Social Media and Customer Engagement: Dyadic Word-of-Mouth

Abstract

According to Hansen et al. (2011), social media technologies have changed the nature of interactions between customers and companies, engendering radically new ways of interacting and, essentially, revolutionizing marketing. This revolution centers on the fact that current and potential customers are using social media to engage both companies and other consumers about products and services (Garretson 2008). In today’s world of electronic word-of-mouth, marketers must capture attention and also create continuing dyadic interactions via ongoing customer engagement. According to Mike DiLorenzo, director of social media marketing and strategy for the NHL, “Social networks aren’t about web sites. They’re about experiences” (Wyshynski 2009). The current research explores engagement in social networking sites through the use of both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The findings from the descriptive research indicated that, simply put, engagement is defined as meaningful two-way communication. However, the desire to build relationships as the main motivation in engagement was not shown in the statistical analysis. The results showed that content is a more significant driver of engagement than is the desire to build a relationship. These findings are noteworthy for marketing professionals in that “content is king” when it comes to incentivizing users to engage.