1
EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING:
AN EMPIRICAL STUDY IN MADURAI CITY
Synopsis submitted to the Madurai Kamaraj University for the
award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in MANAGEMENT
STUDIES
Researcher C. BALAJI VISWANATH
Regn.No:P4211
Supervisor
Dr. M.S. BALAJI., Ph.D.,
MADURAI KAMARAJ UNIVERSITY
MADURAI-625 021
TAMIL NADU
INDIA
MARCH 2019
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Social Media Marketing in India
Online networking promoting in India is profoundly compelling a direct result of
the accompanying reasons. 60 per cent of the long range interpersonal communication
activity originate from Non-Metro-Cities yet the most noteworthy movement creating
city still stays to be a Metro i.e. Mumbai the most noteworthy number of dynamic clients
are from the 15-24 age gathering however Linkedin has an alternate age gathering of
dynamic clients i.e. 25-34 age gathering. The male – female proportion demonstrates
consistency with the general populace separation by sexual orientation i.e. 80:20 for
guys. Web-based social networking in India contacts 60 for every penny of the online
Indian gathering of people. Facebook and Orkut, together oblige around 90 for every
penny of the clients in the online networking space. Facebook is the main informal
community in India that has seen an enormous development, nearly multiplying its
clients over the most recent a half year. Most elevated number of dynamic web-based
social networking crowd in India are in the age gathering of 15-24 and are graduates who
are searching for a job or arranging further investigations. The greatest clients originate
from the „under 2 lakhs p.a.‟ salary class. This is on the growth that informal
communities are fundamentally determined by the adolescent over 45 per cent of the
clients on social networks return amid the day. Facebook finish the rundown with clients
returning to more than 3 times amid a day. Larger part of the time spent by the Indian
group of onlookers on facebook is on Interactive Games/Applications and afterward on
review Photos.
NEED FOR THE STUDY
Buyers used to shop at physical stores like vast shopping centers and numerous
others applying the comparable strategy however purchasing (Hesse, 2009)1. Shopping
on social networking can come in various names, for example, web shopping, web
1. Hesse B.W. (2009). Enhancing consumer involvement in healthcare, In Parker J,
Thornson, E., Editors. Health Communication in the new media landscape,
Springer Publishing; 2009: 119-141.
3
purchasing and internet shopping, all allude to the same method of acquiring or
purchasing items through internet utilizing Social media and distinctive web shopping
sites (Abhamid, 2008)2. Online networking (SM) are electronic administrations which are
otherwise called „Long range informal communication sites”, allude to network of
connections and associations among disparate clients (gathering or individuals) (Kim, et
al., 2003)3. Online networking have assumed essential part in spreading this marval
snappier (Hanna, et al., 2011)4.
By the start of 21st century, the use of internet and social media has become a part
of business strategies. Social media marketing is the modern tool for marketing in 21st
century (Nanji, 2015)5. Almost many firms using social media marketing as the use of
social media increased. With the revolution of inernet/IT, the way of doing business has
changed and its necessary to firm to adopt the new technology. So, nowadays firms are
using internet/IT to market their product and these tools used by researchers, practitioners
and policy makers (Grewal, et al., 2011)6. Now almost every person has the access on
internet.
Through smart phones they stay connected with social networking sites
(Facebook, tweeter, linkedin) on daily basis (Raad et al., 2010)7. On social media user-
2. Abhamid,N.R., (2008), “Consumers‟ behaviour towards internet technology and
internet marketing tools, International Journal of Communications, 3(2).
3. Kim, S., Williams, R. and Lee, Y. (2003). „Attitude toward online shopping and
retail website quality: A comparison of US and Korean consumers‟, Journal of
International Consumer Marketing.17(2),pp24-29
4. Hanna, R., Rohm, A., and Crittenden. (2011). „we‟re all connected: The power of
the social media ecosystem‟. Business Horizons, 54(3), 265-273.
5. Nanji, A. (2015). The Most Effective Social Networks for Marketing a Business in
2015 Retrieved May 5, 2016 from: http://www.marketingprofs.com/
charts/2015/27718/the-most-effective-social-networks-for-marketing-a-business-in-
2015#ixzz45Ghb27Nc.
