Effective social media marketing strategy: Facebook as an opportunity for universities

Assimakopoulos, Costas; Antoniadis, Ioannis; Kayas, Oliver G.; Dvizac, Dragana

doi:10.1108/ijrdm-11-2016-0211

Cited by 77 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Engagement with a brand on SMSs may result from hedonic or utilitarian motivators. Companies tap into the two motivating categories with their communication strategies on SMSs when promoting their products and services, encouraging feedback, or inviting others to share content (Assimakopoulos et al, 2017;El-Haddadeh et al, 2012;Hanna et al, 2011). Followers can enjoy a humorous commercial on YouTube (hedonic aspect) or provide feedback on a service experience (utilitarian aspect).…”

Section: Technology Acceptance Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young consumers’ motivational drivers of brand engagement behavior on social media sites

Florenthal

2019

JRIM

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Purpose A comprehensive operational framework is proposed to explain young consumers’ (i.e. generations Y and Z) engagement with brands on social media sites (SMSs). This paper aims to synthesize two motivational theories: uses and gratifications (U&G) theory and the technology acceptance model (TAM). Design/methodology/approach A selective literature review was conducted to examine recent publications related to young consumers’ brand-driven engagement behavior on SMSs in which either TAM or U&G theory was applied. A three-stage method was used: an initial search was followed by vertical and horizontal searches and then a targeted search of scholarly publications. At each stage, the university’s library databases and Google Scholar were searched for relevant, mainly peer-reviewed articles, using appropriate filters and keywords. The articles’ references and the studies that cited those articles were added to the initially identified research pool (vertical search), coupled with publications of a similar nature based on keywords (horizontal search). The final stage, the targeted search, involved identifying and adding specific articles (e.g. literature reviews and integrated models). Findings After a review of a significant number of U&G and TAM studies, similarities and differences of the two theories were identified, and an integrated operational framework was developed. Based on empirical findings of existing U&G and TAM studies, testable propositions were presented. Research limitations/implications The proposed hybrid model and the associated propositions provide a research opportunity to empirically examine how young consumers’ motivational (i.e. motivating and demotivating) drivers, normative influence, perceived value and attitudes (toward brand content and engagement) predict intention or actual brand-related behavior on SMSs. Practical implications Much of current research indicates that generations Y and Z (“digital natives”) spend considerably more time on SMSs than any of the older generations (“digital immigrants”). Thus, brands that aim to target this cohort need to develop successful engagement strategies (e.g. gamification and influencer marketing) on current and emerging SMSs. The suggested conceptualization provides guidelines for companies to effectively use such communication strategies to motivate young people to engage with their brands on sites such as Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Originality/value A review of TAM research indicates that it lacks rich motivating/demotivating constructs, and thus borrows from other theories to complement this weakness. An examination of U&G frameworks, particularity Ducoffe (1996)-based models, indicates that these frameworks mainly test engagement with social media advertising but seldom other types of brand-driven engagement on SMSs. In addition, many U&G studies focus less than TAM studies do on outcome variables such as behavioral intentions and behavior. Thus, the authors propose a synthesized U&G and TAM framework that mitigates both theories’ weaknesses and builds on their strengths, enriching the growing research on brand-driven engagement behavior via SMSs.

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Section: Technology Acceptance Modelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Young consumers’ motivational drivers of brand engagement behavior on social media sites

Florenthal

2019

JRIM

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“…Social media research has received much credence in recent times given that it is considered part of individuals' daily activities and by extension serve as a vehicle for brand connection and engagement (Bianchi and Andrews, 2018). While this provides novel communication channel to engage consumers, most retail firms have developed social media strategies to enhance their engagement practices with current and prospective customers (Assimakopoulos et al, 2017). Although consumers consider it a norm to engage with others on social media, it is a challenge to gauge their interest in social media brand engagement practices (Dholakia, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding consumer motivations in online social brand engagement participation

