Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4, 1361-1376 2025 Publisher: Learning Gate DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate History: Received: 5 February 2025; Revised: 1 April 2025; Accepted: 4 April 2025; Published: 16 April 2025 * Correspondence: e.asfoura@arabou.edu.sa Developing framework for using social media in business organizations Gamal Kassem1, Evan Asfoura2* 1German University in Cairo, Business Informatic. Cairo, Egypt; gamal.kassem@guc.edu.eg (G.K.). 2Arab Open University, System. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; e.asfoura@arabou.edu.sa (E.A.). Abstract: This study develops a comprehensive framework for integrating social media into business organizations, addressing gaps in existing literature. By conducting an extensive literature review and employing the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, the research identifies key factors influencing the adoption of social media across various organizational departments. The proposed framework outlines a step-by-step approach to implement social media effectively, incorporating elements such as planning, platform selection, target audience identification, and relationship building. The methodology includes a Delphi-oriented approach validated by expert interviews, revealing insights into practical applications and highlighting the role of social media in innovation, marketing, recruitment, product development, and sales. The findings emphasize the necessity of a standardized framework to maximize the strategic benefits of social media, offering practical guidance for organizations aiming to enhance their operational efficiency and customer engagement through social platforms. Keywords: Delphi, Framework, Social media, Technology-organization-environment. 1. Introduction During the past years the term social media and web 2.0 became so popular shielding the light on blogs, microblogs, twitter, social networking sites, multimedia sharing and wikis. Social media is sometimes referred to as networked information services that emerged during the 2000s to support social and community interactions. By all means social media tools improve connection, increase awareness sharing and collaborating information between all people [1]. Social media rapid growth by having customers and employees using it on a broad scale can affect the organization positively or negatively. The idea of using social media in an organization is not sufficient enough while the organization needs to use a social media strategy to reach maximum benefit [2]. There is no clearly defined framework of how to implement social media in business organizations. Some researchers gave an overview about implementing social media in innovation, marketing, product development, recruitment and selection, and sales. Nowadays, Social media is growing fast so an organization with a social CRM system will build better relationships with customers [3-5] growing and gaining trust and confidence than an organization without. Because Customers are exchanging ideas over social networks so it will be very good to be used by the organizations to create products and services that satisfy better clients` needs and build a relationship between customer and the company. The main objectives of this paper are: 1362 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate • to extract the gap using literature review method. • to design a well explained framework for implementing social media with an organization by analyzing how it can be used and implemented in various organizational departments. • To evaluate this model using a qualitative research method on a real-life company. • to equip organizations with the tools and knowledge to implement social media strategically, fostering improved efficiency, engagement, and innovation. The structure of work will be continued into 6 main points as follows: Section 2 will include brief overview about concept of social media , what are they main types of social media used in organizations, and explaining the social media strategy framework, section 3 will include the state of the art where different papers will be presented about various frameworks of social media as in innovation, marketing, new product development, recruitment and selection and sales. As well as a discussion or review on the papers presented. Finally presenting the research GAP, section 4 will include the methodology, section 5 will include the Conceptual Model, section 6 will Describe Delphi Method, section7 will include the results and desiccation and section 8 will be the conclusion. 2. Literature Review Social media is explained as any media that helps incorporate innovation and technology into the lives of individuals with reaching the end goal of communication. While numerous people view it applicable for any pc and mobile innovation [6]. Several definitions are proposed for social media. [7] defined social media as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content”. In addition, Kietzmann, et al. [8] state that “social media employ mobile and web-based technologies to create highly interactive platforms via which individuals and communities share, co-create, discuss, and modify user-generated content”. Finally Werder, et al. [9] defined social media as “a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content” Obar and Wildman [10]. Stated that social media is evolving so fast that cant state a clear definition about the concept. Social media technologies cover a wide range of mobile based platforms and pc that are continuously developed, launched and re-launched every day. Social media enhanced the opportunity for the customers to engage in social relations via the internet [10]. The web is generally accessible so this gave the ability to the people to use facebook and twitter (web based social networking) to interact with no physical gathering. Online groups and social networking sites (SNSs) are very successful web innovations for social collaborations and sharing data easily [11]. Social media interaction is a brand-related communication between companies and consumers and between customers via organization of social media channels such as brand pages [12]. Social networking sites such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter are highly important in consumers’ lives and impact their habits. Social media and social media devices express a set of web based devices for sharing and examining data that coordinate innovation and social association [13]. Using the previously mentioned social networking sites business express their encounters whether positive alternately negative. A lot of social network websites give access to the users to create and join groups. Groups are created for common interests between the users and also the users can post messages, photos or videos. Some groups may be controlled by a user, who allows people to join and monitors the content shared on the group, however, other groups are public and available to all users to join and participate in it freely [14]. To sum up, utilizing social media is diverse for clients and business. On one hand, it doesn't seek to replace messages, calls, and emails or even. On the other hand, social media tries to increase the value of the association between the client and the business. Social media has many types, however, this literature review is only going to focus on some of these social media types. As virtual communities, social commerce, and enterprise 2.0. 