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EFFECTIVENESS OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING:

AN EMPIRICAL STUDY IN MADURAI CITY

Synopsis submitted to the Madurai Kamaraj University for the

award of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in MANAGEMENT

STUDIES

Researcher C. BALAJI VISWANATH

Regn.No:P4211

Supervisor

Dr. M.S. BALAJI., Ph.D.,

MADURAI KAMARAJ UNIVERSITY

MADURAI-625 021

TAMIL NADU

INDIA

MARCH 2019

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Social Media Marketing in India

Online networking promoting in India is profoundly compelling a direct result of

the accompanying reasons. 60 per cent of the long range interpersonal communication

activity originate from Non-Metro-Cities yet the most noteworthy movement creating

city still stays to be a Metro i.e. Mumbai the most noteworthy number of dynamic clients

are from the 15-24 age gathering however Linkedin has an alternate age gathering of

dynamic clients i.e. 25-34 age gathering. The male – female proportion demonstrates

consistency with the general populace separation by sexual orientation i.e. 80:20 for

guys. Web-based social networking in India contacts 60 for every penny of the online

Indian gathering of people. Facebook and Orkut, together oblige around 90 for every

penny of the clients in the online networking space. Facebook is the main informal

community in India that has seen an enormous development, nearly multiplying its

clients over the most recent a half year. Most elevated number of dynamic web-based

social networking crowd in India are in the age gathering of 15-24 and are graduates who

are searching for a job or arranging further investigations. The greatest clients originate

from the „under 2 lakhs p.a.‟ salary class. This is on the growth that informal

communities are fundamentally determined by the adolescent over 45 per cent of the

clients on social networks return amid the day. Facebook finish the rundown with clients

returning to more than 3 times amid a day. Larger part of the time spent by the Indian

group of onlookers on facebook is on Interactive Games/Applications and afterward on

review Photos.

NEED FOR THE STUDY

Buyers used to shop at physical stores like vast shopping centers and numerous

others applying the comparable strategy however purchasing (Hesse, 2009)1. Shopping

on social networking can come in various names, for example, web shopping, web

1. Hesse B.W. (2009). Enhancing consumer involvement in healthcare, In Parker J,

Thornson, E., Editors. Health Communication in the new media landscape,

Springer Publishing; 2009: 119-141.

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purchasing and internet shopping, all allude to the same method of acquiring or

purchasing items through internet utilizing Social media and distinctive web shopping

sites (Abhamid, 2008)2. Online networking (SM) are electronic administrations which are

otherwise called „Long range informal communication sites”, allude to network of

connections and associations among disparate clients (gathering or individuals) (Kim, et

al., 2003)3. Online networking have assumed essential part in spreading this marval

snappier (Hanna, et al., 2011)4.

By the start of 21st century, the use of internet and social media has become a part

of business strategies. Social media marketing is the modern tool for marketing in 21st

century (Nanji, 2015)5. Almost many firms using social media marketing as the use of

social media increased. With the revolution of inernet/IT, the way of doing business has

changed and its necessary to firm to adopt the new technology. So, nowadays firms are

using internet/IT to market their product and these tools used by researchers, practitioners

and policy makers (Grewal, et al., 2011)6. Now almost every person has the access on

internet.

Through smart phones they stay connected with social networking sites

(Facebook, tweeter, linkedin) on daily basis (Raad et al., 2010)7. On social media user-

2. Abhamid,N.R., (2008), “Consumers‟ behaviour towards internet technology and

internet marketing tools, International Journal of Communications, 3(2).

3. Kim, S., Williams, R. and Lee, Y. (2003). „Attitude toward online shopping and

retail website quality: A comparison of US and Korean consumers‟, Journal of

International Consumer Marketing.17(2),pp24-29

4. Hanna, R., Rohm, A., and Crittenden. (2011). „we‟re all connected: The power of

the social media ecosystem‟. Business Horizons, 54(3), 265-273.

5. Nanji, A. (2015). The Most Effective Social Networks for Marketing a Business in

2015 Retrieved May 5, 2016 from: http://www.marketingprofs.com/

charts/2015/27718/the-most-effective-social-networks-for-marketing-a-business-in-

2015#ixzz45Ghb27Nc.

