Abstract
The roles of corporations and customers began to shift with the advent of the Internet towards the end of the twentieth century. By the twenty-first century, customers began to have a say in the digital world, earning the label of “user.” While companies began to supply content for users, people began to create their own content and post it on various forums, media and content sharing sites, and social networking sites, allowing them to share it with their coworkers, other users, and even the whole world. This study identified a significant correlation between social media activities and customer interaction with the company’s brands. The study adopted a deductive methodology with a qualitative focus. The findings of the study shows that the use of appropriate social media content and tools such as comments, like and tags influenced consumers’ perception of a company’s brand. The study is significant to social media marketing companies to improve their social media marketing activities.
Impact of Social Media on Brand Perception and Loyalty
Statement of Research Problem
Presently, as social media marketing becomes more popular, organizations are incorporating different social media marketing tools into their digital marketing strategy, such as Instagram, which is a popular social network among young customers. Companies are building numerous marketing programs and investing substantial resources in order to engage with their customers on social media in order to establish customer loyalty and buy propensity. The research on the affects of individuals’ participation levels in social media sites on perceptions of social media marketing strategies was included in the scope of this study. The study focused on establishing how social media marketing activities of brands impact brand reputation, brand perception, and loyalty.
Methodology
Research Design
The goal of this study was to learn more about how social media marketing affects consumer brand recognition, attachment, and corporate reputation. Because the study was focused on the probable link between the parameters, social media marketing, brand loyalty, and corporate reputation, and whether or not social media marketing activities had any impact on brand reputation and, customer loyalty an explanatory research design was adopted (Stocchi & Fuller, 2017). According to Saunders et al. (2017), there are three methodologies to use while carrying out research: deductive, inductive, and abductive. Research can be either quantitative or qualitative in nature. This study took a deductive method with a qualitative focus.
Data Collection
The study adopted interview schedules to obtain the data required for the survey. The interview offers significant flexibility. The approach has a higher response rate than postal questionnaires, and persons who are unable to read or write can also respond. Furthermore, the interviewer can assess the participant’s expressive conduct. Furthermore, the interviewer may choose a quiet and silent location for the interview, as opposed to mail, which might have an entirely different setting (Saunders et al., 2017). Finally, the choice of interview schedule was guided by the fact that the interviewer has discretion over the sequence of the questions, as in the survey, and may rate the participant’s spontaneity.
The interview schedules were structured with eight questions. The interviewer began by seeking the participants’ understanding of social media and how frequently they use social media platforms. Further, the respondents were asked if their brand interaction was influenced by social media interaction. The respondents’ intentions for the use of social media were sought through their personal opinion of what consumers would love to see on different social media platforms. Other questions related to the respondents’ perception of consumers’ interaction with brands. Additionally, the interviewer sought the respondents’ opinions of how or whether social media news affected their brand perception.
Sampling
The target population for this study involved active members of the Facebook groups of one or more global companies dealing with either sportswear, householf accessories or, smartphones or beauty products. The businesses were picked because all of them are active on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. The goal of this study was to determine whether there was a link between social media marketing activities and brand image and/or brand allegiance in the global firms. The goal with the survey participants was therefore to encompass a target audience that had been subjected to social media marketing activities from those firms. Saunders et al. (2018) argues that the sampled population must be knowledgeable about the subject under consideration. The process of selecting participants entails choosing a typical cohort from the examined group that will reflect the entire population.
A sample of 15 participants was selected for this study. The convenience sampling technique was applied in choosing a representative sample for the study. This sampling technique was applied based on individual availability. This sampling method was carried out by first locating a platform with users who met the following criteria: actively follow at least one of the global firms and had been subjected to social media marketing activities. A sample was drawn from these communities by making the survey open to anybody who wished to participate in the study. The goal was for the sample to be representative of the population involved in this study.
Data Analysis
Data analysis was based on the interview transcripts from all the respondents. The goal of the analysis was to establish a meaningful and recurring theme whose presence and frequency across the respondents addressed the research problem. Respondents’ consent was sought before the interview to allow the interviewer to record the sessions. The interview outcomes were transcribed into text with one interview containing up to 15 pages. The transcription process also focused on onomatopoeia and silences since these conveyed important information, either indifference or embarrassment. The transcription process began immediately after the interviews to maintain the freshness and to enable the interviewer to assess theoretical saturation.