6. Grewal D., Ailawadi K.L., Gauri D., Hall K., Kopalle P. and Robertson, J. (2011).
„Innovations in retail pricing and promotions‟, Journal of Retailing, (1). S43-S52.
7. Raad, M., Yeassen A., G.M., Zaidan, BB. and Zaidan, AA. (2010), „Impact of
spam advertisement through email: A study to assess the influence of the anti-spam
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generated content are produced on daily basis in the form of product reviews in customer
(Mathwick, et al., 20088; Zhu and Zhang, 2010)
9. Social networking sites take the central
stage in the current environment of e-marketing (Fue et al., 2009)10
. The use of social
media for marketing enhanced the brand popularity (De Vries, et al., 2012)11
. Social
media provide the opportunity for consumer to consult with buyer instantly (Chi, 201112
;
Chong, 2008)13
and express their perception with each other‟s. Other marketing tools like
promotional marketing, TV advertisement and door to door selling is expensive for small
firm due to small amount of budget which use on human resource and time constrains.
So, Social media marketing is less costly and time saving as compared to other mareting
tools (Makesh, 2013)14
.
A noticeable increase was seen in the use of social media as a marketing tool
among Fortune 500 companies of the world. Accoridng to a study which is conducted by
on the email marketing‟, African Journal of business Management, 4(11), 2362-
2367.
8. Mathwick, C., Wiertz, C., and De Ruyter, K. (2008). „Social capital production in a
virtual community‟, Journal of Consumer Research, (34), 832–849.
9. Zhu, F., and Zhang, X. (2010). „Impact of online consumer reviews on sales: The
moderating role of product and consumer characteristics‟, Journal of Marketing,
74, 133–148.
10. Fue, Z., Li, H. and Wenyu, D., (2009), „Social factors in user perceptions and
responses to advertising in online social networking communities‟, Journal of
Interactive Advertising, 10 (1).pp.1-13.
11. De Vries, L., Gensler, S., Leeflang, E.S.H. (2012), „Popularity of brand posts on
brand fan pages: an investigation of the effects of social media marketing‟, Journal
of Interactive Marketing, 26 (2), 83-91.
12. Chi, Hsu-Hsien. (2011). „Interactive Digital Advertising VS. Virtual Brand
Community: Exploratory Study of User Motivation and Social Media Marketing
Responses in Taiwan‟, Journal of Interactive Advertising, 12, 44-61.
13. Chong, Alain Yee‐Loong, and Keng‐Boon Ooi. (2008). „Adoption of Inter
organizational System Standards in Supply Chains‟, Industrial Management &
Data System, 108 (4), 529–547.
14. Makesh, N. (2013). „E-marketing A New Concept‟. International Journal of
scientific research and management (IJSRM), pp.50-54.
5
the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2012, there are 73 per cent of these
companies have an official account on Twitter, while 66 per cent have facebook page
(Kietzmann, et al., 2011)15
. Now social media marketing has become an important tool
for marketing, so this topic has gained more attention of researchers. Hence the present
study has made an attempt to examine the effectiveness of social media marketing among
the consumers.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Social media enables consumers to talk to the brand and to each other through a
multitude of platforms. The main focus of these platforms is to enhance the consumer
experience. Brand marketing on social media is becoming less and less about pushing
messages out to consumers and more and more about being part of a dynamic
conversation listening and creating relevant content to earn the consumer trust. Social
media platforms provide with the rare opportunities for the brand to listen to consumers
and respond. It allows the collection of in depth information about consumers‟
preferences and lifestyles, enabling customized content to ultimately embed brand in
cultural conversation. Social media offers the prospect of so many consequences like
customer satisfaction, customer engagement, brand equity, brand intimacy and trust. This
social media are providing an increased understanding of the consumers. The
measurement of the effectiveness of social media marketing will be a replacement of
traditional customer relationship management in the marketing. Hence, the marketers
should realize the degree of effectiveness of social media marketing among the
consumers.