6. Grewal D., Ailawadi K.L., Gauri D., Hall K., Kopalle P. and Robertson, J. (2011).

„Innovations in retail pricing and promotions‟, Journal of Retailing, (1). S43-S52.

7. Raad, M., Yeassen A., G.M., Zaidan, BB. and Zaidan, AA. (2010), „Impact of

spam advertisement through email: A study to assess the influence of the anti-spam

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generated content are produced on daily basis in the form of product reviews in customer

(Mathwick, et al., 20088; Zhu and Zhang, 2010)

9. Social networking sites take the central

stage in the current environment of e-marketing (Fue et al., 2009)10

. The use of social

media for marketing enhanced the brand popularity (De Vries, et al., 2012)11

. Social

media provide the opportunity for consumer to consult with buyer instantly (Chi, 201112

;

Chong, 2008)13

and express their perception with each other‟s. Other marketing tools like

promotional marketing, TV advertisement and door to door selling is expensive for small

firm due to small amount of budget which use on human resource and time constrains.

So, Social media marketing is less costly and time saving as compared to other mareting

tools (Makesh, 2013)14

.

A noticeable increase was seen in the use of social media as a marketing tool

among Fortune 500 companies of the world. Accoridng to a study which is conducted by

on the email marketing‟, African Journal of business Management, 4(11), 2362-

2367.

8. Mathwick, C., Wiertz, C., and De Ruyter, K. (2008). „Social capital production in a

virtual community‟, Journal of Consumer Research, (34), 832–849.

9. Zhu, F., and Zhang, X. (2010). „Impact of online consumer reviews on sales: The

moderating role of product and consumer characteristics‟, Journal of Marketing,

74, 133–148.

10. Fue, Z., Li, H. and Wenyu, D., (2009), „Social factors in user perceptions and

responses to advertising in online social networking communities‟, Journal of

Interactive Advertising, 10 (1).pp.1-13.

11. De Vries, L., Gensler, S., Leeflang, E.S.H. (2012), „Popularity of brand posts on

brand fan pages: an investigation of the effects of social media marketing‟, Journal

of Interactive Marketing, 26 (2), 83-91.

12. Chi, Hsu-Hsien. (2011). „Interactive Digital Advertising VS. Virtual Brand

Community: Exploratory Study of User Motivation and Social Media Marketing

Responses in Taiwan‟, Journal of Interactive Advertising, 12, 44-61.

13. Chong, Alain Yee‐Loong, and Keng‐Boon Ooi. (2008). „Adoption of Inter

organizational System Standards in Supply Chains‟, Industrial Management &

Data System, 108 (4), 529–547.

14. Makesh, N. (2013). „E-marketing A New Concept‟. International Journal of

scientific research and management (IJSRM), pp.50-54.

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the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2012, there are 73 per cent of these

companies have an official account on Twitter, while 66 per cent have facebook page

(Kietzmann, et al., 2011)15

. Now social media marketing has become an important tool

for marketing, so this topic has gained more attention of researchers. Hence the present

study has made an attempt to examine the effectiveness of social media marketing among

the consumers.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Social media enables consumers to talk to the brand and to each other through a

multitude of platforms. The main focus of these platforms is to enhance the consumer

experience. Brand marketing on social media is becoming less and less about pushing

messages out to consumers and more and more about being part of a dynamic

conversation listening and creating relevant content to earn the consumer trust. Social

media platforms provide with the rare opportunities for the brand to listen to consumers

and respond. It allows the collection of in depth information about consumers‟

preferences and lifestyles, enabling customized content to ultimately embed brand in

cultural conversation. Social media offers the prospect of so many consequences like

customer satisfaction, customer engagement, brand equity, brand intimacy and trust. This

social media are providing an increased understanding of the consumers. The

measurement of the effectiveness of social media marketing will be a replacement of

traditional customer relationship management in the marketing. Hence, the marketers

should realize the degree of effectiveness of social media marketing among the

consumers.