The interviewer went through the transcripts to gain familiarity with them and began identifying all recurring themes across the transcripts. Every transcript was classified into various themes including brand recognition, brand perception, customer loyalty, and social media marketing activities. Afterward, the researcher established the number of times every theme appeared in every interview transcript. After conducting the evaluation and developing a narrative, the researcher conveyed the data, beginning with the most frequency category and progressing to the lowest frequency category. The researcher then described how this narrative would aid in the achievement of the primary research goal.
Findings
All the study’s participants acknowledged that they were well versed in social media. However, there existed variations in terms of the use of these social media platforms. While others identified with the social media platforms to obtain news updates, some participants stated that their use of the social media networks was exclusively for advertisements and purchase decisions. Some respondents acknowledged that their use of social media was informed by the need to purchase the products of interest such as clothing and jewelry.
This study established that the choice of social media content that is appropriate to the target audiences’ interest has a key role in customer engagement with the company’s brands.
Most respondents identified that they are drawn by campaigns that pique their interest and that companies should fashion their social media activities based on their target audiences’ interests. In order to do that, the respondents identified that the brand should know their customers passions to deliver what the audience is willing to see. For example, more environmentally friendly encouraging campaigns should be done by brands that support the environmental cause. Organizations should carry out campaigns that will increase interest among their target audience and ultimately lead to increased brand engagement.
All the participants in the study admitted that social media increases brand interaction with consumers. Some participants identified the reposting, commenting, and retagging of companies’ posts as ways of brand interaction. Some respondents acknowledged that brands that address the issues that go on around the world really appeal to them because they do well and raise awareness. The use of social media features such as DM was identified as a factor that increases brand interaction, providing convenience to customers. Others’ comments on companies’ brands help customers to make informed purchase decisions.
While some respondents identified that individuals intended to see videos and other entertaining pieces on social media networks, the majority were interested in companies’ brands, advertisements, news and stories. Overall, all respondents acknowledged that the use of video ads and graphics to accompany the adverts had a significant impact on brand perception. The respondents identified that social media could have either a negative or positive impact on a consumer’s perception of the brand. Consumer perception according to some respondents was determined by how companies package their social media content. Negative reviews or comments on a company’s brand were identified to affect consumers’ brand perception negatively. On the other hand, positive social media news affected the respondents’ perception of a brand positively. The respondents acknowledged that social media marketing tools had a critical role in building brand experience and perception.
This study’s findings further shows that social media sometimes inflicts some positive feelings on the customers and users of the sites. There is a sense of intimacy through the interaction with a brand through social media that has a higher level of impact than salespeople found in stores. Most respondents acknowledged having made many purchases after falling victim of social media ads. If an ad were too colorful, respondents said that it would stop their scrolling and consider purchasing the product. If it touched their hearts, customers would make it to the checkout page
This study’s findings were significant in addressing the question of the link between social media marketing activities and brand perception among consumers. The respondents identified that social media affected how they viewed a company’s product and that through video ads and public reviews, they held either negative or positive perceptions of a company’s brand. Social media also enhanced brand interaction among social media users. Social media features such as comments, likes, tags, and reposting facilitated customers’ interaction with a company’s brand.
In order for a client to be happy with a brand page on a social media platform in based on functional value, the page’s information must be usable, beneficial, valuable, and realistic. If consumers is happy in this regard, they likely to return to the company website more frequently. Social media has turned users from inactive to active persons who can quickly and at any moment submit their experiences and perspectives, directing businesses to the “co-creation” phase. The use of social media encourages clients to become people who are enthusiastic about the business.
Conclusion and Recommendations
The research’s findings on whether brand image impacts brand loyalty demonstrate that there is a link between the two. When a company’s brand image improves, so does its brand loyalty. Clients’ commitment to a brand will rise if a company concentrates on developing and strengthening its brand reputation. This would imply that clients are so inclined to acquire a company’s products/services that they are more loyal to the brand and that rivals may find it increasingly difficult to get them to buy their products.
