Innovative social media marketing communication application for Thai hotel SMEs

Social media marketing communication has been widely adopted in organization due to its values of interactivity, integration of communication channels, information collection and immediacy. Nevertheless, a majority of small and medium enterprise (SMEs) do not realize how to systematically and effectively implement social media marketing communication. Few studies on application development of social media marketing communication, however, have demonstrated the support for Thai hotel SMEs. This study aims to understand the pain points and expectations of SMEs in the Thai hotel industry, to design and develop innovative social media marketing communication applications for business promotion. The research utilizes design thinking process for application development using semi-structured interviews with 10 industry professionals. Based on results from the data analysis and conceptual prototype design, validated by group of professionals in business, innovation design and technology, the proposed prototype is practical and suitable for developing an innovative application that promotes Thai hotel SMEs' social media marketing communication. © 2020 by the authors.