as a

description of the various forms of media content that are publicly available and created by

end-users (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010:61).

Kaplan & Haenlein state that social media builds on the ideological and technological

foundations of Web 2.0 that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content. Web

2.0 refers to a kind of platform whereby content and applications are no longer created and

published by individuals, but instead they are continuously modified by all users and in a

participatory and collaborative fashion (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010:60-61). Paul Levinson

points to some features that distinguishes social media from older types of media that can be

used as guiding principles of social media; every consumer is a producer, social media is

always free, it is competitive and mutually catalytic, it is more than search engines and email,

and it requires underlying platforms beyond the control of the users (2012:3-5).

Scott and Jacka argues that social media enables the democratization of content, giving people

the ability to emerge from consumers of content to publishers (2011:5). Further, they note that

the most significant outcome of applying social media for companies and organizations is to

help foster relationships with people and that the global power of the relationships created on

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social media is evolving at high speed (Scott & Jacka, 2011:6). Social media have become a

part of how people communicate today and in the last decade it has transformed from a way

people pass their time to an important part of not only personal, but also corporate culture

(Scott & Jacka, 2011:4).

In this research, social media will refer to webpages and mobile applications with which

people can interact with each other in different social networks. Social media can include

online forums, social networking sites and applications, blogs, vlogs and podcasts.

2.2 The New Communication Landscape Social media presents new opportunities for users to engage in self-presentation, identity-

building and talk with family and friends in a way that was not possible before. Interactions

online on social networks differ in a great way from interactions face-to-face in offline

environments. Online interaction is often characterized by less restrictive expressions and

users may disclose at levels quite different from their face-to-face conversations. As social

networks function as a new way for interaction, the maintenance of relationships online

becomes more and more common (Webb, Wilson, Hodges, Smith & Zakeri, 2012:4)

Social media provides a new sphere of interaction where the written word weighs heavily as it

is always present in contrast to the oral word. It has a different kind of permanence that oral

speech cannot attain in the same way (Jones, 2012:31). Almost everyone who engage in

digital or electronic media has experienced the ability of electronic media to bypass former

limitations of communication. Electronic media have changed the significance of time, space

and physical barriers as communication variables (McQuail, 2002:100), and this provides a

completely new space, or landscape, for companies, organizations and individuals to talk to

each other and explore.

Notions of what is termed the public sphere or public space, which thematise the role of

interaction among citizens in the political process can be traced back to the ancient Greeks.

Notions of what is public are of course premised on conceptions on what is private. Habermas

conceptualizes the public sphere as the realm of social life where the exchange of information

and views on questions of common concern can take place so that public opinion can be

formed. The public sphere is created when citizens come together as public bodies to discuss

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issues of the day. Lately, mass media have become the chief institution of the public sphere

(McQuail, 2002:195). The public sphere has in time perhaps not moved, but broadened itself

to the internet. Social media allows the public all around the world to gather together and

discuss issues that are not necessarily close to them geographically, but close to their heart. In

line with Habermas concept of the public sphere, the public sphere exists in the active

reasoning of the public, whether offline or online. It is via such discourses that public opinion

is generated (McQuail, 2002:195).

For small businesses and organizations, the entry of social media meant that they could also

have a voice and gain ground on larger organizations without having the same type of budget.

With the ability to upload text, images, audio and video for global access, traditional media

have to a large scale been distorted. Due to this, individuals have become empowered with the

ability to act as publishers, creating content and joining conversations regardless of the media

format. At the same time as this opens new and fantastic opportunities for businesses to grow

closer to their stakeholders, it does not come without a set of substantial risks (Scott & Jacka,

2011: 4-5). With the opportunity for everyone to be a publisher, the companies and

organizations are no longer in complete control of its message and reputation. However, the

ability to develop and maintain stronger and more meaningful relationships with stakeholders,

customers, consumers, and individuals create opportunities to provide much greater values.

Social media has evolved into a diverse set of tools and technologies that enables companies

and organizations to communicate with individuals in real-time, and through effective

listening, connecting and conversing with them, they can increase their understanding of

individuals’ needs (Scott & Jacka, 2011:17).

In this new social media landscape, full of risks and opportunities, the value for companies

and organizations lies within relationships. When social media is implemented effectively it

provides a method to nurture trust between the company or organization and the individuals.

The ability to move beyond the monologue way of communicating and embrace an open and

honest dialogue on an even level with individuals is of benefit for companies and

organizations (Scott & Jacka, 2011:18). Social media have hence created a new space for

companies, organizations and individuals to meet and converse where people have more

power than they used to have before. This puts quite some pressure on companies and

organizations to stay informed and up-to-date with what is going on in this new online social

world and it is forcing them to adapt to the individuals’ way of communicating.

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3. Previous Research and Theory This chapter begins with an account for the previous research concerning companies,

organizations and social media. In the theory section the theories through which the collected

material will be analysed with is presented.

3.1 Previous Research A great deal of empirical research has been done regarding companies and social media. As

companies lose control over information when individuals post comments and reviews online

(Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010:60), companies and organizations are beginning to understand the

importance of real conversations with individuals (Griffiths & McLean 2015). The

importance of social media has resulted in practitioners seeking to harness the potential of it

to build enduring relational exchanges with strong emotional bonds (Griffiths & McLean

2015:267). Earlier there was not an equal level arena among companies, organizations and

individuals. Companies and organizations could only be contacted through telephone first,

then through email or an online formulary which created an uneven power balance in favour

of the companies. But as new communication platforms developed, businesses felt the need to

become more social and began to adopt to these new social platforms and the relationship

with individuals changed (Griffiths & McLean, 2015:148).

Many of the studies available on companies, organizations and social media concerns how

they should work with social media and adapt to its potentials. Kaplan and Haenlein (2010)

provide five points about using social media as a step guide for companies; 1) choose

carefully, 2) pick the application or make your own, 3) ensure activity alignment, 4) media

plan integration, and 5) access for all. Further they also provide a five-step guide about being

social; 1) be active, 2) be interesting, 3) be humble, 4) be unprofessional, and 5) be honest. It

is important for companies to have a set of guidelines that can be applied to any form of social

media as it is a fast-moving and active domain, and what is up-to-date today may be gone

tomorrow (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010:65). Companies and organizations also need to

recognise and understand their social media landscape in order to pay attention to the critical

elements of it, including who the main influencers are according to Kietzmann, Hermkens,

McCarthy and Silvestre (2011:249) who use a honeycomb framework of seven social media

building blocks to address this gap in knowledge. Utilizing these blocks together and

separately can help managers to make sense of the social media ecology and to understand

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their audience and their engagement needs (Kietzmann, Hermkens, McCarthy & Silvestre,

2011:242). Just as companies and organisations need to adapt to the new social media

landscape, consumers are utilizing social media platforms to create, modify, share and discuss

internet content. This represents a social media phenomenon which significantly can have a

great impact on a firm's reputation, sales and survival (Kietzmann, Hermkens, McCarthy &

Silvestre, 2011:241). Social media can have an important consequence for organisational

communication processes because they now afford new types of behaviours that previously

were difficult or even impossible to achieve before the new technologies were introduced in

the workplace (Treem & Leonardi, 2013:178).

Much of the research conducted also concern marketing and PR. Briones, Kuch, Fisher, Liu

and Jin argue that practising public relations through social media is effective and necessary

in the digital age. The result from their study which included interviews with individuals from

the American Red Cross emphasise the increasing importance of social media channels and

provides insights to building relationships using social media (2011:37). The importance of

having a relationship with customers and individuals is pointed out by many scholars as an

important reason for companies to use social media as consumers are adopting more active

roles in co-creating marketing content with companies and their brands. Consumers are in

other words no longer only passive recipients in the marketing exchange process (Hanna,

Rohm & Crittenden 2011:265). In relationship marketing, the idea is to create customer

loyalty so that a stable, mutually profitable and long-term relationship is enhanced (Ravald &

Grönroos, 1996:19). People working with advertising are finding new ways to communicate

with their customers that capitalise on and leverage the long-term relationship between the

advertiser and the customer. By utilising the new media choices and technologies, they are

building relationships instead of just trying to make a one time-sell (Copulsky & Wolf,

1990:16). Many social sites are designed primarily to facilitate conversations among

individuals and groups, and as the notion of identity is core to many social media platforms,

this represents some fundamental implications for companies and organisations seeking to

develop their own social media sites or strategies for engaging with other sites (Kietzmann,

Hermkens, McCarthy & Silvestre, 2011:244).

With the rise of social media, corporate communication has been democratised and

companies and organisations need to decide if they want to seriously get involved with social

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media or not. Whether they choose to engage in social media or not, it will have a tremendous

impact (Kietzmann, Hermkens, McCarthy & Silvestre, 2011:242).

The previous research presented above marks where the emphasis has been put in research

concerning companies, organizations and social media. Naturally, it also illuminates the gap

in the research field of media and communication. The research shows that individuals have

become more empowered through social media as they have become co-producers (Hanna,

Rohm & Crittenden, 2011). Creating a relationship with individuals serves as a consistently

red line throughout the research presented. Social media have created a new space for

conversation where individuals, companies and organizations can elaborate on more equal

terms. Above mentioned authors suggest that companies and organizations need to seize this

new communication landscape to avoid becoming an outsider in the new communication

landscape. Further, the authors suggest different ways in which companies and organizations

can and should handle this new media ecology (Kietzmann, Hermkens, McCarthy &

Silvestre, 2011).

The previous research leaves a gap in the academic research field of media and

communication concerning how companies and organizations use social media in their

external communication. Further, there is also a gap concerning if there are any differences in

how social media is used by companies and organizations. The natural step to move forward

from the previous research concerning how companies and organizations should and could

use social media is to examine how companies and organizations use social media on a

practical level and to see what role it has for companies and organizations. The value in that

kind of research lies in the complement it provides to the already existing research; to create

an understanding of how the framework of the previous research have been applied in

practice.

3.2 Theoretical Framework

3.2.1 The Transformation of the Media Over Time

Henry Jenkins (2008) discusses the clash between the old and the new media and how it led

to some big changes within the media society. The time when media was used for only one

purpose has passed by a long time ago, and now it is more multifaceted, interactive and

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multifunctional (Jenkins, 2008:26). Thanks to the increased availability of channels and

portability the communication technology has contributed with, we find ourselves in a time

where the media is everywhere. And as Jenkins put it, ready or not, we are a part of that

convergence culture and companies and organizations must adapt to it to avoid lacking

behind.

Jenkins points out the transformation of the media as a convergence that can be seen as a

flow between different media platforms, the co-operation between different media

industries, and the flexibility and mobility among the public as they search for different

experiences. The ability for media content to spread across different media systems and

national boundaries is in big part due to the public’s active participation. As a natural effect

of the convergence, media producers’ and media consumers’ power is in an unpredictable

way interacting with each other (Jenkins, 2008:14-15). The media industry has been through

a paradigm shift; during the ‘90s, predictions concerned the approaching digital revolution

and people talked about how the new media would replace the old media. Internet would

replace television and radio, and this would lead to an easier access to the media content that

is relevant for every individual (Jenkins, 2008:17). Nicholas Negropontes (1996) is one

among many that predicted that old “passive” media would be exchanged with new

“interactive” media. He predicted the collapse of television as new and more narrowed

media arrived with more choices of time and place for the consumer. However, the

convergence is not a static condition, but rather a dynamic one where change is always

present (Jenkins, 2008:22). Perhaps remediation is more suitable when talking about how

the media have changed and transformed over time. Remediation is when content is

presented in a new medium without making a reference to the old medium in the new

medium, and Bolter and Grusin (1999) argues that remediation is a defining characteristic of

new digital media. They also argue that new media are never completely independent from

older media and that different media always borrow modes of expression from each other

(Bolter & Grusin, 1999). A new medium can remediate by trying to absorb the older

medium as much as possible so that the discontinuities between the two are minimized.

