Korean Taekwondo Gyms’ Use of Marketing Communications and Business Strategy through Social Networking Services = Korean Taekwondo Gyms’ Use of Marketing Communications and Business Strategy through Social Networking Services

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Purpose: Social Networking Service (SNS) marketing methods are regarded as attractive as they enable interaction between companies and customers. Taekwondo gyms in Korea consider it especially important to have a smooth relationship with trainees’ parents. For this reason, this study surveyed the managers of Taekwondo gyms to determine the effect and value of their SNS tools.
Methods: To examine the value of SNS tools that Taekwondo gyms utilize, this study designed a two-phase research method. In the first phase, the Priority Matrix Framework, which cross-measures the expected value index (x-axis) and the actual practicality (y-axis), was used. From the medians of the expected value index (x-axis) and the actual practicality (y-axis), we defined the first quadrant as the communication tool with the possibility of intensive utilization, the second quadrant as the communication tool with the possibility of selective utilization, the third as an excludable communication tool, and the fourth as the communication tool that can be used strategically. In the second phase, the study projected the result of the previous step and compared it with the answers from an open questionnaire on the actual practicality of each SNS tool. The participants of this study were 130 managers at Taekwondo gyms in Korea. The final sample of the target was selected by the following criteria. First, does the gym have more than 200 registered child trainees? Second, does the gym utilize two or more marketing communication tools including SNS or community web services? Third, does the gym have trainers or personnel dedicated to the marketing communication tools? Finally, to verify the validity of the study, the contents validity ratio (CVR) was verified based on the significance level of p < 0.05.
Results: Kakao Talk, Naver Band, and Facebook, all SNS tools, were placed in the first quadrant. Managers stated that their best benefits were “most trainees and their parents are using them” and “they support friendly talks and easy postings.” Naver Cafe, Daum Cafe, and Facebook Live Broadcasting were placed in the second quadrant. Managers claimed those SNS platforms have a high accessibility to parents, because most have accounts. Twitter and an independent Internet webpage were placed in the third quadrant. Respondents stated Twitter had a weak environment for delivering enough amount of information. On the other hand, they claimed that an independent Internet webpage for a Taekwondo gym is hard to manage. Instagram, Kakao Story, and Facebook Live Broadcast, which were located in the fourth quadrant, were determined to be strategically usable. These SNS tools are evaluated as the trendiest and best for communicating with young parents. However, if the parents follow each other, they can see each other’s private postings, which imposes a psychological obstacle to using them.
Conclusions: This study suggests SNS utilization strategies suitable for Taekwondo gyms in Korea as follows. First, Taekwondo gyms should only operate one or two SNS tools that can deliver educational content or event notifications effectively. Second, Taekwondo gyms should consistently manage and use SNS tools in accordance with customers’ usage pattern. Third, Taekwondo gyms should actively utilize SNS for providing fast answers to postings, inquiries, or requirements. Fourth, Taekwondo gyms should choose SNS tools that are utilized more on smartphones than on PCs. Korean Taekwondo gyms have been utilizing various kinds of SNS tools for marketing purposes. However, their management has been inconsistent as the gyms changed platforms following the current trend. This results in a devaluation of SNS tools by the managers before confirming customer satisfaction. Therefore, it is important to maintain a consistent use of SNS to sustain the management of Taekwondo gyms and maintain marketing strategies.