RESEARCH GAP

Even though the studies related to the usage of social media, usage of social

media marketing and its effectiveness exists in the marketing literature, there is no

exclusive study on the effectiveness of social media marketing and its determinants in

15. Kietzmann, J.H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I.P. and Silvestre, B.S. (2011). “Social

media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media”,

Business Horizons, 54(3), 241-251.

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Madurai City. Hence, the present study has made an attempt to fill up the research gap.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The objectives of the present study are listed below:

1. To reveal the profile of the respondents and their social media marketing

behaviour;

2. To study the determinants of social media usage and its impact on the social

media marketing behaviour;

3. To measure the implications of social media marketing on marketers and

consumers;

4. To analyse the various effectiveness of social media marketing and its association

with the profile of the respondents;

5. To examine the various determinants of overall effectiveness of social media

marketing and its impact; and

6. To evaluate the impact of social media marketing activities and social media

functionality usage on the various effectiveness of social media marketing among

the respondents.

HYPOTHESES OF THE STUDY

Based on the objectives of the present study, the following null hypotheses are

formulated.

1. There is no significant difference among the male and female respondents

regarding their view on various aspects in social media marketing behaviour and

its effectiveness.

2. There is no significant association between the profile of respondents and their

view on various aspects in social media marketing behaviour and its

effectiveness;

3. There is no significant impact of social media marketing activities and the social

media functional usage on the various effectiveness of social media marketing.

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METHODOLOGY

Research methodology is the way of systematically soling the research problem.

It is a science of studying how research is conducted scientifically. Under it, the

researcher acquaints himself/herself with the various steps generally adopted to study a

research problem, along with the underlying logic behind them. The advanced Learner‟s

Dictionary of Current English lays down the meaning of research as “a careful

investigation or inquiry especially through search for new facts in any branch of

knowledge”16

. Redman and Moray defined research as “looking for new facts in any

branch of knowledge”17

. In the present study, research methodology covers the research

design, locale of research, sample and sampling, operation alienation and measurement

variables, method of data collection, framework of analysis and limitations.

The Research Design of the Study

The most important step after defining the research problem is preparing the

design of the task, which is popularly known as the „research design‟. A research design

helps to decide upon issues like what, when, where, how much, by what means, etc. with

regard to an enquiry or a research study.

Selltiz et al., (1962)18

defined, “A research design is the arrangement of

conditions for collection and analysis of data in a manner that aims to combine relevance

to the research purpose with economy in procedure. In fact, the research design is the

conceptual structures with which research is conducted; it constitutes the blue print for

the collection, measurement and analysis of data”.

In the present study, the descriptive and diagnostic type research design has been

administered. Since this research describes the profile of the respondents and their view

on various aspects in social media marketing and its consequences, it is concerned with

16. The Advanced Learners’ Dictionary of Current English, Oxford, 1952,

p.1069.

17. Redmen, L.V., and Mory, A.V.H., The Romance of Research, 1923, p.10.

18. Clavie Selting and Others, Research Methods in Social Sciences, 1962, p.50.

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descriptive in nature. Mean while, this study analyse the impact of determinants of social

media effectiveness on its overall effectiveness among the respondents it is diagnostic in

nature. Besides, this present study focus attention on formation of the objectives of the

study, proper designing of the methods of data collection, sample selection, processing

and analysis of the collected data and reporting the finding, it is descriptive and

diagnostic in nature.

Locale of Research

Due to globalization and liberalization, the social media marketing is a growing

marketing technique among the consumers in recent years. The customers are expecting

some special services from the social media marketing. The marketers should understand

the needs of the consumers in social media marketing and also the effectiveness of social

media marketing among the consumers for their future policy implications. Within this in

view, the nature of the study will be to expose the consumers view on the various aspects

in social media marketing behaviour and its effectiveness.

Selection of the Study Area

Madurai City was purposively selected as the study area by the research for the

following reasons:

1. Madurai City is one of the developing cities in Tamilnadu. The higher literacy

rate in Madurai City is noticed.

2. Familiarity to the culture, local dialect and infra-structural facilities available at

this Madurai city would help research to develop a good rapport with the

consumers in the social media marketing at this city. Hence, better and valid

responses could be received.

