Social media marketing for a fitness facility. Recommendations for action based on the internet usage behavior of members

Using the example of Kieser Training Ludwigsburg

Bachelorarbeit , 2018 , 62 Seiten , Note: 1,6

BWL - Offline-Marketing und Online-Marketing

Social media is now considered an important tool in terms of a company's marketing, and it also serves as a source of information for customers of all kinds.

The aim of this bachelor thesis is to examine the topic of social media and social media marketing in more detail and to examine the extent to which the potential of this instrument can be exploited in order to perfect one's own social media presence in the future. To this end, the Internet usage behavior of members of the Kieser Training facility in Ludwigsburg is queried using a standardized questionnaire. Marketing-related and industry-specific recommendations for action are then derived from the results.

Table of contents

1 Introduction and problem definition

2 Objective

3 Current state of knowledge
3.1 Basics of Web 2.0
3.1.1 Origin of the Web
3.1.2 Transition to Web 2.0
3.1.3 Principles of Web 2.0
3.2 Marketing
3.2.1 Definition of the term "marketing"
3.2.2 Goals and tasks of marketing
3.3 Online Marketing
3.3.1 Definition of the term "online marketing"
3.3.2 Sub-areas and instruments
3.3.2.1 Corporate Website
3.3.2.2 Display Advertising
3.3.2.3 Affiliate Marketing
3.3.2.4 Search Engine Marketing
3.3.2.5 Email Marketing
3.3.2.6 Mobile Marketing
3.3.2.7 Cross-media marketing
3.4 Social Media
3.4.1 Definition of the term "social media"
3.4.2 Platforms and instruments
3.4.2.1 Knowledge Portals
3.4.2.2 Web and Microblogs
3.4.2.3 Web Forums
3.4.2.4 Social and content sharing platforms
3.4.2.5 Social networks
3.5 Social Media Marketing
3.5.1 Definition of the term "social media marketing"
3.5.2 Influence on the marketing mix
3.5.2.1 Product Policy
3.5.2.2 Contracting policy
3.5.2.3 Distribution policy
3.5.2.4 Communication policy
3.5.3 Risks
3.5.3.1 Privacy
3.5.3.2 Lack of know-how
3.5.3.3 Lack of participation/perception of the target group
3.6 Status Quo of the Kieser Training company in Ludwigsburg
3.7 Internet usage behavior of consumers
3.7.1 Study 1: Facts and figures on Internet use in December 2017
3.7.2 Study 2: Social Media Trends 2018

4 Methodology
4.1 Research questions and hypotheses
4.2 Objects of investigation
4.3 Execution of the examination
4.4 Data analysis
4.5 Results

5 Discussion

6 Summary

7 Bibliography

8 Figures and tables
8.1 List of figures
8.2 II Table directory

Appendix:

Annex 1: questionnaire

Annex 2: Privacy policy

1 Introduction and problem definition

About two and a half hours a day. According to the ARD/ZDF online study 2017, this is how much time an average German spends in front of the screens of various end devices to use the medium of the Internet. The number of Internet users is rising steadily, in 2017 to about 62.4 million people aged 14 and over, which corresponds to a share of 90 percent, according to ARD and ZDF. 72 percent of those surveyed even stated that they use the Internet on a daily basis. Mobile surfing is also becoming increasingly important, in 2015 it was still 18 percent who used the Internet daily on their smartphones, in 2017 it was already 30 percent (ARD & ZDF, 2017). This increased use ensures a constantly changing purchasing behavior of consumers, because they are increasingly shifting their purchases to the Internet, in 2000 it was just 9.7 percent, in 2016 already 65.5 percent of Germans buy online (IfD Allensbach, 2016). The use of social networks, on the other hand, is stagnating, Facebook, Twitter & Co. are at a similar level as in the previous year in view of their reach. However, the messaging service WhatsApp continues to grow and, through new community features, obviously offers enough attractiveness to expand its reach by 6 percentage points to 64 percent weekly usage. (ARD & ZDF, 2017)

More and more companies are discovering the trend towards increased Internet use. They recognize the marketing added value that social media use offers and 51 percent continue to see the need for increased investment in this regard. To this end, every second company now has teams specifically responsible for this. The primary goal is to increase awareness of the respective company (Streim & Meinecke, 2016).

The development of Internet and social media use in recent years combines opportunities and challenges for the marketing of a company, completely independent of industry. For companies in the fitness industry, it is therefore no less useful to jump on the bandwagon and use the highly frequented social networks to communicate with their customers. Therefore, an individual survey adapted to the clientele regarding their Internet use is extremely useful in order to be able to derive any recommendations for action for your own company. This can also generate a high level of customer satisfaction and the associated increased customer loyalty.

Kieser Training itself attaches increasing importance to presenting itself well on the Internet. For example, the use of Facebook and a recently revised website should be mentioned here. (Scharl, 2014). Nevertheless, there is a need to catch up, especially in the individual companies. Although these also have their own Facebook pages, they are usually less used and plagued by low likes (Facebook, o. J.a). This is also the case with the Facebook page of the Ludwigsburg Kieser company. With just over 150 likes, the company is currently not in a good light (Facebook, o. J.b). In the following chapters, it should be clarified whether certain optimization measures are necessary on the part of the company or whether the clientele is simply not based on an interest in use. In addition, what reasons there can be, even if the previous clientele shows little interest, to promote the use of social channels anyway. In this respect, it is important to clarify which types of action measures are suitable at all.