However, the new medium will always be dependent on the old one and the very act of

remediation ensures that the older medium cannot be entirely affected (Bolter & Grusin,

1999:47).

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Jenkins argues that we all, companies, organizations and individuals, need to find a way to

cope with the changes that the convergence and remediation throw at us. There is no single

group in society that will dictate the terms of this, but companies and organizations must

renegotiate and change their relationship to the public and individuals as they now are in the

middle of old and new media and demand to be a part of the new convergence culture. If

not, companies and organizations will lose in terms of both income and diminished brand

reputation (Jenkins, 2008:33).

Paul Levinson claims that older media such as broadcasting and print, as well as Amazon

and iTunes have significant social components as well as the “social media” have today.

People talk about the books they read, music they listen to and movies they see, if not even

gathering in front of the television to watch it together. Even if this often happens offline, it

is an example of the intrinsic social quality of media. The social aspect of the social media is

indeed crucial according to Levinson, but not unique enough to rob the old media of its

social aspects. He is also arguing that one of the primarily aspects of social media such as

the consumer becoming a producer can easily be practiced by one person alone, and not in

company of others, removing one of the social aspects of it (Levinson, 2008:3).

The sheer speed of evolution of social media is evident in the importance and existence of

new media systems and sites. Levinson talks about how YouTube and Twitter played such

an important role in the U.S. election in 2008 and that the role social media will play in

future situations such as elections and others, is not possible to predict. However, Levinson

predicts that they will have a major, likely decisive, impact where different social media

platforms are providing context and elaboration of rapidly changing stories and events

(Levinson, 2008:9).

3.2.2 Strategic Communication

When talking about corporate communication both internal and external communication

within companies and organizations are referred to. According to Falkheimer and Heide

strategic communication can be defined as a company’s or organization’s conscious

communication efforts to achieve their goals (Falkheimer & Heide, 2011:13). By using this

kind of communication, companies and organizations can generate a better and more loyal

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relation to the public as the company’s and organization’s identity, values and standpoints

are exposed and mediated through different social platforms (Falkheimer & Heide,

2009:41). There are four criteria that characterizes strategic communication; an overall

perspective, communication and companies or organizations in focus, many different

perspectives are used and it is a global platform (Falkheimer & Heide, 2011:19). Falkheimer

and Heide argues that the technique behind new and social media might not be of that big

interest, but what is of interest on the other hand is how different forms of communication

are transformed and renewed and through that creates a collective meaning (Falkheimer &

Heide, 2011:25). Just like Scott and Jacka (2011) Falkheimer and Heide discuss how the

traditional roles of sender and receiver are getting more and more blurred as new structures

of communication is emerging. They make a connection to participant-oriented strategic

communication where social media is unique in its way of creating opportunities for

communication strategists to work with dialogues.

With the blurred lines of sender and receiver and the new communication structure, the lines

between strategic communication and marketing is challenged. Research on participant-

oriented strategic communication involves co-production which Prahalad and Krishnan

(2008) means build on participation and individual focus as they argue that customers play

an active role in co-creating value (Falkheimer & Heide, 2011:30). It is not unusual that

users of social media act for a company or organization. The line for who works as a

communication strategist is no longer as clear as it was before. Through social media

individuals act as communication strategists by mentioning, making visible and rating

companies, organizations and products they like. However, Falkheimer and Heide (2011)

does not believe that companies and organizations are losing control over the information,

but it does make it harder to control the public(s). Moreover, people seem generally

interested in focusing on a certain matter and belonging to a community on social media

according to Smith (2010) and that people’s activity online is more based on interest in a

subject, cause or value.

3.2.3 Two-way Communication Two-way communication is often seen as a dialogue rather than a monologue. Put in a simple

way, two-way communication is when a sender transmits a message to a receiver. The

receiver then sends a message back, acknowledging the message was received and perhaps

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gives some feedback or response. In relation to companies and organizations, two-way

communication means that communicators act as eyes and ears of their organizations. The

two-way communication is based on the use of formal and informal research and

communication departments with the knowledge to practice this kind of communication

conduct more research than the ones without this kind of knowledge (Dozier, Grunig, Grunig,

1995:51). This knowledge consists of advanced practices that rightfully treat communication

as a two-way process. Communicators sometimes use what they know about the public to

persuade them to act the way dominant coalitions want. This is called two-way asymmetrical

communication. Two-way symmetrical communication on the other hand refers to when

communicators use what they know about the public to negotiate win-win solutions for both

parties. By doing so, they build mutually beneficial relations with publics (Dozier, Grunig,

Grunig, 1995:39). Communicators have recently begun to learn research techniques to gather

information about what publics know, feel, and how they might even behave. By gathering

this kind of information and organizing it is in such ways that dominant coalitions can

understand it, communicators master the essential skills for practising two-way

communication models (Dozier, Grunig, Grunig, 1995:45).

The symmetrical practices reflect important values about how organizations ought to behave

in society. The two-way symmetrical model from Grunig’s Excellence Theory provides a

framework for ethical communication practices. Communicators using the symmetrical model

play key roles in adjusting or adapting behaviours of dominant coalitions, thus bringing

publics and dominant coalitions closer together (Dozier, Grunig, Grunig, 1995:47). The

model does not only focus on the gathering of information from and about the public, but it is

also emphasizing a dialogue with the public. The dialogue is meant to create a relationship

and to thus be able to handle conflicts. The communication is indeed two-way and more

symmetrical, where convincing and behavioural change can occur in both the public and the

company or organization (Grunig & White 1992:39). A clear focus in in this model is applied

to understanding rather than persuasion.

Companies and organizations can nowadays choose to create deeper relationships with

individuals by using new ways to communicate. Instead of only working with one-way

communication and mass media, companies and organizations can engage in more interactive

relationships by using two-way communication on internet. Communication through internet

have led to a development of customer relationships. Companies or organizations and

15

individuals now have a good opportunity to interact with each other in a two-way

communication to create a relationship (Kotler, Armstrong, Harris, Piercy, 2013:16).

3.2.4 Relation and Social Media Marketing According to Koiranen (1995) relationship marketing is described as an approach with the

aim to establish, maintain, and enhance long-term relations with customers and stakeholders.

Evans and Laskin (1994) agrees with Koiranen and argues that relationship marketing is a

customer-oriented approach which enables companies and organizations to seek long-term

relationships with individuals. The goal is to create and maintain lasting relationships between

companies or organizations and individuals that are of equal benefit according to Rapp and

Collins (1990). The main component of relationship marketing constitutes communicating

and to get involved with individuals and thereby develop an ongoing relationship. Drury

(2007) argues that using social media is a useful way of building conversation and

relationship as it is an engaging way of sharing and exchanging perception and ideas.

Companies and organizations must build close brand relationships and experiences with

individuals according to Kotler, Armstrong, Harris and Piercy (2013:xxii). Relation marketing

in their meaning refers to the process where companies and organizations are creating and

capturing customer value. Well-positioned brands with strong brand equity provides the basis

upon which they build customer value and profitable customer relationships. The main aim of

marketing is to create value for customers and capture value from customers in return (Kotler,

Armstrong, Harris, Piercy, 2013:2). The two-fold goal of marketing is to attract new

customers by promising superior value and keep and grow current customers by delivering

satisfaction. It is more important than ever to build strong customer relationships based on

real and enduring value (Kotler, Armstrong, Harris, Piercy, 2013:4).

Marketing exists of actions taken to build and maintain exchange relationships with target

audiences involving a product, a service or an idea. Companies and organizations want to

retain customers and grow their businesses, and marketers want to build strong relationships

by consistently delivering superior customer value (Kotler, Armstrong, Harris, Piercy,

2013:7).

With social media, the opportunity for anyone to create and distribute their own content

grows. Companies and organizations no longer need to pay publishers, distributers and

16

advertisers a large amount of money to embed their messages, now they can make their own

content with endless possibilities of reaching millions of people almost for free. Traditional

media such as television, newspapers, radio, and magazines are one-way, static broadcast

technologies (Zarella, 2010:1-3). Social media comes in many forms and provide the

possibilities for companies and organizations to take charge themselves of their marketing.

Many companies and organizations have embraced the opportunities of social media and used

them for their convenience. For example, both IBM and Starbucks have websites created for

customers to share their own ideas for new products, Burger King has made headlines several

times using social media to spread innovative viral and social marketing campaigns, and

several companies use social media as platforms for customer service. Of course, social media

also comes with some risks for companies and organizations as individuals can spread

negative output that the companies and organizations cannot control (Zarella, 2010:3-5). At

the same time as big companies can be outsmarted on social media, small companies are

moreover provided with the opportunity to make big names for themselves without huge

investments (Zarella, 2010:7).

Social media in a marketing perspective can be used to announce offers and events, promote

new products, keep up with the public and gain consumer insight (Zarella, 2010:31). Social

networking sites are websites where people can connect with friends and these kinds of sites

are very useful for marketers as they present a great number of opportunities for interacting

with individuals (Zarella, 2010:53). However, it is important that companies and

organizations know their customers well to know where to find them. To understand the

special features of each social media platform and how to use them allow companies and

organizations to build direct and personal relationships with individuals (Zarella, 2010:76).

The social media marketing can be divided into two different types: ongoing strategy and

campaigns. The ongoing strategy refers to the ongoing activity that takes place on a regular

basis, such as posting photos on Instagram or updating Facebook with new posts. Once

companies and organizations have built a stable foundation of social media engagement they

can start launching campaigns. However, the campaigns should be in line with the ongoing

strategy and have specific goals and finite timelines. Campaigns are the kind of social media

efforts that results in large, but rather temporary, peaks in traffic (Zarella, 2010:197).

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3.2.5 Relationships Between Companies/organizations and Individuals

To create a relationship between a company or organization and individuals within modern

marketing is often seen as a two-way-communication according to Philip Kotler (2011).

Christian Grönroos (2008) argues though that the relationship with individuals can only

grow if the contact they have is genuine. Companies and organizations need to preserve and

keep a good communication with individuals in order to facilitate a good relationship with

them.

Social media provides an excellent opportunity for companies and organizations to inform

and engage with individuals. Facebook for example, allows companies and organizations to

create pages which other users may “like” and be a part of. On these pages, companies and

organizations can provide information, customer service and promote games which creates a

loyal community of individuals (Long, 2012:156) where a conversation between the

company or organization and individuals can take place, creating a kind of relationship

between the them.