Determination of Sample Size of the Study

Since the population is unknown the sample size of the study is determined with

the help of the given formula

2

D n

whereas n – sample size, Z – Z statistics at 5

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per cent = 1.96; σ – standard deviation of customer satisfaction on social media

marketing at pilot study; and D- Degree of error acceptance = 0.05. The determined

sample size among the male and female have been computed separately. The results are

given in Table. Determinants of Sample size in Social Media Marketing at Madurai

Sl.

No. Gender

2

D n

Sample size Total Samples

1. Male 2

.05

486496.1 n

363.55 364

2. Female 2

.05

530296.1 n

431.96 432

Total –– –– 796

The determined sample size of male respondents is 364 since standard deviation

of customer satisfaction on social media marketing at pilot study is 0.4864. Among the

determined female respondents are 432. The total sample size came to 796.

Sampling Procedure of the Study

The applied sampling procedure to select the sampled respondents in the present

study is judgment sampling. The researcher made a hard effort to identify the customer in

social media marketing as per his enquiry among the respondents. Hence, the applied

sampling procedure of the study is judgment sampling.

DATA COLLECTION

The required primary data have been collected through the interview schedule.

Since most of the present study is based on the primary data, a special effort was taken to

design the interview schedule. The interview schedule consists of 3 parts. The first part

includes the profile of the respondents and their social media usage whereas the second

part focuses on the various implication of social media marketing. The final part of the

schedule includes various effectiveness of social media marketing and its determinants.

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The needed variables in the concepts generated for the study are drawn from review of

previous studies.

A pilot study was conducted among 20 male and 20 female respondents who

involved in social media marketing at Madurai City. Based on their feedback, certain

additions, deletions and simplifications are carried out to prepare a final draft of the

interview schedule to collect the primary data.

Analysis of Data

The collected data are processed with the help of appropriate statistical tools. The

selection of statistical tools depends upon the objectives of the study and also the nature

of scale of data taken for analysis. The included statistical tools are:

1. Exploratory Factor Analysis;

2. Confirmatory Factor Analysis;

3. Two group Discriminant Analysis; and

4. Multiple Regression Analysis

The statistical tests included for the present study are:

1. „t‟test and

2. One way analysis of variance

Limitations of the Study

The study is subjected with the following limitations:

1. The scope of the study is confined to Madurai city only;

2. The effectiveness of social media marketing is confined to human need

satisfaction, social CRM capabilities, consumer engagement, brand equity,

brand intimacy and trust, and overall effectiveness.

3. The descriptive variables in the present study are converted into quantitative

variables with the help of five point Likert‟s scale.

4. The respondents in the present study are identified by the judgment of the

researcher.

5. Non probablistic sampling procedure has been followed in the present study;

and

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6. There is a linear relationship between the dependent and independent

variables.

CHAPTERIZATION

The present study is presented in five chapters.

The first chapter includes introduction, need for the study, statement of problem,

review of literature, research gap, objectives of the study, and hypotheses of the study,

methodology, limitations and Chapterisation of the study.

The second chapter covers the meaning, definition, measurements, methods and

variables used to measure the concepts generated for the present study.

The third chapter explain the profile of respondents ad their social media

marketing behaviour among them; usage of social media functionality and its

determinants, implication of social media functionality usage, social media marketing

activities done by the respondents, association between the profile of respondents and

their social media marketing behaviour, discriminant aspects regarding social media

marketing behaviour among male and female respondents.

The fourth chapter examines the various effectiveness of social media marketing

namely human needs satisfaction, social CRM capabilities, consumer engagement, brand

equity, brand intimacy and trust, overall effectiveness and the determinants of

effectiveness of social media marketing, the impact of social media marketing activities,

social media functionality usage on the effectiveness of social media marketing among

them respectively.

The fifth chapter summarizes the findings of the study, concluding remarks,

policy implications and scope for future research.

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS

The findings of the present study are summarized below.

DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS

The respondents in the present study are classified into male and female. The

dominant age group among them is less than 30 years whereas the dominant levels of

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education among the respondents are under and post graduation. The dominant marital

status among the respondents are married with kids and recently married whereas the

dominant family size among the respondents and less than 4 per family. The dominant

number of earning members per family among the respondents is one and two earning

members per family. The dominant personal income among them is Rs.30,000 to 40,000

per month whereas the dominant family income per month is Rs.60,000 to 80,000 and

above 80,000.

The dominant personality score among the respondents is above 4.00 and 3.01 to

4.00 whereas the dominant level of optimism among them is at moderate level. Majority

of the respondents are very high and moderate at the level of comfort with new

technology whereas the dominant level of attachment with new technology are moderate

and high. The dominant technology readiness score among the respondents are 2.00 to

3.00 and 3.01 to 4.00.

Usage of Social Net Working Sites

The highly used networking sites among the male are face book and arkut

whereas among the female, these are YouTube and face book. The significant difference

among the male and female have been noticed in the usage of five out of seven social

networking sites. The methods of social media usage among them are examined with the

help of 12 variables. The highly viewed variables by male are photo sharing and social

networking whereas among the female, these are photo sharing and mobile apps. The

significant difference among the male and female have been noticed in their view on 4

out of 12 variables in social media usage.

The customers touch points on social media among the respondents are studied

with the help of 8 variables. The highly viewed customer touch points by male are social

campaigns and direct mailing whereas among the female, these are advertising and brand

communities. The significant difference among the male and female have been noticed in

their view on 2 out of 8 customers touch points on social media. The dominant time

devoted for journalizing among the respondents are 1 to 2.00 and 2.01 to 3.00 hours per

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day. The purpose of using social platforms in the present study is studied with the help of

seven variables. The highly viewed variable by male and female are connecting with

friends and seeing new products and services respectively. The significant difference

among the male and female have been noticed in the view on five out of seven purposes.

Social Marketing Behaviour among the Respondents

The methods of social network marketing among the respondents are studied with

the help of seven variables. The highly viewed methods by male and female are personal

website and using social networking websites. The significant difference among male and

female have been noticed in their view on four out of seven methods. The dominant level

of consideration of social media marketing among the respondents is at moderate and

high level. The dominant exposure of brands though social networks system is high and

moderate. The dominant motivator for joining a brand page among the male and female

are friends‟ invitation and advertisement respectively. The significant difference among

the male and female have been noticed in their view on 4 out of 5 motivators.

The reasons to follow brand on social networking system among the respondents

are studied with the help of five reasons. The highly viewed reasons by male and female

are just to show others and avail discount and offer respectively. The significant

difference among male and female have been noticed in their view on four out of five

reasons.

The message strategy usage (MSU) among the respondents is examined with the

help of 13 variables. The highly viewed variables in MSU by male and female are spoke

people and emotional appeal respectively. The significant difference among the male and

female have been noticed in their view on 6 out of 13 variables in MSU. The operation of

social media functionality among the respondents is measured with the help of ten

variables. The highly viewed variable by male and female are exchange the views of

relate to each other respectively. The significant difference among the male and female

have been noticed in their view on six out of 10 variables in it. The level of social media

functionality usage is noticed as higher among the male compared to female respondents.

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Determinants of Social Media Functionality Usage

The determinants of social media functionality usage among the respondents are

examined with the help of 18 variables. The highly viewed variables by male and female

are self image and security risk respectively. The significant difference among the male

and female have been noticed in their view on 14 out of 18 variables in it. The important

determinants of social media functionality usage narrated by the factor analysis are

personal fit, perceived risk, perceived usefulness and higher performance. The highly

viewed important determinants by male and female are personal fit and perceived risk

respectively. The significant difference among the male and female respondents has been

noticed in their view on personal fit, perceived risk and higher performance.

The significantly associating important profile variables regarding the view on

important determinants are personal income, family income and level of security attached

with technology. The important discriminant determinants among the male and female

respondents are higher performance and personal fit which are highly viewed by male

compared to female respondents.

Impact of Determinants of the Social Media Functionality Usage

The significantly influencing determinants on the level of social media

functionality usage among the male are personal fit, perceived usefulness and higher

performance whereas among the female, these are perceived risk and perceived

usefulness. The higher impact of determinants on the social media functionality usage is

seen among the male compared to female respondents. The important determinants in the

social media functionality usage among the respondents are higher performance and

perceived risk.

