Enhancing relationship marketing using social media tools in food and beverages industries
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Date
2019
Authors
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Publisher
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Abstract
Social media is an important tool for relationship marketing (RM). However, crafting persuasive strategies in this channel is challenging and more research is required to help brands avoid any failure in their RM efforts. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine social media strategies used by Malaysian brands (MBs), including a comparison of strategies employed by global brands (GBs) versus local brands (LBs), and product versus retailer brands. This study also investigates the impact of social media strategies on active customer engagement (CE) which are measured on the number of likes, shares, and comments, including the effect of social media strategies across GBs versus LBs, and product versus retailer. Four major dimensions of social media strategies are analysed: post types, post characteristics, brand personality, and valence of comments. 80 brands were selected for sampling and a content analysis on their two weeks Facebook brands post was undertaken. A total of 741 posts were analysed using descriptive analysis, T-test, multiple regression, and hierarchical regression. Findings from this study indicate that Malaysian brands use social media mostly for advertising purpose. Furthermore, Malaysian brands prefer to update post on weekdays, use mostly photos, low interactive tools, and humorous personality. Additionally, customers mostly communicate about general issues with their favourite brands, rather than influencing others with positive or negative comments. In sum, this study proposed that both competing brands (GBs versus LBs and product versus retailer brand) used different social media strategies. This study also found that different strategies are required to increase the number of likes, shares, and comments. Most importantly, there are some different effect of social media strategies across GBs versus LBs, and product versus retailer brand. The results of this study indicate that the use of link and humorous personality generates a higher number of likes for the product, than for retailer brand. The study also found that the use of a customer service post produces a higher number of shares for the retailer, than for product brand. Finally, the use of the engagement post draws more comments on GBs, than on LBs. Theoretically, this study advances the RM theory by offering a mechanism on how to develop effective interaction strategies in social media to achieve RM value. This study also expands active CE literatures by examining the most comprehensive strategies, and was the first to highlight the different effects of social media strategies across GBs and LBs. Practically, this study also offers practical guidance for managers in Food and Beverages (F&B) industries who seek to execute effective social media strategies. If managers aim at increasing the number of likes, they are suggested to employ link, humorous personality, and to avoid brand awareness post. If managers aim to increase the number of shares, they should use promotion post, customer service post, assertive personality, and to avoid status. If the managers want to increase more comments, they are proposed to regularly employ the customer service post, promotion post, engagement post, and using humorous personality. Finally, it is important for managers to quickly respond to positive and negative comments.
Description
Thesis (PhD. (Management))
Keywords
Relationship marketing, Internet marketing—Planning, Social media—Influence