The Role of Social Media Marketing in Influencing Brand Awareness and Customer Engagement: A Comparative Study

सार

This study explores the complex nature of the relationship between social media marketing (SMM) strategies and brand awareness and customer engagement. The study employs a systematic literature review to incorporate 20 peer-reviewed academic studies on the impact of SMM interventions, with a specific focus on the critical pathways that connect SMM interventions to consumer recognition, recall, and engagement. Mixed-method synthesis examining quantitative empirical findings and qualitative frameworks from organizations from different sectors, is used in the study. Results show statistically significant relationships between consistency of content quality and improved brand awareness (r = 0.71, p < 0.001) and customer engagement (r = 0.62, p < 0.001), as well as interactive campaigns and improved customer engagement (r = 0.90, p < 0.001). Moreover, brand image is found to be a mediation factor that accounts for around 27% of the variance in purchase intention. The research adds to the marketing literature by shedding light on how digital platforms enable brand-consumer relations and by presenting a conceptual model which combines signal processing theory. Implications suggest that practitioners value engagement over the number of times they post and that relevant content for their platforms and audience is more effective. Future studies should explore the temporal effect and cultural differences between the effectiveness of SMM.

Keywords: social media marketing, brand awareness, customer engagement, digital marketing strategy, brand image, consumer behavior.