Abstract
The use of the media in Russia is undergoing a transformation due to technological changes in the communication environment. The usual channels of creating and disseminating information are crowding the Internet. Traditional media are trying to compensate for the outflow of the audience by developing digital formats, moreover, not only for sites, but also for pages on social networks. The consolidation of their positions in the media market is supported by various tools for promoting both media content and their own media brand. One such tool is social media marketing (SMM).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Earned Media are all actions of users with respect to brand: likes, shares, comments, discussions on third-party pages in social networks, i.e., the content generated by the audience.
Targeting is an advertising mechanism that makes it possible to distinguish from all the available audience only the part which satisfies the assigned criteria (the target audience) and show advertisement just to it. The Dictionary of a Marketer //League of Marketers. – URL: https://xn—-7sbbibdntwehi3abbz0b.xn–p1ai/slovar-marketologa/?q=%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%80%D0% B3%D0%B5% D1%82%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B3 (accessed April 26, 2019).
REFERENCES
Internet audience: Russia and St. Petersburg. https://mediascope.net/upload/iblock/4e3/Mediascope_30.05.2019.pdf. Accessed August 1, 2019.
Trust, but verify! Or about the features of modern media consumption in Russia, Budapest, 2018. VTsIOM surveys 2007–2018. https://wciom.ru/fileadmin/file/ reports_conferences/2018/2018-10-24_Media.pdf.
Restoring loyalty to online advertising: Media consumption in Russia—2018. Deloitte Research Center in the CIS, Moscow, 2018. https://www2.deloitte.com/ ru/ru/pages/technology-media-and-telecommunications/articles/ media-consumption-in-russia.html Accessed April 25, 2019.
Internet audience and video content in Russia. https://mediascope.net/upload/iblock/913/OTT_Future_30012019_%D0%98%D1%88%D1%83%D0%BD% D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0%20% D0%98%D0%BD%D0%B5%D1%81%D1%81%D0% B0_Mediascope.pdf. Accessed May 20, 2019.
Reraiterskie novostnye soobshcheniya: Sozdanie i redaktirovanie (Rewriter News: Creating and Editing), Moscow: MediaMir, 2013.
How media should work with social networks. Features of the promotion of information materials in social media by Roman Klevtsov. https://www.sostav.ru/publication/v-chem-uspekh-lenty-ru-ili-smm-instrumenty-dlya-smi-11277.html. Accessed May 1, 2019.
Petrova, E.I., Internet media and social networks: Stages of convergence, Kommun. Issled., 2014, no. 2, pp. 128–133. https://cyberleninka.ru/article/v/internet-smi-i-sotsialnye-seti-etapy-konvergentsii. Accessed May 1, 2019.
Vartanova, E.L., New media as a factor in the modernization of the media, Inf. O-vo., 2008, nos. 5–6, pp. 37–39.
Chen’ Di, Social network media and social networks in the concepts of American and Russian researchers, Vestn. S.-Peterb. Gos.Univ., Ser. 9, 2012, vol. 3, pp. 223–230.
Panchenko, E., Integration of online media and social networks in Runet: A new public sphere or space for control?, Digital Icons: Stud. Russ. Eurasian Central Eur. New Media, 2011, no. 5, pp. 87–118. http://www.digitalicons.org/issue05/files/2011/05/Pan-chenko-5.6.pdf. Accessed April 26, 2019.
Pershina, E.D., The principles of how Russian news media select platforms for creating groups in social networks, MediaScope, 2017, no. 2. http://www.mediascope.ru/2304. Accessed April 26, 2019.
D’yachenko, O.V., Methods of researching Russian media communities in the social network VKontakte, Medi@l’manakh, 2013, no. 4, pp. 16–23.
D’yachenko, O.V., Russian mass media on social networks Facebook and VKontakte: Interaction practices, MediaScope, 2014, no. 4. http://www.mediascope.ru/1615.
Khalilov, D., Marketing v sotsial’nykh setyakh: Pervoe rukovodstvo po marketingu v sotssetyakh ot rossiiskogo praktika (Social Media Marketing: The First Guide to Social Media Marketing from a Russian Practitioner), Moscow: Mann, Ivanov Ferber, 2016. https://moi-portal.ru/upload/iblock/pdf. Accessed April 26, 2019.
Marketing v sotsial’nykh media. Internet-marketingovye kommunikatsii: Uchebnoe posobie (Social Media Marketing. Internet Marketing Communications: Textbook), Danchenok, L.A., Ed., St. Petersburg: Piter, 2013.
