The impact of company-generated posts with crisis-related content on online engagement behavior

Abstract

During the COVID-19 crisis, social media platforms have been important tools for companies to interact with customers/users. Despite the importance of good communication during a crisis, insights into what kind of crisis-related content companies should publish are rare. This study addresses this research gap by investigating the direct and moderation effects of company-generated posts with crisis-related content on online engagement behavior. It also examines the relationship of specific post attributes with OEB and the moderation effects of post types. A content analysis of 2,600 posts on 20 Facebook brand pages reveals that posts which implicitly address the pandemic directly enhance OEB; posts showcasing company employees, however, decrease OEB. Crisis-related content and certain post types have a moderation effect on OEB. The authors conducted follow-up interviews which confirmed these findings. This study suggests ways that companies can improve their crisis communication to interact with customers/users in a more engaging way.