Unit 1: Social media marketing ecosystem
Social Media, Content and Influencer Marketing notes · PTU syllabus (MBA 973-26)
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Unit summary
Social media has turned marketing into a conversation inside communities. This unit covers the evolution of social media marketing, communication models, the role of social networking platforms, digital communities and customer engagement, an integrated social media marketing framework, user-generated content and social media ethics.
After this unit you can
- Trace the evolution of social media marketing and its communication models
- Explain the role of platforms and digital communities in engagement
- Apply an integrated social media marketing framework
- Use user-generated content ethically
PTU syllabus topics
- Evolution of social media marketing
- communication models
- role of social networking platforms
- digital communities and customer engagement
- integrated social media marketing framework
- user-generated content
- social media ethics
Owned
Brand pages and channels
Earned
Shares, mentions, UGC
Paid
Sponsored posts and ads
Communities
Groups, forums
Topic 1
Evolution of social media marketing
- 1Web 1.0 (1990s)
Static websites, one-way content
- 2Web 2.0 (2004 onward)
Blogs, Facebook, YouTube — user participation
- 3Mobile social (2010s)
Instagram, WhatsApp, Twitter on smartphones
- 4Short video and creators (late 2010s)
Reels, Shorts, creator economy
- 5Social commerce and AI (2020s)
Shoppable posts, live shopping, AI-generated content and recommendations
Topic 2
Communication models
Flow
Brand broadcasts to passive audience
Brands and users create, share and respond
Control
Brand controls message
Shared control; users shape meaning
Feedback
Delayed, limited
Instant, public
Measure
Reach and frequency
Engagement, sharing, sentiment
- Honeycomb model (Kietzmann et al.): identity, conversations, sharing, presence, relationships, reputation, groups — the functional building blocks of social media.
Topic 3
Role of social networking platforms
- Platforms provide reach, targeting, content formats, communities, ad systems and analytics; algorithms decide what users see — brands must create content that earns engagement.
- India: among the world's largest audiences for YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp; growing regional short-video apps (Moj, Josh) and vernacular content.
Topic 4
Digital communities and customer engagement
- Brand communities: groups of admirers of a brand — Royal Enfield riders, Apple user forums, Nykaa beauty community.
- Advocacy
Recommending and defending the brand
- Collaboration
Co-creating content and ideas
- Participation
Commenting, sharing, joining
- Consumption
Viewing and reading content
- Engagement tactics: questions and polls, contests, live sessions, recognising fans, responding quickly, exclusive groups.
Topic 5
Integrated social media marketing framework
- 1
Listen
Social listening to understand audience and conversations
- 2
Set objectives
Awareness, engagement, leads, sales, service
- 3
Define audience and personas
- 4
Choose platforms
- 5
Create content and engagement plan
- 6
Execute and moderate
- 7
Measure and optimise
- POST method (Forrester): people, objectives, strategy, technology.
- Integration: social media works with search, email, PR, offline campaigns and customer service under one brand message.
Topic 6
User-generated content
- UGC: content created by customers — reviews, photos, videos, unboxings, hashtags.
- Benefits: authenticity and trust, social proof, low cost, community building.
- Tactics: branded hashtags, contests, featuring customers, review requests; always obtain permission and credit creators.
Topic 7
Social media ethics
- Issues: fake followers and reviews, undisclosed paid promotions, misleading claims, privacy violations, manipulation of minors, hate speech and misinformation, dark patterns.
- Guidelines: ASCI code and influencer guidelines, Consumer Protection Act 2019 and CCPA guidelines, IT Rules 2021, DPDP Act 2023; brand social media policies.
Key terms
- Web 2.0
- Interactive, user-participation web
- Honeycomb model
- Seven functional blocks of social media
- Brand community
- Group of brand admirers
- User-generated content
- Content created by customers
- Social proof
- Influence of others' behaviour on choices
Quick revision
- Evolution from Web 1.0 to social commerce and AI.
- One-to-many vs many-to-many; honeycomb model.
- Role of platforms; Indian audience.
- Communities; engagement ladder and tactics.
- Social media framework; UGC; ethics and regulation.
Important exam questions
Practice questions written to the PTU exam pattern for this unit's syllabus: short answers (Section A style) and long answers (Sections B and C style).
Short-answer questions
- Q1.Distinguish Web 1.0 and Web 2.0.
- Q2.Name four blocks of the honeycomb model.
- Q3.What is a brand community?
- Q4.What is the engagement ladder?
- Q5.State two benefits of UGC.
- Q6.State three ethical issues in social media marketing.
Long-answer questions
- Q1.Trace the evolution of social media marketing and its communication models.
- Q2.Explain the role of social platforms and digital communities in engagement.
- Q3.Explain an integrated social media marketing framework.
- Q4.Discuss user-generated content and ethics in social media marketing.
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