2 Objective

Social media is now considered an important tool with regard to the marketing of a company, and it also serves as a source of information for customers of all kinds. The aim of this bachelor thesis is to shed more light on the topic of social media and social media marketing and to investigate to what extent the potential of this instrument can be exploited in order to perfect one's own social media presence in the future. To this end, the Internet usage behavior of members of the Kieser Training company in Ludwigsburg is queried using a standardized questionnaire. From the resulting results, marketing and industry-specific recommendations for action are then derived.

3 Current state of knowledge

3.1 Basics of Web 2.0

The following chapters offer an insight into the history of the Web and its further development towards Web 2.0. Central features and principles are worked out in order to ensure a certain basic understanding of the chapters based on them.

3.1.1 Origin of the Web

Today, the so-called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) is considered the forerunner of the Internet. The aim at that time was to develop a decentralized network under the guidance of the US Department of Defense in order to connect different universities that were researching for just that. This was finally realized in 1969 (Hafner & Lyon, 2008, S. 14 ff.).

However, the real triumph of the Internet did not begin until 1989, when the World Wide Web was developed by british visionary Tim Berners-Lee. In 1993, the first web browser with a graphical user interface was launched. This was called Mosaic and was replaced a little later by the so-called Netscape Navigator, which offered an increased user-friendliness, and thus ensured a further upswing of the Internet (Eversberg, 2007).

As a result, the first companies and private users with commercial backgrounds jump on the bandwagon, sites such as Yahoo (The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2018) and Amazon are emerging (Amazon, o. J.). Since then, the Internet has spread at a rapid pace, in 1997 there were still about 45 million users worldwide. (Eversberg, 2007), in 2016 there are already just over 3.3 billion (ITU, 2018).

Due to the start-up of many companies from the second half of the 1990s, the Internet experienced a veritable boom, which is described by the term "New Economy". (Fuchs Media Solutions, o. J.a).

3.1.2 Transition to Web 2.0

Since 2002, there has been an increased willingness to invest, which entails the growth of the Internet-based economy. In this regard, the purchase of YouTube by Google is (Donath, 2006) and Microsoft's investment in Facebook (Kuri, 2007). This phase of development became known as "Web 2.0".

In this respect, some essential features and innovations should be listed. (Hettler, 2010, S. 2 f.):

- Development of new technologies
- Increase in data transfer rates
- Reduce Internet usage costs
- Change in user behavior

All significant changes can only be applied by reducing the cost of using the Internet, as this gives a wider mass access to the Medium Internet. Users now contribute to the published content on the Internet and generate their own so-called content, which requires the disclosure of a personal online identity (Hettler, 2010, S. 3). Due to this participation of users, one speaks of a democratization of the network (Lackes & Siepermann, 2018).

3.1.3 Principles of Web 2.0

In view of the imminent confrontation with social media, further decisive characteristics of the term "Web 2.0" will be recorded below to guide the topic:

Tab. 1: Principles of Web 2.0 (modified after Hettler, 2010, p. 5 fff.)

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3.2 Marketing

3.2.1 Definition of the term "marketing"

From an economic point of view, the term "marketing" has become indispensable for companies of all kinds. In general, it can be said that marketing as a term became public after the Second World War (Nieschlag, Dichtl, & Hörschgen, 1997, S. 12). Due to the constant change of the market, it is logical that marketing is also developing in the course of industrialization. Accordingly, various definition approaches are circulating.

While initially work was still extremely product-related, marketing has been changing more and more towards the consumer since the 60s (Weis, 2010, S. 15). Responsible for this is the development from a seller's market, in which the task of marketing was above all to distribute the products, since there was sufficient demand, to a buyer's market characterized by a surplus of supply (Nieschlag, Dichtl, & Hörschgen, 2002, S. 3).

In the following, the individual development phases of marketing from the 50s are presented.

Tab. 2: Development phases of marketing (modified according to Bruhn, 2010, p. 15 ff.)

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In Fehler! Verweisquelle konnte nicht gefunden werden. the constantly changing framework conditions of marketing are illustrated. It is therefore not surprising that over the years many different definitions of terms regarding the marketing term have circulated, which will now be explained in more detail below.

Tab. 3: Change of definition of the marketing concept over time (modified according to Weis, 1999, p. 18)

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Based on Meffert, Burmann and Kirchgeorg (2012, S. 10) and the definitions of the marketing term presented so far, a final definition is offered below:

Marketing is the constant orientation of all company activities towards the fulfillment of the company's goals while at the same time taking into account any customer needs.

3.2.2 Goals and tasks of marketing

In general, it can be said that the goals of marketing serve to achieve overarching corporate goals. In order to avoid conflicts, they must always be coordinated with the goals of other divisions (Pfaff, 2004, S. 138).

Furthermore, a distinction can be made between two types of goals, on the one hand the economic – and on the other hand the psychological goals (Becker, 2009, S. 61 ff.; Bruhn, 2010, S. 26). Economic goals include quantitatively measurable things, such as sales, revenue, market share, contribution margin and profit, while psychological goals take place in the minds of customers. These are theoretical constructs that are not directly measurable and influence their behavior, such as awareness, image, customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Accordingly, ensuring psychological goals is advantageous in order to achieve defined economic goals, i.e. these two types of goals are not to be considered independently of each other. (Bruhn, 2010, S. 27).

In order to define the task of marketing, it is necessary to obtain information on the planning of further steps with the help of a market analysis in accordance with the goals set within the company and also to use the marketing policy instruments necessary to achieve the goals accordingly.

