Examining Online Social Brand Engagement and Customer Loyalty: A Qualitative Study Based on Customer Brand Engagement Theory

BY

Shahzad Ahmed¹, Dr. Noor Un Nisa²

^1,2Exeed College, Westford Education Group, Sharjah

Abstract

One of the most important changes in today’s lifestyle is social networking and the usage of social media. Today, most people use social media to talk and learn about most of the things they want to know. This study is significant because brands are adopting new strategies to increase their market exposure and selling power, and the impact of firm-generated content and social presence on brands’ social engagement is changing leading towards the brand purchase intention. To demonstrate this, a qualitative survey was conducted and data was collected to in the form of interviews. Using a semi-structured interviews format, the researchers sought to explore some of the factors that increase brands’ social engagement online. Increased brand social engagement can be attributed to a company’s social presence and the content it creates. This information was collected from 20 key respondents who gave the interview. The results gathered by the researchers showed that people communicating online and expressing great ideas and thoughts about the brand are very helpful for brands to stay connected with customers and subsequently offer better services and products.

Keywords: Social Presence Theory, Social Media, Social Brand Engagement, e-WOM, Firm Generated Content.