Social Media Marketing Activities, Brand Community Engagement and Brand Loyalty: Modelling the Role of Self-brand Congruency with Moderated Mediation Approach

Abstract

All regions are experiencing a boom in social media adoption, and marketers are continuously seeking innovative approaches to grow their network of loyal customers through online brand communities. The present study aims to examine how social media marketing activities may lead to brand loyalty. In this connection, the study investigates the role of brand community engagement and self-brand congruency. The data were gathered using a survey based on a questionnaire from 245 social media users following certain brand community pages on various social media platforms. Analysis of data set was conducted using structural equation modelling via Amos 23.0 and SPSS 20.0. Additionally, moderated mediation was assessed using SPSS’s Process macro. The findings reveal that social media marketing activities significantly influence customer’s loyalty towards the brand. However, this effect was found to be mediated through brand community engagement. Additionally, the outcome of the moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that the indirect impact of social media marketing activities on brand loyalty through brand community engagement was moderated by self-brand congruency. The study produces novel insights into the intricate relationship between social media marketing activities, brand community engagement, brand loyalty and self-brand congruency, significantly providing a roadmap for managers, guiding them to strategically craft brand experiences, adapt to consumer trends and foster emotional attachments with the brand.