Social media in marketing communication in the service sector

The growing awareness of consumer rights, the increased transparency of markets and the global character of competition have the effect of stimulating customers to make their purchasing decisions in an informed manner, based on analyses and evaluations of product/service alternatives. One of the most important decisions for customers is the choice of a service provider, since services ñ as opposed to replicable products ñ are individualized and, in most cases, directly attached to specific recipients. Since the key factor in making informed decisions is the availability of information or knowledge, companies can make good use of fast, reliable and valuable sources of information, such as the modern social media, and explore the new potential for company-customer interaction, with such benefits as better adjustment to customer needs and more accurate targeting of services on offer. Social media, when used in marketing communication, open up previously unattainable levels of content circulation, such as systems based on recommendations from friends or virtual avatars. This paper addresses some of the most characteristic features of the service market, and offers suggestions for social media solutions that can be adopted for marketing communication in this particular market segment.