Firm-level perspectives on social media engagement: an exploratory study

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 217-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Hallock ◽  
Anne L. Roggeveen ◽  
Victoria Crittenden
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Education Institution ◽  
Social Networking Site ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Media Networks ◽  
Meaningful Information ◽  
Consumer Interactions

PurposeThis paper aims to develop a richer, more complete understanding of how firms define and consider customer engagement on social networks. The research builds from the theoretical backdrop of customer engagement. The research then uses a qualitative interview approach to understand the firm perspective.Design/methodology/approachQualitative data were collected using in-depth interviews with employees at a variety of companies including Facebook, Google, another leading social networking site, a higher education institution and a start-up company.FindingsCompanies view engagement with social media as measureable metrics of consumer interactions with the platform. These metrics could include growth and interaction on the platform, number of users, subscribers to the site or page views. Propositions are developed around how customer engagement is defined, the breadth and depth of social media and when social media is used as a push or a pull strategy.Research limitations/implicationsFindings from this research are limited by the sample size and convenience of sampling. However, results from this grounded theory approach enabled propositions that can focus on larger datasets and testing.Practical implicationsEngagement indicates meaningful information that can propel a company’s position forward. To companies, this meaningful information is in terms of metrics that can be used as information and evidence for future decision-making.Social implicationsThis research suggests that firms need to better define what engagement means and to assess the best platforms for creating an ecosystem of engagement with customers.Originality/valueMany researchers are exploring engagement within the context of social media networks. This research, however, is one of the first to explore this from a firm level perspective.

Social networking sites and customers’ attitude towards advertisements

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 477-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaustav Mukherjee ◽  
Neelotpaul Banerjee
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Networking ◽  
Social Networking Sites ◽  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Positive Attitude ◽  
Social Networking Site ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The study aims to demonstrate the impact of social media users’ positive attitude towards the social networking sites (SNS) on the generation of a positive attitude towards social networking advertisements (SNA). A favourable attitude towards the SNA thus generated can positively influence brand attitude and purchase intention. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted to collect relevant data using a structured questionnaire. Structural equation modelling was conducted using the statistical software AMOS 18. Findings Empirical analysis revealed the importance of brand advertisements on the social networks in inciting a positive attitude as well as a purchase intention for the brand in the SNS users’ minds. Research limitations/implications The study has been conducted in the Indian context using Facebook as a model social networking site. Practical implications Social media being one of the most popular and user-friendly platforms for regular communications, marketers are suggested to allocate a sizeable share of the advertising budget for social media advertisements and customer engagement so as to help build a positive attitude towards the advertised brand in the SNS users’ minds. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the impact of users’ positive evaluation of SNS as an effective communication medium, on the generation of a positive attitude towards the SNA, has been dealt for the first time here.

Social media engagement, service complexity, and experiential quality in US hospitals

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 833-845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Youngsu Lee ◽  
Joonhwan In ◽  
Seung Jun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Demographic Data ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Service Firms ◽  
Multiple Sources ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Media Engagement ◽  
Experiential Quality

Purpose As social media platforms become increasingly popular among service firms, many US hospitals have been using social media as a means to improve their patients’ experiences. However, little research has explored the implications of social media use within a hospital context. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a hospital’s customer engagement through social media and its association with customers’ experiential quality. Also, this study examines the role of a hospital’s service characteristics, which could shape the nature of the interactions between patients and the hospital. Design/methodology/approach Data from 669 hospitals with complete experiential quality and demographic data were collected from multiple sources of secondary data, including the rankings of social media friendly hospitals, the Hospital Compare database, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) cost report, the CMS impact file, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Analytics database and the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. Specifically, the authors designed the instrumental variable estimate to address the endogeneity issue. Findings The empirical results suggest a positive association between a hospital’s social media engagement and experiential quality. For hospitals with a high level of service sophistication, the association between online engagement and experiential quality becomes more salient. For hospitals offering various services, offline engagement is a critical predictor of experiential quality. Research limitations/implications A hospital with more complex services should make efforts to engage customers through social media for better patient experiences. The sample is selected from databases in the US, and the databases are cross-sectional in nature. Practical implications Not all hospitals may be better off improving the patient experience by engaging customers through social media. Therefore, practitioners should exercise caution in applying the study’s results to other contexts and in making causal inferences. Originality/value The current study delineates customer engagement through social media into online and offline customer engagement. This study is based on the theory of customer engagement and reflects the development of mobile technology. Moreover, this research may be considered as pioneering in that it considers the key characteristics of a hospital’s service operations (i.e., service complexity) when discovering the link between customers’ engagement through a hospital’s social media and experiential quality.

scholarly journals Social Media use and value creation in the digital landscape: a dynamic-capabilities perspective

2020 ◽  
Vol 31 (3) ◽  
pp. 313-343
Author(s):  
Aurora Garrido-Moreno ◽  
Víctor García-Morales ◽  
Stephen King ◽  
Nigel Lockett
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Business Value ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Media Tools ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities Perspective