According to the study’s findings, customers’ perceptions of social media strategies consisting of functional value, social value, and self-brand image cohesiveness towards the brand’s page increases as their level of interaction with the brand’s page increases. In this regard, it could be stated that customers are enthusiastic and participating users of the brand they follow, and connection with other users may boost their impression of the brand. Companies might target their target audiences with social media ads and establish campaigns and events to increase engagement on their social media accounts, so that their customers become active and participatory members by accessing their brand’s social media page on a frequent basis. Companies should also incorporate contents that would satisfy both hedonic and the social needs of their customers. Contents within companies’ social media accounts should also serve the functional value for their clients by offering proper description of their brand.
Social networking sites such as Instagram offer individuals a socializing platform. Clients should be aware that other customers who they consider to be similar to themselves exist on the brand page and that they may meet and talk with them when they need to engage in order to achieve their social fulfillment. A strong social engagement and impression of the company’s site on social networks can ensure that clients sees the page more often and improves dedication to the product or brand.
The limitations of this research are mostly related to the data obtained. Because this study’s gender balance culminated in a clear majority of female participants, the findings may not be regarded to reflect the total population. Because the researcher cannot be sure if males and females think or utilize social media in the same manner, the sample’s gender bias may be deceptive in determining which variables are most important.
Recommendations
Selection of the most appropriate social media network plays key role in the effectiveness of social media marketing activities. Although various consumers utilize different social media sites, it is not a smart option to launch promotional campaigns across all social channels at once. Companies should begin by mastering a few social media outlets. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn are all important business channels. Others, however, like Pinterest and YouTube, have a role when it comes to developing and launching products. Every medium has a distinct market position and set of applications. It is advantageous for businesses to collect data about existing clients before launching social media marketing activities. This data reveals who are purchasing and how they are connecting with a company online. Businesses should examine the networks clients are likely to utilize after defining the target demographic.
Companies should engage more of video content when promoting their brands in social media platforms. Businesses who want to engage their customers are increasingly turning to live videos. Indeed, as per the findings of this study’s survey, the majority of individuals prefer watching video material from a company rather than reading their articles. Furthermore, the majority of respondents in this survey value online streams and are more likely to buy tickets to events, or make orders for brands after seeing a live video or a comparable event. Therefore, if a company wants to improve their brand appeal, a live video should be an important part of their marketing plan. Organizations might live broadcast brand activities, testimonials, and behind-the-scenes footage, and so on to improve user engagement. They may also utilize video making tools to create simpler videos.
Companies should adopt creative contents and storytelling techniques to enhance customer engagement and attachment to their brands. The way a company presents its brand has a huge impact on how others regard it. Renowned corporations have dedicated to unique tales in order to increase the efficacy of their brand advertising. Narratives are often effective in developing an emotional connection between a company’s brand and its target audience. Aside from what and how a firm says it, the channel by which its brand delivers its narrative is critical. Social media is a powerful tool for telling a company’s brand story and communicating with customers.
Organizations should adopt user-generated contents in their social marketing activities. User-generated content (UGC) is among the most effective methods for a company’s brands to be promoted. Individuals trust other people more than they believe marketing tricks or brand claims. Rather than relying on a company’s brand promises, user-generated content provides its intended audience with honest opinions straight from other consumers. This is a type of social evidence that aids in the positioning of a company’s brand as respectable. User-generated pictures have a higher level of trust than other types of material. According to more than half of the respondents in this study, user-generated content graphics are more persuasive and effective than a brand’s own images or films. As a result, businesses should constantly provide their customers with a console to boast about their purchases.
Companies should ensure consistency in updating their social media sites to improve user interaction with the brand. Inconsistency is the worst practice social media marketing company can do. If time and money are invested in a particular network, it should be treated promptly and have a steady flow of material. Individuals will follow a business or a site if they enjoy the material that is offered. Continuous publishing not only improves the brand, but it also promotes consumer loyalty. Subscribers will ideally discuss and share the brand, resulting in more chances for word-of-mouth promotion. Producing continuous material allows a company to fill out their publishing schedule. However, when the publishing schedule runs dry and there is a break in fresh material, it is a pretty idea to look backward at what has worked in the previously, reuse the most relevant pieces, and offer a fresh spin.
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