1363 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate The virtual communities are social network of individuals who connect using social media as online communities that have mutual interests. Social media consists of several technologies and applications that users utilize freely. These applications include social networking sites as Facebook, microblogging as Twitter, Multimedia sharing as YouTube, collaboration tools as Wiki Government and content syndication (RSS). As LinkedIn, Myspace and Facebook allows a person to create a public or semipublic profile to share with others. Social networking services can be used to manage professional relationships, personal social networks or for communities of interest. In 2007 IBM was the first to deploy the social network Beehive was trying to encourage employees to express themselves freely and more connect with others. Then Orange plaza a global enterprise social networking site launched in December 2010; the goal was to have more personal information available to other employees and exchange knowledge between employees easily [15]. Microblogs are different from social networking sites; they have some restrictions such as maximum 140 character messages in a social network to communicate information and exchange small features such as sentences and photos. In 2009, internal microblogs started in Siemens had about 500 authors among the 7300 registered users from more than 70 countries around the world. As large organizations declare that microblogging is good in sharing information, employees are aware of what others are working on in a highly decentralized way controlled by the users to decide to connect or disconnect with others. However, it is hard to detect and stop any sharing of violent or sensitive information about business [15]. Some researchers call it Virtual communities or content communities; it is a strong social dimension and creates a client produced content. Clients are not needed to have an individual profile. Cisco and Google utilize multimedia sharing networks for sharing enlistment recordings, featured discussion addresses, or press declarations. A test for organizations utilizing content networks is sharing copyright-secured material. Such as Video. Social media strategy has various definitions as Mintzberg defines it as a plan driven by a predefined decision [2]. However, porter defined it as creating a unique position including a different set of activities. Effing and Spil [2] defined social media strategy in various ways; however, we can conclude that social media strategy is a planning process directed toward a specific goal to create user content, using internet applications as drivers to create unique competitive outcomes. The social media strategy framework done in the business consists of 3 components: scope, capabilities, and governance. To begin with the scope that covers selecting the actors involved in the social media activities, interaction between actors and the desired platform to be used. Actors can be internal or external [9]. The second component is capabilities that help companies establish their own social media objectives and activities. This social media objective is derived from the business objective. For example marketing will strive for brand awareness and reputation while product development using social media will engage more employees and increase innovation. The third is governance related to the structure and responsibility of the organization. Governance contains three characteristics: resources and their uses, identifying the risk, measuring value to manage expectations [9]. 3. State of the Art and Discussion The integration of social media into business processes has been extensively studied, with researchers exploring its impact across various organizational functions, including innovation, marketing, product development, recruitment, and sales. This section provides an overview of notable frameworks and models, highlighting their contributions and limitations. He, et al. [16] proposed a process-based framework for leveraging social media to support innovation across three stages: idea generation, product development, and commercialization. This framework emphasizes the role of intrinsic and extrinsic motivators in driving user participation. Similarly, Bhimani, et al. [17] highlighted social media’s capacity to enhance collaboration by involving internal and external stakeholders in co-creation, leading to improved innovation performance. Despite 1364 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate its strengths, the existing research on social media in innovation remains limited in scope, particularly in its application to diverse organizational contexts. Parsons and Lepkowska-White [18] introduced a four-dimensional framework for social media marketing, encompassing messaging, monitoring, assessing, and responding. This framework underscores the importance of personalized communication, real-time engagement, and proactive customer relationship management. However, the framework’s applicability varies depending on an organization’s strategic focus, and it may not fully address the needs of all business scenarios. Liu and Kop [19] examined the use of social media in new product development (NPD), demonstrating its effectiveness in gathering customer feedback and reducing uncertainty in the design process. Organizations like Adidas and BMW have successfully employed social media platforms to align products with customer preferences. While these studies highlight the benefits of incorporating customer insights, they often overlook sector-specific challenges and the risks associated with over- reliance on customer input. Social media has revolutionized recruitment processes, with platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter serving as essential tools for talent acquisition. Wazed and Ng [20] proposed a three-step recruitment strategy—Attract, Care, and Initiate—designed to enhance employer branding, increase applicant engagement, and streamline the hiring process. Despite these advancements, concerns over bias and the ethical use of social media data remain underexplored. Andzulis, et al. [21] presented a framework for integrating social media into the sales process, emphasizing its role in understanding customer needs, presenting value, and fostering post-sale relationships. Social media enables organizations to gather real-time customer insights, facilitate two- way communication, and build trust. While effective in many cases, the framework does not address challenges such as pricing strategies, crisis management, or security concerns. 