3.3 Online Marketing

3.3.1 Definition of the term "online marketing"

The in 3.1 The ongoing digital development already described, especially in recent years, poses new challenges for today's companies. One of the reasons for this is the unfolding momentum of the Internet, which seems to be anything but easy to influence by companies, as the position of consumers is strengthened above all by platforms that enable evaluations and the exchange of experience.

The importance of such product evaluations is underpinned by a study conducted by Ralf Schengber, as 81.4 percent of those surveyed there state that they are at least more important to them. (Schengber, 2011). This can ultimately have an impact on the reputation of companies and ultimately on the demand behaviour of their customers. (Scheuer, 2015, S. 149 ff.). Rapid and intelligent reactions to actions taken and a corresponding success strategy development are therefore required in order to perceive the development of the Internet as an opportunity instead of a danger. It is now important to filter out the most suitable social networks from the abundance of possibilities and to decide to what extent an active presence should be shown. This applies to companies as well as to private individuals (Kreutzer, 2014, S. 11).

As in 3.2.1 already described, marketing generally serves to achieve corporate goals. This is similar for online marketing, but as the name suggests, it uses mobile and/or stationary devices with Internet access. In summary, it can be said that online marketing deals with various sub-areas, including the planning, organization, implementation and control of all market-oriented activities. (Kreutzer, 2014, S. 4).

3.3.2 Sub-areas and instruments

In order to meet the required objective, online marketing uses various instruments, which are now explained in more detail below. These are primarily used for the presentation and marketing of respective products or services.

3.3.2.1 Corporate Website

Having your own website is the figurehead of every company and is considered the most important part of online marketing (Kreutzer, 2014, S. 95). Normally, all information, products and services relating to the company can be called up there. This includes, among other things, recruitment, which is simplified by the use of electronic media, for example by presenting possible job offers on their website. In addition, you will find the way to all social media that are supported or used (Kreutzer, 2014, S. 1 und S. 95).

3.3.2.2 Display Advertising

The longest used instrument is display advertising. While it used to consist of pure banner advertising, today it offers a more extensive range of advertising options. In addition to advertising with banners, on websites that are at best frequently visited, this includes video advertising and so-called rich media, whose presented content is improved with the help of video, audio or animation elements. If you compare display advertising with conventional advertising options, it is clearly considered a more cost-effective and efficient alternative to reach as many customers of a certain target group as possible. In general, this type of online advertising serves to achieve marketing and communication policy goals, whereby the use of banners continues to be in the foreground. (Lammenett, 2015, S. 217 f.)

The thousand-contact price usually helps with billing. Alternatively, some companies offer fixed prices where the number of users is not explicitly fixed. In addition, so-called ad servers help with the marketing and control of already placed advertising. They are a kind of automated management system that can therefore also be used as a controlling instrument. For interested parties, the question now applies where to advertise, which advertising medium is used, what effect should be left behind and how the efficiency of advertising can ultimately be understood. In this respect, the respective company should first know the target group and the advertising goal depending on the advertised performance (Lammenett, 2015, S. 228 f.).

3.3.2.3 Affiliate Marketing

In affiliate marketing, companies acquire one or, if necessary, several partners who advertise the company's products or services on their website and ultimately receive a commission per transaction made. The amount of the commission is individual, important is only the return to the respective partner, which is then paid out either per click, per interested party, per subscription, per address, per download or simply per sale. Used advertising media are also versatile here, including text links, banners or buttons. In order to simplify the assignment of visitors, they follow individual partner links to the advertised products or enter special partner codes at the conclusion of the sale, which may even grant them small discounts. This type of marketing is beneficial for everyone involved.

Companies increase their reach by using the reach of their partners and thus generating additional sources of income. Since a levy to partners is usually only due as soon as a sale has actually been made, the expenses of the companies are largely limited, while the possibilities of increasing awareness also exist outside of sales that have been made. For affiliates, affiliate marketing is also a largely risk-free story, as no payments are due at the beginning and during (Lammenett, 2015, S. 45 f. und S. 75 f.)

3.3.2.4 Search Engine Marketing

If marketing activities are related to the use of search engines, this is referred to as search engine marketing. A distinction is made between two different sub-areas, on the one hand search engine optimization and on the other hand so-called keyword advertising (search engine advertising).

The focus of search engine optimization is the findability of digital content on the Internet. Companies strive for the highest possible placement on the hit lists of the search engines with regard to their content offered online. Secret algorithms calculate the match rate between this content and entered search terms. In order to ensure a top ranking in the long term, a continuous maintenance of the corporate website is indispensable. In addition, it is important to deliver as up-to-date, relevant and unique content as possible in order to continue to promote a good placement. The use of additional platforms with link reference can also help in this regard. The involvement of specialists in terms of optimization is generally recommended (Kreutzer, 2014, S. 251 ff.).

In principle, keyword advertising behaves similarly, but it is possible to secure the top places in the hit list for a fee. Furthermore, it allows a more target group-specific approach to potential customers, as they already want to inform themselves about similar content by entering their search terms. In this way, higher click rates can be achieved overall. The procedure within the allocation of places on the hit lists is normally similar to an auction model, i.e. the best places are auctioned off and accordingly go to the highest bidder. The billing takes place ultimately per click on the placed advertising banner (Lammenett, 2015, S. 124 ff.).

3.3.2.5 Email Marketing

Email marketing is a more cost-effective alternative to traditional mailing to generate increased sales and demand. In addition, it is important to promote customer loyalty and generally enhance the image of the company (Olbrich, Schultz, & Holsing, 2015, S. 60).