RESEARCH GAP
Even though the studies related to the usage of social media, usage of social
media marketing and its effectiveness exists in the marketing literature, there is no
exclusive study on the effectiveness of social media marketing and its determinants in
15. Kietzmann, J.H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I.P. and Silvestre, B.S. (2011). “Social
media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media”,
Business Horizons, 54(3), 241-251.
6
Madurai City. Hence, the present study has made an attempt to fill up the research gap.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the present study are listed below:
1. To reveal the profile of the respondents and their social media marketing
behaviour;
2. To study the determinants of social media usage and its impact on the social
media marketing behaviour;
3. To measure the implications of social media marketing on marketers and
consumers;
4. To analyse the various effectiveness of social media marketing and its association
with the profile of the respondents;
5. To examine the various determinants of overall effectiveness of social media
marketing and its impact; and
6. To evaluate the impact of social media marketing activities and social media
functionality usage on the various effectiveness of social media marketing among
the respondents.
HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY
Based on the objectives of the present study, the following null hypotheses are
formulated.
1. There is no significant difference among the male and female respondents
regarding their view on various aspects in social media marketing behaviour and
its effectiveness.
2. There is no significant association between the profile of respondents and their
view on various aspects in social media marketing behaviour and its
effectiveness;
3. There is no significant impact of social media marketing activities and the social
media functional usage on the various effectiveness of social media marketing.
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METHODOLOGY
Research methodology is the way of systematically soling the research problem.
It is a science of studying how research is conducted scientifically. Under it, the
researcher acquaints himself/herself with the various steps generally adopted to study a
research problem, along with the underlying logic behind them. The advanced Learner‟s
Dictionary of Current English lays down the meaning of research as “a careful
investigation or inquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch of
knowledge”16
. Redman and Moray defined research as “looking for new facts in any
branch of knowledge”17
. In the present study, research methodology covers the research
design, locale of research, sample and sampling, operation alienation and measurement
variables, method of data collection, framework of analysis and limitations.
The Research Design of the Study
The most important step after defining the research problem is preparing the
design of the task, which is popularly known as the „research design‟. A research design
helps to decide upon issues like what, when, where, how much, by what means, etc. with
regard to an enquiry or a research study.
Selltiz et al., (1962)18
defined, “A research design is the arrangement of
conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance
to the research purpose with economy in procedure. In fact, the research design is the
conceptual structures with which research is conducted; it constitutes the blue print for
the collection, measurement and analysis of data”.
In the present study, the descriptive and diagnostic type research design has been
administered. Since this research describes the profile of the respondents and their view
on various aspects in social media marketing and its consequences, it is concerned with
16. The Advanced Learners’ Dictionary of Current English, Oxford, 1952,
p.1069.
17. Redmen, L.V., and Mory, A.V.H., The Romance of Research, 1923, p.10.
18. Clavie Selting and Others, Research Methods in Social Sciences, 1962, p.50.
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descriptive in nature. Mean while, this study analyse the impact of determinants of social
media effectiveness on its overall effectiveness among the respondents it is diagnostic in
nature. Besides, this present study focus attention on formation of the objectives of the
study, proper designing of the methods of data collection, sample selection, processing
and analysis of the collected data and reporting the finding, it is descriptive and
diagnostic in nature.
Locale of Research
Due to globalization and liberalization, the social media marketing is a growing
marketing technique among the consumers in recent years. The customers are expecting
some special services from the social media marketing. The marketers should understand
the needs of the consumers in social media marketing and also the effectiveness of social
media marketing among the consumers for their future policy implications. Within this in
view, the nature of the study will be to expose the consumers view on the various aspects
in social media marketing behaviour and its effectiveness.
Selection of the Study Area
Madurai City was purposively selected as the study area by the research for the
following reasons:
1. Madurai City is one of the developing cities in Tamilnadu. The higher literacy
rate in Madurai City is noticed.
2. Familiarity to the culture, local dialect and infra-structural facilities available at
this Madurai city would help research to develop a good rapport with the
consumers in the social media marketing at this city. Hence, better and valid
responses could be received.
