Abstract

In recent years, customer engagement has gained significance due to the rapid growth of the Internet in the last few decades, which has offered enormous opportunities to customers. The purpose of the study is to assess the effect of social media marketing activities on customer engagement in social media brand communities. In addition, the study also examines the related outcomes of customer engagement in social media brand communities. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 159 social media users who follow particular brands on social media or were members of brand pages on social media. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling in Amos 22.0. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that social media marketing activities significantly affect customer engagement in virtual brand communities. Moreover, customer engagement stimulates brand loyalty and consumers' intention to repurchase the brands promoted using social media platforms. Also, customer engagement positively influences consumers' willingness to pay a premium for the said brand. Social media has provided marketers a new opportunity to connect with existing and prospective customers and collect insights about the customers through interaction in social media brand communities. The marketers can utilize these customer insights in policy formulation and strategic decision-making. Therefore, this study will help brand managers boost customer engagement on the social media brand community pages. To the best of our knowledge, this study is a novel attempt to conceptualize the effect of social media marketing on customer engagement. It also provides valuable insights to the marketers on envisioning the related outcomes of customer engagement, i.e., brand loyalty, repurchase intention, and willingness to pay a premium to increase their brand community engagement.