Firm-level perspectives on social media engagement: an exploratory study

Purpose This paper aims to develop a richer, more complete understanding of how firms define and consider customer engagement on social networks. The research builds from the theoretical backdrop of customer engagement. The research then uses a qualitative interview approach to understand the firm perspective. Design/methodology/approach Qualitative data were collected using in-depth interviews with employees at a variety of companies including Facebook, Google, another leading social networking site, a higher education institution and a start-up company. Findings Companies view engagement with social media as measureable metrics of consumer interactions with the platform. These metrics could include growth and interaction on the platform, number of users, subscribers to the site or page views. Propositions are developed around how customer engagement is defined, the breadth and depth of social media and when social media is used as a push or a pull strategy. Research limitations/implications Findings from this research are limited by the sample size and convenience of sampling. However, results from this grounded theory approach enabled propositions that can focus on larger datasets and testing. Practical implications Engagement indicates meaningful information that can propel a company’s position forward. To companies, this meaningful information is in terms of metrics that can be used as information and evidence for future decision-making. Social implications This research suggests that firms need to better define what engagement means and to assess the best platforms for creating an ecosystem of engagement with customers. Originality/value Many researchers are exploring engagement within the context of social media networks. This research, however, is one of the first to explore this from a firm level perspective.