ABSTRACT
This study examined the impact of social media marketing on consumer engagement among Accountancy Business and Management students at Nasugbu East Senior High School in Batangas. With five participants chosen by convenience sampling and a phenomenological research design, the study aimed to understand how students interacted with and experienced social media campaigns and content.
Based on the data collected, the study found that social media marketing significantly influences consumer engagement, especially focusing on engagement, brand recognition, promotions, and by improving customer knowledge. Effective strategies identified such advertising, promotions, incentives for participation in activities, and incentives. Furthermore, the main factors affecting the success of social media marketing were based on feedback and satisfaction measurement, with emphasis on the impact on brand reputation, customer engagement and product search.
The study recommended that brands prioritize these key elements in their social media strategies to optimize consumer engagement and maximize brand success. Business owners need to prioritize creative and engaging content to deploy across different marketing strategies, enhance competitive experience, and engage users. In addition, manufacturers should prioritize collecting and analyzing customer data to enhance brand reputation, improve customer engagement, and effectively test products.
Keywords: Social media marketing, consumer engagement, phenomenological research
INTRODUCTION
According to Khan (2019), social media becomes an integral part of consumers' daily lives, influencing their behaviors, perceptions, and decision-making processes. With the exponential growth of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn, businesses have increasingly turned to social media marketing as a key strategy to engage with their target audiences and build relationships with consumers.
The impact of social media marketing on consumer engagement has garnered significant attention from researchers and marketers alike. Understanding how social media marketing strategies affect consumer behavior and foster engagement is crucial for businesses looking to create meaningful connections with their customers in a highly competitive online landscape.
In order to understand the impact of social media marketing in consumer engagement, the researchers want to explore experiences, perceptions, and interactions of Accountancy Business and Management students with social media content and campaigns.
It is the desire of the researchers, therefore, to seek out evaluation about consumer engagement in order to develop social media marketing strategies that meet the needs of businesses.
METHODOLOGY
This study used Qualitative Approach using phenomenological research design. This type of approach aims to study the phenomenon or experiences of people. Also, it gives an idea how individuals or a group of people react or experience a certain phenomenon. A phenomenon is a rare occurrence or an experience of an individual that is not common. In this study, the researchers want to study about the experiences of students about social media marketing.
The study was conducted in Nasugbu East Senior High School located at Brgy. Lumbangan, Nasugbu, Batangas. It was founded in the year 2024.The school was headed by the Principle II, with forty-six (46) teachers and three (3) non-teaching staff. It has a total population of one thousand three hundred four (1304) enrolled students comprising the grade 11 and 12. There are a total of two hundred one hundred eighty-two (182) of ABM students in School Year 2023-2024. The school offers academic which includes Accountancy Business and Management (ABM) strand, Humanities and Social science (HUMSS) strand, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) strand, and Technical, Vocational, and Livelihood Track (TVL) strand.
Using Convenience Sampling, the researchers selected five (5) participants that are convenient to involve in the study. This saved researcher’s time and effort in looking for participants who will participate in this study. The participants aged 16-18 years old from Barangay Catandaan, Lumbangan and Cogunan, Nasugbu, Batangas.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter presents the data gathered, analysis and interpretation to answer the problem which this study aims to achieve.
Table 1. Influence of Social Media Marketing on the Brand in Grabbing Consumer Attention.
| R1 | Para sakin, mahalaga ang social media marketing para makuha ang atensyon ng mga mamimili. Lalo kung ang social media ay ginagamit sa tamang paraan. Nakakakuha ito ng atensyon kung ang strategies ay kaakit-akit sa paningin. (For me, social media marketing is important in grabbing the attention of the customer. Especially if the social media is being used in the right way it will grab my attention if the strategies is visually appealing.) |
| R2 | Napakahalaga ng social media marketing sa mga brands para makuha ang atensyon ng mga tao. Nakakatulong ito sa mga business para maaabot ang ma’s malaking audience at maipakita at maipakilala ang kanilang produkto o serbisyo sa isang malikhain o mapanghikayat na paraan. (Social media marketing is very important for brands to catch up the attention of the people. Social media marketing helps the business reach a wider audience and showcase their products or services in a creative or persuasive way.) |
| R3 | Nakakatulong ang social media marketing sa mga brands sa pagppromote ng kanilang mga produkto upang malaman natin kung ano ang kanilang mga itinitinda at inaalok. Sa usaping marketing, isa sa pinaka murang paraan ay sa social media lalo na kung ang business mo ay online. Dahil dito ma’s naiintindihan ng mga mamimili ang purpose at goal ng business nila through social media. (Social media marketing helps brands in promoting their products for us to know what the products they are offering. When it comes in marketing, social media is very affordable especially to those business that established online. It helps consumer to focus and understand more their purpose and goal in business through social media.) |
| R4 | Ang social media marketing ay napakahalaga sa brand sa pag-agaw at paghahakot ng atensyon ng mga mamimili. Gaya ng alam nating lahat, sa henerasyong ito ay marami ng gumagamit ng social media. Nakakatulong din ang social media sa mga brand sa pagppromote at pagbibigay nila ng impormasyon tungkol sa kanilang produkto. (Social media marketing is very important to brand in grabbing consumer. As we all know, this generation is more on social media. It also help brand to promote and gives information about their product.) |
| R5 | Ito ay mahalaga, dahil nakakatulong ito sa akin na malaman kung ano ang kanilang maiaalok sa mga customer dahil naipapakita at naibabahagi nila ito sa social media. (This is important, because it helps me to know what they can offer to customers because brand can share information about their business through social media.) |
Interpretation for Table 1.