In principle, email marketing distinguishes between three different subtypes. So-called spam mails are considered undesirable. Their senders are aware of the illegality of their actions, accordingly there is usually no useful contact person to object to the receipt of further mails. Under unsolicited e-mail advertising, all received e-mails can also be summarized, which are sent without the intervention of the recipient. Consequently, reputable e-mails remain, the receipt of which is based on the consent of the recipient. Via a link, the deregistration takes place with minimal effort (Holland, 2014, S. 417).

In order to generally contact customers by e-mail as a reputable company, an actively placed order on the part of the customer is required, which is at best accepted with the help of a confirmation link requested by e-mail (Olbrich, Schultz, & Holsing, 2015, S. 61).

With regard to the mail structure, a distinction is made between the so-called e-mailing and the sending of a newsletter. The newsletter is rather general and contains various information and hints, while the e-mailing usually contains a single message. In addition, the e-mailing is defined by a target group-specific address, while the newsletter is not subjected to any previous selection. (Holland, 2014, S. 418 f.).

Successful e-mail marketing is based on the content of emails made. These should be relevant to the chosen target group and offer a certain added value. Other aspects responsible for the successful sending of e-mails are the distribution, personalization and scope of the e-mails. Generally promising is the clear and structured, not too overloaded structure (Olbrich, Schultz, & Holsing, 2015, S. 60).

3.3.2.6 Mobile Marketing

Due to today's ever-increasing trend regarding the use of mobile and/or stationary devices with Internet access, mobile marketing is becoming more and more attractive for advertisers. Responsible are, among other things, the constant availability of consumers and the possibility of interaction independent of time and place. In addition, the exorbitant reach that this type of marketing potentially offers continues to be considered beneficial. (Holland, 2014, S. 413).

Mobile marketing itself is defined by the planned and controlled execution of all marketing activities that make use of such mobile devices with Internet access in order to reach the desired target group. In addition, there is the general option to use interesting innovations, which, however, present companies with a problem at the same time, as they seriously influence users today, but also in the future. (Olbrich, Schultz, & Holsing, 2015, S. 128 f.).

Examples include the following innovative innovations:

Tab. 4: Innovative products and services (modified according to Olbrich, Schultz, & Holsing, 2015, p. 128 f.)

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3.3.2.7 Cross-media marketing

With the wealth of possibilities that online marketing offers, it is important to reconcile them and to show a uniform presence overall. Here, so-called cross-media marketing helps, for example, to exclude the different advertising of a product or service on different communication channels. Meaningful studies show that the combination of classic (offline) and new (online) media achieves the best results today (Lammenett, 2015, S. 290).

The in 3.3 overall described variants offer some already mentioned possibilities and advantages, but cross-media marketing also has certain hurdles, which will be discussed in more detail below:

Tab. 5: Hurdles of cross-media marketing (modified after Holland, 2014, p. 820)

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In summary, it can be said that the unstoppable progress of digitization is displacing classic advertising measures and enabling a more effective customer approach. In addition, new media offer more efficient control options in terms of marketing. Possible challenges should be recognized and ultimately mastered.

Constant further developments, the change of the media and the ongoing individualization of the users must be taken into account. The gain of digital and social channels and the parallel use of them ultimately justifies the use of cross-media marketing (Holland, 2014, S. 819 ff.)

3.4 Social Media

In order to make the term "social media" accessible in the following, it is important to examine the platforms used in more detail in addition to the pure description. In addition, there is the usage behavior of consumers and the corresponding functioning of marketing. Finally, a description of the current website of the Ludwigsburg Kieser Training company and Kieser Training in general follows.

3.4.1 Definition of the term "social media"

Social media is defined by the possibility of communication and cooperation while at the same time networking the respective consumers via the Internet (Bendel, 2018). It also serves the exchange of information, views and experiences with the help of various platforms beyond geographical distances and can therefore be perceived as particularly fast-moving (Weinberg, 2011, S. 1).

The in 3.1 Web 2.0 already described is the beginning of such social media (Hettler, 2010, S. 12). In contrast to Web 2.0, however, these contain an indispensable advantage and difference, because they allow sharing and informing with and via social contacts from the user's environment. So there is a social component, which is why it is nowadays also called a participatory web (Grabs & Bannour, 2011, S. 21). Accordingly, the most important criterion is interpersonal interaction on so-called social networks. As a result, the focus of the Internet is changing towards the expansion of social relationships and no longer functions purely as a source of information. (Weinberg, 2011, S. 4).

It is also possible to exchange ideas or work together among friends and colleagues using text, image or sound elements. The same applies to companies and their customers. Points such as marketing or the associated market research are simplified in this respect. Customer support and feedback systems, but also employee acquisition, also benefit (Bendel, 2018).

3.4.2 Platforms and instruments

There are a large number of different communities on the Internet, which identify themselves through different technologies and tools. Accordingly, these enable interaction in a variety of ways (Hettler, 2010, S. 14). In the following, the most important sub-areas are illustrated in reference to Grabs and Bannour. These include blogs, photo, video and audio platforms, wikis, forums and finally social networks (Grabs & Bannour, 2011, S. 22). In order to get a rough overview, further current and relevant platforms in Germany are supplemented with the help of the following figure (Franke, 2016):

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Fig. : Social Media Prism 2017/2018 (Franke, 2016)

For the respective company, it is now necessary to work out the most suitable platforms based on the desired target group. There is no need to commit to only one instrument, because in order to fully exploit the potential offered, it is necessary to use different channels and thus address a broader mass overall. (Heyman-Reder, 2011, S. 105 f.).