Organization-public relationship refers to the relationship between a company or

organization and its public. According to Ledingham and Bruning (1998) organization-

public relationships are a condition which both parties are in together on equal conditions

and where they both are affected of each other’s acting. They also argue that companies and

organizations can have different kinds of relationships with their publics and that

communication to some extent lay the groundwork for its shape. They argue that the

characteristics of organization-public relationships can be of society orientation,

professional or personal. While professional relationships grow from communication that is

more business-like, personal relationships grow from a communication that is more informal

and contributes to a more personal attitude between the company or organization and the

public. This type of communication is often mentioned as one of the distinct features of

social media (Kelleher & Miller, 2006). To reach relationships of more personal character,

individuals must invest time, energy, emotions and thoughts into the relationship. The

company or organization on the other hand should show that they care about the relationship

and foster the individuals’ interests to be able to continue more personal relationships

(Ledingham & Bruning, 1998:58).

18

Engagement is at the very heart of relationship building and can determine if one makes it or

breaks it. Engagement sets forth the promise made to the public in terms of what value will

be delivered (Scott & Jacka 2011:33). Kent and Taylor (1998) argued early that

relationships between companies or organizations and the public could be created, adapted

and changed through the World Wide Web (www). Thuy provide five principles that offers

guidelines for successful integration of dialogic public relations on the www (Kent &

Taylor, 1998:326). The first principle is the dialogic loop, which allows publics to ask

questions to companies and organizations and provides companies and organizations in turn

with the opportunity to respond to questions, concerns and problems (Kent & Taylor,

1998:326-327). The second principle is the usefulness of information which means that

websites should make efforts to post information that are of general value to all publics. This

principle suggests that relationships with publics must be cultivated not only to serve the

public relation goals of the companies and organizations, but also so that the interests,

values and concerns of the public are addressed (Kent & Taylor, 1998:327-328). The third

principle is the generation of return visits and explores ways to create the foundation for

long lasting relationships. Sites should contain features and information that makes them

attractive for repeat visits, such as updated information, changing issues, special forums and

so on. The communication professionals in this sense is only one part of generating repeat

visits, the other part is that websites must also be easy to use (Kent & Taylor, 1998:329).

The fourth principle which is called the intuitiveness or ease of the interface. Websites ought

to provide convenience for the visitors, in other words, it should not be hard to figure it out

and understand how to navigate it (Kent & Taylor, 1998:329-330). The last principle is the

rule of conversation of visitors and implies that companies and organizations should be

careful to put links that can lead their visitors astray. The principle suggest that dialogic

communication should be the goal of the interaction and not only a means to an end such as

for marketing and advertising (Kent & Taylor, 1998:330-331). These principles can also be

applied to social media, but even though companies and organizations use social media with

the hope of creating a better relationship with the public, many companies and organizations

fail according to Bortree and Selzer (2009). They suggest that there is a gap between the

companies’ and organizations’ goal to work with social media to strengthen the relationship

with the public and the genuine level of commitment to nurture that dialogue and

relationship (Bortree & Selzer, 2009:318).

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4. Method and Material The method and material chapter starts with presenting the main method, analysis method and

steps taken to achieve the results. Reliability, validity and research ethics principles are also

discussed. The material section thenceforth presents the participating companies and

organizations.

4.1 Method 4.1.1 Interviews As the interest in this study partly lies with reasoning, experiences and interpretations from

companies and their employees working with communication and social media, a qualitative

method was deemed to be appropriate. Interviews intend to present knowledge, experiences,

opinions and values from the person being interviewed (Krag, Jacobsen, 1993:10).

Reflections and experiences are reachable through interviews in order to get a better

understanding of people’s experiences and opinions about the subject. There are many kinds

of interviews that are used within research, but qualitative interviews make a good use of the

knowledge-producing potentials in the data retrieved in contrast to more quantitative methods

(Brinkmann, 2013:21). Qualitative interviews were therefore chosen to gain a deeper

understanding of participating companies’ and organizations’ work with social media and to

be able to see patterns among their thoughts and experiences.

Qualitative interviews are neither fully open nor completely closed but somewhere in

between. However, “open questions” are often used which creates a space for the interviewee

to talk openly and freely as the questions are hard to answer with a simple yes or no. With

open questions, the opportunities for different answers grow as the interviewee is more

encouraged to express an opinion or feeling, or even elaborate on a reasoning (Krag Jacobsen,

1993:99-100). When conducting qualitative interviews an interview guide is often used

(Trost, 2010:71). An interview guide is a list of themes with several sub-questions to each

theme. By using an interview guide, the researcher can make sure that all interviewees will

meet relevant and similar questions. The themes and questions do not need to be mentioned in

the same order in every interview, but it is up to the researcher to make sure all themes and

questions of importance for the study is mentioned and answered. When using an interview

guide rather than a pre-set sheet with many fixed questions, new and unexpected aspects can

20

be brought to light (Krag Jacobsen, 1993:19). The interview guide used in this research can be

found in appendix 8.2 on page 58.

Kvale divides the qualitative interview process into seven different steps (Kvale, 1996).

However, Trost have made some small modifications to suit his theoretical perspective which

differs from Kvale’s in the sense that the interview is seen as an exchange of opinions

between the interviewee and the researcher. Trost disagrees and believes the researcher

should not share his or her own opinions as it might influence the interviewee in a way that is

not desirable (Trost, 2010:52). The seven steps of the interview process, which is also

followed within the framework of this research are;

1. Thematizing. In this first stage the researcher formulates the aim of the study and

clarify the research problem. One may also start thinking about theoretical framework.

2. Designing. The details of the study should be planned and looked upon in relation to

one another and later stages of the study. The selection of methods should here be

made and an interview guide for qualitative methods should be created.

3. Interviewing. In this stage, the interviews should be conducted.

4. Transcribing. The material collected from the interviews need to be accessible for

processing and analysis, therefore it is important to transcribe the interviews.

5. Analysing. The material is processed and analysed based on the theoretical framework.

6. Verifying. The analysis should have given some clues of the result one will end up

with. In this step one also needs to verify the answers and make sure they can stand for

a critical review. One should think about reliability, validity and credibility not only

within the answers but also within the analysis.

7. Reporting. The final step is to report one’s findings and it is important to include

ethical considerations and to ensure the confidentiality (Trost, 2010:50-51).

In this research both semi-structured interviews face-to-face and over telephone were

conducted. Usually telephone interviews are not a major way of collecting data as it lacks

face-to-face non-verbal cues that researchers normally use to pace their interviews and

determine the direction to move in (Berg, 2001:83). Due to the geographic locations of some

of the companies and organizations as well as a tight time-schedule of the interviewee, face-

to-face interviews were not always possible to conduct. According to Trost telephone

interviews can vary in structure and are normally standardized as they are not suitable for

more in-depth questions and answers (2010:42). However, the same interview guide and

21

questions were used for both the interviews face-to-face and telephone. Even though Trost

(2010) argues that telephone interviews are not as suitable for in-depth questions, it worked

very well in this research. Not only did it make several interviews feasible that otherwise

would have been impossible, it also saved lots of time for the research that would have been

devoted to travelling to and from the interviews that now could be used for further

development of the research.

4.1.1.1 Thematic Analysis The analysis of the interviews will be done with what Creswell (2009) calls the basic

qualitative analysis, or thematic analysis. After conducting the interviews and transcribing

them, the researcher analyses the data by themes or categories and reports up to five of them.

When analysing the data collected, one should go from the specific to the general (Creswell

(2009:184). Creswell presents six steps to follow when analysing qualitative data that is

applied in this research:

1. Organize and prepare the data for analysis.

2. Read through all the data to obtain a first general sense of the information and to

reflect of its overall meaning.

3. Begin the analysis process with coding. Coding refers to the process of organizing the

material into different segments before bringing meaning to it.

4. Use the coding process to generate a description of the setting or people as well as

categories or themes for analysis. A deductive approach to coding will be used, which

according to Hsieh and Shannon (2005) means that the material is interpreted from a

predetermined coding scheme. The coding scheme is often theoretical, but in this

research the different themes for coding originates from the interview guide.

5. Advance how the description and themes will be presented in the qualitative narrative.

This might be a discussion of several themes.

6. The final step in the data analysis involves making an interpretation or meaning of the

data. By asking questions like “what were the lessons learned?” or trying to find out

what meaning is derived from a comparison of findings with information gleaned from

the literature or theories, authors suggest that the findings confirm past information or

diverge from it (Creswell, 2009:185-189).

The developed thematic structures can in a good way serve for comparing cases and groups as

one analyse and assess the social distribution of perspectives on the definition on the issue

22

under study (Flick, 2009:321). In this sense, thematic coding of the material obtained through

the interviews is particularly suitable as this research wish to illuminate possible differences

and similarities between companies and organisations in relation to how they use and work

with social media as well as what part social media play in the daily external communication

work.

4.1.2 Research Ethic Principles When conducting an interview study, there are several ethical issues to consider. Consent,

confidentiality, consequences and the role of researcher are just a few (Kvale & Brinkman,

2014:105). There are certain requirements and guidelines that are of importance when

conducting interviews that imply as a researcher; one must inform the participants that it is

completely voluntary to participate, the purpose of the research, how it will be used and

published, and that the informants always have the right to reject or terminate their

participation in the study. Normally, the interviewee has the right to privacy and personal

dignity and as a researcher, it is important to keep this in mind throughout the whole research

process (Trost, 2010:124). None of the representatives from the companies and organizations

expressed a wish to be anonymous.

4.1.3 Reliability and Validity Reliability implicates that different measurements should result in the same results from what

is being investigated. However, when talking about reliability, it is often assumed that the

conditions are static, which they often are in quantitative research, but not in qualitative

research. With a symbolic interactionist approach, it is assumed to be participating processes

rather than static conditions. Since this research investigates how companies and

organizations themselves perceive their use of social media, it may be difficult to obtain the

same results if the study would be carried out again later when the informants’ thoughts and

feelings may have changed (Trost, 2010:131). Since the data in this study is collected though

a limited number of interviews to be analysed on a deeper level to see possible patterns of

companies’ and organizations’ use of social media, the results are not generalizable. Further,

the generalizability can be questioned as the informants are well-aware of the research

situation and might provide answers that are modified or polished. More data would be

needed to avoid the problem of generalizability and due to the results not being repeatable, it

is difficult to check for plausibility.

23

Validity makes sure that the paper examines what it intends to. When using qualitative

interviews, researchers usually want to investigate how the interviewee perceives a

phenomenon and reflects about it, and to show that the results are credible can be a problem

for qualitative researchers. One must in such cases make sure that the outcome is credible and

that the data collected is relevant to the research questions (Trost, 2010:133).

4.2 Material 4.2.1 Sampling The sampling method used was a convenience sample which is a common and useful method

within qualitative research (Trost, 2010:140). Convenience sampling refers to the selection of

material that are the easiest to access under given circumstances. This method of sampling is

often used when the resources of time and manpower is limited (Flick, 200:140). 30

companies and organizations in total were contacted by e-mail. Some of them replied and

regretted they could not participate due to different circumstances, but some did not reply at

all. The companies and organizations contacted by e-mail were chosen to explore a wide

range of different industries. However, all companies and organizations were known to the

author beforehand and were easy to find contact information to. Despite the loss of many

companies and organizations, a sample of five companies and five organizations in rather

different size and industries were established, which nonetheless serve as a meaningful and

relevant sample for this research. The person interviewed from each company and

organization was either responsible for, or working with the communication related to social

media platforms.

