The Perfect Post: Experiential Posts Increase Consumer Engagement on Social Media
Loading...
Date
2018-05
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The Ohio State University
Abstract
Social media's popularity has grown steadily for both consumers and advertisers through its visual nature and interactive design. To gain interest and engagement, marketers have used a variety of tactics on social media, from more traditionally ad-like material posts to a variety of experiential posts that attempt to capture the lifestyle the brand is attempting to emulate. Past research has proven that consumers talk more about experiences than material objects. This research aims to determine whether experiential posts lead to more consumer engagement with a brand on social media. This is achieved by analyzing the effect of logo inclusion, brand identification, and the experiential nature of posts on measures of post engagement across companies and industries. To determine these factors, data was collected through Instagram posts and a survey. Instagram data was collected across nine industries, including the post image and post engagement through likes and comments. Then, participants rated the Instagram posts on whether they were more "material" or "experiential," visibility of a logo, and the degree to which they identified with the 39 brands. Overall, results show experiential posts lead to increased post engagement. When broken down by industry, two trends emerge. Industries that are experiential in nature see an increase in engagement with more experiential posts, while we found no positive effect on industries that are materialistic in nature. Findings from this research suggest that marketers should decide on the type of posts they are making based on the industry their business is in.
Description
Keywords
social media, experiential, materialistic, engagement, consumer engagement, brand