Studying the Drivers of Consumer Behavioural Engagement With Social Media Brand-Related Content

Abstract

The actual behavioural engagement of consumers with social media brand-related content is measured by three activities; consumption, contribution and creation. This type of engagement is considered the true practical indicator of the success of brand presence on social media. The study aims to uncover the drivers of consumer behavioural engagement identified by the key characteristics of social media context. Accordingly, quality dimensions and perceived usefulness of the brand hosting media channel are adopted from the IT use and acceptance models. Data is collected using self-administrated questionnaire from a sample of 366 respondents in the UK. Structural Equation Modeling-V.26 was used to analyse the data. The results support the significant role of cognitive absorption in explaining how perceptions of social media quality dimensions are shaped to motivate consumer engagement behaviour. The findings enrich the extant literature of consumer engagement; additionally, several practical insights can be drawn related to the design of social media marketing strategy.