PurposeAlthough Social Media use has become all-pervasive, previous research has failed to explain how to use Social Media tools strategically to create business value in today's increasingly digital landscapes. Adopting a dynamic capabilities perspective, this paper empirically examines the specific process through which Social Media use translates into better performance and the capabilities involved in this process.Design/methodology/approachA research model is proposed that includes both antecedents and consequences of Social Media use. Existing research was examined to derive the research hypotheses, which were tested using SEM methodology on a sample of 212 hotels.FindingsThe results show that Social Media use does not exert significant direct impact on organizational performance. Rather, the findings confirm the mediating role played by Social CRM and Customer Engagement capabilities in the value creation process.Practical implicationsThe results demonstrate how Social Media tools should be implemented and managed to generate business value in hotels. Implications yield interesting insights for hotel managersOriginality/valueThis study is a first attempt to analyze empirically the real impact of digital media technologies, particularly Social Media use, drawing on the dynamic capabilities perspective and focusing on service firms (hotels). Including the variable “Organizational Readiness” as a basic prerequisite to benefit from Social Media use enhances the study's novelty and contribution.

How social media advertising features influence consumption and sharing intentions: the mediation of customer engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunli Ji ◽  
Susana Mieiro ◽  
Guihai Huang
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Behavioral Intention ◽  
Marketing Research ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Mediating Effect ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Interactive Marketing ◽  
Media Dependency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Social Media Advertising

PurposeSocial media advertising (SMA) has become overly critical in the interactive marketing research field. This paper aimed to construct a research architecture model and to investigate the mediating effect of customer engagement between SMA and consumer behavioral intention in the context of Macao's casino integrated resorts.Design/methodology/approachThe authors collected data from 300 Chinese-speaking visitors of Macao's casino integrated resorts through a face-to-face survey. The hypotheses derived from the conceptual model were tested through two-stage structural equation modeling. The authors considered age and gender as control variables.FindingsThis study found that entertainment and promotional rewards had significant direct effects on consumption intention. Social media dependency did affect directly not only consumption intention but also sharing intention. Customer engagement on SMA mediated the effects of two SMA features (entertainment and promotional rewards) and one feature of SMA viewers (social media dependency) on consumption intention. As to extraneous variables, neither age nor gender significantly influenced consumer behavioral intention.Practical implicationsThe casino integrated resort managers should enhance the entertainment elements and provide reasonable promotional rewards to increase SMA's effectiveness. Managers should also consider the social media usage habits of the targeted customers. Further academic research on casino integrated resorts in other regions may use this study as a basis for investigating the mediation of customer engagement on SMA.Originality/valueThis study contributed to understanding the mediating mechanism of customer engagement on SMA by conceptualizing customer engagement on SMA as a unique idea and provided a conceptual framework for further theoretical and empirical research in the interactive marketing research field.

The role of perceived social media agility in customer engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
David Gligor ◽  
Sıddık Bozkurt
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Measurement Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Study Results ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The concept of agility has been applied to several domains to help firms develop the capability to quickly adjust their operations to cope and thrive in environments characterized by frequent changes. Despite the soaring number of social media users and the benefits associated with agility in other domains, the application of agility in a social media context has yet to be explored. Further, little is known about how agility in a social media context impacts desirable customer-related attributes, such as customer engagement and customer-based brand equity (CBBE). This paper aims to address this gap by adapting the construct to social media (i.e. perceived social media agility) and exploring its impact on customer engagement and CBBE. Design/methodology/approach This paper conducted an online survey with 200 adult subjects. This paper used multivariate regression analyzes to empirically test a scale for perceived social media agility and explore its impact on CBBE and customer engagement, along with the moderating role of customer change-seeking behavior. Findings The study results show that perceived social media agility directly and indirectly (through customer engagement) positively influences CBBE. Also, results show that the positive impact of perceived social media agility on CBBE is further magnified for customers high on change-seeking. However, customer change-seeking does not affect the strength or direction of the impact of perceived social media agility on customer engagement. Originality/value This paper contributes to social media literature by adapting and testing a measurement scale for the construct of perceived social media agility and exploring its role in enhancing customer engagement and CBBE.

A persuasive eWOM model for increasing consumer engagement on social media: evidence from Irish fashion micro-influencers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Shen
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Consumer Participation ◽  
Marketing Communication ◽  
Consumer Engagement ◽  
Brand Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Consumer Interactions ◽  
The Relationship

Purpose This study aims to find how can fashion micro-influencers and their electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) messages increase consumer engagement on social media, focusing on micro-influencers’ influence, typology, eWOM content and consumer engagement. Design/methodology/approach A total of 20,000 microblogs were collected from Irish fashion micro-influencers and analyzed through keyword classification and content analysis in NVivo. The determinants of eWOM persuasiveness for consumer engagement on social media were investigated based on Sussman and Siegal’s information adoption model. Findings The study finds that among the four types of micro-influencers, market mavens and their eWOM messages have the highest impact on consumer engagement on social media, and it presents a repetitive and persuasive eWOM model of market mavens to increase consumer participation. Also, the study discovers that micro-influencers’ occasion-related microblogs have an increasing impact on consumer interactions whereas microblogs with brands have a decreasing engagement with consumers on social media. Originality/value This study advances prior studies on the relationship between influencers’ eWOM messages and consumer participation on social media by the development of a persuasive eWOM model of micro-influencers to increase consumer engagement and fill in the lack of relevant literature. Also, findings provide actionable insights for marketing communication practitioners to persuade consumers to participate in eWOM communications and establish strong consumer-brand relationships on social media.

