The study explored what benefits to small or medium-sized firms (SMEs) could be derived from the development of a social media marketing strategy. Results indicated that Facebook can facilitate communications between SME companies and customers, and can also be an important tool in creating brand recognition and broadening awareness. The importance of developing a thoughtfully designed strategy was cited, as SMEs often lack sophisticated marketing or business plans. The positive study results suggest that SMEs can derive benefits from a SN (social network) strategy and, in particular, Facebook was shown to be an important channel that enabled small and medium-sized companies to advertise their brands without requiring large budgets. Facebook presents itself as a unique environment that can enable businesses to increase prospective clients and also offer current consumers a closer relationship to the company. As such, the study indicated that presence on social networks can have an important role in both relationship development and increased sales/membership.

The purpose of this article is to analyze the impact of social interactions on marketing interactions within social networks (SN). We propose and test a structural model of relationships embracing the following constructs: Social Relationships, Trust, Information Disclosure, Word of Mouth (WOM) and Attitude toward Advertising. Data were gathered through the application of a structured questionnaire to a sample of 150 university students. The results validate the proposed model and support five out of seven hypotheses. The findings evidence that Social Relationships are significant predictors of Information Disclosure, WOM and Attitude toward Advertising. Similarly, Trust acts as a predictor of Information Disclosure and WOM. Overall, social interactions have a positive and significant impact on marketing interactions.

This paper aims to explore how cultural heritage knowledge leverage country branding and contribute to developing a competitive identity. More specifically, we try to understand the role of visitor experiences and the community’s engagement in this dynamic process. The study focused on Portugal’s country brand and the Portuguese cultural heritage market. Based on the content analysis of the interview scripts of public decision-makers, museum/site managers, academics, and a tourism entrepreneur, the study offers exploratory findings regarding the roles performed by public entities and other institutions and the means used to attract visitors to heritage sites and encourage the engagement of the different ‘actors’ in cultural heritage experiences. Results indicate that cultural heritage represents a dimension of country identity and a driving factor of the tourism sector for Portugal.