Implications of Social Media Functionality Usage

The implications of social media functionality usage among the respondents have

been examined with the help of 15 variables. The highly viewed variables in implications

by male and female respondents are monitoring the strength and passion and self

promotion respectively. The significant difference among the male and female have been

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noticed in their view on 12 out of 15 variables in it. The important implications narrated

by the factor analysis are networking, evaluation, easiness and market knowledge.

The highly viewed important implications by male and female respondents are

evaluation and easiness respectively. The significant difference among the male and

female have been noticed in the case of view on networking, evaluation and easiness. The

significantly associating important profile variables regarding the view on important

implications are personal income, family income and level of comfort with technology.

The important discriminant implications of social media functionality usage among the

male and female is easiness which is highly viewed by female compared male.

The highly preferred goods through social media marketing among the male are

medical goods and luxurious goods whereas among the female, these two are cosmetics

and appliances. The significant difference among the male and female respondents has

been noticed in their view on cosmetics, appliances and services.

Marketers Advantage through Social Media Marketing (MASMM)

The respondents view on the marketers‟ advantage through social media

marketing is studied with the help of 18 variables. The highly viewed variables in

MASMM among the male and female respondents are reaching of masses and mass

advertisement campaign respectively. The significant difference among the male and

female respondents has been noticed in their view on 13 out of 18 variables. The

important marketers‟ advantages narrated by factor analysis are customer focus, branding

market coverage and advertisement.

The highly viewed IMA by male and female respondents are market coverage and

advertisement. The significant difference among the male and female have been noticed

in their view on customer focus, market coverage and advertisement. The significantly

associating profile variables regarding the view in IMA are level of education, personal

income, family income, personality score, level of security attached with technology. The

important discriminant IMA among the male and female is advertisement which is highly

viewed by female respondents.

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Social Media Marketing Activities (SMMA)

The level of marketing activities among the respondents is examined with the help

of 24 variables. The highly viewed variables in SMMA by male and female are self

image congruity and discussion and exchange of opinion respectively. The significant

difference among male and female have been noticed in their view on 15 out of 24

variables in SMMA. The important social media marketing activities narrated by the

factor analysis are entertainment, trendiness, interaction, customization, risk free, utility,

self image and words of mouth.

The highly viewed ISMMA by male respondents are self image and utility

whereas among the female respondents, these are words of mouth and customization. The

significant difference among male and female have been noticed in six out of eight

ISMMA. The significantly associating important profile variables regarding the view on

ISMMA are level of education, personal income, family income and technology

readiness score. The important discriminant ISMMA among male and female are

interaction and customization which are highly viewed by female compared to male

respondents.

Impact of ISMMA on the Usage of Social Media Marketing

The significantly influencing ISMMA on the usage of social media marketing

among male respondents are entertainment, trendiness, customization, utility and self

image whereas among the female, these are interaction, customization, utility, and words-

of-mouth. The higher impact of ISMMA on the usage of social media marketing among

the female have been noticed compared to male respondents. The important ISMMA on

the usage of social media marketing are entertainment and utility.

Effectiveness of Social Media Marketing

The effectiveness of social media marketing is studied with the help of human

need satisfaction, social CRM capability, customer engagement, brand equity and brand

equity and intimacy.

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Human Need Satisfaction among the Respondents

The level of human need satisfaction among the respondents is studied with the

help of ten variables. The highly viewed variable by male and female are popularity

influence and autonomy respectively. The significant difference among the male and

female have been noticed in their view on nine out of ten variables in it.

Social CRM Capabilities among the Respondents

The level of social CRM capabilities among the respondents is studied with the

help of eight variables. The highly viewed variables by male and female respondents are

distinctive targeting of appropriate customers and better understanding of customer needs

respectively. The significant difference among male and male respondents has been

noticed in their view on all eight variables in it.

Customer Engagement

The consumer engagement in the present study is measured with the help of 14

variables. The highly viewed variable by male and female is commenting about purchase.