3.1. Discussion Researchers tried to integrate social media within an organization in various organizational departments as discussed in table 1. 1365 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate Table 1. Discussion of state of the art Article Name Limitation of the analyzed literature A process-based framework of using social media to support innovation process by Wu He, Feng-Kwei Wang Published online: 18 June 2015 Objectives: explore how organizational factors can contribute to the use of social media to support the innovation process. Methods: Case study on 2 cases Outcome: proposed a process framework that could help the organization siding social media in innovation process Limitations: this study shouldn’t be generalized to all social media application in any organization Social media and innovation: A systematic literature review and future research directions Hardik Bhimania, Anne-Laure Mentionb,⁎, Pierre-Jean Barlatierc Objectives: figure out how social media’s potential benefits innovation. Methods: systematic literature review of 111 articles analyzed Outcome: identifies most popular theories, units of analysis, sample areas, types of social networks, and the innovation stage studied. Limitations Social Media Marketing Management: A Conceptual Framework. by Amy L. Parsons & Elzbieta Lepkowska-White Objectives Methods Outcome: Conceptual framework with 4 dimensions of implementing SM in marketing Limitations: The framework presented can’t be fully applied on all business cases. It depends on business strategic focus The usage of social media in new product development process: The benefits and the challenges Objectives: better understanding about the impact of social media on incremental NPD and its contribution to NPD success, Methods: Outcome: social media provides an effective and efficient method for collecting information and knowledge about customers’ expectations and experience but it does not lead to NPD success. Limitations: Don’t evaluate customer inputs in different sectors mostly focus on technology, clothing industries and automotive. A review of social media and implications for the sales process by James “Mick” Andzulis, Nikolaos G. Panagopoulos, and Adam Objectives: To find an overview about the social media role in the sales process. Methods: literature study. Outcome: it’s important for the companies to listen to the customers and follow the steps. Limitations: various areas where not covered as role of technology, crisis management, pricing and security concerns. The Role of Social Media in Recruitment and Selection Processes By Elise van den Hoogen in 30 May, 2012 Objectives: To reach a theoretical framework about usage of SNS by HR professionals Methods: literature study Outcome: using SNS leads to a lot of information that can lead to biased decision making so it is not preferred to use this information in the selection process. Limitations : no in depth study on how SNS in recruitment and selection processes are used After the inspection of the related previous work, it was found that a lot of papers discuss social media and its benefits or impact on organization, as well as some brief frameworks on the impact of social media on some organizational processes in different departments. However, a gap was found within the integration of SM into the business, also there was no mention of any clearly defined step of implementing social media in a business firm. Accordingly, the research question of this paper is “what is the framework of integration social media within an organization 4. Methodology 4.1. Research Design This study adopts a qualitative research approach to develop and validate a conceptual framework for integrating social media into business organizations. The Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework forms the foundation of the research, guiding the identification of relevant factors influencing social media adoption. A Delphi-oriented methodology was employed to obtain expert insights, ensuring the practicality and robustness of the proposed framework. 1366 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate 4.2. The Delphi Method The Delphi method was selected for its iterative nature and capacity to synthesize expert opinions on complex subjects. This structured process minimizes individual biases and fosters consensus among a diverse group of specialists. Two rounds of interviews were conducted to validate and refine the framework. Round 1: Initial interviews were conducted with three industry experts from varying business domains: a social media specialist, an e-commerce expert, and a startup founder. They provided feedback on the framework's relevance and identified potential gaps. Round 2: Follow-up discussions via virtual meetings were held to address insights from the first round and incorporate suggested modifications. 4.2.1. Expert Selection Experts were purposefully chosen to represent diverse industries and organizational scales, ensuring a holistic evaluation of the framework. Criteria for selection included professional experience, familiarity with social media applications, and their role in business processes. 4.2.2. Expert Profiles • Social Media Specialist at a radio station, focusing on content promotion. • E-commerce Specialist, emphasizing customer engagement and product visibility. • Startup Founder, leveraging social media for audience connection and brand building. 4.3. Data Collection Data was collected through semi-structured interviews. Questions were categorized to explore: • General perspectives on social media utility in business. • Specific feedback on the proposed framework, including planning, platform selection, target audience identification, and strategies for building relationships. • The framework, visualized through conceptual diagrams, was presented to the experts for direct evaluation. 