As social media becomes increasingly a part of marketing strategies, businesses are investing heavily in the platforms to reflect the ability to reach and engage with target audiences. However, according to work in the International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising one aspect of social media marketing remains relatively underexplored, the impact on building long-term brand loyalty.
Sohail Ahmad and Li Liang of Southwest Jiaotong University in Chengdu, China, Ahmad Iqbal of The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, and Irshad Hussain Sarki of the National College of Business Administration and Economics both in Pakistan, have considered this gap in our knowledge and focused on the role of community engagement as a mediating factor in the development of brand loyalty through social media. By examining how consumer participation in online communities influences loyalty, the team shows how companies might better improve engagement and increase loyalty through judicious choices surrounding digital channels.
The concept of brand loyalty can be central to the success of any business. Loyal customers are more likely to make repeat purchases as well as advocating for the brand. Marketers have long recognized the importance of loyalty, but fostering such loyalty has become more complex in the age of social media. The study shows that while social media marketing activities can directly influence brand loyalty, this influence is most effective when mediated by active engagement within online communities. The findings were built on three key theoretical frameworks: Stimulus-Organism-Response theory, Service-Dominant logic, and the concept of privacy calculus. S-D logic has perhaps the greatest relevance in showing how the collaborative nature of value creation, where brands and consumers co-create value through interactions, affects loyalty.
Fundamentally, consumers who engage more with brands and other community members on social media are more likely to feel a stronger connection to the brand, which leads to greater loyalty over time.
Ahmad, S., Liang, L., Iqbal, A. and Sarki, I.H. (2025) ‘Beyond likes and shares: the secret to building stronger brands on social media from a privacy calculus perspective’, Int. J. Internet Marketing and Advertising, Vol. 22, No. 1, pp.72–97.