Osei-Frimpong

2019

IJRDM

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Purpose Through the lens of self-determination theory (SDT), the purpose of this paper is to examine the influence of autonomous and controlled motivational regulations in driving consumer participation in social brand engagement (SBE) practices. In addition, the moderating effects of cognitive effort and consumer demographic variables (age and gender) are examined. Design/methodology/approach The proposed model is tested by employing a quantitative survey design consisting of 832 consumers with prior experience in engaging with brands on social media. The respondents were conveniently interviewed using online questionnaire. The model estimation was done through structural equation modelling with AMOS 23.0. Findings The findings indicate that intrinsic, integrated, introjected and external motivational regulations significantly influence consumer participation in SBE activities, whereas identified regulation does not. Furthermore, while age and gender presented mixed interaction effects on the paths examined, cognitive effort does not moderate the influence of autonomous and controlled motivational regulations on SBE participation. Research limitations/implications This study employed a cross-sectional survey to explore consumer motivation and cognitive effort in SBE practices. As an exploratory study, the findings may be limited and not conclusive, which could limit the generalisation of the results reported. Practical implications This study demonstrates a need for retailing managers to understand customers’ varying intentions or needs in participating in online SBE activities As a result, retail managers need to adopt social media strategies that could elicit interest and curiosity on the part of the customer to excite them to participate in the brand social interactions. Originality/value This research contributes to the conceptual understanding of SBE through the application of SDT, and contends that cognitive effort does not moderate consumer participation in SBE practices. Also, the mixed findings resulting from the moderation test of age and gender sheds light on specific types of regulated motivations that are either moderated or not in relation to these demographic variables.

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“…As consumers increase their participation in social media and more retail companies use social media as a strategic channel to communicate with consumers (e.g. Assimakopoulos et al, 2017), a better understanding of consumer-brand engagement through these social media sites is needed (Hall-Phillips et al, 2016). We draw on Lin et al (2014) and Van Doorn et al (2010), and define consumer engagement with retail brands as a behavioral manifestation of consumers' continuance intention to use social media to communicate or purchase products and services.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Consumer engagement with retail firms through social media: an empirical study in Chile

Bianchi

Andrews

2018

IJRDM

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Purpose Given the widespread popularity of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, understanding consumer-brand engagement behavior within social media is fundamental for retail firms. Yet, little is known about how consumers engage with retail brands through social media. The purpose of this paper is to address this gap and extend previous research by examining factors that influence consumers’ attitudes and intentions to engage with retail brands through Facebook, and ultimately purchase products and services. Design/methodology/approach This study draws on the theory of reasoned action and the technology acceptance model to develop a model of consumer-brand social media engagement and purchase intentions. Specifically, the model tests the influence of five antecedents of attitude on consumer intentions to engage with retail brands through the brands’ Facebook pages as well as intentions to make purchases through this social media. The hypotheses of the model are tested using structural equation modeling. Findings The findings provide an understanding of the main drivers of consumer-brand engagement that can lead to purchase intentions. Results show that consumers’ attitudes toward engaging with retail brands through Facebook are influenced by peer communication, compatibility and credibility, and that attitude has a strong influence on intentions toward this behavior. Furthermore, there is a strong relationship between intentions to engage and the likelihood of purchasing through a retail brand’s Facebook page. Research limitations/implications This study is cross-sectional and was conducted at a particular point in time. Thus, results are not purported to make any inferences to causal relationships. Further, the measures of intentions to engage are attitudinal and not objective measures. Future longitudinal studies may help avoid this limitation by testing causal relationships. Practical implications The study contributes to the important area of consumer engagement with retail brands through social media in ways that may lead to making purchases. Findings can provide retailers with reference points through which to engage their brands with consumers through their Facebook pages in ways that may lead to more direct returns on their investment in social media sites. Originality/value Retailers are noticing the power of social media sites as a platform for engaging with consumers and extending this relationship to purchases. However, scant research has addressed this topic. The proposed model and findings of this study can extend prior research.

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Effective social media marketing strategy: Facebook as an opportunity for universities

Cited by 77 publications

References 30 publications

Young consumers’ motivational drivers of brand engagement behavior on social media sites

Young consumers’ motivational drivers of brand engagement behavior on social media sites

Understanding consumer motivations in online social brand engagement participation

Consumer engagement with retail firms through social media: an empirical study in Chile

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