Research on service brands' participation in online activities has focused largely on Internet-enabled transactions and functional interactions between the firm and the customer. Most research discussing social media for online services position it as an extension of offline customer service activities and secondary in marketing importance to branded websites. This research explores the role of social media for online service brands rather as a set of online communication channels that enable the development and nurturing of brand-consumer relationships and trust, particularly relevant for high-involvement services dealing with private consumer information. Social media are further treated as a strategic means of mitigating consumer perceptions of risk of high-involvement online services, particularly those transitioning from offline to online environments. To conclude, a prescriptive managerial process for the development, management and measurement of online service brand and customer relationship management strategies on social media is proposed.
Online media and service brandsService brands have evolved and adapted to the challenge of the Internet, after operating in a relatively stable marketing environment for decades (Farshid, Plangger, & Nel, 2011). Transitioning traditional services to online services on the Internet, however, poses unique challenges and opportunities for marketers. Often, a key element of the challenge is the tendency to treat all online, Internet-based channels, on all desktop and mobile platforms, similarly. Although traditional websites and social media are both Internet-based and -enabled communications platforms, we argue that, from a marketing perspective, branded websites/applications and branded social media channels should be treated as distinct, albeit complementary. A number of traditionally offline services have transitioned, or are in the process of transitioning, to online services. Some services, like banking and accounting, have generally seen efficient industry-wide movement to the online environment via branded websites. Other services, like healthcare and law, are in a slower process of industry transition. Current service research making this distinction between branded websites/ applications and social media positions social media as secondary online communication media to branded websites/applications, generally to support offline marketing activities,