4.4. Data Analysis Interview transcripts were thematically analyzed to extract insights and identify patterns. Feedback from each round was systematically reviewed to refine the framework. Key themes were mapped against the TOE framework components to ensure alignment with technological, organizational, and environmental factors. 4.5. Validation Process The iterative Delphi process facilitated expert-driven validation, focusing on: • Practicality of framework steps. • Applicability across diverse organizational contexts. • Identification of missing elements or redundant components. 5. Conceptual Model This section describes the design of the framework that will help in the qualitative research application. Will propose a conceptual framework for the steps of implementing social media in business. It is constructed based on the TOE framework and then shown as a series of steps for the organization to implement social media. First, the proposed model will be explained, phase by phase. Then the qualitative research method (interviews) will be conducted, to analyze the possible effects of using this model on a real case, and if the company will be able to apply it or not and add any further changes. 1367 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate The Technology–Organization–Environment Framework To begin with, the technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework created by Tornatzky and Fleischer [22] will be explained and used to show the concept of adopting innovation in business firms. It describes factors that influence any technology adoption. TOE describes the process by which an organization adopts and implements technological innovations is influenced by the technological context, the organizational context, and the environmental context [23]. The technological context includes any technology relevant to the business, the internal or external technologies. Also the already existing technology are important to be taken into consideration during the adoption process because it highly affects the scope of technological change that can be carried [23]. With the second factor, organizational context refers to the organizational characteristics and resources such as the firm's size, degree of centralization, degree of formalization, the managerial structure, human resources, and linkages among employees. The adoption and implementation decisions that could be taken using this context are a lot [23]. The third factor, environmental context, includes the size and structure of the industry, the firm’s competitors, the macroeconomic context, and the regulatory environment. The evaluation of industry structure and its competitors is needed as higher competition inspires adoption of innovation [23]. In Figure 1 shows the external, organizational, human and technological factors that impact social media adoption. Figure 1. TOE implementing social media for business. Then after analyzing figure 1 derive the following steps based on literature review and [24]. When any business decides that it needs to implement social media in its organization need to go through the following steps (see Figure 2). In this subsection will describe each step. 1368 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate Figure 2. Steps for implementing social media 1- plan: Business needs to decide which department is social media needed in; this is focusing on the human factor. For example social media can be needed for marketing, front desk, customer service, knowledge management, product design, innovation, recruitment and sales. Based on the department the current business want to focus on will write down its own goals and objectives as below. Then focusing on the organizational factor by having a well-established plan need to set social media goals and objectives by following the SMART framework [24]. They should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. Need to base the goals on metrics that will have impact on the business. There are 5 social media metrics that need to be taken into consideration while thinking of using social media: awareness, engagement, conversion and consumer. Each metric is used for a specific situation. The awareness metrics are used for the current and potential audience; while creating the goals need to check brand awareness, audience growth rate, post reach if already used social media, and potential reach needed. The second metric is the engagement metric showing people interacting with business content; checking the applause rate [24]. Then need to look at the external factors that will impact the business decision by finding how the competitors using social media, can use the competitive analysis. Social media competitive analysis will be used to identify the competitors using social media, which platform, how being used, recognize any social threats and finally fill in any gaps in the current social media strategy. From He, et al. [16] highly recommend to continuously collect and analyze data about the competitors’ products, services, and plans. Also it is important to identify any plans or new moves competitors are about to achieve and try achieve counter active marketing actions using social media. Generating daily/ weekly/ monthly analytical reports is important to better change the plans according to what is happening in the market. In addition, can use some of social media competitors analysis tools as BuzzSumo, Hootsuite Streams, and Brand watch to figure out what does and what doesn’t work for similar business. Furthermore, other techniques can be used as traditional statistical analysis, text mining, and sentiment analysis to examine social media content of other competitors [16]. https://blog.hootsuite.com/smart-social-media-goals/ https://blog.hootsuite.com/smart-social-media-goals/ https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-metrics/ https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-metrics/ https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-metrics/ https://blog.hootsuite.com/social-media-metrics/ https://help.hootsuite.com/hc/en-us/articles/204585760-Add-streams https://help.hootsuite.com/hc/en-us/articles/204585760-Add-streams https://help.hootsuite.com/hc/en-us/articles/204585760-Add-streams https://apps.hootsuite.com/apps/brandwatch https://apps.hootsuite.com/apps/brandwatch https://apps.hootsuite.com/apps/brandwatch https://apps.hootsuite.com/apps/brandwatch 1369 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate 2. Decide which platforms are right for you : To ensure using social media effectively for business activities, some market research