Determination of Sample Size of the Study
Since the population is unknown the sample size of the study is determined with
the help of the given formula
2
D n
whereas n – sample size, Z – Z statistics at 5
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per cent = 1.96; σ – standard deviation of customer satisfaction on social media
marketing at pilot study; and D- Degree of error acceptance = 0.05. The determined
sample size among the male and female have been computed separately. The results are
given in Table. Determinants of Sample size in Social Media Marketing at Madurai
Sl.
No. Gender
2
D n
Sample size Total Samples
1. Male 2
.05
486496.1 n
363.55 364
2. Female 2
.05
530296.1 n
431.96 432
Total –– –– 796
The determined sample size of male respondents is 364 since standard deviation
of customer satisfaction on social media marketing at pilot study is 0.4864. Among the
determined female respondents are 432. The total sample size came to 796.
Sampling Procedure of the Study
The applied sampling procedure to select the sampled respondents in the present
study is judgment sampling. The researcher made a hard effort to identify the customer in
social media marketing as per his enquiry among the respondents. Hence, the applied
sampling procedure of the study is judgment sampling.
DATA COLLECTION
The required primary data have been collected through the interview schedule.
Since most of the present study is based on the primary data, a special effort was taken to
design the interview schedule. The interview schedule consists of 3 parts. The first part
includes the profile of the respondents and their social media usage whereas the second
part focuses on the various implication of social media marketing. The final part of the
schedule includes various effectiveness of social media marketing and its determinants.
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The needed variables in the concepts generated for the study are drawn from review of
previous studies.
A pilot study was conducted among 20 male and 20 female respondents who
involved in social media marketing at Madurai City. Based on their feedback, certain
additions, deletions and simplifications are carried out to prepare a final draft of the
interview schedule to collect the primary data.
Analysis of Data
The collected data are processed with the help of appropriate statistical tools. The
selection of statistical tools depends upon the objectives of the study and also the nature
of scale of data taken for analysis. The included statistical tools are:
1. Exploratory Factor Analysis;
2. Confirmatory Factor Analysis;
3. Two group Discriminant Analysis; and
4. Multiple Regression Analysis
The statistical tests included for the present study are:
1. „t‟test and
2. One way analysis of variance
Limitations of the Study
The study is subjected with the following limitations:
1. The scope of the study is confined to Madurai city only;
2. The effectiveness of social media marketing is confined to human need
satisfaction, social CRM capabilities, consumer engagement, brand equity,
brand intimacy and trust, and overall effectiveness.
3. The descriptive variables in the present study are converted into quantitative
variables with the help of five point Likert‟s scale.
4. The respondents in the present study are identified by the judgment of the
researcher.
5. Non probablistic sampling procedure has been followed in the present study;
and
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6. There is a linear relationship between the dependent and independent
variables.
CHAPTERIZATION
The present study is presented in five chapters.
The first chapter includes introduction, need for the study, statement of problem,
review of literature, research gap, objectives of the study, and hypotheses of the study,
methodology, limitations and Chapterisation of the study.
The second chapter covers the meaning, definition, measurements, methods and
variables used to measure the concepts generated for the present study.
The third chapter explain the profile of respondents ad their social media
marketing behaviour among them; usage of social media functionality and its
determinants, implication of social media functionality usage, social media marketing
activities done by the respondents, association between the profile of respondents and
their social media marketing behaviour, discriminant aspects regarding social media
marketing behaviour among male and female respondents.
The fourth chapter examines the various effectiveness of social media marketing
namely human needs satisfaction, social CRM capabilities, consumer engagement, brand
equity, brand intimacy and trust, overall effectiveness and the determinants of
effectiveness of social media marketing, the impact of social media marketing activities,
social media functionality usage on the effectiveness of social media marketing among
them respectively.
The fifth chapter summarizes the findings of the study, concluding remarks,
policy implications and scope for future research.
SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
The findings of the present study are summarized below.
DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS
The respondents in the present study are classified into male and female. The
dominant age group among them is less than 30 years whereas the dominant levels of
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education among the respondents are under and post graduation. The dominant marital
status among the respondents are married with kids and recently married whereas the
dominant family size among the respondents and less than 4 per family. The dominant
number of earning members per family among the respondents is one and two earning
members per family. The dominant personal income among them is Rs.30,000 to 40,000
per month whereas the dominant family income per month is Rs.60,000 to 80,000 and
above 80,000.
The dominant personality score among the respondents is above 4.00 and 3.01 to
4.00 whereas the dominant level of optimism among them is at moderate level. Majority
of the respondents are very high and moderate at the level of comfort with new
technology whereas the dominant level of attachment with new technology are moderate
and high. The dominant technology readiness score among the respondents are 2.00 to
3.00 and 3.01 to 4.00.
Usage of Social Net Working Sites
The highly used networking sites among the male are face book and arkut
whereas among the female, these are YouTube and face book. The significant difference
among the male and female have been noticed in the usage of five out of seven social
networking sites. The methods of social media usage among them are examined with the
help of 12 variables. The highly viewed variables by male are photo sharing and social
networking whereas among the female, these are photo sharing and mobile apps. The
significant difference among the male and female have been noticed in their view on 4
out of 12 variables in social media usage.
The customers touch points on social media among the respondents are studied
with the help of 8 variables. The highly viewed customer touch points by male are social
campaigns and direct mailing whereas among the female, these are advertising and brand
communities. The significant difference among the male and female have been noticed in
their view on 2 out of 8 customers touch points on social media. The dominant time
devoted for journalizing among the respondents are 1 to 2.00 and 2.01 to 3.00 hours per
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day. The purpose of using social platforms in the present study is studied with the help of
seven variables. The highly viewed variable by male and female are connecting with
friends and seeing new products and services respectively. The significant difference
among the male and female have been noticed in the view on five out of seven purposes.
Social Marketing Behaviour among the Respondents
The methods of social network marketing among the respondents are studied with
the help of seven variables. The highly viewed methods by male and female are personal
website and using social networking websites. The significant difference among male and
female have been noticed in their view on four out of seven methods. The dominant level
of consideration of social media marketing among the respondents is at moderate and
high level. The dominant exposure of brands though social networks system is high and
moderate. The dominant motivator for joining a brand page among the male and female
are friends‟ invitation and advertisement respectively. The significant difference among
the male and female have been noticed in their view on 4 out of 5 motivators.
The reasons to follow brand on social networking system among the respondents
are studied with the help of five reasons. The highly viewed reasons by male and female
are just to show others and avail discount and offer respectively. The significant
difference among male and female have been noticed in their view on four out of five
reasons.
The message strategy usage (MSU) among the respondents is examined with the
help of 13 variables. The highly viewed variables in MSU by male and female are spoke
people and emotional appeal respectively. The significant difference among the male and
female have been noticed in their view on 6 out of 13 variables in MSU. The operation of
social media functionality among the respondents is measured with the help of ten
variables. The highly viewed variable by male and female are exchange the views of
relate to each other respectively. The significant difference among the male and female
have been noticed in their view on six out of 10 variables in it. The level of social media
functionality usage is noticed as higher among the male compared to female respondents.
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Determinants of Social Media Functionality Usage
The determinants of social media functionality usage among the respondents are
examined with the help of 18 variables. The highly viewed variables by male and female
are self image and security risk respectively. The significant difference among the male
and female have been noticed in their view on 14 out of 18 variables in it. The important
determinants of social media functionality usage narrated by the factor analysis are
personal fit, perceived risk, perceived usefulness and higher performance. The highly
viewed important determinants by male and female are personal fit and perceived risk
respectively. The significant difference among the male and female respondents has been
noticed in their view on personal fit, perceived risk and higher performance.
The significantly associating important profile variables regarding the view on
important determinants are personal income, family income and level of security attached
with technology. The important discriminant determinants among the male and female
respondents are higher performance and personal fit which are highly viewed by male
compared to female respondents.
Impact of Determinants of the Social Media Functionality Usage
The significantly influencing determinants on the level of social media
functionality usage among the male are personal fit, perceived usefulness and higher
performance whereas among the female, these are perceived risk and perceived
usefulness. The higher impact of determinants on the social media functionality usage is
seen among the male compared to female respondents. The important determinants in the
social media functionality usage among the respondents are higher performance and
perceived risk.