3.4.2.1 Knowledge Portals

Knowledge portals, so-called wikis, are comparable to ordinary encyclopedias. However, their activities all take place online. They are therefore to be understood as online reference works of any kind and define themselves by creating and editing with the help of their users. This means that the existing articles and topics are to be understood as bundled, collective and expanding knowledge. For companies, this instrument is of little importance, it serves at most for search engine optimization, for reputation purposes or simply for the company's internal knowledge management. In this respect, the free encyclopedia Wikipedia may be mentioned as an example (Homburg, 2012, S. 797 ff.)

3.4.2.2 Web and Microblogs

Weblogs are operated by companies or individuals. They represent a personal page of the operator on the Internet and are comparable to regular diary entries. They also offer the ability to update frequently using text messages, graphics, and videos (Kollmann, 2013). The consumers of these pages are given the opportunity to react to corresponding contributions and to comment on them. In addition, they usually offer easy handling and act, especially for companies, as a communication tool or as a contact point to their customers (Weinberg, 2011, S. 95 ff.).

So-called microblogs are to be considered quite identical, the difference lies in the limitation of the potential contributions, because these are usually limited to 140 to 200 characters per post and serve to convey information quickly. In addition, they offer fitness and health studios the opportunity to expand their own Internet presence. Employees can prove their competence, for example within a training and nutrition blog. The contributions of each site operator can be regularly followed by so-called followers or subscribers. Exemplary weblogs are WordPress or Blogger. Well-known microblogs represent Twitter, Tumblr or Instagram (Homburg, 2012, S. 797 ff.).

Instagram has proven to be one of the most popular platforms in recent years (We Are Social & Hootsuite, 2018). Here is the possibility to share posts, to provide likes or to subscribe to the creator as mentioned. The generation of as many subscribers as possible can be set as a goal in order to ultimately have a large reach. Optionally, the platform offers a paid and target group-specific application of contributions (Lawal, 2017).

3.4.2.3 Web Forums

Web forums serve to exchange information on specific topics that affect the respective forum. These are therefore specific, usually rather smaller, but active communities with little reach. Therefore, they are to be classified as rather uninteresting for companies. For market research purposes, however, they are potentially useful to provide conclusions about customer needs. A company-owned forum for product optimization can be advantageous in this respect. Examples include the CHIP Forum or Motor Talk. Within these forums, users can create accounts and open new sub-points to which other users can eventually react and respond (Homburg, 2012, S. 797 ff.). The discussion and the exchange are therefore in the foreground of every forum (Zaefferer, 2011).

3.4.2.4 Social and content sharing platforms

With social and content sharing platforms, the focus is less on the interaction with each other than on the shared content itself (Grabs & Bannour, 2011, S. 214). Different platforms are based on different content, a distinction is made between photo, video and audio communities. Video platforms, such as YouTube, enable the successful exchange of videos. It is possible to create your own channel and upload self-produced videos, to which other users can then react in the form of comments, subscriptions or likes. These formats hold a gigantic commercial potential, as large masses now interact on such websites (Weinberg, 2010, S. 319). Your own channel can be individually adapted and provided with further links and extended. In addition, banners and intermediary advertising videos can be used to take paid and target group-specific advertising measures (Für-Gründer, o. J.).

Ultimately, the specially selected and produced content, i.e. the topics presented by your own channel, plays a major role in order to ultimately achieve the widest possible reach. (Lammenett, 2015, S. 254 ff.).

The functioning of photo and audio communities is congruent in this respect. Exemplary websites that offer imagery are Flickr and Picasa. Noteworthy providers of audio files, so-called podcasts, include iTunes and Podster. They provide the use of corresponding files on their websites, which are ultimately used for corporate communication. (Homburg, 2012, S. 797 ff.).

3.4.2.5 Social networks

Social networks are versatile and range from platforms that mainly enable private exchange to more specific interests, such as profession and career and the establishment of contacts in this regard. Overall, such social networks serve to build interpersonal relationships (Weinberg, 2011, S. 4). Private users create corresponding profiles that can potentially interact with each other. From the company's point of view, there are similar options. Either a profile is created for your own brand or even several for individual products. This ultimately serves to cultivate brands and image, or to increase awareness, but also to develop new products. In principle, corresponding pages offer the possibility to start and continue discussions via the comment function. This potentially gives site operators the opportunity to be inspired by any planned innovations. (Back, Gronau, & Tochtermann, 2012, S. 15 ff.). If platforms reach a certain number of users, contributions gain in reach and importance and may influence entire generations in their opinion formation and communication behavior. Thus, this offers companies the opportunity to address a broad mass and strengthen the relationship with their customers due to the direct contact and interactivity offered. (Grabs & Bannour, 2011, S. 214). By concentrating on people and their communication, the principle of word of mouth also works within social networks, which further underlines the importance of good presentation and charisma on the part of companies. Individual contributions and trends can develop a kind of momentum of their own, in this case one speaks of the so-called viral effect, which is the equivalent of just that word-of-mouth propaganda on the Internet (Kotler & Armstrong, Principles of Marketing, 2012).

It is still described as a virus-like spread of websites, videos and other marketing measures and is equivalent to the sparking of social epidemics, which lose all advertising background via the forwarding by acquaintances and instead create trust. (Langner, 2009). In order to establish a connection to the fitness scene, it can be advantageous to recognize and spread trends at an early stage. Finally, there is the option to drive said trends within the company with the help of potentially reachable new customers from a "question mark" to a "cash cow" (Weis, 2012, S. 136).