All participants’ responses are about attention-grabbing, brand visibility, product promotion, consumer engagement, and customer awareness. The table illustrates how social media marketing influences brand perception and captures consumer attention. One (1) highlighted the importance of visually appealing strategies for attracting customer attention through social media, while one (1) emphasized how social media marketing enables brands to reach a wider audience and showcase their offerings creatively. Additionally, one (1) underscored the affordability and informative value of social media marketing for promoting products and communicating business goals, while another one (1) reiterated the significance of social media in engaging with the social media-savvy generation and providing product information. The final participant echoed the sentiment that social media serves as a crucial platform for brands to share essential information with customers, stressing the importance of leveraging social media for business communication and promotion. The result was related to the study of Arrigo (2018), which stated that most businesses use online marketing strategies to build brand awareness awareness among consumers.
Table 2. Effective Social Media Marketing Strategies for Boosting Consumer Engagement
| R1 | Para sa akin ang pinaka epektibong social media marketing strategies ay ang pag po-post ng litrato, bidyo o isang produktong ibebenta na may magandang detalye tungkol dito. (For me the most effective social media marketing strategies is posting pictures or videos of a product they sell with a great details about it.) |
| R2 | Ang pinakaepektibong diskarte sa marketing sa social media para sa pagpapalakas ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga mamimili ay ang paglikha ng interactive na post, pagsasagawa ng mga paligsahan o pamimigay ng giveaways. Nakakatulong ang mga diskarteng ito upang aktibong masangkot ang mga mamimili at mapukaw ang kanilang interes at mahikayat silang makipag-ugnayan sa brand. (The most effective social media marketing strategies for boosting consumer engagement is creating interactive post, running contests or giveaways. These strategies helps to actively involve consumers to spark their interest and encourage them to interact with brand.) |
| R3 | Ang pinaka-epektibong social media marketing strategies para sa akin ay ang advertising/advertisement tulad ng paggawa ng mga video na magpo-promote ng kanilang mga produkto, nakakakuha ito ng atensyon ng mga mamimili dahil mahusay nilang mai-promote ang kanilang produkto sa social media. (The most effective social media marketing strategies for me is advertising/advertisement like creating videos that will promote their products, it catches consumer attention because they can promote their product well on social media.) |
| R4 | Para sa akin, ang pinaka-epektibo ay ang social media advertising tulad ng mga video ad, poster ad, at paggawa ng isang facebook page. Magiging epektibo ito sa pagpapataas ng kanilang kita at pagbibigay ng impormasyon sa mga mamimili tungkol sa kanilang negosyo. (For me, the most effective is social media advertising such as video ads, poster ads, and creating Facebook page. This will be effective in increasing sales and gives information to the consumers about the business.) |
| R5 | Para sa akin, ang pinakamabisang diskarte sa marketing sa social media ay ang pag-advertise o pag-promote ng sarili nilang produkto sa social media. (The most effective social media marketing strategies is advertising or promoting their own product in social media.) |
Interpretation for Table 2.
All the participants' responses are about advertising and promotion. Table 2 shows the effective social media marketing strategies for boosting consumer engagement. Five (5) mentioned that posting pictures and video ads, creating a Facebook page, and interactive posts are the most effective social media marketing strategies for promoting and advertising a product on social media. This was related to the study of Adeola et al. (2020), which emphasized that social media marketing emphasizes the need to focus on creating and adopting effective strategies that can make the product go viral.