Implications of Social Media Functionality Usage
The implications of social media functionality usage among the respondents have
been examined with the help of 15 variables. The highly viewed variables in implications
by male and female respondents are monitoring the strength and passion and self
promotion respectively. The significant difference among the male and female have been
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noticed in their view on 12 out of 15 variables in it. The important implications narrated
by the factor analysis are networking, evaluation, easiness and market knowledge.
The highly viewed important implications by male and female respondents are
evaluation and easiness respectively. The significant difference among the male and
female have been noticed in the case of view on networking, evaluation and easiness. The
significantly associating important profile variables regarding the view on important
implications are personal income, family income and level of comfort with technology.
The important discriminant implications of social media functionality usage among the
male and female is easiness which is highly viewed by female compared male.
The highly preferred goods through social media marketing among the male are
medical goods and luxurious goods whereas among the female, these two are cosmetics
and appliances. The significant difference among the male and female respondents has
been noticed in their view on cosmetics, appliances and services.
Marketers Advantage through Social Media Marketing (MASMM)
The respondents view on the marketers‟ advantage through social media
marketing is studied with the help of 18 variables. The highly viewed variables in
MASMM among the male and female respondents are reaching of masses and mass
advertisement campaign respectively. The significant difference among the male and
female respondents has been noticed in their view on 13 out of 18 variables. The
important marketers‟ advantages narrated by factor analysis are customer focus, branding
market coverage and advertisement.
The highly viewed IMA by male and female respondents are market coverage and
advertisement. The significant difference among the male and female have been noticed
in their view on customer focus, market coverage and advertisement. The significantly
associating profile variables regarding the view in IMA are level of education, personal
income, family income, personality score, level of security attached with technology. The
important discriminant IMA among the male and female is advertisement which is highly
viewed by female respondents.
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Social Media Marketing Activities (SMMA)
The level of marketing activities among the respondents is examined with the help
of 24 variables. The highly viewed variables in SMMA by male and female are self
image congruity and discussion and exchange of opinion respectively. The significant
difference among male and female have been noticed in their view on 15 out of 24
variables in SMMA. The important social media marketing activities narrated by the
factor analysis are entertainment, trendiness, interaction, customization, risk free, utility,
self image and words of mouth.
The highly viewed ISMMA by male respondents are self image and utility
whereas among the female respondents, these are words of mouth and customization. The
significant difference among male and female have been noticed in six out of eight
ISMMA. The significantly associating important profile variables regarding the view on
ISMMA are level of education, personal income, family income and technology
readiness score. The important discriminant ISMMA among male and female are
interaction and customization which are highly viewed by female compared to male
respondents.
Impact of ISMMA on the Usage of Social Media Marketing
The significantly influencing ISMMA on the usage of social media marketing
among male respondents are entertainment, trendiness, customization, utility and self
image whereas among the female, these are interaction, customization, utility, and words-
of-mouth. The higher impact of ISMMA on the usage of social media marketing among
the female have been noticed compared to male respondents. The important ISMMA on
the usage of social media marketing are entertainment and utility.
Effectiveness of Social Media Marketing
The effectiveness of social media marketing is studied with the help of human
need satisfaction, social CRM capability, customer engagement, brand equity and brand
equity and intimacy.
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Human Need Satisfaction among the Respondents
The level of human need satisfaction among the respondents is studied with the
help of ten variables. The highly viewed variable by male and female are popularity
influence and autonomy respectively. The significant difference among the male and
female have been noticed in their view on nine out of ten variables in it.
Social CRM Capabilities among the Respondents
The level of social CRM capabilities among the respondents is studied with the
help of eight variables. The highly viewed variables by male and female respondents are
distinctive targeting of appropriate customers and better understanding of customer needs
respectively. The significant difference among male and male respondents has been
noticed in their view on all eight variables in it.
Customer Engagement
The consumer engagement in the present study is measured with the help of 14
variables. The highly viewed variable by male and female is commenting about purchase.