The significant difference among the male and female have been noticed in their view on

all 14 variables in consumer engagement.

Brand Equity

The brand equity among the respondents is examined with the help of eight

variables. The highly viewed variables by male and female respondents are enhance

brand attachment and building customer relationship respectively. The significant

difference among the male and female have been noticed in their view on all eight

variables in brand equity.

Brand Intimacy and Trust (BIT)

The brand intimacy and trust among the respondents is measured with the help of

14 variables. The highly viewed variables by male and female are „positive feeling on

brand‟ and „brand reputation‟ respectively. The significant difference among male and

female has not been noticed in their view on all 14 variables in brand intimacy and trust.

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The highly viewed effectiveness of social media marketing by male is consumer

engagement and; brand intimacy and trust. Among the female, these two are brand

intimacy and trust and consumer engagement. The significant difference among the male

and female respondents has been noticed in their view on all four effectiveness of social

media marketing. The significantly associating important profile variables regarding the

view on effectiveness of social media marketing are personal income, family income and

technology readiness score. The important discriminant effectiveness of social media

marketing among the male and female are brand equity and consumer engagement which

are highly viewed by male compared to female respondents.

Overall Effectiveness of Social Media Marketing

The overall effectiveness of social media marketing is examined with the help of

28 variables. The highly viewed variable by male and female are consumer satisfaction

and attitude towards user generated content. The significant difference among the male

and female have been noticed in their view on 17 out of 28 variables in it. The important

components of overall effectiveness of social media marketing narrated by factor analysis

are brand, consumer, market content and product effect.

The highly viewed important components of overall effectiveness among the male

and female are consumer effect and content effect respectively. The significant difference

among the male and female have been noticed in their view on brand, consumer and

content effect. The significantly associating important profile variables regarding the

view on overall effectiveness are personal income, family income and personality score.

The important discriminant components of overall effectiveness of SMM among male

and female are based and content effect which are highly viewed by female compared to

male.

Determinants of Overall Effectiveness of SMM

The determinants of overall effectiveness of SMM are examined with the help of

21 variables. The highly viewed variables by male and female are communication

between customers to company, and lively pictures respectively. The significant

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difference among male and female have been noticed in their view on 14 out of 21

variables in determinants. The important determinants narrated by factor analysis are

cultural differences, contents, vividness, corporate social responsibility (CSR),

interactivity, and brand post position. The highly viewed important determinants by male

and female are vividness and brand post position. The significant difference among the

male and female have been noticed in their view on contents, interactivity and brand post

position.

The significantly associating important profile variables regarding the view on

important determinants are age, level of education, family size and personality score. The

important discriminant determinant among male and female is brand post position which

is highly viewed by female compared to male.

Impact of Important Determinants on the Overall Effectiveness of SMM

The significantly influencing important determinants on the overall effectiveness

of social media marketing (SMM) among male are contents, vividness, interactivity and

brand post position whereas among the female, these are contents, corporate social

responsibility (CSR) and interactivity. The higher impact of determinants has been

noticed among the male compared to female respondents. In total, the important

determinants that influence the overall effectiveness of SMM are interactivity and

contents.

Impact of Social Media Marketing Activities (SMMA) on the Human Needs

Satisfaction

The significantly influencing SMMA on the human need satisfaction among the

male are entertainment, trendiness, customization and self image whereas among the

female, these are trendiness, interaction, utility and words-of-mouth. The higher impact is

noticed among male compared to female. The analysis of pooled data reveals the relative

importance of trendiness, interaction, customization and words-of-mouth in the

determination of human needs satisfaction.

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Impact of SMMA on Social CRM Capabilities

Among the male respondents, the significantly influencing SMMA on the social

CRM capability are interaction, customization and utility whereas among the female,

these are customization, utility and words-of-mouth. The higher impact is noticed among

male compared to female. The most important SMMA influence on the social CRM

capabilities is the customization.

Impact of SMMA on Consumer Engagement

The significantly influencing SMMA on the consumer engagement among the

male are entertainment, trendiness, customization and self image whereas among the

female, these are interaction, customization and words-of-mouth. The higher impact is

noticed among the male compared to female. The important SMMA which influence on

consumer engagement are customization and interaction.