Table 3. Motivation in Participating on Social Media Contest
| R1 | Naranasan ko nang sumali dahil may nakukuha akong rewards kapag nagparticipate ako. (I have experienced joining because I receive rewards when I participate.) |
| R2 | Oo sumasali ako at ang nagmomotivate sakin sumali e yung mga discount at promo na inoffer nila sa mga sasali. (Yes I do participate and what motivates me to join are the discounts and promos they offer to participants) |
| R3 | Hindi koi pa nararanasan sumali kasi maliit lang naman ang tyansa na manalo lalo na kapag maraming kalahok. (I haven't experienced joining because the chances of winning are small, especially when there are many participants.) |
| R4 | Sumasali ako lalo na kapag sikat or kilala yung brand dahil alam kong totoo yung mga giveaways na pinamimigay nila. (I do participate especially when the brand is popular or well-known because I know that they are not a scam and they genuinely give giveaways.) |
| R5 | Madalas akong magparticipate sa mga ganap sa social media kasi minsan kapag may pagiveaways sila nagbibigay sila ng discount kaya ma’s nakakamura ako. (I often participate in social media events because sometimes when they have contests, they also provide discounts, which allows me to save money.) |
Interpretation for Table 3.
All the participants' responses are about motivations and experiences of participating in events or contests. Table 3 shows that the interplay between rewards and challenges creates a dynamic decision-making landscape for individuals. Four (4) directly stated that incentives like discounts drive their participation. Trust in established brands builds confidence and enhances brand reputation. Participants optimize interactions with brands on social media through discounted offerings, highlighting the connection between financial benefits and brand engagement. On the other hand, one (1) said that competition and uncertainty shape levels of involvement.
This interpretation was related to the study of Liu et al. (2021), which emphasized that marketing campaigns for luxury brands incorporate key factors such as customization, reputation, trendiness, interaction, and entertainment. These factors significantly influence customers' purchase intentions and brand equity.
Table 4. Most Appealing Social Media Content
| R1 | Para sa akin, ang pinaka-kaakit-akit na content sa social media ay sa pamamagitan ng pagpopost ng mga larawan, dahil nakikita ko ang kanilang produkto at kung paano ito gamitin at bilhin. (For me, the most appealing content in social media is through images, because i can visualize the product on how to use it and purchase it.) |
| R2 | Para sakin, ang video at mga magagandang larawan ay ang pinaka-kaakit-akit na content sa social media. Nakuha nila ang aking atensyon at ginagawang ma’s nakakaengganyo at hindi malilimutan ang isang brand. (I find videos and eye-catching images as the most appealing content on social media. They grab my attention and make the brand more engaging and memorable.) |
| R3 | Ang pinaka-kaakit-akit na content sa social media ay video, dahil nakakakuha ito ng atensyon ng mga mamimili. (The most appealing content in social media is video, because it catches consumer attention.) |
| R4 | Para sakin, ang live stream at visual content post katulad ng mga poster at video ads bilang ang pinakaakit-akit sa social media dahil nakakakuha ito ng atensyon at curiosity mula sa mga tao patungkol sa produktong ibinebenta nila. (I find live stream and visual content post like posters and video ads as the most appealing in social media as it's catch the attention and curiosity of consumers about the product they selling.) |
| R5 | Ang pinaka-kaakit-akit sa mga mata ng mga tao ay ang live na pagbebenta. Ma’s gusto na nating bumili ngayon sa online dahil nakakatipid tayo at nakakakuha ng discount. (The most attractive to people's eyes is live selling, because people are attracted to by online, because it saves their money and get of me discount.) |
Interpretation for Table 4.
All the participants' responses are about content engagement on social media. Table 4 shows the most appealing content on social media, highlighting its role in attracting and retaining followers. Five (5) highlighted the importance of visual elements like images and videos in engaging with brands on social media. This was connected to the study of Tafesse et al. (2018), which stated that social media facilitates content sharing, collaborations, and interactions. These social media platforms and applications exist in various forms such as social bookmarking, rating, video, pictures, podcasts, wikis, microblogging, social blogs, and weblogs
Table 5. Impact of Customer Feedback on Brand Reputation and Consumer Engagement
| R1 | Para sa akin, mahalaga ang feedback, lalo na sa panahon ngayon dahil patuloy na naghahanap ang mga customer ng feedback at mga tugon mula sa mga negosyo. Makikita rin natin ang tapat na reaksyon ng iba pang mga customer na makakatulong sa atin sa pagpapasya kung bibilhin namin ang kanilang produkto. Ang feedback ay mahalaga rin para sa reputasyon ng negosyo (For me, feedback is very important, especially nowadays as customers always look for feedback and responses from businesses. We can also see the honest reactions of other customers that will help us in deciding if we will buy their product. Feedback is also important for business reputation.) |
