Increasing Brand Awareness Through Social Media Marketing for Software as a Service of EAS
Koski, Anu-Maarit (2022)
2022
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202203153569
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-202203153569
Tiivistelmä
This product-based bachelor's thesis aimed to investigate how to improve brand awareness through social media marketing for a Sofware as a Service (SaaS). The commissioning company EAS is a Finnish start-up that has succeeded in utilising blockchain technology for a new purpose to automate the reporting of VAT and customs data in their SaaS. The European Union changed e-commerce cross-border trade regulations affecting VAT and customs compliance, which stepped into force last year, the 1st of July 2021. The company is working in a completely new business field, so they need a concrete social media marketing plan to increase the brand awareness of their product.
This thesis's research method was desktop research using relevant literature that covers brand awareness, business-to-business (B2B) and social media marketing. The literature review is in two theory parts, where the first one focuses on brand awareness, B2B and social media and how all of these connect. The second theory discusses in detail what the new regulations set by the European Union for VAT and customs mean, how they affect e-commerce, the problems with the new regulations, and finally, the ideal tools to solve these problems. Based on these two different theory parts, a concrete social media marketing plan was made for the commissioning company, and the plan is as an appendix in this thesis.
By using a literature review to produce a social media marketing plan, the author was able to find the best ways to combine B2B social media to increase brand awareness for a SaaS. The social media marketing plan includes a situation analysis of the commissioning company's current social media channels. In addition, the plan highlights some major B2B social media marketing trends in 2022. It also introduces goals and targets for this plan and content ideas for different social media channels, paid advertising, influencers, and marketing calendar. Finally, the social media marketing plan includes ways to measure brand awareness.
In conclusion, the commissioning company is working in a field of entirely new business which has been there for under one year. Even though social media is a popular tool part of marketing in today's world, it is not much used to promote Software as a Service company. There was not much exact literature around this business area as it is a new business territory. With the new social media marketing plan, EAS will execute it and constantly analyse the data to maintain the best results for their business and increase its brand awareness. Other similarly operating companies can get ideas from this thesis and its social media marketing plan, but not everything can be repeated similarly in other companies.
This thesis's research method was desktop research using relevant literature that covers brand awareness, business-to-business (B2B) and social media marketing. The literature review is in two theory parts, where the first one focuses on brand awareness, B2B and social media and how all of these connect. The second theory discusses in detail what the new regulations set by the European Union for VAT and customs mean, how they affect e-commerce, the problems with the new regulations, and finally, the ideal tools to solve these problems. Based on these two different theory parts, a concrete social media marketing plan was made for the commissioning company, and the plan is as an appendix in this thesis.
By using a literature review to produce a social media marketing plan, the author was able to find the best ways to combine B2B social media to increase brand awareness for a SaaS. The social media marketing plan includes a situation analysis of the commissioning company's current social media channels. In addition, the plan highlights some major B2B social media marketing trends in 2022. It also introduces goals and targets for this plan and content ideas for different social media channels, paid advertising, influencers, and marketing calendar. Finally, the social media marketing plan includes ways to measure brand awareness.
In conclusion, the commissioning company is working in a field of entirely new business which has been there for under one year. Even though social media is a popular tool part of marketing in today's world, it is not much used to promote Software as a Service company. There was not much exact literature around this business area as it is a new business territory. With the new social media marketing plan, EAS will execute it and constantly analyse the data to maintain the best results for their business and increase its brand awareness. Other similarly operating companies can get ideas from this thesis and its social media marketing plan, but not everything can be repeated similarly in other companies.