Social media use and impact on customer engagement : Insights from Prosthetic Users

The birth of social media has empowered consumers and changed the dynamics of traditional marketing by providing customers with platforms capable of reaching large audiences and enabling active engagement between organizations and their customers through online two- way communication. This study examined social media use of amputees drawing on data collected for this study on the social media platforms of the Amputee Coalition of America. The purpose of the study was to examine how amputees use social media and analyze if social media use impacts their prosthetic choice and level of engagement with prosthetic manufacturers. A questionnaire was posted on the Facebook and Twitter pages of the Amputee Coalition focused on four topics: 1) social media use, 2) social media content, 3) social media influencers, and 4) social media engagement. Also, a competitor social media analysis was conducted for leading prosthetic manufacturers to document their social media footprint and current number of social media followers. Results of the study show that amputees are active social media users regardless of age with most participants using three social media platforms daily and spending on average more than two hours per day on social media. Majority followed amputee influencers and although the influencers did not impact prosthetic choice they did have an impact on reported brand awareness. Moreover, participants who had contacted, visited or searched for information on social media platforms were more likely to be influenced in their prosthetic choices than those who did not engage with providers. The results demonstrate both the importance and key opportunities for social media users and organizations across industries to actively engage on social media. In today’s rapidly evolving social media environment and new technically proficient generations of consumers growing up with social media at their fingertips requires organizations to formulate effective social media strategies. Marketers need to build effective social media toolkits to proactively engage with customers through relevant content and meaningful conversations about products and services to ascertain sustainable competitive advantage.