Proven examples of social networks include Facebook, Google+, XING, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Twitter (Homburg, 2012, S. 797 ff.). Facebook is one of the most influential social networks today, with over 2000 million monthly active users. (We Are Social & Hootsuite, 2018). Corresponding pages offer a target group-specific advertising opportunity without too much wastage. Corresponding contributions can reach more users, including potential new customers, for a fee. This offers fitness and health studios, for example, the opportunity to advertise upcoming promotions, offers or simple information. In the course of the 3.3.2.7 Already described cross-media marketing offers pages such as Facebook the additional option to link to other company-owned websites and thus to present and network themselves uniformly.

The existing clientele can also be used to your own advantage. The function of sharing posts, providing likes, linking oneself to the company depending on the location or simply evaluating the company are possibilities in this regard. (Roth, 2011).

In the sense of the presented social media channels, the following graphic should finally provide an up-to-date overview of the orientation of the user base:

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Fig. : Social Media Use (Statista-Umfrage (Global Consumer Survey), 2018)

3.5 Social Media Marketing

Based on the in 3.3.1 The definition of online marketing requires the planning, organization, implementation and control of all market-oriented activities (Kreutzer, 2014, S. 4). With the inclusion of social media marketing, these marketing activities are to be involved in the marketing mix of companies. Accordingly, in addition to the general definition of social media marketing, the following section deals with the reference to the marketing mix and finally the description of possible risks of social media marketing use.

3.5.1 Definition of the term "social media marketing"

Marketing policy measures and activities in social media marketing take place intentionally via social networks. These make it possible to address a broad mass that would have remained unmatched by classic advertising measures (Weinberg, 2011, S. 4). Increases in sales are difficult to measure, which is why companies are primarily tended to increase their awareness. Because of this, it makes sense to determine clear and measurable goals in order to ultimately show the success of the company. Since the goals are in principle versatile, the necessary key figures must be defined individually. Possible goals include increasing sales and awareness, image building, product development, process optimization and employee recruitment. (Lammenett, 2015, S. 246 f.). In addition, the acquisition of new customers, the increase in customer loyalty and sales and the product optimization with the help of the community can also be mentioned (Hettler, 2010). The connection to the community itself and the focus on the corresponding communication are still considered recommended (Weinberg, 2011, S. 5).

The basis of the whole thing is the so-called social media monitoring that takes place in advance, whose main task lies in the analysis of the target group to be reached. In order to be able to continue to gain advantages within the competition from the company's point of view, a rapid reaction to possible trends and changes is also required. (Weinberg, 2011, S. 5).

3.5.2 Influence on the marketing mix

Due to the wide range of possible applications of social media marketing, it can generally influence all areas of the marketing mix. In order to determine the classic marketing policy instruments, the following list, also known as the 4P model, according to Dunker applies (2006, S. 26). In the further course, the exemplary definition of these instruments is carried out:

- Product Policy (Product)
- Contracting policy (Price)
- Distribution Policy (Place)
- Communication Policy (Doctorate)

3.5.2.1 Product Policy

The product policy includes all decisions regarding the design elaboration of any services offered on the sales market by a company (Meffert, Burmann, & Kirchgeorg, 2012, S. 385). In addition, she deals with everything related to the combination and variation of these services. (Nieschlag, Dichtl, & Hörschgen, 2002, S. 583).

By enabling an exchange between customers and companies on the 3.4.2 Already mentioned different platforms, such as social networks or web forums, there is the possibility to accept the ideas and wishes of consumers and finally implement them within the product design. Some high-ranking companies even offer extended possibilities. The shoe manufacturer Nike, for example, allows the individual compilation of a shoe via their website (NIKE Retail BV, o. J.).

In conclusion, it can be said that additional social media elements are suitable for market research, as trends and competition can be kept in mind. In addition, various processes of product policy can be outsourced to the own user base, which on the one hand saves work and on the other hand increases the loyalty to the customers. This approach is known under the principle of crowdsourcing, which is called, among other things, "swarm intelligence" or "wisdom of the many". (Hettler, 2010, S. 6). A well-known example is the free online encyclopedia Wikipedia, in which all content is written by users themselves (Wikimedia Foundation Inc., o. J.). The complaint management of companies is also considered simplified in this respect, as customers can be helped live via chat on their websites.

3.5.2.2 Contracting policy

The contracting policy is closely linked to the financial marketing and corporate objectives (Jung, 2006, S. 630). It includes all resolutions regarding the remuneration of the service offer and any conditions. This includes discount, delivery and payment terms (Dunker, 2006, S. 31), as well as all contractual terms and conditions related to offers (Biermann, 2003, S. 62).

First and foremost, it is important to pursue a uniform contracting policy on all channels used worldwide, as many customers inform themselves and compare themselves in advance.

The use of social media is a suitable and simple tool to promote current actions uniformly and with little effort. Discount codes or the like can be published, for example, via the newsletter or social networks and their effect can ultimately be understood by viewing the redemptions.

3.5.2.3 Distribution policy

Distribution policy is becoming increasingly important thanks to the new information and communication technologies (Bruhn & Meffert, 2012, S. 577). In view of the total cost of a service, the distribution costs are now partly higher than the original production costs themselves (Jung, 2006, S. 644).

Additionally, the distribution policy determines the speed and reliability in which customers receive their performance and therefore has a significant impact on the assessment of quality and thus ultimately also on customer satisfaction. (Kotler, Armstrong, Saunders, & Wong, 2007, S. 1004).

In summary, this type of policy covers all decisions and activities relating to the path of a service from the place of manufacture to the final customer (Nieschlag, Dichtl, & Hörschgen, Marketing., 2002, S. 881). Effective and efficient processing is therefore in the interest of all parties involved (Wirtz, 2008, S. 256). The preparation, implementation and control of all sales policy measures continues to be the focus of the distribution policy, which ultimately manifests itself in decisions regarding potential sales channels and marketing logistics. (Dunker, 2006, S. 203).

