An examination of source credibility and word of mouth best practices for social media marketing with an emphasis on Twitter

Because social media is a relatively new digital medium and Twitter is an even newer medium, it is important for practitioners and academics to understand how to create and utilize the best messaging strategies to induce persuasion, win brand advocates and create a sustainable, credible presence for brands on social media platforms such as Twitter. The author seeks to examine the theoretical and practical relevance of social media, with an emphasis on Twitter as well as explore how the theories of source credibility and word-of-mouth can help to better understand and measure promotional message and strategy effectiveness.