The significant difference among the male and female have been noticed in their view on
all 14 variables in consumer engagement.
Brand Equity
The brand equity among the respondents is examined with the help of eight
variables. The highly viewed variables by male and female respondents are enhance
brand attachment and building customer relationship respectively. The significant
difference among the male and female have been noticed in their view on all eight
variables in brand equity.
Brand Intimacy and Trust (BIT)
The brand intimacy and trust among the respondents is measured with the help of
14 variables. The highly viewed variables by male and female are „positive feeling on
brand‟ and „brand reputation‟ respectively. The significant difference among male and
female has not been noticed in their view on all 14 variables in brand intimacy and trust.
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The highly viewed effectiveness of social media marketing by male is consumer
engagement and; brand intimacy and trust. Among the female, these two are brand
intimacy and trust and consumer engagement. The significant difference among the male
and female respondents has been noticed in their view on all four effectiveness of social
media marketing. The significantly associating important profile variables regarding the
view on effectiveness of social media marketing are personal income, family income and
technology readiness score. The important discriminant effectiveness of social media
marketing among the male and female are brand equity and consumer engagement which
are highly viewed by male compared to female respondents.
Overall Effectiveness of Social Media Marketing
The overall effectiveness of social media marketing is examined with the help of
28 variables. The highly viewed variable by male and female are consumer satisfaction
and attitude towards user generated content. The significant difference among the male
and female have been noticed in their view on 17 out of 28 variables in it. The important
components of overall effectiveness of social media marketing narrated by factor analysis
are brand, consumer, market content and product effect.
The highly viewed important components of overall effectiveness among the male
and female are consumer effect and content effect respectively. The significant difference
among the male and female have been noticed in their view on brand, consumer and
content effect. The significantly associating important profile variables regarding the
view on overall effectiveness are personal income, family income and personality score.
The important discriminant components of overall effectiveness of SMM among male
and female are based and content effect which are highly viewed by female compared to
male.
Determinants of Overall Effectiveness of SMM
The determinants of overall effectiveness of SMM are examined with the help of
21 variables. The highly viewed variables by male and female are communication
between customers to company, and lively pictures respectively. The significant
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difference among male and female have been noticed in their view on 14 out of 21
variables in determinants. The important determinants narrated by factor analysis are
cultural differences, contents, vividness, corporate social responsibility (CSR),
interactivity, and brand post position. The highly viewed important determinants by male
and female are vividness and brand post position. The significant difference among the
male and female have been noticed in their view on contents, interactivity and brand post
position.
The significantly associating important profile variables regarding the view on
important determinants are age, level of education, family size and personality score. The
important discriminant determinant among male and female is brand post position which
is highly viewed by female compared to male.
Impact of Important Determinants on the Overall Effectiveness of SMM
The significantly influencing important determinants on the overall effectiveness
of social media marketing (SMM) among male are contents, vividness, interactivity and
brand post position whereas among the female, these are contents, corporate social
responsibility (CSR) and interactivity. The higher impact of determinants has been
noticed among the male compared to female respondents. In total, the important
determinants that influence the overall effectiveness of SMM are interactivity and
contents.
Impact of Social Media Marketing Activities (SMMA) on the Human Needs
Satisfaction
The significantly influencing SMMA on the human need satisfaction among the
male are entertainment, trendiness, customization and self image whereas among the
female, these are trendiness, interaction, utility and words-of-mouth. The higher impact is
noticed among male compared to female. The analysis of pooled data reveals the relative
importance of trendiness, interaction, customization and words-of-mouth in the
determination of human needs satisfaction.
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Impact of SMMA on Social CRM Capabilities
Among the male respondents, the significantly influencing SMMA on the social
CRM capability are interaction, customization and utility whereas among the female,
these are customization, utility and words-of-mouth. The higher impact is noticed among
male compared to female. The most important SMMA influence on the social CRM
capabilities is the customization.
Impact of SMMA on Consumer Engagement
The significantly influencing SMMA on the consumer engagement among the
male are entertainment, trendiness, customization and self image whereas among the
female, these are interaction, customization and words-of-mouth. The higher impact is
noticed among the male compared to female. The important SMMA which influence on
consumer engagement are customization and interaction.