Due to new technologies already mentioned in this regard, customers can now shop online continuously and usually get their purchases delivered to their home within two days. A correspondingly aligned online shop can save the company costs and generate a high level of customer satisfaction. Rating functions also offer the opportunity to inform yourself about this from the buyer's point of view. With regard to the fitness scene, training-supplementing apps also offer added value that is available to customers without any loss of time.

3.5.2.4 Communication policy

Within the communication policy, it is necessary to align sales-promoting communication with existing and potential customers (Dunker, 2006, S. 139). It is important to inform the target group addressed, which should ultimately be relevant for the company and its services at all, in a targeted manner (Nieschlag, Dichtl, & Hörschgen, 2002, S. 985 f.).

The communication policy includes the planning, design, coordination and control of all communicative measures in view of all relevant target groups in order to achieve communication and marketing goals (Meffert, Burmann, & Kirchgeorg, 2012, S. 606). In addition, there is a need for the exchange of information, the control of opinions and the support of business transactions (Dunker, 2006, S. 141). Roughly speaking, a contact between supplier and customer should be created, which finally leads to the conclusion of the sale (Weis, 2009, S. 87).

A successful contact should be polite, but also as efficient as possible. Social media offers enormous opportunities to strengthen even customer relationship management through the use of social networks or your own website. Start-ups in particular can benefit from this when introducing their company, but also longer existing or established companies can use the already achieved reach to further brand their brand. Branding refers to the process of maintaining and developing one's own brand into the flagship of the company. So one speaks of a trademark or recognition value of a company (Fuchs Media Solutions, o. J.b).

In general, extensive planning of all marketing instruments used in advance is considered irreplaceable, while the ultimately chosen tool, in contrast to the set goal, seems less important. The long-term goals of marketing as a whole should always be in the foreground (Grabs & Bannour, 2011).

3.5.3 Risks

Social media marketing has many positive effects on the development of a company that have already been described, but this topic also carries some risks. The most important and critical points will now be discussed in more detail.

In order to get a rough overview for the first time, the following is a presentation of possible obstacles to social media use:

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Fig. : Obstacles to social media use (BVDW, 2014)

3.5.3.1 Privacy

The biggest challenge for companies is data protection, because any data and information that companies learn about their customers within their social media channels must be treated confidentially. In this regard, there are rules that are marked within the Federal Data Protection Act (DSGVO, 2018).

The data under consideration is used by the company for analysis and finally for social media monitoring. Their safe handling must be ensured with the consent of the users. The data may only be used for the described purpose and may not be passed on to third parties. If you do not follow these rules, the image of a company is quickly destroyed. Furthermore, this can be associated with far-reaching costs for companies if claims for damages are finally pending. Accordingly, one should know about innovations regarding the legal situation at an early stage (Marsan, 2015).

3.5.3.2 Lack of know-how

Here, too, it is important to be aware of emerging innovations. The fast pace of the web makes this an obstacle for many companies. It requires the constant adaptation of your own marketing strategy. Accordingly, either appropriately trained employees or external help from external consultants is required. (Noff, 2010).

3.5.3.3 Lack of participation/perception of the target group

One of the biggest fears of every social media beginner is the lack of attention on the part of users. Without their involvement, word-of-mouth propaganda within the network is missing, which makes it massively difficult to achieve a promising reach. The reason for this is again a lack of know-how, whereupon in reference to 3.5.3.2 Help should be sought.

In general, it would be advantageous to carry out extensive social media monitoring in advance in order to minimize risks and identify relevant target groups. In addition, it is important to attract the attention of users, to satisfy their needs and to present a design appropriate to the target group (Ehrhard, 2012).

In summary, it can be said that a lack of know-how is often the cause of the failure of a company, this also applies to other, in fig. : obstacles. The risks must be countered with an appropriate strategy. If necessary, suitable consultants must be consulted. Prior to this, extensive social media monitoring must be carried out. The, in fig. : the imminent loss of control must be accepted by companies as far as possible. Due to the communication between several transmitters and receivers on the Internet in a global space, this obstacle is considered to be little influenceable. (Hettler, 2010, S. 17). Accordingly, comments or ratings from users can achieve a kind of viral effect and, in the worst case, irrevocably harm the company. This must then be accepted as such (Köster, 2011). However, this can also serve the company in the sense of criticism in order to ensure a future improvement. The possibility to react to evaluations in writing from the company's point of view also offers the opportunity to eliminate problems as quickly as possible. However, a lack of occurrence on the Internet can have even more far-reaching consequences than the risks presented here.

Digitalization enables insane opportunities that are being used by successful competitors. Sooner or later, you will have to struggle with a loss of importance and a declining number of new customers, as the necessary transparency is lacking at the respective company.

3.6 Status Quo of the Kieser Training company in Ludwigsburg

The Ludwigsburg Kieser Training company does not have a very broad Internet presence. There is only one personal Facebook page with just over 150 likes (Facebook, o. J.b). In order to show a consistent presence, a central profile was created in addition to the existing local pages of each company, which now has over 70,000 likes. (Facebook, o. J.c). This guarantees consistent and high-quality contributions. Since 2009, Kieser Training has also had a global YouTube channel with almost 400 subscribers and about 240,000 views in total. (YouTube, o. J.). A newly revised website and an integrated knowledge portal, in the form of a blog run by company founder Werner Kieser, also ensure more traffic to the site overall and an increased reaction rate from consumers. Each entry of the blog reaches about 4,000 readers (Kunde & Co, o. J.). In addition, Kieser Training offers a kind of newsletter in the form of a customer magazine published every three months, which is also available online. (Kieser Training AG, o. J.). In 2015, Kieser Training also decided to create a TV commercial, which was eventually advertised online. (Kunde & Co, o. J.). This procedure can be applied to other marketing measures. The partnership with the football club Bayer 04 Leverkusen (Kieser Training AG, 2018) and the quality seals obtained from the testing institute TÜV Rheinland, TESTBILD and Stiftung Warentest are also advertised online (Kieser Training AG, 2017).