Effects of content characteristics on stages of customer engagement in social media: investigating European wine brands

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Aspasia Vlachvei ◽  
Ourania Notta ◽  
Eirini Koronaki
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Data Analysis ◽  
Panel Data ◽  
Panel Data Analysis ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Interactive Engagement ◽  
Long Run ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study advances knowledge of interactive marketing strategies by examining the effect of different content types on the three stages of customer engagement (CE) in social media, namely, relationship formation, engagement creation and engagement contribution, for European wine brands.Design/methodology/approachBoth quantitative and qualitative content analyses are conducted; a panel data analysis validates the impact of content type on the three stages of CE in social media.FindingsThe results indicate that remunerative content is the most consistent and promising strategy for enhancing all three stages of CE in social media. Social content motivates consumers to interact with wine brands by commenting, which is the most demanding and time-consuming form of engagement.Practical implicationsThe empirical results offer valuable directions for managers and marketers of European wine brands on creating and maintaining optimal interactive engagement in all three stages with their Facebook communities over the long run.Originality/valueThis study is one of the first to empirically examine, through objective measurement, how content type affects the three stages of CE in social media. The case of European wine brands is examined, over time, through a panel data analysis.

The architecture of the phygital customer journey: a dynamic interplay between systems of insights and systems of engagement

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristina Mele ◽  
Tiziana Russo-Spena
Keyword(s):  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Theory Approach ◽  
Customer Journey ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Smart Technologies ◽  
Grounded Theory Approach ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Dynamic Interplay

Purpose This paper aims to focus on how companies shape the architecture of a phygital customer journey through the exploitation of smart technologies. Design/methodology/approach The research adopts a qualitative method using a grounded theory approach involving leading players in digital customer solutions and service providers from different industries. Findings The shaping of the architecture of the phygital customer journey comes from the interplay between systems of insights and systems of engagement activated by multiple customer-provider interactions in an entanglement of physical and digital contexts. Practical implications Companies need to design a blended approach to bridge disconnected contexts, capture new opportunities and provide customer engagement along the entire journey. Originality/value This study depicts the “phygital customer journey” under systems of insights and systems of engagement: These systems operate as dynamic architectures to capture insights and engage customers.

The Influence of Corporate Social Media on Firm Level Strategic Decision Making

2013 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Venkataraman ◽  
Ranjan Das
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Social Media ◽  
Strategic Decision ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Strategic Decision Making ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Strategy Process ◽  
Social Media Engagement ◽  
Extended Value ◽  
Corporate Social

Social media engagement by business firms has been steadily on the rise, with its application extending to a range of corporate functions, beyond marketing and customer engagement, many of which can be construed as strategic. However, the potential influence of social media on strategy process or strategic decision making has scarcely been explored in strategic management literature. In addressing this gap, this paper conceptually explores the likely influence of social media on issue of strategic decision making and the mechanism of such influence, and also uses an assortment of anecdotes from practice for illustrative purposes. The authors suggest a plausible model whereby corporate social media engagement is seen to exert its influence through the three key dimensions of strategy process - environmental factors, strategists characteristics and decision issue characteristics. In particular social media engagement is conceived as ingraining knowledge creation and integration through socialization within an extended value network.

Data retrieval from online social media networks for defining business angels’ profile

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-75
Author(s):  
Gustavo Morales-Alonso ◽  
Guzmán A. Vila ◽  
Isaac Lemus-Aguilar ◽  
Antonio Hidalgo
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Data Retrieval ◽  
Business Angels ◽  
Informal Finance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Highly Educated ◽  
Social Media Networks ◽  
Retrieval Technique ◽  
Online Social Media

Purpose Entrepreneurship is the basis of economic development but is somehow limited by the lack of access to financing sources, especially in the crucial moments of start-up early-stage development. For crossing the so-called “valley of death,” start-ups need to access informal finance sources, such as business angels. This study aims at defining the profile of business angels and comparing it with the existing literature. Design/methodology/approach A novel methodology for sampling the business angles population has been used, which extracts data from online social media networks. This allows taking a closer look at informal sources of entrepreneurial finance. A total of 500 real business angels, acting worldwide, from the LinkedIn and Crunchbase databases has been retrieved for this study. Findings Results point out that younger investors seem to be entering the entrepreneurial informal finance market. They are mainly males between 40 and 50 years of age, with a previous entrepreneurial record, and more highly educated than previously stated. They tend to have studies from Business Administration and Economics, although they prefer to invest in the ICT sector. Originality/value Besides the novel data retrieval technique for analyzing the informal sources of finance, the originality of the work lies in updating the archetype for business angels.

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