4.2.2 Companies and Organizations The material for this research consists of recorded interviews with five companies and five

organisations. The companies interviewed are Löwengrip Care & Color, Oatly,

Smålandsvillan, GöteneHus and Panini Internazionale. The organisations interviewed are

Ung Cancer, Världsnaturfonden WWF, Min Stora Dag, Hela Människan and

Rättviseförmedlingen. The companies and organizations vary in size and industry and are

presented shortly below. To see representatives from each company and organization, please

see chapter 7 “References”, section 7.3 “Oral Sources, Interviews”.

24

4.2.2.1 Companies Löwengrip Care & Color

Löwengrip Care & Color (LCC) is a brand developed by Isabella Löwengrip which produce

and sells beauty care products that are produced in Sweden. “LCC produces gentle products

that are adapted for the demands of the Nordic climate.” LCC communicate all their product

development through social media where customers can speak up and influence the

characteristics of the products, fragrances, packing and so on (Löwengrip Care & Color,

2017).

Social media platforms as of 2017-05-09: Facebook (3101 likes) and Instagram (19,000

followers).

Oatly

“Oatly’s agenda is to make it easy for people to eat and drink in a way that makes them feel

good and at the same time not to have to worry about the strain on the planet’s resources.”

Oatly was founded in the ‘90s by researchers of Lund University who discovered that the

natural enzymes could convert corn fibre into nutritious liquid food. The Oatly brand is

available in more than 20 countries in Europe and Asia (Oatly, 2017).

Social media platforms as of 2017-05-09: Facebook (116,360 likes), Twitter (4869 followers),

YouTube (854 subscribers) and Instagram (42,000 followers).

Smålandsvillan

Smålandsvillan was founded in 1997 and is part of Sweden’s leading housing group OBOS

Sweden AB. Their idea as house manufacturers is “to offer a careful selection of house types

with fixed layouts developed by architects with focus on functionality”. Smålandsvillan are

represented by 33 offices on different location around Sweden and the house factories can be

found in Vrigstad and Sundsvall (Smålandsvillan, 2017).

Social media platforms as of 2017-05-09: Facebook (12,092 likes), YouTube (665

subsrcibers), Instagram (2163 followers) and Pinterest (39 followers).

25

Götenehus

“Götenehus has a history spanning over 80 years in time and have during that time become

one of the leading house manufacturers. Götenehus always strive to give the best possible

service.” Götenehus is a wholly owned subsidiary of Götenehus Group AB (Götenehus,

2017).

Social media platforms as of 2017-05-09: Facebook (8424 likes) and Instagram (979

followers).

Panini Internazionale

Panini Internazionale (Panini) was founded in 1990 and strives for a food culture that fits

into the puzzle of everyday life without compromising their guests’ taste experience or health.

“All food at Panini is cooked from scratch using natural ingredients without unnecessary

additives with care for people’s health” (Panini Internazionale, 2014).

Social media platforms as of 2017-05-09: Facebook (16,424 likes) and Instagram (1019

followers).

4.2.2.2 Organizations Ung Cancer

Ung Cancer is a non-profit organization that is unengaged with religion or politics. The

organization was founded in 2010 and is today gathering thousands of young adults, cancer

sick or cancer concerned, and their experiences through physical and online venues. “Ung

Cancer is working to improve conditions for people who are between 16 and 30 that suffer

from cancer or others that have cancer in their life one way or another. Together with the

health care system, government and other sectors of society are they working towards a

change” (Ung Cancer, 2017).

Social media platforms as of 2017-05-09: Facebook (151,911 likes), Twitter (6205 followers),

YouTube (990 subscribers), Instagram (50,000 followers) and LinkedIn (258 followers).

Världsnaturfonden WWF

“Världsnaturfonden WWF (WWF) is working to protect the most endangered and unique

species and habitants on the planet.” WWF is presented in more than 100 countries across the

26

world and has more than 5 million supporters. The organization works both at a political

level, in the field and in close collaboration with local communities around the world

(Världsnaturfonden WWF, 2017)

Social media platforms as of 2017-05-09: Facebook (492,669 likes), Twitter (9792 followers),

YouTube (2118 subscribers) and Instagram (16,000 followers).

Min Stora Dag

“Min Stora Dag is a nationwide organization that strives to realize dreams for children and

young adults with serious illness and diagnoses in Sweden”. They cooperate with all hospitals

in Sweden and involves around 300 volunteers each year and has 14 employees who

coordinate, market and ensure that operations are of as high quality as possible (Min Stora

Dag, 2007).

Social media platforms as of 2017-05-09: Facebook (85,451 likes), Twitter (2110 followers),

YouTube (not shown) and Instagram (10,000 followers).

Hela Människan

Hela Människan consists of around 85 associations that run social work on Christian

principles from Skåne in the south, to Norrbotten in the north of Sweden. The organization’s

target audience is people in vulnerable situations and organizationally Hela Människan

constitutes a large network of public non-profit organizations that are linked to the movement

through collaborative agreements and common guidelines in their by-laws (Hela Människan,

2017).

Social media platforms as of 2017-05-09: Facebook (707 likes), Twitter (557 followers) and

Instagram (142 followers).

Rättviseförmedlingen

“Rättviseförmedlingen is a politically independent organization that uses its network of over

100.000 followers on social media to widen the selection lists in different contexts”. The lists

help the organization to find knowledgeable panellists, speakers or experts to break the

stereotypical boundaries for positions in different industries (Rättviseförmedlingen, 2017).

27

Social media platforms as of 2017-05-09: Facebook (87,174 likes), Twitter (29,000

followers), Instagram (13,000 followers) and LinkedIn (2553 followers).

28

5. Results and Analysis The results and analysis chapter presents the result from the interviews. All selected quotes

are taken directly from the interviews translated by the author and are presented in the extent

that they are relevant for the analysis.

As presented in the method chapter, a thematic analysis was used for the ten interviews

conducted with five companies and five organizations. The themes for analysing the material

was re-used from the interview guide and are as follows; (1) Communication strategy: the

companies’/organizations’ external communication (strategies, target groups, etc.), (2) Social

media: channels, field of applications, views on, implementation, strengths, weaknesses etc.,

(3) Relationships: two-way communication, criticism, to answer etc., and (4) The future. The

first theme serves as a context theme to situate the study, the second and third theme is

connected to, and centrally focus on the theory and research questions. The fourth and final

theme is used to string the research together. The results of the analysis are structured

according to the themes presented just above. All statements and experiences in the analysis

below are made by individual representatives from each company and organization. Hence,

the statements are not made official by the companies and organizations.

5.1 Communication Strategy: the company/organization’s external

communication (channels, strategies, target groups etc.) Not all companies and organizations interviewed worked with any external communication

strategy before starting with social media. For example, Ung Cancer which was founded in

2010 started directly with social media as it was the natural and only way to go for them.

They started to work with social media to reach a certain goal and to use it was an obvious

way to go as the founders are two young girls. Rättviseförmedlingen, LCC and Panini

describe a similar situation as their external communication was introduced with social media.

On the other hand, WWF, Min Stora Dag, Hela Människan, Smålandsvillan, Oatly and

Götenehus all used more classic ways of communication such as press releases, dispatches

and advertising. Some also worked with magazines, newsletters and webpages, which

contains many characteristics that is defining for social media such as deciding when

something will be published and what will be published, liked Smålandsvillan for example

mentioned.

29

All companies and organizations find it important to let individuals know what they do and

what they stand for. For LCC it is important to show transparency in their communication on

social media and to show that they are interested in what the customer has to say about them

and their products.

“What has been the most important thing from the beginning with the company is transparency

so that it is up to you to be responsive and see what the customer wants” (LCC, 2017).

In similarity for Panini and Oatly it is also important to communicate that they care about the

people following them on social media. Just as LCC cares about transparency with their

customers, Panini cares about giving back to people and Oatly about people’s health,

sustainability and credibility. Both Panini and Oatly have values or basic principles they

strive for which is always present in their external communication on social media.

“Illuminating our values and products […] We sell more products by telling people how good it

is rather than talking about what a great price it has.” (Panini, 2017).

Oatly explain good products just as a part of their success and put more emphasis on principle

values. When asked what information that is important for them to communicate in social

media they say

“The values. We need to inform people that we exist and what we do, but it is our values that

are the most important. Increasing the awareness of our brand, we want to do that through

sustainability rather than just by tasty products, even if it is part of the success. Nothing would

have been possible without the other, but of course our main message is sustainability, health

and credibility.” (Oatly, 2017).

Letting people know what they do is a common factor for the organizations just as for the

companies. However, all the organizations express a wish to make a difference and that

people can help them achieving that difference. WWF wants to inspire for a better future and a

change in society, and because what people do have an impact on earth and other people’s

lives they want to communicate what private individuals can do.

30

“A fair distribution of resources, I would way that is our main message. Always. […] What can

you do as a private individual to.. So that it gets more apprehensible, otherwise we can not make

a change.” (WWF, 2017).

Ung Cancer wants to spread the knowledge about cancer and that they work to make a change

for young adults. The core of their communication is to reach out on a societal level and

increase knowledge. They also want to show people what it can be like living with cancer as a

young adult and therefore acts as a megaphone; Ung Cancer speaks through their member’s

words. For Min Stora Dag it is important to show the value of people’s donations to the

organization and even though they exist to help sick children, they want to spread joy in their

communication. Min Stora Dag have, perhaps like Ung Cancer and Hela Människan, two

different target groups, potential donators and the people they want to help. This creates

different focus in different messages they communicate. Min Stora Dag refers to their

communication to families and children who might want to apply to their activities as almost

sales oriented communication even though the individuals do not have to pay anything.

In order for the organizations to exists, it is important that people (and companies) want to

donate money, and for almost all organizations it is a major part of their external

communication in social media, like Hela Människan said

“It should be easy to donate, we try to push that message everywhere […] One should not miss

that one can contribute.” (Hela Människan, 2017)

The difference between the companies and the organizations in this sense is that one can

chose to buy products from a certain company due to the quality of their products or because

they share one’s values and they give something back to YOU. However, the organizations

are dependent on donators who give money to even be able to continue their work, and the

donators is not getting anything back; the organization give back to someone else. In relation

to this, the external communication in social media is of very big importance for all

organizations. As WWF puts it, it is important to be seen and to be heard to be able to make a

difference. It is important to work their way into people’s minds. All organizations emphasize

the importance of social media as a channel to reach out as they do not have the economy or

muscles to always engage with more traditional ways of advertising and be out there. Even

though it requires a lot of time and effort to do a good job on social media, it allows them to

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be seen and heard whenever they want, on their conditions and not anyone else’s. This goes in

the line with what Scott and Jacka discuss regarding the opportunities for organizations and

smaller companies to have a voice and gain ground on larger companies and organizations

without needing the same budget (Scott & Jacka, 2011). For Götenehus the communication

through social media is very important as they want to spread their message and what they

stand for. Social media provides many ways and channels for this. Both Panini, LCC,

Smålandsvillan and Oatly emphasize the possibility to be close to the customer and talk to

them. As for Panini, when they are interested in communicating with the customer, they need

a forum where asking, answering and talking is possible. Oatly express similar thoughts about

why the communication in social media is so important

“I would like to say that social media is extremely important when you have a value-oriented

company. […] Nobody can talk to an advertisement in the newspaper, but we can get instant

debate in social media, so it is super important for us.” (Oatly, 2017)

Smålandsvillan describe social media as very important because that is where their customers

are. Their followers on social media are very active and they have a great deal of

communication with their customers on their different platforms in forms of questions,

answers, comments and so on. “I think they have become very significant.” they said.