The already mentioned revised website is accompanied by an overall prepared corporate design, which is now kept in blue to ensure a quieter and nobler atmosphere. The advertising measures carried out serve to address a clientele as young as possible from the age of 30 (Scharl, 2014). Kieser Training also has experience with target group-specific online banner advertising (ad pepper media GmbH, 2010).

In order to go a little further and to show the final discussion of the work further need for action, the use of training-supplementing apps will also be discussed. According to the managing director of Kieser Training, their use does not increase customer benefit (Antonopoulos, 2017). This is contrasted with the following opinion of a customer, who recognizes and explains some advantages in this regard. Among other things, the absence of the training card search at the beginning of each training and the mobility offered by the use of an app may be mentioned, because training cards do not have to be picked up, applied for or simply transported on the way. Furthermore, the exact execution of the exercise is supported by means of a stopwatch and a representation of the correct training pace. Finally, the training process is permanently documented and can thus be traced. In addition, personal settings and notes can be transferred to machines. Accordingly, the use offers enormous added value for the clientele and above all specially developed apps are considered an excellent customer loyalty instrument (Wippern, 2011).

3.7 Internet usage behavior of consumers

The Internet usage behavior of consumers is to be made comprehensible in the following. In order to provide a basis for the further course of the work and to ultimately determine and support decided action measures, two current studies regarding this usage behavior are then depicted. The presentation is summarized within a table with a subsequent textual and graphically supported highlighting of the most concise passages. It is important to clarify which platforms and which marketing instruments are generally relevant and accordingly suitable for addressing potential new customers, among other things.

Tab. 6: Presentation of two studies on the Internet usage behaviour of consumers (own presentation)

Abbildung in dieser Leseprobe nicht enthalten

For a better overview and in view of the graphical elements used, relevant results and conclusions of the studies, external to the table, are presented below:

3.7.1 Study 1: Facts and figures on Internet use in December 2017

In December 2017, 66.6% of the total German population used the Internet or such an offer, which corresponds to an increase of 13.4% since December 2012. 81.4% have the theoretical possibility to use the Internet or related offers, which corresponds to an increase of 16.9% since December 2012. The average usage time per day is about 40 minutes and has decreased since 2012, but the length of stay on websites has increased by 44.8%. The over 65-year-olds make up about 20% of the total population of Germany, but are still underrepresented on the Internet with 12.4%. Male users generally spend significantly more time on websites than women. With regard to the total usage time of all displayed offers in December 2017, Facebook is the leader with just over five hours, closely followed by YouTube with just over three hours. In contrast to the previous year, all offers have lost reach, which is related to the increased use of mobile devices, which are not taken into account in this study. (die medienanstalten, 2018).

In order not to embezzled further offers, a presentation of them follows with the help of the following figure. The results achieved by Facebook serve as reference values:

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Fig. : Use of social channels of the Internet in December 2017 (die medienanstalten, 2018, S. 17)

With regard to the various offer categories, the "Search Engines/Portals & Communities" as well as the "Entertainment" area achieve the highest priority in the further course, which corresponds to Google search and Facebook, among other things, but is also due to the long service life of social media, videos and online games overall. (die medienanstalten, 2018).

3.7.2 Study 2: Social Media Trends 2018

87% of all respondents are logged into social networks, with 98% of all 14- to 29-year-olds, but only 65% of all 65-year-olds or older using them. This means that participation in corresponding platforms decreases with age. The situation is similar with the total amount of platforms used. On average, respondents use three different social networks. While 14- to 29-year-olds are even represented on five platforms, over 65-year-olds only use two.

Facebook, YouTube and Instagram are the most used social media channels in the past three months at that time. Younger consumers are generally using them more and more (Bitkom, 2018).

For the sake of completeness, the following figure shows the remaining channels reviewed in the study:

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Fig. : Use of social networks (Bitkom, 2018, S. 4)

Maintaining contacts, following news and finding offers for products or services is one of the largest fields of application for social media. Since 2013, social media users have increased from 684 at the time to 1,011 people. Laptop usage is stagnating at a high level, while the use of a desktop PC is declining. The use of smartphones, tablets, but also smart TVs is increasing sharply. The most important activities within social media include sending messages privately, liking, sharing and interacting with third-party contributions and uploading your own content.

On average, 38% of users can no longer imagine a life without social networks, between 14- to 29-year-olds it is even 49%.

89% deal with privacy settings, i.e. data protection, of social networks. A full 69% expect even more to be shared on social networks in the future (Bitkom, 2018).

[...]

• Hochschule: Deutsche Hochschule für Prävention und Gesundheitsmanagement GmbH
• Note: 1,6
• Autor: Lukas Waltenrath (Autor:in)
• Erscheinungsjahr: 2018
• Seiten: 62
• Katalognummer: V1185084
• ISBN (PDF): 9783346601582
• Sprache: Englisch
• Schlagworte: Social Media, training, Marketing, corporate website, display advertising, e-mail, crossmedia, Social Media Trends