Mel'nik, O., How SMM actually works: Tools, opportunities, and problems, Skillbox. Onlain-universitet. https://skillbox.ru/media/marketing/ kak_rabotaet_smm/.
Spin Sucks: Communication and Reputation Management in the Digital Age. http://ptgmedia.pearsoncmg.com/images/9780789748867/samplepages/0789-74886X.pdf. Accessed August 2, 2019.
Kennedy, D.S. and Walsh-Phillips, K., No B.S. Guide to Direct Response Social Media Marketing: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Guide to Producing Measurable, Monetizable Results with Social Media Marketing, Entrepreneur Press, 2015.
Ivanichev, I., KPI in SMM: 30+ metrics of marketing effectiveness in social networks, Texterra Blog, 2018. https://texterra.ru/blog/kpi-v-smm-metriki-effektivnosti-marketinga-v-sotsialnykh-setyakh. Accessed May 15, 2019.
Social networks in Russia: Figures and trends, Fall 2018. https://br-analytics.ru/blog/socseti-v-rossii-osen-2018/. Accessed August 1, 2019.
How to conquer Facebook: Strategies, content, and targeted advertising, A free guide from Intage Team. https://blog.ingate.ru/books/html/facebook/chapter0/. Accessed August 30, 2019.
Social network Instagram (Instagram). Likeni. https://www.likeni.ru/tags/instagram/. Accessed August 30, 2019.
Kostyuk, A., For what kind of business is Instagram suitable. Likeni. https://www.likeni.ru/analytics/dlya-kakogo-biznesa-podkhodit-instagram/. Accessed August 30, 2019.
YouTube today: Facts and figures. Glossary. Likeni. https://www.likeni.ru/glossary/youtube/. Accessed August 30, 2019.
Loseva, E., 10 facts about YouTube that every marketer should know, Likeni. https://www.likeni.ru/events/10-faktov-o-youtube-kotorye-dolzhen-znat-kazhdyy-marketolog/. Accessed August 30, 2019.
YouTube added special label to state channels, Adindeks. https://adindex.ru/news/digital/2019/08/ 27/274790.phtml?utm_source=yxnews&utm_medium= desktop. Accessed August 30, 2019.
Kruglova, L.A., Russian print media: Specifics of online versions, MediaScope, 2016, no. 4. http://www.mediascope.ru/2205. Accessed May 5, 2019.
Likhachev, N., Social networks for media: How the SMM RIA Novosti team worked. https://tjournal.ru/media/50600-ria-smm. Accessed April 26, 2019.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
Additional information
Translated by L. Solovyova
Appendices
THE RESULTS OF THE ANALYSIS OF MEDIA ACCOUNTS IN SOCIAL NETWORKS
Monitoring (April, 2019) of four large media (Kommersant, RBC, RIA Novosti, and Komsomolskaya Pravda) in the most popular social networks in Russia (Vkontakte, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube) has shown that the publications do not adhere to a clear content policy that contributes to improving media performance indicators; however, some patterns of content distribution have been identified.
Monitoring was carried out according to the following criteria: design, content, activation and mechanics of interaction with the audience, moderation:
(1) Design (pages and posts):
—how the page is designed, whether the style of a brand (publication) is respected;
—the design of pages in different social networks is made in the same style or there may be differences;
—whether there are any corporate templates for constant headings;
—whether photos are adapted to the format of the social network;
—the format of a publication (link to an article, link to an article with commentary, video, stories, etc.), their number and percentage;
(2) Content:
—the presence of permanent headings and topics;
—the number, frequency, and periodicity of publications (daytime, night, whole day),
—whether information lines are created in the social network, the availability of unique materials for social media (without link to a publication website);
—the presence of interactivity, live broadcasts;
—Whether stories are published, with what frequency, on which topics;
—the presence of hashtags, the frequency of their use;
(3) Activation (mechanics of interaction with the audience):
—contests;
—polls;
—other;
(4) Moderation:
—whether comments under posts are allowed;
—whether the editors respond to comments; with what frequency.
Monitoring of these media was carried out from March 31 to April 30, 2019. The material for the analysis was the publication of news on the official media pages (Kommersant, RIA Novosti, Komsomolskaya Pravda, and RBC) on the Facebook, VKontakte, Instagram, and Youtube social networks.
The criteria for the selection of posts were as follows: socio-political topics; news forming the agenda; topics covered by all selected media; and posts that characterize particular media.