Impact of SMMA on Brand Equity

The significantly influencing SMMA on the brand equity among the male are

trendiness, customization and self image whereas among the female, these are trendiness,

customization and words-of-mouth. The higher impact is noticed among male compared

to female. In total, the most important SMMA influence on brand equity is trendiness.

Impact of SMMA on Brand Intimacy and Trust

The significantly influencing SMMA on the brand intimacy and trust among the

male are trendiness, interaction, customization and self image whereas among female,

these are interaction and words-of-mouth. The higher impact is noticed among male

compared to female. In total, the most important SMMA influence on the brand intimacy

and trust is self image.

Impact of SMMA on overall effectiveness of Social Media Marketing

The significantly influencing SMMA on the overall effectiveness of SMM among

the male are trendiness, customization and self image whereas among the female, these

are interaction, risk free and words of mouth. The higher impact of SMMA is noticed

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among the male compared to female. The analysis of pooled data reveals the relative

importance of trendiness, interaction, customization and risk free in the determination of

overall effectiveness of SMM.

Impact of Social Media Functionality Usage (SMFU) on Human Need Satisfaction

The significantly influencing SMFU on the human need satisfaction among the

male are personal fit, perceived usefulness and higher performance whereas among

female, these are perceived risk and usefulness. The higher impact of SMFU on the

human need satisfaction is noticed among the male compared to female. In total, the most

important SMFU influence on human need satisfaction is the personal fit.

Impact of SMFU on social CRM Capabilities

Among the male, the significantly influencing SMFU on the social CRM

capabilities are perceived usefulness and higher performance whereas among the female,

this is perceived usefulness. The higher impact is seen among male compared to female.

The most important SMFU influence on the social CRM capabilities among the

respondents is perceived usefulness.

Impact of SMFU on Consumer Engagement

The significantly influencing SMFU on the consumer engagement among the

male are personal fit and perceived usefulness. The higher impact is noticed among the

male compared to female. In total, the most influencing SMFU on the consumer

engagement among the respondents is perceived usefulness.

Impact of SMFU on Brand Equity

Among the male, the significantly influencing SMFU on brand equity are

perceived usefulness and higher performance whereas among the female, it is only

perceived usefulness. The higher impact is noticed among the male compared to female.

In total, the most influencing SMFU on the brand equity among the respondents is

perceived usefulness.

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Impact of SMFU on Brand Intimacy and Trust

The significantly influencing SMFU on brand intimacy and trust among the male

are perceived usefulness and higher performance whereas among the female, it is

perceived usefulness. The higher impact is noticed among the male compared to female.

The analysis of pooled data reveals the relative importance of perceived usefulness in the

determination of brand intimacy and trust.

Impact of SMFU on Overall Effectiveness of SMM

Among the male respondents, the significantly influencing SMFU on the overall

effectiveness of SMM are personal fit, perceived usefulness and higher performance

whereas among the female, these are perceived usefulness and higher performance. The

higher impact of SMFU is noticed among the male compared to female. In total, the most

influencing SMFU on the overall effectiveness of SMM is perceived usefulness.

CONCLUDING REMARKS

The present study concluded that the level of usage of social media marketing

among male is higher than that among the female. The important determinants of their

usage are personal fit, perceived risk, perceived usefulness and higher performance. The

highly viewed implications of the usage of social media marketing among the

respondents are networking, evaluation, easiness and market knowledge. The important

social media marketing activities adopted by the respondents are entertainment,

trendiness, interaction, customization, risk free, utility, self usage and words of mouth.

The effectiveness of social media marketing among the male is higher compared

to female respondents. It is visible in all effectiveness namely human need satisfaction,

social CRM capabilities, consumer engagement, brand equity, brand intimacy and trust;

and the overall effectiveness of social media marketing. The level of implementation of

social media marketing activities especially trendiness, interaction, and customization

have a significant positive impact on effectiveness of SMM. The level of social media

functionality usage especially personal fit and perceived usefulness have a significant

positive impact on its effectiveness.