The ability to develop and maintain stronger and more meaningful relationships with

customers and individuals by using social media is highlighted as an important factor for all

companies and organizations, which Scott and Jacka (2011) also presented is of great value

for all companies and organizations when talking about the opportunities of social media.

Relationship building with individuals will be further discussed in the next section.

5.2 Social Media: channels, field of applications, views on, implementation,

strengths, weaknesses etc. All companies and organizations use Facebook and all but Hela Människan also use

Instagram, even though they have plans to start using it. Some also use Twitter, LinkedIn,

Pinterest and YouTube. However, the platforms differ in size, importance and use among the

companies and organizations. The issue for Hela Människan with Instagram is the logistics as

it needs to be genuine with pictures and they are not sure how to solve that work today due to

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the infrastructure of the organization. This is something that Ung Cancer talked about that

several others also touched upon. They highlighted the importance of not just being on a

social platform just to be there, instead of being everywhere, they want to be where they have

something to say.

“There is no use being at places just to be there, but we are really trying to optimize our

resources.” (Ung Cancer, 2017)

One of the five points provided by Kaplan and Haenlein (2010) as a guide for companies and

organizations that want to engage in social media is to choose one’s platforms carefully and to

further pick the application that works for the company or organization. Oatly mentioned this

aspect when they talked about what platforms they use, it is about resources and where their

message and values work, but that many companies have not yet realized the potentials of

different social media platforms.

“It is interesting because there are many companies that are still not working on a high level

with social media. Who sees it more like a bi-channel where you basically copy a message from

TV or a print-ad and think it will work the same way in social media” (Oatly, 2017)

Many companies use social media just because everyone else has it, but many does not know

why and how to use it and what you want to get out of it they argue.

For WWF, Rättviseförmedlingen, Smålandsvillan, LCC, Oatly and Panini the platforms are

being used for different purposes. WWF for example made a very clear distinction between

their different channels; Facebook is used for donations, Twitter is used for making an impact

on stake-holders, opinion-makers and politicians, and Instagram is their loyalty-channel. LCC

uses Facebook for market research and surveys and on Instagram they focus more on pictures

of products and tips for their customers using the products; they want to create a feeling and

inspire. Facebook is a good channel for marketing and for communicating. Smålandsvillan

strive to use the platforms for different purposes. They overlap to some extent but mainly

Facebook is used for information and Instagram inspiration. Sometimes the differences lie in

how something is communicated on the different platforms. Just because individuals are

following them on both Facebook and Instagram they should not get the same posts on both

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platforms. Different platforms have different prerequisites, which is something that

Rättviseförmedlingen as well have taken into account when working with different platforms.

“One thing does not work on all channels. So, you will have to keep a close eye and make some

considerations.” (Rättviseförmedlingen, 2017)

Just like LCC does Oatly use Facebook for communicating as it is friendlier for dialogue.

Oatly argues that it is possible to create longer posts with thoughts and reasoning which

creates space for debate and conversation. On Instagram, the focus is more on the visual and

to create a feeling, just like Smålandsvillan. Ung Cancer, Min Stora Dag and Götenehus on

the other hand does not use their platforms for different purposes but rather have different

target groups on different platforms. Min Stora Dag’s platforms all interact with the over-all

message that the organization wants to communicate. They use the different platforms to post

different converged messages as they have different target groups on different platforms.

Götenehus does not use the platforms for different purposes, they use them as a kind of

guarantee to reach as many as possible. However, they discuss using them differently but now

they do not fulfil different purposes. Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Other Companies LCC Market research Tips with

products, Create a feeling

Oatly Dialogue, Information, Opinions

Formation of opinions

Create a feeling

X X X

Panini Information offers

Lifestyle, Brand building

Smålandsvillan Information Inspiration X Götenehus Same use

different target Same use

different target

Organizations Ung Cancer Same use

different target Debate Same use

different target

WWF Raising donations, Information

Discussion, debate

Loyalty, Inspiration, Information

Storage space

Min Stora Dag Information, Donations

Discussion Information X

Hela Människan Donations, information

(X) (X)

Rättviseförmedlingen Ads X (Ads)

Inspiration X (Ads)

Table 1. Platforms used by the companies and organizations and for what purpose. The X implies that the platforms are used but they were not discussed during the interview.

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The positive aspects of social media do not differ that much between the companies and

organizations. The organizations highlighted attributes such as the possibility to create interest

and commitment, to be able to both ask and answer questions, they get to have their own

voice and say, it is a natural medium, it is a good way to let people know that you exist and

social media is where the target group is. The response on social media is invaluable and the

feedback, spread, tips and the fact that it is so easy to access for people makes it a good

channel for both communication and marketing.

“The strength of social media is that we have our own voice. With our 200,000 followers, we

can drive our own action.” (Ung Cancer, 2017)

To decide for oneself when and how to be seen and to control messages is something is that

seen as very positive compared to more classic ways of communication and marketing.

However, consumers and individuals have also gained more possibilities on social media

platforms to create, modify, share and discuss content which can have a great impact on

companies’ and organizations’ reputation and survival (Kietzmann, Hermkens, McCarthy &

Silvestre, 2011:241). For all organizations, the fact that the price for marketing and

advertisement on social media is minimal compared with other means at the same time as it is

a fast and cost-free way of reaching out to a lot of people plays a big role in why social media

is a suitable way to work with external communication. The aspect of cost is also very

important for the companies, even though they probably have a different type of marketing

and communication budget. All companies and organizations but Hela Människan and LCC

are today working with marketing and advertising on social media. Panini for example,

started their communication in social media with a big campaign that were very successful.

Rättviseförmedlingen let other companies and organizations advertise on their social media

platforms which is very suitable for their operation. Hela Människan have plans to start to

advertise on social media in the future. They see it as a development in their work with social

media. LCC have worked minimal with advertisement in social media before but see an

increase of that type of work and communication in the near future. Even if the cost of being

on social media or have accounts on different platforms is free, it requires a lot of resources

and money to be able to keep it professional, especially if one wants to have a dialogue and

relationship with the readers and followers.

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“One has to plan for it, it takes some time. It is a workload you have to weigh in. […] When you

have active followers, you have to be there and make sure to follow up and answer and so on.” (Smålandsvillan, 2017)

However, social media is also thought of as convenient in a sense where it is easy to build

credibility and trustworthiness. This means that at the same time as the brand is made visible,

companies and organizations can build on their relationship with readers, followers and

customers. To be able to have a conversation with individuals on social media creates a two-

way communication that has before not been possible. Social media as such is good for

creating debates, follow up on different advertisements, to be one self, reach more people and

to vary the messages after what works and not.

“It is the absolute advantage of Facebook, that you feel close to the customer and that it is a

forum to talk with the customer, if you want and are interested in that. And that’s what we are.” (Panini, 2017)

The fast communication keeps companies and organizations closer to the individuals

according to themselves and can be argued to be relationship building, fostering of the

transparency and shortening of the distance and power relations between companies,

organizations and individuals.

5.3 Relationships: two-way communication, criticism, to answer etc. All companies and organizations try to answer everything that is of relevance on their social

media platforms, but to a different extent. WWF for example, answers everything on their

platforms to 95%. They are trying to make people understand that they are reading what

everyone writes and they point out the importance that people get their voices heard, but they

do not start discussions.

“Certainly, we have a dialogue. If someone asks a question, we will answer it and if they ask an

additional question, we will answer it again, so we have a dialogue. But we do not go in, it is

very rare that we comment on something and say ‘what do you mean with this?’” (WWF,

2017)

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Ung Cancer looks at this as being the host for a cocktail party. They are trying to encourage

people to share their thoughts and feelings, and to themselves show appreciation when people

do that. They want to be present amongst the comments and they do answer and have

discussions but mostly when there is a factual error or if something is offensive.

Rättviseförmedlingen say that they are answering comments and questions fast on social

media, but that they prefer discussions on email to be able to get deeper into it and solve any

misunderstandings. Nevertheless, they want to make their followers and readers feel seen and

appreciated and accent that it is important that readers and followers feel acknowledged. Min

Stora Dag on the other hand have been quite formal and have not been a part of the discussion

enough, but they see that it gives a lot back to be a part of the discussion and to be more

personal than they have been. Götenehus and Oatly have certain people that work only with

the conversation part of social media. Oatly have a whole Customer Relations Team that

answers everything that they receive on social media, and it is very important for them to

encounter individually. According to Kotler, Armstrong, Harris and Piercy (2013) companies

and organizations can nowadays create a deeper relationship with individuals by using two-

way communication. This is because they have good opportunities to interact with individuals

on the internet to create relationships. For Oatly it is important to give back just as big

engagement to their followers and readers as they receive from them and they argue that the

treatment and reply is as much of importance as the message and what they stand for.

“We want to create engagement and to get involved on an individual level and really engage in

each response, even if it requires a lot of resources. We have prioritized to hire more people to

be able to provide generic answers.” (Oatly, 2017)

Panini have a similar approach to this as Oatly, for them, it is important that everything is

answered, independently if it is good, bad, small or big. Nothing can be left unanswered or

without attention. For Panini, it is important to stand for what they say, therefor it is

important to meet, treat and embrace the feedback and opinions of individuals. Neither Panini

nor Oatly is afraid to be criticized on social media as they see themselves as transparent

businesses and should therefore have “nothing to hide”. LCC resonates in the same direction

as Oatly and Panini, they are not afraid of getting negative feedback, but are rather happy

about it and sees it as an opportunity for product development. Even though comments are

negative, they have created engagement to their brand, which is a good thing. Oatly also sees

negative feedback as product development and by answering everything on social media,

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where the questions have been asked, they can at the same time answer and help other people

that are wondering the same thing. For Smålandsvillan and Götenehus the situation is a little

bit different and requires different plans of actions regarding handling of negative feedback.

Much of the negative feedback they receive concerns specific customers and their process of

building a house, which is not possible to answer on social media as it often requires a small

investigation of what has gone wrong. The process for customers when building a new house

is long and contain many steps and external partners.

For all organizations, social media is very important, if not even crucial, in establishing

relationships with individuals. For WWF, social media plays a big part in creating a

relationship with individuals. They do not only send messages to the public but they are also

available there at all times. Their social media platforms have transformed into a kind of

community where people who share the same values hang around. The goal for WWF with

their supporters is to make them feel as they are a part of WWF and the work they do. Without

the individual supporters, the work that WWF is conducting would not have been possible,

and to give that kind of feedback is very important. That feedback would not have been

possible to give anywhere else but on social media. Rättviseförmedlingen sees their followers

as an extension of themselves and they have a relationship in the values they share and the

change in society they want to see and strive for. The importance of social media for

relationship building for Rättviseförmedlingen is obvious when they talk about how important

it is to be allowed into people’s social media flow and have their trust. For Min Stora Dag it is

important to show that you care and appreciate the support from their followers and readers in

order to build on the relationship.

