Eight social media challenges for marketing managers

Consumers increasingly use social media for a variety of consumption-related tasks such as complaining about a brand or sharing purchase experiences. Social media growth represents an opportunity for business based on information sharing, but also complicates the work of marketing managers who need to be ready to deal with current issues in this field. This article highlights eight areas within social media marketing that create difficult challenges for marketing practitioners. Based on practitioner reports and academic findings about online social networks, we preview emerging threats and opportunities derived from changes in consumers’ behavior and from changes in business models as well. In addition to discussing each challenge, we pose research questions for marketing academics in order to inspire broader research and better understanding of this evolving field.