Do social networking fan page posts matter for corporate image? Modified elaboration likelihood model perspective

Abstract

The purpose of the current study is to examine factors affecting corporate image driven by social networking fan pages on Facebook. Under the modified elaboration likelihood model (ELM), the authors answer how fan page contributor post quality (FPQ) and source credibility (FPC) influence fan page post informativeness (FPI) and in turn impact corporate image. The authors tested the hypotheses by analyzing survey responses using a covariance-based SEM method from 178 respondents who follow at least one company fan page on Facebook. The findings reveal that FPQ and FPC play a salient role in explaining FPI, which, in turn, impacts the corporate image. The results show that uncertainty about products or services posted on a fan page significantly moderates the relationships among FPQ, FPC, and FPI. Implications and limitations are discussed.