“That is what all social media platforms are based on, that you see each other, you like each

other, you talk to each other.” (Min Stora Dag, 2017)

Ung Cancer and Hela Människan describe social media as directly decisive for them to reach

people who would not otherwise know about them.

“For Hela Människan Sverige, the national organization, it is absolutely crucial. Without it, I do

not know how we would do. But for our local units as well, I think it is very important.” (Hela

Människan, 2017)

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Ung Cancer also refer to social media as a big and important role, not only for relationship

building, but also for donations and to show people that they are out there and what they do.

Through social media Ung Cancer have a beautiful relationship with their followers which is

based on mutual appreciation and respect.

“The reason we are so big in social media, there is a commitment that we illuminate, you are

seen when you show commitment and involvement to us. […] Without social media, I think a

lot of our members and followers would not have known about our existence. It is hard to reach

out only through hospitals, so social media is vital for us.” (Ung Cancer, 2017)

Smålandsvillan consider themselves as social on their social media platforms. The fact that

they give feedback and answer posts and questions they get on their social media platforms

makes them social according to themselves. They also talk about how they show that they are

always reachable on social media which enables and facilitates contact with individuals. This

way of reaching and talking to individuals is reducing the distance between Smålandsvillan

and its customers. That type of communication was not possible to them to have before using

social media, so in that sense, social media absolutely holds functions of creating

relationships between different parties, in this case the company and its customers. Götenehus

show appreciation when they get good feedback or positive comments which in turn creates a

dialogue. It is important for them to show that they care about their followers and they see it

as they have a kind of relationship with them, they try to elaborate on the good life in a

Götenehus. They try to create a relationship with their followers early on social media by

providing necessary information, but this relationship leaves the digital sphere when

customers come to the office and a more physical relationship begin. This is also the goal for

Götenehus, to get people from their social media platforms to their website and ultimately

into their office. Analogous to Smålandsvillan, Panini does not invite to conversations with

their customers, but they are active 24 hours a day to answer every post and comment they

receive. There is a daily conversation between them and their followers on social media.

“We strengthen and improve our relationship and become that part, the company who knows

what the customer wants.” (Panini, 2017)

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LCC try to acknowledge and answer all questions they get, and they are always trying to have

a positive approach and boost their followers. For them, as for all companies and

organizations, it is important to show that they care about their customers and followers.

However, this is something that they themselves know that they can work harder on and do

better. They want to, and have a relationship with their followers and they want to

communicate as much as possible with them. They try to foster the relationship they have on

social media with individuals there by not only using it for market research, but to invite

people to physical meetings for research purposes as well. Similar to Smålandsvillan, social

media reduces the distance between LCC and its customers and even enables a physical

relationship. Oatly sees themselves as very social on social media on different levels and is

together with LCC the only company that actually invites to conversation with their followers.

“I would say that we are very social. On several different levels. Both showing commitment to,

not only spreading a message and believing it will come true, but writing messages because we

want to invite for discussion and an opportunity to talk with people. And already there is a

thought that we want to be social.” (Oatly, 2017)

They put great value in the relationship they have with followers on social media and in the

role of relationship building with followers, social media is very important. Oatly put a lot of

emphasis on the importance of credibility and trustworthiness when having a relationship with

their customers and followers, and social media does not only provide an opportunity for

them to show that they have evidence for what they say, but to have conversations and

discussions with people, to engage in individuals.

One can see that social media contributes to their sense of sociality and relationship to the

followers. All companies believe they have a relationship with their customers and followers

on social media, but to what extent differ between them. LCC and Oatly is putting great effort

in their relationship and try to obtain a conversation by inviting their followers to converse

with them. Smålandsvillan and Panini also regards themselves as social but they do not invite

to conversation, however, they are available on social media at all hours with answers and

help and put great effort and value into being there for their followers. On social media

platforms, companies and organizations can provide information and engaging material which

creates a loyal community of individuals where a conversation between companies,

organizations and individuals can take place according to Long (2012:156). For Götenehus

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however, the digital relationship is seen as pretty short due to the physical one that takes over.

Nevertheless, they want to put more effort in working with social media, and they do, like the

other companies and organizations, value the feedback and appreciation on social media

which they also show there. This relates to the organization-public relationship Ledingham

and Bruning (1998) refers to when talking about a condition where both companies and

organizations as well as the public are in together, on equal terms and where all parties are

affected of each other’s acting.

5.4 The Future All companies and organizations interviewed believe that social media will be a continuing

strong means of communication. Everyone want to develop and elaborate their work with

social media, for example WWF wants to work more with moving material such as film but

also more simple productions to be allowed to grow in Instagram and Twitter and increase the

work with dialogue and conversations even more. Götenehus, just like WWF wants to be

better at dialogue on social media and also see a future where they work more with content

and moving images. They also want to have a more active role as an expert in their business

on social media by providing important and wider information about their industry. Hela

Människan sees a future where the work with social media will be more intense for them than

it has been earlier. The discussion about how social media will function in the future was very

evident while interviewing these companies and organizations, just as how not to lose

followers and to continue being interesting and up-to-date for individuals. Min Stora Dag

believe they must be better on communicating with followers on social media platforms, to

discuss and engage themselves more in posts from individuals. They do believe that social

media will be a continuing strong means of communication but that it might reach some kind

of saturation. LCC is going in the same direction with their thoughts about the future; as more

and more platforms will appear; companies and organizations might have to fight for

individuals’ time and attention as they do not have more time to spend on social media than

today. It will therefore be of bigger importance to have strong content and the product or

message will be important to keep the followers’ interest. Rättviseförmedlingen also argued

that companies and organizations must fight harder to be relevant for their followers and

readers. As the public seems to be more and more value-oriented, they believe it is important

for companies and organizations to follow that development and re-think their own values and

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standpoints. Panini believes they need to find their tone on Instagram to be able to expand

there and they see themselves working more with film, chat and advertisement on social

media. However, they discuss how too much advertising on social media platforms will lead

to people stop using that platform. As new platforms always emerge and are introduced,

individuals have the opportunity to move around more. They argue that too much

advertisement and commercial may just backfire on companies and organizations and instead

of reaching out to more people, it might drive them away. This is something that

Smålandsvillan discussed likewise, what effect too much advertising will have.

“Too much advertising will tire people out. The advertisement in these channels are increasing,

for everyone.” (Smålandsvillan, 2017).

They also discussed how the work with communication will be overall when “the young”

generation that grew up with social media have replaced the generation that now does not use

social media in the same way. Now they have two different customer groups, one younger

generation that is very keen on social media, and one more senior groups where social media

is not an as obvious part of their lives. What changes will that result in? Oatly believes that

the digital only will grow the next few years to come.

“When it comes to social media, we are thinking about how we can grow, it is about the

resources again.” (Oatly, 2017)

They also see a challenge in how to stay interesting and up-to-date for individuals on social

media, how can they grow and active more markets and keep their high level of creativity.

They are also talking about how society is becoming more and more mobile and how that is

effecting the experience of companies and organizations. The experience of companies and

organizations will be available in peoples’ lives in a more customized and friendly way. The

digital will only grow and both individuals’ and companies’ and organizations’ way of acting

and being present on social media platforms will change.

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6. Discussion and Conclusion This finishing chapter starts with answering the research questions and later discusses the

analysed material in relation to the theories presented in the theory section in chapter 3. The

chapter is then completed with a short conclusion.

6.1 Discussion The result of this study will initially be discussed from the perspective of the research

questions presented in the section “Research Aim and Research Questions”. After answering

the research questions, a more detailed and elaborated discussion connected to the presented

theories and previous research will follow.

The first research question concerns in what way companies and organizations use different

social media platforms to communicate with individuals. As shown in the results, most

companies and organizations use different social media platforms for different purposes.

Conversely, Ung Cancer, Min Stora Dag and Götenehus did not explicitly express that they

used the different platforms in different ways, but on the other hand they said that they have

different kinds of target groups on different platforms, which indicates that there are

differences between the platforms. However, even if the platforms differ in size, importance

and use among the companies and organizations, the main reason to use social media is to be

closer to the public. Whether to be close to the individuals means to have an ongoing

conversation with them on Facebook, or to inspire people with one’s products, or to fight

together for a better society, it all comes down to having a relationship with them. Facebook

and Instagram are the two platforms most used by the participating companies and

organizations. Generally, Facebook is used to spread information and communicating in a

more explicit way. Instagram on the other hand is more used to inspire and create a feeling

connected to the company or organization.

For the second question which was to find out if there were any differences in how companies

and organizations use social media, one can see that the over-all way companies and

organizations use social media does not differ as such. However, the organizations use social

media platforms to gather money and donations in a different way than the companies do.

Nevertheless, depending on what kind of company or organization it concerns, the use and

approach to social media is a bit different. For example, Götenehus, Smålandsvillan, LCC and

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Panini use social media as a tool for communication in order to find out what the individuals

want or need from them as a company to be able to give them what they are looking for. Ung

Cancer, Oatly, Rättviseförmedlingen and WWF on the other hand is trying to, by using social

media for external communication, make a change in society. For them, it is not only a great

way to talk to people and reaching out to a bigger audience, but also to lead a fight for social

change. In other words, it does not differ between companies and organizations as such how

social media is used, but it can differ between companies and companies, and organizations

and organizations.

The third research question asked what role social media play for companies and

organizations in order to reach out to people. From the analysis, it is clear that social media

provides completely different possibilities than traditional ways of communication to reach

out to individuals and to keep their interest and commitment. Social media platforms are seen

as a device with great impact due to the large amount of people who use it. It also enables

communication with individuals that are two-way communication rather than one-way. All

companies and organizations emphasize the importance of being seen and for the

organizations in particular, but also for companies with small budgets not to be able to pay for

advertising is a problem, but to be able to spread and share information themselves is very

important. Social media also provides the opportunity to define the target group well

geographically even though everything is online at the same time as it is possible to reach out

to a wider audience if desired. The role social media plays in relation to reach out to people

can sometimes be crucial and if successful it may have a decisive effect on the company or

organization.

The fourth and final research question sought to answer what the advantages of social media

are compared to more traditional ways of corporate and organizational communication. The

analysis showed that the positive aspects of social media are not divided between the

companies and organizations. Rather, they highlighted almost the same aspects that traditional

ways of communication cannot provide, such as create interest and commitment by

themselves, ask and answer questions. Companies and organizations gets to have their own

voice as they create content themselves and spread it on their own. Social media provides

opportunities for companies to be reachable and “out there” which in turn enables a

relationship with individuals. Further, it enables a two-way communication that is hard to

reach through printed ads and television commercials. Moreover, social media hold functions

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to create debates and be a part of them, follow up on different advertisements, be one self,

reach more people and to be more adaptive towards the societal trends. Ultimately, the fast

communication on social media keeps companies and organizations closer to the public which

is one of the biggest advantages of social media, regardless if one is a profit-driven company

or a charity organization.

