Purpose Social networking sites and Facebook have grown to become an important channel of interactive marketing communication with consumers for retail. The purpose of this paper is to examine the ways posts characteristics and reactions affect post popularity and engagement in retail brands Facebook pages. Design/methodology/approach In total, 18 retail brand pages out of the 120 most popular brand pages on Facebook in Greece are examined for a three months’ period (April–June 2016). In all, 2,627 posts are analyzed with the use of OLS regressions in order to identify the characteristics of posts that increase consumers’ engagement, including the newly introduced reaction feature. Findings The results suggest that richness of content (images and videos) and message length increase the engagement levels and the popularity of posts. Reactions have a positive effect on engagement, and negative reactions stronger than positive reactions, except in sharing. On the other hand, posting time does not seem to have a statistically significant impact on the engagement and popularity of a post. Research limitations/implications The study was conducted during a period that reactions were only recently introduced by Facebook, therefore users and brands may not have been familiarized with their use. Practical implications The study contributes to the understanding of consumer engagement with retail brands’ pages on Facebook and social media, and the ways they use reactions and other ways of interactions with brand posts. The results can provide some insight to retailers on how to achieve higher levels of engagement for their brands through their Facebook pages, improving the effectiveness of social media marketing campaigns. Originality/value The findings contribute in understanding the ways users interact with brand posts in Facebook using reactions, using a number of popularity measures, providing useful insights about reactions, engagement and e-WoM, extending prior research.

PurposeThis study investigates the usage of university Facebook groups and sites by undergraduate students seeking information about their departments and the ways these pages could be used to acquire students. Factors that can intensify the Facebook group activities of a University are examined as well as how Facebook can be used as a marketing tool to improve marketing campaigns. Design/methodology/approachThe study investigates and compares two Universities: the University of Novisad of the Republic of Serbia and the Technological Educational Institute of Western Macedonia, Greece. A structured questionnaire was used with samples of 343 and 300 students gathered in this survey. FindingsAn enhanced TAM oriented towards Facebook is presented and it is the conceptual background of the paper. Student demographics and behavioral characteristics of the Facebook group they enrolled on were determined. Common behavioral patterns of the usage tension of the Facebook group are also identified. Additionally, five factors were determined that can be used by university marketers to intensify engagement with the Facebook group. Research limitations/implications (if applicable)Larger samples should be used for future research. Practical implications (if applicable) Originality/valueThe paper proposes a marketing strategy a higher education institution should follow to more effectively use Social Networking Sites as a marketing tool.

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