KOMMERSANT
VKontakte
The style of this publication is adhered to equally in all social networks; the profile picture is the company logo. Hashtags and branded publications are used. Photos are not adapted to the format of the social network and are often displayed in truncated form. Links to articles with a brief announcement, videos with comments on them, reposts from the holding’s publications and other media, anonymous polls are published.
There are no headings; some publications are marked with evaluative hashtags #interesno, #vazhno, #uznal, #nunu, #dutaya sensatsiya, #tendentsiya odnako, etc.
The feed update frequency is 80 publications on weekdays and 50 publications on weekends. Posts are non-periodic; several posts can be published simultaneously or with a time difference of more than an hour. Live broadcasts from the place of events in video format, as well as anonymous polls, which are usually not tied to the agenda, are sometimes published.
Comments are allowed; the editors do not respond to them.
The style of the publication is followed; the profile picture is the company logo. Hashtags and branded publications are used. Photos are adapted to the format of the social network. Links to articles with a brief announcement, videos with comments on them, reposts from the holding’s publications and other media, anonymous polls are published.
There are no headings; some publications are marked with the same hashtags #interesno, #vazhno, #uznal, #nunu, #dutaya sensatsiya, #tendentsiya odnako, etc.
The feed update frequency is 80 publications on weekdays, 50 publications on weekends. Posts are non-periodic; several posts can be published simultaneously or with a time difference of more than an hour.
Anonymous polls, which are usually not tied to an agenda, are published irregularly.
Comments are allowed; the editors do not respond to them.
The style of the publication is followed; the profile picture is the company logo. Hashtags and branded publications are used. There are three groups of stories: Children of War, Wolves, Power. Photos are most often not adapted to the format of the social network (rectangular, not square). Themes of publications are photo reports from current events with a brief description.
There are no headings; some publications are marked with hashtags #interesno, #vazhno, #uznal, #nunu, #dutaya sensatsiya, #tendentsiya odnako, etc.
Publications are non-periodic, 1–2 photos per day.
All materials are published without a link to the publication’s website, since the social network does not support this possibility. Stories are published irregularly.
Comments are allowed; the editors do not respond to them.
YouTube
The style of the publication is followed; the profile picture is the company logo. Photos are not used. Analytical videos are published.
Videos are presented irregularly, 1–2 times a week.
The editors do not show any activity.
Comments under some videos are disabled. The editors do not respond to comments.
RBC
VKontakte
The style of the publication is the same in all social networks; the profile picture is the company logo. There are no headings. Photos are adapted to the format of the social network. Most publications are links to supporting texts with a short text announcement and sometimes photo announcement. Public polls are published irregularly.
The feed update frequency is 50 publications on weekdays, 20–30 publications on weekends. The frequency of publication at night is one publication per hour; the frequency of publication in the daytime is one publication per 20–30 min.
Most publications are tied to supporting texts.
Public polls are conducted.
Comments are allowed; the editors do not respond to them.
The style of the publication is followed in all social networks; the profile picture is the company logo. There are no headings. Photos are adapted to the format of the social network. Most publications are links to supporting texts with a short text announcement and/or photo announcement. Public polls are published irregularly.
The feed update frequency is 50 publications on weekdays, 20–30 publications on weekends. The frequency of publication at night is one publication per hour; the frequency of publication in the daytime is one publication per 20–30 minutes.
Most publications are tied to supporting texts.
Public polls are conducted.
Comments are allowed; the editors do not respond to them.
The design corresponds to the style of the publication in all social networks; the profile picture is the company logo. There are no headings. Photos are adapted to the format of the social network. They are provided with detailed texts based on supporting texts of the site, but without links to them (links to social networks are not supported).
The feed update frequency is 2–3 publications per week.
Most publications are based on supporting texts.
Thematic hashtags #Putin, #Vybory, etc. are used.
There are no activations.
Comments are allowed; the editors do not respond to them.
YouTube
The profile picture is the company logo. There are no headings. There are no photos. Analytical videos and news are published.
The feed update frequency is from one publication per week (irregularly). Irregular live broadcasts are conducted.
There are no activations.
Comments are allowed; the editors do not respond to them.
KP
VKontakte, Facebook
This publication duplicates the contents on Vkontakte and Facebook.
The publication consists of the following elements: text in front of illustrative material (photo/video/presentations), links to supporting text, text on illustrative material, and illustrative material itself. When a non-information post is published (audience question/quiz) some of these elements are missing.
There are daily posts/headings Hour News, Daytime News, Evening News, which include three important news (hour, daytime, evening news) and a photo collage. Each of the photos of a collage illustrates one of the news items. On Vkontakte, an announcement of three news items is posted in front of a photo link; on Facebook, a photo collage of four news items is posted.