What role social media play in the external communication for the companies and

organizations interviewed is one of the main findings of this research. The ability to establish

and maintain strong and meaningful relationships with individuals is one main reason why the

companies and organizations use social media in their external communication, and social

media plays an important role to be able to establish the relationships. The analysis showed in

a clear way that all organizations regard social media as a very important tool of reaching out

to people. It is important to show individuals and the public that they care about their

opinions. To show mutual respect and appreciation is a key behaviour that everyone

highlighted as important to foster the relationship to the followers in social media. This goes

in line with what Grönroos (2008) says about how relationship between companies,

organizations and individuals only can grow if the contact they have us genuine. Just like

Drury (2007) argues, the companies and organizations regard social media as a fortunate way

to converse and build relationships with individuals as it is an engaging way of sharing and

exchanging perception and ideas. Engagement lies at the very heart of relationship building

and can according to Scott and Jacka (2011) it can determine if one makes it or breaks it.

Kent and Taylor (1998) presents and highlights five principle guidelines provided by Thuy for

successful relations on the internet. The first principle regards how the public can ask

questions and how the companies and organizations in turn are allowed to respond to these

questions, concerns and problems. Several of the companies and organizations stressed this

feature of social media as something very positive for them. To be able to help individuals

with their concerns regarding the company or organization in real-time is very valuable. The

fact that by receiving questions and answering them in an open forum or place, companies

and organizations are allowed to not just answer one individual, but many more, in fact

everyone that reads and comment on that question. The second principle argues that

companies and organizations should make efforts to post information that are of general value

to all publics. Even though every company and organization could more or less say that their

target group is just about everyone, it is hard to always post information that is relevant to

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everyone. However, this principle enhances the relationship through cultivation by interests,

concerns and values of the public being addressed and this is something that several

companies and organizations discuss. They are very keen on staying relevant and interesting

for the public not to lose the relationship they have with their followers. The third principal

presented is the importance of how to generate return visits and to create a solid foundation

for long lasting relationships. This means that the social media platforms that the companies

and organizations use must contain features and information that makes them attractive for

repeat visits. On Instagram, numerous companies and organizations work with establishing a

certain feeling and to inspire others and Facebook is often used to provide information.

Instead of using Google or search on their website, individuals can go to Facebook and get

updated information regularly or even ask a direct question if they have any. According to the

fourth principle, websites, or in this case the social media platforms, should be easy to use.

This is something that the companies and organizations cannot control, but on the other hand

they can control how easy it is to reach them on the platforms and how easy it is to have a

conversation with them which is of high relevance for relationship building. The last principal

is to approach the dialogic communication as a goal of the interaction and not just as a tool to

reach the goal which it often is within advertising and marketing.

From the analysis one can see that the companies and organizations do follow these principles

to some extent; some more than others. According to Bortree and Selzer (2009) many

organizations fail to create good relationships with individuals even though they follow these

principles. They argue that the level of commitment from the companies’ and organizations’

side does not equal to the goal of creating and nurture the dialogue and relationships. For

example, Götenehus, Hela Människan and Min Stora Dag is aware of how and where in their

communication on social media they must be better and evolve to really make use of the full

potentials of social media and its positive impacts. Oatly and Ung Cancer for example discuss

how it is important for them to only be on social media platforms where they are relevant.

They do not see any use in being present on many platforms if they cannot manage or engage

in them all, which goes in line with what Bortree and Selzer (2009) discussed. Oatly also

points to the way many companies and organizations use social media just because, and

where they do not see its full potential and uses it as any other advertising channel. Oatly

argues that if companies and organizations use social media just to use it and do not adapt the

material for it, it will not generate the best result possible.

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The previous research showed among other things that social media have created a new space

for conversation between companies, organizations and individuals on more equal terms.

Jenkins argue that everyone; companies, organizations and individuals, need to find a way to

manage with the changes that this new space of convergence and remediation give us. There

is no single group in society that will dictate the terms in this new space (Jenkins, 2008:33),

but individuals are now able to co-create value and might as well do the same job as any

strategic communicator. With this development, who is regarded sender and receiver, one

might argue that companies and organizations are losing control over information as it is to

easily spread and shared on social media without the control of the company or organization.

However, this is something that Falkheimer and Heide (2011) is dismissing. Smålandsvillan,

WWF and Rättviseförmedlingen does not seem to see this development as a problem either.

Rather, they see it as something good that individuals are so engaged in their company or

organization. Rättviseförmedlingen many times consider their followers as an extension of

themselves in the work they do and call them “rättviseförmedlare”. Smålandsvillan see it as

something positive that individuals share their experiences from working with them on their

social media platforms and can see how it help others who are in the same position. WWF

describe their followers on social media as so committed that sometimes they answer, explain

and straighten misunderstandings out even before they themselves have had the chance to.

Oatly and LCC said that they can get a lot of negative feedback and questions about their

products, but that they consider it as product development and as long as people are talking

about them, they have managed to engage people. If people are not happy or has opinions

about something, that is just as much of an opportunity for conversation and dialogue between

the company or organization and individuals, as if someone would have said something

positive. By being open for feedback and engaging in all comments and answers from

individuals, and to interact in a two-way communication, a deeper and more interactive

relationship can be established according to Kotler, Armstrong, Harris and Piercy (2013:16).

Some companies and organizations work with advertising on social media, mainly on

Facebook. According to Zarella (2010:35) social media can be used for marketing and

advertising to announce offers and events, promote new products, keep up with the public and

gain customer insight. LCC for example is using Facebook for customer research and

Rättviseförmedlingen, Smålandsvillan and Panini for example work with advertising on

Facebook. They no longer have to pay external publishers, distributers and advertisers lots of

47

money to embed their messages (Zarella, 2010:1-3), now they can do that themselves and it is

much cheaper. Marketing can be described as actions taken by companies and organizations

to build and maintain relationships with target audiences involving a product, service or an

idea. Marketers’ aim is to build these strong relationships with individuals by delivering

superior customer value (Kotler, Armstrong, Harris, Piercy, 2013:7). Even though marketing

on social media is easy to follow up on and the possibility of reaching out to numerous people

is high, both Panini and Smålandsvillan discussed how too much advertisement and

commercial on social media platforms might tire people out. As more and more companies

and organizations start to advertise on social media, it might have the opposite effect and

instead drive people away from the platforms. So, even though companies and organizations

have a strong “brand equity” and provide good customer values like Kotler, Armstrong,

Harris and Piercy (2010) say, too much advertising might rob social media of its social

character, which will not lead to new and stable relationships between companies,

organizations and individuals. Zarella divide marketing into two different kinds, ongoing

strategy and campaigns (2010:197). The kind of marketing that Panini and Smålandsvillan

discusses are campaigns. In the future, companies and organizations need to find a good and

suitable balance between the campaign marketing and the ongoing strategy marketing which

is posting photos on Instagram or update Facebook with new posts for example, to be sure not

to drive individuals away.

Almost all companies and organizations mentioned the expense aspect of social media as one

of its advantages. It is free to use and the advertising and marketing costs are minimal

compared to paying advertising agencies, televisions slots and print ads in the newspapers.

Bortree and Selzer (2009:318) argue that there is a gap between companies’ and

organizations’ goal of working with social media and their ambition and effort they put in it.

This goes in the same line with what Oatly said about some companies and organizations not

taking social media seriously. It can also be connected to the fact that both Oatly and

Götenehus have certain people working only with customer relations, and that WWF, Panini

and LCC make sure to answer as much as possible of what individuals write to them on their

social media platforms. This clearly illustrates that having social media platforms as a

company or an organization and maintaining these platforms at a high level as well as

maintaining conversations and relationships with individuals require a lot of resources in

terms of time and people, and ultimately money as well. For individuals, it is perhaps a

different matter, but for companies and organizations that want to be good at using social

48

media in their external communication, it will require time, working power and knowledge

which is not free of charge.

The research contributes to the general field of media and communications and specifically to

the knowledge of corporate communication and social media. The study highlights the

practical aspects of how companies and organizations engage with individuals and what role

social media play in the external communication. As social media are influencing different

parts of society and different groups the study has a societal relevance in illustrating how

companies and organizations handle the changes and evolvements. As social media have the

power to change the ways in which companies and organizations work with communication

and how they use their resources, it can have a tremendous impact on the job market as well.

6.2 Conclusion The aim of this research was to identify companies’ and organizations’ approaches to social

media; what role they fulfil in the daily communication work and to get an insight into how

companies and organisations use social media. Further, the research sought to see how

companies and organizations use social media as a tool to communicate with individuals, with

the purpose of creating a relationship with them.

The results from this research show that companies and organizations largely work with

social media in the way that is suggested from the previous research. Different social media

platforms are used by the companies and organizations in this study in different ways

depending on what target group they want to reach or what kind of information they want to

mediate. However, the research showed no significant difference in how companies and

organizations use social media. Rather, it seems to differ depending on the kind of company

or organization. The research illustrates in clear way that social media plays an important role

when it comes to reaching out to, engage with people and have a relationship with them.

Social media provides completely different possibilities to engage in two-way communication

with individuals than traditional ways of communication does for companies and

organizations. Further, to be able to create interest and commitment, have their own voice,

and to be able to have and maintain relationships with individuals are advantages of social

media that more traditional ways of communication cannot provide. Unexpected, the research

49

barely showed any significant differences between companies and organizations and their

approaches to, and ways of working with, social media. Considering the companies’ and

organizations’ different purpose, industries and ways of working in general, some differences

was expected. Rather than a difference between companies and organizations, it might just as

well differ between companies and companies or organizations and organizations. However,

this shows that the same social media platform can be used in many ways, depending on what

the company or organization want to get out of it and how they work with it.

However, by establishing accounts on social media platforms for two-way communication,

companies and organizations show that they are dedicated to engaging in relationships with

individuals. It also shows that they value good communication and relationships with

individuals despite the risks and effort it involves being present and interacting on social

media platforms. Regardless of the risks involved, relationships with individuals are of such

importance for companies and organizations that they have no choice but to embrace new

technologies and adapt after developments in society. What this research shows it that social

media is not only a tool for individuals to communicate with each other and present an image

of themselves, but that opportunities alike are available for companies and organizations as

well. Supplementary, it shows that it seems to be more and more important for companies and

organizations to be available and engage, and that social media have changed the way

companies and organizations work with external communication, and what impact social

media have not only on individuals and society, but on companies and organizations as well.

Yet, the results of this research cannot be considered as generalizable for all companies and

organizations as the sample is not representative enough. One must consider the fact that the

companies and organizations who answered and participated in this research might give an

indication of those who are involved and interested in social media. The loss of companies

and organizations contacted may suggest that those who did not reply are not as committed

and engaged with social media as the ones who did, which possibly creates a homogenous

sample. Nevertheless, the sample provides a good springboard for researchers to continue the

research on companies, organizations and individuals concerning two-way communication,

relationship building and social media’s impact on society.

