Yoni Paa Quecy Howard1 | Peter Wonders Kankam2 | Monalisa Armah3 | Isaac Wereko4
School of Communication | African University College of Communication
Abstract
This article is analyse the communication strategies employed by Tigo Ghana for its issues management on social media in Ghana. Fong and Yazdanifard (2014) assert that social media has unquestionably altered the way big companies and multinational corporations communicate with their customers/stakeholders in recent times. Social media has helped corporations tell customers (and potential customers) who they are. It has also helped organisations in their marketing strategies, among other uses (ibid.). One critical area that cannot be downplayed in stakeholder-organisation relationship could be the occasional issues and conflict of interests that arise on social media. Success in managing these issues or resolving such conflicts benefits both corporations and stakeholders (customers). Some of these online interactional benefits include the ability to relate to others, toleration of differing viewpoints, expression of thoughts and feelings in a healthy way, and the practice of critical thinking skills. Haigh, Brubaker and Whiteside found stakeholders’ perception of an organisation to be more positive after they had interacted with the organisation’s social media page. Tigo Ghana is one of the leading telecommunications companies in Ghana (Tigo-Ghana, n.d.). It provides information across all social media platforms. It operates on Twitter, Facebook, SnapChat, Instagram, YouTube and WhatsApp. Though stakeholders/customers interact with Tigo Ghana on all the social media platforms, they however do most of these interactions on Twitter and Facebook. While Corporations have different experiences engaging their stakeholders on social media for diverse reasons and benefits, their consumers/stakeholders continually use these communication technologies to measure or verify the sources of information, insights, and opinions. Research related to social media use by the organisation and its stakeholders has largely been explored in the areas of interpersonal usage and its importance to individual users. Wright & Hinson for example have indicated that one task or set of tasks that has become more and more prevalent in the field of public relations is the utilisation of social media tools to engage stakeholders in two-way communication. Also, studies have shown that over the past few years, social media networking has evolved from a personal interest to a professional one and increasingly, businesses are finding ways to promote products and services, connect with customers, generate new ones, recruit employees and drive revenue all through social media (CareerBuilder, n.d.). This study, however, investigated how Tigo Ghana manages issues with its customers on social media; in effect, how the organisation involves stakeholders in their (organisation’s) online engagements and responds to their needs.
Keywords: Major issues Tigo Ghana Handles/Manages Social Media, Public Relation, Organizational Issues, Telecommunication in Ghana