need to be done to fully understand the platforms and help understand how a particular audience spends time online. Choosing your platforms can be one channel or multiple different channels to attract different audiences and reach business goals; in this phase the main focus is on innovation characteristics [24]. Table 2 can be used as a guideline that shows the advantages and disadvantages of each social media available (Zimba& Gasparyan, 2021). So the business can easily pick best platform. Table 2. Comparing social media platforms Social media platform Advantages Disadvantages Facebook • Popular worldwide, actively used to live stream meetings.so it will increase brand awareness • Interconnected with other video sharing applications as zoom, YouTube • Audience various age ranges ·Highly used for friends and personal communications. Requires budget because need to invest in-paid advertising Instagram • Used for posting photos, videos, journals • Engage customer in traffic, build trust • Age range 18-29 Twitter • Used to share ideas, real-time information, and trending news ·The use of hashtags and retweet increases engagement of account holders · editor have the ability to moderate journal accounts to boost publications • Age range 18-29 · 140 characters or less You Tube • Online video-sharing platform with a variety of services. • Online meetings can be live streamed and archived • Posting on YT will help find company on google • YT ads will reach to bigger audience · Quality of the posted videos vary. 3. Build relationships: Social media marketing for business gives that ability of the business to talk directly to customers and followers. Enhancing the ability of building relationships over time. For example when people engage with the business content or ads, it will be very good to engage back; this will build trust and loyalty. In addition, different ways to build trust could be by using social media built in interactive tools in general as to creating a Facebook group, connect with social media influencers, mention the followers in posts and stories. In addition can use interactive stickers in Instagram Stories To build good relationship with clients through the internet; first can create org public relationship that allow taking of inputs as comments or email forms. In addition the use of newly emerged channels as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs [25]. Also Briones, et al. [25] added that adding helpful data for the customers on site will be good and continuously update the content to encourage visits and interactions and finally take care on making the site easy to navigate and use. Applied 5 dimensions to test the relationship: commitment, control mutuality, communality, trust, and satisfaction as described in the below table 3. Table 3. 5 Dimensions to test the relationship. Commitment Evaluates the willing to invest resources in building relationships and working hard to communicate, assess how the public views your organization's commitment to online engagement. Control Mutuality It refers to the interaction between the organization and the public. Trust Evaluating how the org and the public share similar values Its hard to gain so organization must be credible, capable, trustworthy, and consistent. Satisfaction Helps OPR exceed clients’ expectations and meet their needs. https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-use-instagram-stories/ https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-use-instagram-stories/ 1370 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate 6. Delphi Method and Description To verify the conceptual model we proposed, we will use Delphi methods for exploratory qualitative research. Delphi was first introduced in the late 1950s for scientific study of experts' opinions on military defense projects. For security reasons, the Delphi method wasn’t used for ten years then it came to use in academic studies in 1963 [26]. In Linstone and Turoff [27] defined the Delphi technique as "a method for structuring a group communication process so that the process is effective in allowing a group of individuals, as a whole, to deal with a complex problem" [26]. The main goal of the Delphi method is to obtain the most reliable opinions from the expert after intensive questionnaires or interviews with integration of feedback and prioritized information to create a framework. The Delphi method has three categories: classics, policies, and decision-making [26]. he usage of Delphi method with the purpose of avoiding asking only 1 expert and group meetings to prevent being biased and “follow the leader”. Crucially, we chose the Delphi method because it is as the core of our research need which is: integration of social media in business. Using the Delphi method will reach to valuable views of experts with different backgrounds, to achieve more comprehensive feedback. For example, using the Delphi method enables one to follow up with respondents to enhance further understanding not like normal surveys or questionnaires [28]. In general, the application of Delphi is not constant throughout researches [26]. In Figure 3 below displays how the method was carried out in our paper. Figure 3. Delphi oriented methodology. 6.1. Instrument In our research we used interviews to collect information from the experts in various fields. Interviews are the main tool for collecting data in qualitative methods [29]. Additionally, the interview questions in the Appendix were divided into 2 categories: primary questions and the business and technical perspective. In the primary questions, some general questions are asked about the company in which they work and their position and role in it and their opinion about using SM. Then the second section asks detailed questions about each step in the proposed conceptual framework. Afterwards I will show them the conceptual model in figure 4 and ask them if they would like to add or remove anything else. As experts are asked about the currently used technologies and how they manage using SM. 6.2. Expert Selection Habibi, et al. [26] stated that there is no constant number of experts to be involved in Delphi method; it all depends on the topic and the availability of time and money. Moreover, they added that it is recommended that the panel of experts (interviewee) should include experts with different backgrounds and specialties. So in our research we had 3 experts from different fields to interview in our paper. The experts were selected carefully to have the needed experience and achieve the diversity of backgrounds. The first expert is Fatema Aziz the Social Media Specialist at Nile FM. Nile FM is a privately owned English-language radio station based in Cairo, Egypt, that plays Englishlanguage 1371 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate music hits and is owned by Nile Radio Productions. The Second expert is Zeina Megahed SM specialist at Magalis. Magalis is an ecommerce brand that sells bean bags. The third expert is Jana El Kholy, owner of startup Janabites. JanaBites is an online catering service and a dessert shop . The 1st expert has the needed technical knowledge as she holds bachelor degree in marketing and finance and she worked as a social media specialist in firms other than Nile FM. in addition the second expert. Lastly, the third expert was chosen to have variation in knowledge of how to implement SM. As the selection of interviewees show the diversity of having people from a big business as nile FM and for a startup. 