The illustrative material of posts is duplicated in both social networks.
The content is characterized by a wide range of topics: socio-political news, culture, weather, and secular news.
The feed update frequency is more than 50 posts per day. At night (from 00.00 to 06.00), 6 posts; in the daytime/evening (from 06.00 to 00.00), more than 40 posts. At night, the editorial staff places mostly non-information posts and news from the life of stars (scandals and gossip) on the wall.
Activations: online quizzes tied to the info line, once a week.
Surveys are posts with questions that initiate discussion in comments.
Comments are allowed. The editors do not respond to them.
A post consists of the following elements: illustrative material (video, presentations, less often a carousel of photographs), text on the illustrative material itself, and text after the illustrative material. A link to reference text is missing.
Daily stories are published: this is an illustrative material of already published posts, which is accompanied by a short text with a link to the site.
Activations: polls and quizzes in stories.
The feed update frequency is one to three posts per day.
There are no headings. The dominant theme is secular life and everyday stories.
There are no hashtags.
Comments are allowed. The editors do not respond to them.
YouTube
The publication consists of the following elements: illustrative material (video/less often, presentations), text on the illustrative material itself, news title, text under the illustrative material, and an invitation to subscribe to the publication.
There are headings: Comics of Truth (the material is presented in the form of comics), News, Stories, Live Broadcasts, five Naive Questions.
Some materials duplicate Instagram posts, but are usually longer in timing and provided with factual information.
Comments are allowed. The editors do not respond to them.
RIA NOVOSTI
Vkontakte and Facebook
RIA Novosti posts are duplicated on Vkontakte and on Facebook. Publications may vary in the wording of a news headline and photo.
The publication consists of clickable illustrative material, that is, a link through which one can go to the publication’s website (most often this is a photo), and a news title.
The bulk of the publications are news with an emphasis on domestic and foreign policy. The exception is resonant events, which are also reported in the feed. The permanent section includes publications with the hashtag #RIA_DenvIstorii, as well as entertaining reposts from the KOT groups (animal videos) or TOK groups (entertaining content).
The feed update frequency is more than 50 posts per day. In the daytime/evening (from 6.00 to 00.00), 40–45 posts; at night (from 00.00 to 06.00), approximately 10 posts.
On pages on Vkontakte, Facebook, and Instagram, the publication uses hashtags #ria_denvistorii (a story about an important day in history), #ria_video (video publications), #ria_konkurs (contests for subscribers), #riarkhiv (archive of the compositions of some music artist), #ria_9maya (on the eve of May 9, the publication started a series of stories about veterans of the Great Patriotic War), #ria_krymsky most (posts were devoted to the construction of the Crimean bridge).
Competitive mechanics are used in three social networks (VKontakte, Facebook, and Instagram). Posts are tagged with the hashtag #ria_konkurs. Usually, one of the main conditions of the competition is a subscription to RIA Novosti and a like of the post that informs one about the competition. Prizes are tickets to a cultural event, a free subway pass for a year, and shirts with a thematic image.
Comments are allowed. The editors do not respond to them.
The post consists of the following elements: illustrative material (video, presentation, carousel of photographs), text on the illustrative material, description text below illustrations. The publication always provides a link to the copyright holder of a photo. As an example, AP Photo/Rebecca Cabage, RIA NEWS RUSSIA TODAY, and VKontakte/Margarita Gracheva.
Community topics include socio-political news, daily historical reports with the hashtag #RIA_DenvIstorii, thematic projects (on the eve of May 9, the editors started a series of stories about veterans of the Great Patriotic War with the hashtag #ria_9maya), entertainment, fashion trends.
The feed update frequency is one to three posts per day. Page moderators daily post stories with links to the site.
Comments are allowed. The editors do not respond to them.
YouTube
The publication consists of the following elements: illustrative material (video), text on the illustrative material, news headline, description text under video; a link to the site as well as to the pages of RIA Novosti on other social networks is indicated.
The materials are published under the rubrics In Russia, In the World, Interesting, Science, Technology, Know-How, Armament, History, World Cup 2018, Direct Line, 2019. The hashtag #RIA_Video is indicated.
Comments are allowed. The editors do not respond to them.
About this article
Cite this article
Alevizaki, O.R., Kara-Murza, E.S., Lomykina, N.Y. et al. Marketing in Social Networks for Promoting Mass Media Brands. Sci. Tech. Inf. Proc. 46, 238–247 (2019). https://doi.org/10.3103/S0147688219040063
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3103/S0147688219040063