Jelena Gajić

Comparative analysis of Facebook and communication activities of the mountain hotels in Stara planina, Kopaonik and Zlatibor

Abstract Communication strategies with the consumers of tourism products and services have significantly transformed in recent years with the advent of social media and online information. According to numerous authors, social media represent a hybrid form of traditional integrated marketing communications with the increased effect of WOM (word of mouth) communication, which enables the exchange of information between users/consumers. The transparency of social media provides the hoteliers with necessary feedback and opens up new communication channels. Modern consumers possess greater knowledge and higher expectations than before. The purpose of the research conducted on a sample of mountain hotels in Serbia using web metrics was to determine guest perception and satisfaction with the hotels at the most popular Serbian mountain destinations. The results show that social networks can be used successfully by service providers to improve the understanding of guests’ needs, as well as to enhance business performance and revenue. By maintaining long-term relationships with guests, hoteliers can build stronger and more enduring connections that will result in new purchases and more efficient WOM (word of mouth). Rezime Komunikacione strategije sa korisnicima turističkih proizvoda i usluga su se znatno promenile tokom poslednjih godina sa pojavom društvenih medija i onlajn informacija. Prema mišljenju brojnih autora, društveni mediji predstavljaju hibridnu formu tradicionalnih integrisanih marketinških komunikacija uz uvećan efekat WOM (word of mounth) komunikacija, koje omogućavaju razmenu informacija između korisnika/potrošača. Transparentnost društvenih medija pruža hotelijerima povratne informacije i otvara nove komunikacione kanale. Današnji potrošači poseduju veća znanja i imaju veća očekivanja nego ikada pre. Cilj rada je da ukaže na vrednost i značaj onlajn komunikacija u turizmu i hotelijerstvu, kako bi se razvile efikasnije marketing komunikacione strategije i aktivnosti. Zadatak istraživanja je da na primeru planinskih hotela u Srbiji ispitamo percepciju i zadovoljstvo gostiju u posmatranim hotelima korišćenjem web metrike. Nakon sprovedenog istraživanja u hotelima na najpopularnijim planinskim destinacijama u Srbiji, došli smo do saznanja da se društvene mreže mogu uspešno koristiti od strane pružaoca usluga sa namerom da se što bolje razumeju potrebe klijenata, a sa ciljem poboljšanja poslovnog uspeha i ukupnih prihoda. Kroz očuvanje dobrih odnosa sa gostima, hotelijeri mogu da izgrade čvršće i trajnije veze koje će rezultirati ponovnom posetom i efikasnijom usmenom propagandom.

KEY ATTRIBUTES OF SUCCESSFUL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTION AND PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS

Today’s higher education environment has become increasingly competitive and universities need to assume a strategic approach in communication with prospective students. Numerous studies have shown that modern digital communication channels are increasingly more used to promote the attributes of universities, while traditional channels are no longer considered that important. The principal aim of this study is to examine the importance of certain attributes and communication channels the students in Serbia rely on when choosing the most appropriate faculty. The research was conducted for the period 2007-2013. The results obtained clearly show that the Internet, friend recommendations and presentations at high schools are the most effective communication channels, whereas the university reputation, study system and quality of the study program are considered the most important attributes when making a decision to enroll in a certain faculty. Based on the research findings, the mathematical model for forecasting the respodents’ behaviour in the following five-year period was developed. It enables developing the communication platform that would contribute to enhancing the quality of the overall management processes of an higher education institution, market orientation, encourage successful recruitment of prospective students, their enrollment and retention.