A Study on social media marketing and its impact on consumer engagement

This research aims at examining the impact of social media marketing on consumer behaviour and engagement, based on primary data from a marketing internship experience. The research proved that social media, especially Instagram, is extensively used by the younger generation, and that short videos make the most efficient advertising format. At the same time, the results of the study indicate that engagement in its most evident form (liking) does not predict or explain purchases—usage was statistically insignificant as a predictor, while trust to ads and interest in tailored content appeared to be significantly related to purchases. Customer feedback has been shown to be the most powerful factor affecting buying decisions, beating advertising and influencers' suggestions and proving the significance of word-of-mouth even in the age of algorithms. While giveaways, competitions, and influencer marketing prove effective in generating interest and intention to buy, they are more effective when used as complementary measures than as substitutes for quality content. In general, public perception of social media marketing has been very positive in both aspects - its efficacy and satisfaction. The practical implications for both the host organization and the SMEs it supports are clear: measuring and achieving social media success should focus on trust, personalization, generating reviews, and the quality of content instead of being based on vanity metrics only. However, due to the limitations of the convenience sample, the concentration on younger respondents who use Instagram, and the fact that the data were collected at a single point of time, comprehensive conclusions cannot be drawn; further studies involving larger and more diverse samples along with data from platform analytics will provide a clearer picture of the phenomena.

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