Impact of SMMA on Brand Equity
The significantly influencing SMMA on the brand equity among the male are
trendiness, customization and self image whereas among the female, these are trendiness,
customization and words-of-mouth. The higher impact is noticed among male compared
to female. In total, the most important SMMA influence on brand equity is trendiness.
Impact of SMMA on Brand Intimacy and Trust
The significantly influencing SMMA on the brand intimacy and trust among the
male are trendiness, interaction, customization and self image whereas among female,
these are interaction and words-of-mouth. The higher impact is noticed among male
compared to female. In total, the most important SMMA influence on the brand intimacy
and trust is self image.
Impact of SMMA on overall effectiveness of Social Media Marketing
The significantly influencing SMMA on the overall effectiveness of SMM among
the male are trendiness, customization and self image whereas among the female, these
are interaction, risk free and words of mouth. The higher impact of SMMA is noticed
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among the male compared to female. The analysis of pooled data reveals the relative
importance of trendiness, interaction, customization and risk free in the determination of
overall effectiveness of SMM.
Impact of Social Media Functionality Usage (SMFU) on Human Need Satisfaction
The significantly influencing SMFU on the human need satisfaction among the
male are personal fit, perceived usefulness and higher performance whereas among
female, these are perceived risk and usefulness. The higher impact of SMFU on the
human need satisfaction is noticed among the male compared to female. In total, the most
important SMFU influence on human need satisfaction is the personal fit.
Impact of SMFU on social CRM Capabilities
Among the male, the significantly influencing SMFU on the social CRM
capabilities are perceived usefulness and higher performance whereas among the female,
this is perceived usefulness. The higher impact is seen among male compared to female.
The most important SMFU influence on the social CRM capabilities among the
respondents is perceived usefulness.
Impact of SMFU on Consumer Engagement
The significantly influencing SMFU on the consumer engagement among the
male are personal fit and perceived usefulness. The higher impact is noticed among the
male compared to female. In total, the most influencing SMFU on the consumer
engagement among the respondents is perceived usefulness.
Impact of SMFU on Brand Equity
Among the male, the significantly influencing SMFU on brand equity are
perceived usefulness and higher performance whereas among the female, it is only
perceived usefulness. The higher impact is noticed among the male compared to female.
In total, the most influencing SMFU on the brand equity among the respondents is
perceived usefulness.
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Impact of SMFU on Brand Intimacy and Trust
The significantly influencing SMFU on brand intimacy and trust among the male
are perceived usefulness and higher performance whereas among the female, it is
perceived usefulness. The higher impact is noticed among the male compared to female.
The analysis of pooled data reveals the relative importance of perceived usefulness in the
determination of brand intimacy and trust.
Impact of SMFU on Overall Effectiveness of SMM
Among the male respondents, the significantly influencing SMFU on the overall
effectiveness of SMM are personal fit, perceived usefulness and higher performance
whereas among the female, these are perceived usefulness and higher performance. The
higher impact of SMFU is noticed among the male compared to female. In total, the most
influencing SMFU on the overall effectiveness of SMM is perceived usefulness.
CONCLUDING REMARKS
The present study concluded that the level of usage of social media marketing
among male is higher than that among the female. The important determinants of their
usage are personal fit, perceived risk, perceived usefulness and higher performance. The
highly viewed implications of the usage of social media marketing among the
respondents are networking, evaluation, easiness and market knowledge. The important
social media marketing activities adopted by the respondents are entertainment,
trendiness, interaction, customization, risk free, utility, self usage and words of mouth.
The effectiveness of social media marketing among the male is higher compared
to female respondents. It is visible in all effectiveness namely human need satisfaction,
social CRM capabilities, consumer engagement, brand equity, brand intimacy and trust;
and the overall effectiveness of social media marketing. The level of implementation of
social media marketing activities especially trendiness, interaction, and customization
have a significant positive impact on effectiveness of SMM. The level of social media
functionality usage especially personal fit and perceived usefulness have a significant
positive impact on its effectiveness.