6.3. Procedure Using the delphi methodology, there are two rounds as shown in Figure 3. In round 1, interviews were conducted virtually through zoom meetings due to the distance limitations. They received an overview about research goal and then the primary questions were asked. Then all expert were asked the interview questions regarding each step and how it’s done technically in the business field. Later in round 2, we followed up with the SM specialist and with the startup owner via phone call to get further validation on the finished framework and findings. 6.4. Findings The interviews’ results showed that the proposed framework is a comprehensive representation of the basic steps a business firm needs to follow to successfully implement social media. To begin with the 1st expert Fatema regarding the 1st step planning while picking the departments she stated that it highly depends on the industry of the business. In her case working in Nile FM radio company, so need social media to inform people about the onair department shows. On the other hand, the second expert stated that the process of planning for social media is done for the organization as a whole as most departments will need social media as marketing, customer service and after sale. In Addition, both first and third agreed upon the need to add steps about the target audience before selecting the right platform. Their explanation was that they figure out who is their target audience; based on the target audience pick the best platform by comparing between each of them as in table 1. For example for Nile FM all social media platforms are used but twitter is very important as it is a very interactive tool to use and has millions of followers. Meanwhile for Jana bites, Instagram is used because the target audience is between age 13-40 so these people use Instagram much more that Facebook. The second expert(Zeina) stated as an ecommerce need to use both Facebook and Instagram together simultaneously. Afterwards, with the third step building relationships with the customers. All experts that were interviewed agreed that using social media interactive tools such as posts, stories, interactive Q&A ,polls on instagram stories are extremely beneficial and highly needed to reach targeted audiences easily. But each expert explained how they built relationships according to there business industry. As 1st expert Fatema mentioned that it is highly important to post content relevant to the audience about live events that happen worldwide as mothers day world environment day ; also they try to post visual content more than long written posts. However the second expert Zeina highlights that the facebook and instagram need to be linked with each other means that any content posted on any social media platform need to be exactly the same. Moreover, Zeina explained that they use the concept of social proof to build good relationships with customers by sending products to public figures and influencers so they can give their opinion about the product and that will build trust that people can see social opinion. And she mentioned that the after sale follow up is very beneficial through social media to better reach customer satisfaction and enhance and improve any unfavorable comments on the products. 7. Results The findings of this study affirm the need for a standardized framework to guide the integration of social media into business organizations. Through the Delphi method, expert validation provided 1372 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate critical insights into the proposed framework, enabling refinement and confirmation of its practical applicability. The experts unanimously acknowledged the relevance of the proposed framework and its potential to enhance social media adoption in businesses. Key findings from the validation process are summarized below: 7.1. Step 1: Planning Experts highlighted the importance of aligning social media goals with the specific needs of the organization and its departments. For instance, the first expert noted that in a media organization, social media efforts should focus on content promotion, while the second expert emphasized the need for a holistic approach where all departments leverage social media. Competitor analysis was recognized as a critical external factor. Experts recommended the use of tools such as BuzzSumo and Hootsuite to analyze competitors’ social media strategies and identify potential gaps. 7.2. Step 2: Identifying the Target Audience A new step was proposed during the validation process: identifying the target audience before platform selection. Experts agreed that understanding audience demographics and preferences is essential for selecting the most effective platforms. For example, the third expert noted that a catering startup’s audience primarily engages on Instagram due to its visual appeal, whereas a broader audience may require a multi-platform strategy. 7.3. Step 3: Platform Selection Experts stressed the importance of comparing platform characteristics and aligning them with organizational goals. Table 1 of the framework, which outlines the advantages and disadvantages of various platforms, was identified as a useful tool for decision-making. Social media specialists recommended tailoring platform selection based on the target audience. For example, Twitter was identified as a key platform for interactive communication in certain industries, while Facebook and Instagram were deemed essential for e-commerce brands. 7.4. Step 4: Building Relationships All experts emphasized the significance of interactive tools, such as polls, Q&A sessions, and social media stories, for engaging audiences and fostering trust. The concept of "social proof" was identified as an effective strategy. For example, the second expert shared insights on leveraging influencer collaborations to build credibility and enhance customer engagement. Experts noted that maintaining consistency across platforms and aligning content with audience interests were crucial for building long-term relationships. 