Secondly, in my research I investigated mostly customers' opinion about their actions. As far as I am concerned, due to the fact that nowadays many companies have a focus on customers, it is necessary to research their opinion especially in such a customer driven sphere as social media marketing. Nevertheless, there is a probability that their real actions can be different from their thoughts about their actions. Thus, I believe that in order to see the whole situation it is necessary to make a research from the company's point of view due to the fact that data from customers and from the company's side can be different which was proved with an example of such SMM tool as direct messages on the stages of awareness and consideration.

One more limitation is that the study was conducted in general so it does not consider specific features of different spheres. Further research should be done as, obviously, there are different activities appropriate for different kinds of companies (for example it is possible to organize regular giveaways for a cosmetic company, while it seems inappropriate and even impossible for a car producer). However, this study can give general impression about which SMM activities are appropriate on different stages of customer journey.

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Appendix

The text of online questionnaire

Dear respondent!

I am a student of Business and Management Faculty of Higher School of Economics. The following survey is part of my thesis. In this survey I am interested in studying social media marketing activities in managing customer journey. Please, answer all the questions honestly. Your responses in this survey will remain anonymous and will be used only for research purposes.

Thank you for your time!

1. Which social networks do you use? (You can choose more than one option)

a) Facebook

b) Instagram

c) YouTube

d) LinkedIn

e) Twitter

f) Google +

g) Vkontakte

2. How often do you use social networks?

a) Every day

b) A few times a week

c) A few times a month

d) Once a month and less often

3. Which sources of information do you usually use while choosing goods and services? (You can choose more than one option)

a) Friends' or relatives' advice

b) Shop assistant consultancy

c) Official website

d) Review websites and forums

e) Brand pages in social networks

f) Other:

4. What do you think about advertisements in social networks?

a) 1 I really don't like them

b) 2

c) 3

d) 4

e) 5 I like them very much, they are useful

5. What do you think about promo videos in social networks? (For example in YouTube)

a) Usually I like promo videos and watch most of them till the end

b) Usually I skip promo videos but sometimes when I am interested I watch a promo video till the end

c) I always skip promo videos

6. Do you use advertisement blocker?

a) Yes, I do

b) No, I don't

7. Did you get any private messages in social networks containing advertisements? (You can choose more than one option)

a) Yes, in Facebook

b) Yes, in Instagram

c) Yes, in Youtube

d) Yes, in LinkedIn

e) Yes, in Twitter

f) Yes, in Google +

g) Yes, in Vkontakte

h) I have never been sent any messages containing advertisements

(If a respondent chose the option that he or she has never been sent any messages containing advertisements, he or she did not been shown the next question)

8. Have you ever been interested in those advertisements? (You can choose more than one option)

a) Yes, always

b) Yes, in most cases

c) No, in most cases

d) No, never

e) I don't pay attention to them

9. In which case do you visit a page of a brand in social networks you haven't heard about before?

a) If friends in social networks send me a link

b) If I am looking for goods or services from the same category

c) If there is a giveaway or contest

d) If I see an advertisement of the brand

e) If I see an interesting post at my friends' news feeds

f) I will never visit social network pages of brands I don't know

g) Other:

10. Do you use hashtags to find any brands?

a) Yes, I use hashtags to find a brand regularly

b) Yes, I use hashtags to find a brand rarely

c) No, I do not use hashtags to find a brand

11. Do you repost promo posts in social networks? (You can choose more than one option)

a) Yes, if I consider the information in the post useful and interesting

b) Yes, if I like the product

c) Yes, if reposting gives an opportunity to win a prize

d) Yes, if a friend asks me to do that

e) No, I do not repost promo posts

f) Other:

12. How often do you take part in giveaways and contests in social networks?

a) Once a month or more often

b) Less often than once a month

c) Never

(If a respondent chose the option “never”, he or she did not been shown the next question)

13. In giveaways and contests of which goods and services do you participate?

a) Any goods and services

b) Goods and services I have already used and like

c) Goods and services I have never used but I heard positive reviews about them

d) Goods and services I have never used but they seems interesting for me

e) Other:

14. Do you follow bloggers' and stars' pages in social networks?

a) Yes, I do

b) No, I do not follow the pages but sometimes I watch their pages

c) No, I do not follow and do not watch their pages

15. Is bloggers' or stars' opinion from social networks important for you when you choose goods and services?

a) Yes, it can be crucial for making decision about a purchase

b) Yes, I pay attention to bloggers and stars but I make a final decision based on other factors and my opinion

c) No, I do not pay any attention to bloggeers' and stars' opinion

16. Please, name the brands you follow in social networks

17. Why do you follow those pages? (You can choose more than one option)

a) To know about discounts and special offers

b) Somebody recommend me that brand

c) To follow news about a product I use

d) To take part in giveaways and contests

e) To read reviews

f) To search information about a product before purchase

g) To chat with like-minded people

h) To enjoy interesting content

i) I don't follow any brand pages

j) Other:

18. Do you make purchases in social networks?

a) Yes, I do

b) No, I don't

(If a respondent chose no, he or she did not been shown the next question)

19. What types of goods and services do you usually buy in social networks? (You can choose more than one option)

a) Clothes and shoes

b) Household appliances and gadgets

c) Household goods

d) Cosmetics

e) Food and beverages

f) Tickets for different events

g) Books

h) Travelling

i) Other:

20. In which case will you make a purchase in social networks? (You can choose more than one option)

a) If I trust a seller

b) If I know and like a product I want to buy

c) If a product seems interesting

d) If a product is not expensive

e) I will not buy anything in social networks

f) Other:

21. Do you repost something or post special photos with hashtags or locations at the moment of purchase to get a discount?

a) Yes, I do it regularly

b) Yes, I do it from time to time

c) No, I never do it

22. How often do you apply for technical support about using products you have bought?

a) Often

b) Sometimes

c) Never

23. If you like a product or a service you have bought where will you tell about it? (You can choose more than one option)

a) I will tell my friends or relatives

b) I will make a post in my page in social networks

c) I will make a post at a brand website

d) I will make a post at a brand social network pages

e) Usually I don't do that

f) Other:

24. How often do you take part in social network surveys or polls about developing new goods and services?

a) Often

b) Sometimes

c) Never

25. What can motivate you to take part in such a poll or a survey? (You can choose more than one option)

a) I like a brand

b) My friends ask me to do that

c) I have a chance to win something

d) I want to take part in brand development

e) I do not take part in a poll or a survey in any case

f) Other:

26. Please, choose your gender

a) Male

b) Female

27. Please, choose your age

a) Younger than 18

b) 18-24

c) 25-30

d) 31-40

e) 41-50

f) 51-60

g) Older than 60

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