| R2 | Sa aking opinyon, napakahalaga ng feedback ng customer at responsibilidad mula sa mga brand sa pagpapanatili ng pakikisangkot ng consumer sa social media. Kapag aktibo ang mga brand sa pakikinig sa kanilang mga customer, sinusugpuan ang kanilang mga alalahanin, at agad na tumutugon, ito ay nagpapakita na itinuturing nila ang mga opinyon ng kanilang mga customer at naka-ukol sa pagbibigay ng mahusay na serbisyo. Ito ay nagtatayo ng tiwala, nagpapalago ng pagkamatapat, at nagtutulak ng patuloy na pakikisangkot sa brand. (In my opinion, customer feedback and responsiveness from brands are absolutely crucial in maintaining consumer engagement on social media. When brands actively listen to their customers, address their concerns, and respond promptly, it shows that they value their customers' opinions and are dedicated to providing excellent service. This builds trust, fosters loyalty, and encourages ongoing engagement with the brand.) |
| R3 | Pagdating sa marketing, ang feedback ng customer ay isang backup ng aming mga produkto. Ito ang pinakamahalaga sa pagbuo ng isang negosyo dahil maglilingkod ito bilang isang promosyon sa iba sa pamamagitan ng pamumulat din ng bibig. (When it comes to marketing, customer feedback is a backup of our products. It is the most crucial in building a business because it will serve as a promotion to others by word of mouth also.) |
| R4 | Ang feedback ng consumer ang batayan para sa aming potensyal na mga mamimili. Makakatulong din ito sa negosyo na sukatin ang kasiyahan ng consumer at makakuha ng anumang mga mungkahi para sa pagpapabuti ng kanilang mga produkto. (Consumer feedback is the basis for our potential buyers. It will also help the business to measure consumer satisfaction and get any suggestions for improving their products.) |
| R5 | Batay sa aking nakikita, hindi tayo makasigurado kung ang kanilang produkto ay okay kaya tinitingnan ko rin ang mga review na ibinigay ng tao na unang bumili nito. (Based on what I see, we can't be sure if the product they sell is okay so I also look at the reviews given by the person who buys it first.) |
Interpretation for Table 5.
All the participants' responses are about the importance of feedback and satisfaction measurement. The interpretation of Table 5 shows the significant impact of customer feedback on brand reputation, consumer engagement, and product evaluation. Three (3) directly stated that feedback is crucial for influencing purchase decisions, building credibility, fostering trust, and enhancing engagement on social media and the two (2) stated that it is a promotional tool for measuring satisfaction and validating product quality, driving business growth in the digital age. This was connected to the study of Campbell et al. (2020), which stated that influencer marketing is the practice of compensating individuals for posting about a product or service on social media.
CONCLUSION
Based on the findings of the study, the following conclusions were drawn.
1. Most of the participants’ answers on impact of social media marketing are attention-grabbing content, brand visibility, product promotion, consumer engagement, and customer awareness.
2. Most of the participants’ answer on effective social media marketing strategies for boosting consumer engagement are through advertising, promotion, event participation motivations, and appealing content engagement
3. Most of the participants answer on key factors that influence the success of social media marketing were centered around the importance of feedback and satisfaction measurement highlighting the significant impacts of customer feedback on brand reputation, consumer engagement, and product evaluation.
RECOMMENDATION
For the preceding findings and conclusions, the following recommendations are offered by the researchers.
1. Brands should prioritize these key elements in their social media strategies to effectively engage and capture the attention of consumers for enhanced brand success.
2. Business Owner should use diversity marketing strategies to include interactive and engaging approaches, enhance contest experiences by offering a mix of rewards and challenges, and prioritize creative and appealing content to drive user interaction.
3. Entrepreneur should prioritize collecting and analyzing customer feedback to enhance brand reputation, boost consumer engagement, and evaluate product performance effectively.
KEYWORDS
Social Media Marketing- this term refers to the use of social media platforms and channels to promote products, services, or brands, engage with audiences, and drive business objectives.
Impact- this term refers to the measurable effect or influence that social media marketing initiatives have on consumer behavior, attitudes, perceptions, and engagement levels.
Engaging Consumer- this term refers to a consumer who actively interacts with social media marketing content, participates in conversations, and shows interest in the brand or products.
Research- this term refers to systematic investigation and study conducted to analyze and understand the relationship between social media marketing strategies and consumer engagement.
Consumer Engagement- this term refers to level of involvement, interaction, and connection that consumers have with social media marketing campaigns, content, or brands.
Metrics- this term refers to quantitative data points and measurements used to track and evaluate the performance and effectiveness of social media marketing efforts.
Behavioral Responses- this term refers to the actions, reactions, and behaviors exhibited by consumers in response to social media marketing stimuli, including likes, shares, comments, and purchases.
Perceptions- this term refers to the beliefs, opinions, and attitudes that consumers form based on their exposure to social media marketing content and messages.
Return on Investment- this term refers to the financial return or outcome generated from the resources invested in social media marketing activities, indicating the profitability and effectiveness of campaigns.
Influence-this term refers to the ability of social media marketing to shape consumer opinions, preferences, and decisions, leading to desired behaviors and outcomes.