7.5. Enhancements to the Framework Based on the feedback from experts, the framework was refined to include the following improvements: 1. Adding a step for identifying the target audience to ensure that subsequent decisions, such as platform selection and content strategies, are audience-centric. 2. Emphasizing the importance of continuous monitoring and analysis of insights to optimize engagement and improve outcomes. 3. Final Framework has been shown in Figure 4 bellow. 1373 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate Figure 4. Conceptual framework of implementing social media. 8. Conclusion To summarize, this paper started with a review of literature work in social media, SM technologies, SM strategy framework. Afterwards, analysis of the state of the art was done by presenting social media frameworks: in innovation, marketing management, new product development, recruitment and sales. and extracted the scientific gap that was later addressed. Then, presented a conceptual model as a solution, which is a standardized framework with the steps needed for any organizations to implement social media and technologyorganization-environment (TOE) framework showing the factors of using social media. Finally, we conducted a Delphi oriented methodology to test the validity of our proposed framework, and presented the obtained findings. The findings of this paper support the initial premise that there is a need for standardized steps to show implementing social media in business. We used a Delphi oriented methodology to validate the proposed framework. Moreover, our methodology included two rounds of evaluation, where we conducted virtual online interviews with the experts. Through the methodology, the proposed framework was being evaluated and approved by the experts participating in the research. Additionally, the experts highlighted the idea of adding the step of knowing the target audience for the business then can decide on the platform using the table 1 mentioned in the conceptual model section. In addition, they mentioned that the insights rates are checked regularly so they can post and interact with customers at the best time of the day to reach the highest customer engagement and benefit. Finally, Funding: The authors extend their appreciation to the Arab Open University for Funding this work through AOU research (Grant Number: AOUKSA-524008). Transparency: The authors confirm that the manuscript is an honest, accurate, and transparent account of the study; that no vital features of the study have been omitted; and that any discrepancies from the study as planned have been explained. This study followed all ethical practices during writing. 1374 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate Copyright: © 2025 by the authors. This open-access article is distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Reference [1] C. Fuchs, Social media: A critical introduction. London: Sage Publications Ltd, 2021. [2] R. Effing and T. A. Spil, "The social strategy cone: Towards a framework for evaluating social media strategies," International Journal of Information Management, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 1-8, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2015.08.003 [3] R. Perez-Vega, P. Hopkinson, A. Singhal, and M. M. Mariani, "From CRM to social CRM: A bibliometric review and research agenda for consumer research," Journal of Business Research, vol. 151, pp. 1-16, 2022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.04.008 [4] S. Yasiukovich and M. Haddara, "Social CRM in SMEs: A systematic literature review," Procedia Computer Science, vol. 181, pp. 535-544, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2021.01.227 [5] P. Harrigan, M. P. Miles, Y. Fang, and S. K. Roy, "The role of social media in the engagement and information processes of social CRM," International Journal of Information Management, vol. 54, p. 102151, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102151 [6] M. Tadros, A social media approach to higher education (Educating educators with social media). Leeds: Emerald Group Publishing Limited, 2011. [7] A. M. Kaplan and M. Haenlein, "Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media," Business Horizons, vol. 53, no. 1, pp. 59–68, 2010. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003 [8] J. H. Kietzmann, K. Hermkens, I. P. McCarthy, and B. S. Silvestre, "Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media," Business Horizons, vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 241-251, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.005 [9] K. Werder, R. W. Helms, and S. Jansen, "Social media for success: A strategic framework," in roceedings of the 2014 IEEE 16th Conference on Business Informatics (CBI). https://doi.org/10.1109/CBI.2014.27, 2014. [10] J. A. Obar and S. S. Wildman, "Social media definition and the governance challenge: An introduction to the special issue," Telecommunications Policy, vol. 39, no. 9, pp. 745-750, 2015. [11] N. Hajli, "A study of the impact of social media on consumers," International Journal of Market Research, vol. 56, no. 6, pp. 1-15, 2014. https://doi.org/10.2501/IJMR-2014-070 [12] O. Maecker, C. Barrot, and J. U. Becker, "The effect of social media interactions on," Healthcare Management, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 67-73, 2016. [13] L. Thomas and J. M. Woodside, "Social media maturity model," International Journal of Healthcare Management, vol. 9, no. 1, pp. 67-73, 2016. [14] A. Mislove, M. Marcon, K. P. Gummadi, P. Druschel, and B. Bhattacharjee, "Measurement and analysis of online social networks," in Proceedings of the 7th ACM SIGCOMM Conference on Internet Measurement. ACM, 2007, pp. 29–42). [15] L. Razmerita, K. Kirchner, and T. Nabeth, "Social media in organizations: leveraging personal and collective knowledge processes," Journal of Organizational Computing and Electronic Commerce, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 74-93, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1080/10919392.2014.889367 [16] W. He, X. Tian, Y. Chen, and D. Chong, "Actionable social media competitive analytics for understanding customer experiences," Journal of Computer Information Systems, vol. 56, no. 2, pp. 145-155, 2016. https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2016.1164008 [17] A. Bhimani, A.-L. Mention, and P.