Virtual snakes and ladders: social networks and the relationship marketing loyalty ladder

The rapid evolution of consumer technology has given rise to the opportunity for individuals to express their views through the medium of discussion sites. Discussion sites allow on line interaction between interested parties who share their views on products, brands and consumption experiences. Such sites present opportunities for relationship building, not only between peer to peer but also between marketers and their customers. Hitherto, literature on relationships in the marketing arena has been limited to the relationships that companies endeavour to build with their customer base. This conceptual paper proposes that a hierarchy exists of social network users and that this hierarchy can be linked to the ladder of loyalty within traditional relationship marketing. The subsequent suggested contributor ladder can help marketers to gain insight into the structure and form of social networks in order to improve their understanding of the key influencers within the networks. This understanding will enable marketers to communicate more effectively with both the influencers and other members of the social network ladder.