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6.3 Limitations and Further Research This study is limited to the experiences of the companies and organizations participated and

their work with social media, which is hard to generalize based on the sample used. A central

issue in qualitative research is the trustworthiness of it, especially when the data is based on

experiences and feelings. As the interest of this study lies within the production site of the

communication and the point of view of the companies and organizations, interviews were

chosen for this study. If the time would have been available, however, this research would

have benefitted from including a content analysis to serve as a complement to the interviews.

By performing content analysis on the social media platforms used by the participating

companies and organizations, this research would have been able to get a more objective

insight into how companies and organizations use social media to ensure that what the

representatives from the companies and organizations expressed really is the truth.

Supplementary it would also give the study another layer of knowledge which would not be

limited to the self-experienced apprehension of the companies and organizations. Even though

the aim of this study was to investigate the companies’ and organizations’ own experiences

and feelings, the study is at this stage a subjective one. The study would further be able to see

what is characterizing about companies’ and organizations’ communication. It would give the

research a deeper understanding of communication on social media. However, the insight to

the experiences of the participating companies and organizations provide good knowledge on

the subject studied. For future research, conducting more studies on the practical aspects of

using social media would add to both the trustworthiness and the generalizability of the

results obtained in this research. To additionally use content analysis in studies on the use of

social media by companies and organizations, the field of contribution will be broadened by

investigating corporate communication on several levels. Furthermore, if more resources in

terms of time and manpower would have been available, a bigger sample could have been

selected and a quantitative aspect added.

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- Kvale, S. (1996) InterViews: An Introduction to Qualitative Research Interviewing. Thousand Oaks: Sage. - Kvale, S. & Brinkmann, S. (2014) Den kvalitativa forskningsintervjun. 3. [rev.] uppl. Lund: Studentlitteratur - Levinson, P. (2012) New New Media. 2nd ed. Boston: Pearson - Ledingham, J.A. & Bruning, S.D. (1998) Relationship Management and Public Relations: Dimensions of an Organization-public Relationship. In Public Relations Review, 24, 55-65. - Long, M. C. (2012) Beyonf the Press Release: Social Media as a Tool for Consumer Engagement. In Noor Al-Deen, H. S. & Allen Hendricks, J. Social Media, usage and impact. Lanham MD, Lexington. - Mangold, G. W. & Faulds, D. J. (2009) Social Media: The Hybrid Element of the Promotion Mix. - Michaelidou, P, Siamagka, N. T., & Christodoulides, G. (2011) Usage, barriers and measurement of social media marketing: An exploratory investigation of small and medium B2B brands. In Industrial Marketing Management. Vol 40. pp. 1153-1159. - McQuail, D. (red.) (2002) McQuail's Reader in Mass Communication Theory. London: SAGE - Negroponte, N. (1996) Being digital. New ed. London: Coronet. - Prahalad, C. K. & Krishnan, M. S. (2008) The new age of innovation: Driving co-created value through global networks. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. - Qualman, E. (2009) Socialnomics – How Social Media Transforms The Way We Live and Do Business. - Rapp, S. & Collins, T. (1990) The Great Marketing Turnaround: The age of the individual – and how to profit. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. - Ravald A. & Grönroos C. (1996) The value concept and relationship marketing. In European Journal of Marketing. Vol. 30 Iss 2 pp. 19-30. - Sashi, C.M. (2012) Customer engagement, buyer-seller relationships, and social media. In Management Decision, Vol. 50 Iss 2 pp. 253-272 - Scott, R. P. & Jacka, J. M. (2011) Auditing Social Media – A governance and Risk Guide. Wiley, New Jersey. - Smith, B. G. (2010) Socially distributing public relations: Twitter, Haiti, and interactivity in social media. In Public Relations Review, 36 (4), 329-335

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Thackeray, R., Neiger, B. L., Hanson, C. L., & McKenzie, J. F. (2008) Enhancing promotional strategies within social marketing programs: use of web 2.0 social media. In Health Promotion Practice, 9(4), 338-343.

- Tjernström, H. & Hedsröm, L. (2014) Guide för sociala medier. Svensk handel. https://dhandel.se/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Sociala-medier-guide1.pdf - Treem, J.W. & Leonardi, P. M. (2013) Social Media Use in Organizations: Exploring the Affordances of Visibility, Editability, Persistence, and Association. In Annals of the International Communication Association, 36:1, 143-189. DOI: 10.1080/23808985.2013.11679130. - Trost, J. (2010) Kvalitativa Intervjuer. Lund: Studentlitteratur. - de Vries, L., Gensler, S. & Leeflang, P. S.H. (2012) Popularity of Brand Posts on Brand Fan Pages: An Investigation of the Effects of Social Media Marketing

Waters, R. D., Canfield, R. R., Foster, J. M., & Hardy, E. E. (2011) Applying the dialogic theory to social networking sites: examining how university health centers convey health messages on Facebook. In Journal of Social Marketing, 1(3), 211- 227.

- Webb, L.M., Wilson, M.L., Hodges, M., Smith, P. A., Zakeri, M. (2012) Facebook: How Collages Students Work It. In Noor Al-Deen, H. S. & Allen Hendricks, J. Social Media, usage and impact. Lanham MD, Lexington. - Zarella, D. (2010) The Social Media Marketing Book. O’Reilly Media, Inc, Canada. 7.2 Online Sources - Davidsson, P. (2014) Hälften av Sveriges företag finns på de sociala nätverken. Internetstatistik.se http://www.internetstatistik.se/artiklar/halften-av-sveriges-foretag-finns-pa-de-sociala-natverken/ (Collected 2017-01-12) - Götenehus AB, Om Götenehus. http://www.gotenehus.se/om-gotenehus/ (Collected 2017-03-03) - Hela Människan, Vårt Arbete. http://helamanniskan.se/vad-gor-vi/vart-arbete/ (Collected 2017-03-30)

- Litsa, T. (2016) The Rise of Social Media and How It Affects Civil Society. https://socialmediaweek.org/blog/2016/09/rise-social-media-affects-civil-society/ (Collected 2017-05-17) - Löwengrip Care & Color, Om oss. https://www.lowengripcarecolor.com/om-oss/ (Collected 2017-03-03) - Min Stora Dag, Om oss. https://www.minstoradag.org/om-oss/ Collected 2017-03-30)

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- Oatly AB, About the company. http://www.oatly.com/about-the-company/ (Collected 2017-03-03) - Panini Internazionale, Om Panini. https://panini.nu/om-panini/ (Collected 2017-03-03) - QS Staff Writer (2011) Media and communications studies: global relevance. QS Top Universities. https://www.topuniversities.com/courses/communication-media-studies/media-communication-studies-global-relevance (Collected 2017-04-12). - Rättviseförmedlingen, Om Oss. https://rattviseformedlingen.se/om-oss/ (Collected 2017-03-30) - Smålandsvillan AB, Om oss. https://www.smalandsvillan.se/om-oss/ (Collected 2017-03-03) - The Marketing Magazine (2016) 8 Ways Social Media Is Changing Marketing http://www.targetmarketingmag.com/article/8-ways-social-media-changing-marketing/ (Collected 2016-10-04) - Ung Cancer, Om ung cancer. https://ungcancer.se/om-ung-cancer/fran-da-till-nu/verksamhet/ (Collected 2017-03-09) - Världsnaturfonden WWF, WWFs Arbete. http://www.wwf.se/wwfs-arbete/1232877-wwfs-arbete (Collected 2017-03-30) Weibull, L. & Eriksson M. (2017) Sociala Medier. Nationalencyklopedin. http://www.ne.se/uppslagsverk/encyklopedi/lång/sociala-medier (Collected 2017-03-09)

7.3 Oral Sources, Interviews - Arvidsson, Marco. Communicator, Ung Cancer, 2017-03-01 - Bodlund, Anna Head of Communication, Världsnaturfonden WWF, 2017-03-10 - Bringmark, Jennie. Head of Marketing and PR, Löwengrip Care & Color, 2017-03-08 - Hansson, Sara. Social Media and Commercial PR Manager, Oatly, 2017-03-15 - Hofverberg, Jim. Communication Manager, PR and Social Media, Min Stora Dag, 2017-02-23 - Odeén, Malin. Art Director and Graphic Designer, Smålandsvillan, 2017-03-02 - Pagaduan, Karolina. Digital Creator, Rättviseförmedlingen, 2017-03-03

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- Ryderholm, Daniel. Communicator, Hela Människan, 2017-03-02 - Wejdmark, My. Marketing Manager, Panini Internazionale, 2017-02-23 - Wädal, Roger. Advertising Manager, Götenehus, 2017-03-13

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8. Appendices 8.1 E-mail Sent to Companies and Organizations Originally in Swedish “Hi! My name is Sarah Ryrhagen and I am currently studying my final year at the master's program in Media and Communication Studies at Stockholm University. During this spring, I will write a master thesis regarding how companies use social media as a communication tool to communicate with their customers and consumers in relation to relationship building. I reach out to you because of your work with social media and would be very interested in an interview with you regarding your approach to, and work with social media. The purpose of the interview is to gain insight into how companies and organizations use social media and what function it performs in the daily work. I would be very grateful if you would be able to post an interview and I look forward hearing from you! Sincerely, Sarah Ryrhagen”

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8.2 Interview Guide Originally in Swedish Background: Initial questions about the interviewer and the company/organization - Can you tell me about the company/organization, what you do, your market, who do you target? - Can you tell me about yourself, your role, your responsibilities, etc.? Communication strategy: external communication of the company/organization (strategies, target groups etc.) - Before social media, how did you work with external communication? - Who is your primary target group? - What kind of information is important for you to reach out with to individuals? - How important is the external communication for you? - Who makes decisions about which channels to use in the external communication? Social media: channels, choice of applications, views on, implementation, strengths - What social media platforms do you use? - How do you use each platform? Do they have different purposes? - Has your communication plan/strategy changed since you started using social media? - What role does social media play for you in order to reach out to people? - What opportunities do you see that social media creates for your business that is difficult to reach with more traditional ways of communicating with individuals? - What do you think is the strength of social media? - What has been the hardest part with implementing social media in your external communication? Relationships: two-way communication, criticism, response - How do you relate to your followers and readers? - How social would you say that you are on your platforms? - If you receive it, how do you respond to feedback, comments, etc. on social media from individuals? - Do you consider yourself having a relationship with your followers and readers? - What role does social media play in your relationship building with individuals? The Future: - How do you see your future working with social media? - Do you think social media will remain a strong means of communication tool for companies/organizations?

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8.3 Table of Social Media Platforms Used Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Other Companies LCC Market

research Tips with

products, Create a feeling

Oatly Dialogue, Information, Opinions

Formation of opinions

Create a feeling

X X X

Panini Information offers

Lifestyle, Brand building

Smålandsvillan Information Inspiration X Götenehus Same use

different target

Same use different target

Organizations Ung Cancer Same use

different target

Debate Same use different target

WWF Raising donations, Information

Discussion, debate

Loyalty, Inspiration, Information

Storage space

Min Stora Dag Information, Donations

Discussion Information X

Hela Människan Donations, information

(X) (X)

Rättviseförmedlingen Ads X (Ads)

Inspiration X (Ads)

Table 1. Platforms used by the companies and organizations and for what purpose. The X implies that the platforms are used but they were not discussed during the interview.