-J. Barlatier, "Social media and innovation: A systematic literature review and research agenda," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, vol. 144, pp. 251–269, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.10.007 [18] A. L. Parsons and E. Lepkowska-White, "Social media marketing management: A conceptual framework," Journal of Internet Commerce, vol. 17, no. 2, pp. 81-95, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1080/15332861.2018.1433910 [19] R. Liu and A. E. Kop, The usage of social media in new product development process: The benefits and the challenges (Handbook of research on integrating social media into strategic marketing). Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2015, pp. 120- 139. [20] S. Wazed and E. S. Ng, "College recruiting using social media: How to increase applicant reach and reduce recruiting costs," Strategic HR Review, vol. 14, no. 4, pp. 135-141, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-02-2015-0017 [21] J. M. Andzulis, N. G. Panagopoulos, and A. Rapp, "A review of social media and implications for the sales process," Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, vol. 32, no. 3, pp. 305-316, 2012. https://doi.org/10.2753/PSS0885- 3134320307 [22] L. G. Tornatzky and M. Fleischer, The processes of technological innovation. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books, 1990. [23] J. Baker, "The technology–organization–environment framework," Information Systems Theory: Explaining and Predicting Our Digital Society, vol. 1, pp. 231-245, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6108-2_12 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2015.08.003 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.04.008 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2021.01.227 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2020.102151 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.005 https://doi.org/10.1109/CBI.2014.27 https://doi.org/10.2501/IJMR-2014-070 https://doi.org/10.1080/10919392.2014.889367 https://doi.org/10.1080/08874417.2016.1164008 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2018.10.007 https://doi.org/10.1080/15332861.2018.1433910 https://doi.org/10.1108/SHR-02-2015-0017 https://doi.org/10.2753/PSS0885-3134320307 https://doi.org/10.2753/PSS0885-3134320307 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-6108-2_12 1375 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate [24] C. Newberry, "How to create a social media strategy for businesses. Hootsuite," Retrieved: https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-create-a-social-media-marketing-plan/, 2021. [25] R. L. Briones, B. Kuch, B. F. Liu, and Y. Jin, "Keeping up with the digital age: How the American Red Cross uses social media to build relationships," Public Relations Review, vol. 37, no. 1, pp. 37-43, 2011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2010.12.006 [26] A. Habibi, A. Sarafrazi, and S. Izadyar, "Delphi technique theoretical framework in qualitative research," The International Journal of Engineering and Science, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 8-13, 2014. [27] H. A. Linstone and M. Turoff, The Delphi method: Techniques and applications. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1975. [28] C. Okoli and S. D. Pawlowski, "The Delphi method as a research tool: An example, design considerations and applications," Information & Management, vol. 42, no. 1, pp. 15–29, 2004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2003.11.002 [29] D. R. Cooper and P. S. Schindler, Business research methods, 12th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2014. Appendix Interview Questions: Primary Questions 1. What is the nature of the industry of company? 2. What is your position and role in the company? 3. Could you describe how does your typical work day look like as …(job Title) 4. Does the company use Social media? 5. Do you think social media is helpful to business? If yes how. Planning • I think 1st step should be Planning by focusing on the human factor by deciding which department needs social media; how do you decide something like that? Or you just take the decision that whole org needs SM? • Then org factor by stating the goals; can you explain to me how you do this step?? • what external factors(competitors and competitors analysis) you put in mind while planning • Can you explain to me; what are the steps you take to next? (I explain my steps) Decide the platform • How do you pick the right platform? • Is their certain guidelines or voting decision or based on what? • Do you check the pros and cons of each platform being used by the competitors to decide? Build a relationship • How do you do this step?? • From your point of view do you see the following beneficial to build relationship: Creating FB groups to build community and loyalty? Mention followers in posts Connect with social media influencers or entrepreneurs; how do this? • Do you apply these 5 dimensions to test the relationship: commitment, control mutuality, communality, trust, and satisfaction • Commitment: • Interaction between org and public • Communality: Evaluating how the org and the public share similar values - Test trust • Test Satisfaction External factors What external factors you put in mind that will impact the implementation of social media in business Organizational factors https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-create-a-social-media-marketing-plan/ https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pubrev.2010.12.006 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2003.11.002 1376 Edelweiss Applied Science and Technology ISSN: 2576-8484 Vol. 9, No. 4: 1361-1376, 2025 DOI: 10.55214/25768484.v9i4.6274 © 2025 by the authors; licensee Learning Gate What organizational factors you put in mind that will impact the implementation of social media in business Human factors as Department selection, Team working on the project What human factors you put in mind that will impact the implementation of social media in business Technological factors Decide platform, Using SM interactive tools What technological factors you put in mind that will impact the implementation of social media in business 1. Does each department need to have different steps to adopt social media? or 1 generalized model will be suitable 2. In your opinion does this model will fit in your organization? Any other organization? 3. Do you think it is easy to have clear set of steps for everyone to use while trying to implement social media? Closing question: Is there anything you want to share or you find relevant to my research that I haven’t asked you about