Social Media for Businesses: Requirements and Functions for Management

Abstract

Social media tools are in constant development, and those tools are essential for businesses as they have the power to create a competitive advantage. This study focuses on the management of social media environment from the perspective of organizations. Social media management abilities on the individual basis consist of the roles of producer, distributor and recipient. Corporate basis abilities require roles of advisor, architecture and analyst. In this respect, in-depth interviews which are carried out with social media managers revealed answers to the questions such as: How much importance do managers assign to social media tools? How did managers internalize social media processes and which functions are essential in social media management process? Respectively, individual and organizational functions for social media management were identified. This study highlights the functions that are essential in the management of social media tools; moreover, for future research, those individual and organizational functions can be used to develop a social media management effectiveness tool.Keywords: Social media, Social media management, Qualitative study, Social media management abilities, Turkish managers.