In marketing literature, the consumer engagement concept has gained the significant attention of researchers. Based on the stimuli-organism-response (S-O-R) framework, current research proposed to analyze the association between consumers' perception of characteristics of firm-generated content (FGC) on Instagram and positive electronic word of mouth by consumers through affective consumer engagement. The quantitative research technique was employed to evaluate the hypotheses and theoretical framework, and an online survey was developed for this research. The backdrop for this study is Pakistan’s restaurant Instagram accounts due to the importance of engagement in the food sector. To test the hypotheses, SPSS software is used. From the analysis and results generated from different tools, it is found that Customer engagement is significantly affected by perceived enjoyment which they get from original Instagram post of the brands they follow. Additionally, it is found that if a firm or brand puts in effort in enhancing their content catering to better perceived enjoyment and perceived originality for improving customers’ engagement, then they are more likely to improve the WOM numbers which can bring in more followers and evidently more business.

As social media platforms are increasingly becoming more popular and a part of everyday life, Business-to-Business (B2B) marketers from different industries are realizing social media’s potential for achieving marketing purposes. However, scientific literature regarding social media usage in B2B contexts is still filled with gaps in knowledge; especially when compared to literature about social media usage in Business-to-Customer (B2C) contexts. One of these research gaps is the lack of niched information about each effect of using social media. This paper aims at contributing to filling this research gap by presenting an extensive literature review about social media marketing in B2B; followed by an analysis of empirical data gathered from 11 different cases of B2B companies engaged in social media marketing. Moreover, this is to answer the research questions; how are B2B companies using social media to increase brand awareness? Which types of content inspire the most customer engagement? And how can B2B companies amplify their chances of succeeding in increasing brand awareness through social media? This paper will further contribute to this research topic, by identifying further research gaps and present suggestions for future research.

Background: The great majority of travellers read online reviews before selecting a hotel. Showcasing how big of a role online customer reviews (OCR) play in the consumer decision-making process. Apart from potential financial gains, reviews also help to indicate the areas that performed excellently and those that still need to be improved. However, only a part of hotel visitors actually leave an online review after a hotel stay indicating that there is still room for increasing the amount of OCR left to boost hotel performance and drive sales.   Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore how hotel managers work with OCR and provide recommendations on how they can incorporate it into their business successfully. Method: This study follows a qualitative research approach by conducting semi-structured interviews with five hotel managers and a CEO from a ratings and review agency.  Conclusion: The study found that although all hotels use OCR to some extent, chain hotels often apply more advanced strategies. This study identified several strategies that could be adopted to increase the amount of online reviews. For instance, by developing omnichannel to make the customer experience seamless, offer them easy feedback tools, and the possibility to give short reviews. This is in addition to offering the option for guests to choose if they want to share longer and deeper feedback afterwards. Also, it is important to research when it is most convenient for hotel guests to leave a review. This would be either straight after the hotel stay or a few days later. Overall, it is important to develop good customer relationship management to improve customer satisfaction, but at the same time have a well-developed service failure system in case something negative is indicated in the review.

Författare: Damaris Chauca Palma och Mikaela Svensson Handledare: Docent Richard Afriyie Owusu Examinator: Professor Bertil Hultén Fakultet: Ekonomihögskolan vid Linnéuniversitetet Program: Civilekonomprogrammet med inriktning marknadsföring Kurs: Examensarbete i marknadsföring för Civilekonomprogrammet, 30 hp. VT 2017. Examensarbetets titel: En strategi som engagerar. Forskningsfråga: Hur bör B2B företag använda sociala medier för att skapa kundengagemang? Hur bör innehållet i sociala medier utformas av B2B företag för att skapa kundengagemang? Syfte: Uppsatsens syfte är att ge förslag till en social mediestrategi som kan användas av företag inom B2B för att skapa kundengagemang i sociala medier. Studien syftar till att bidra med kunskap om hur B2B företag bör använda sociala medier för att skapa kundengagemang i sociala medier samt förse Höganäs AB med kunskap om hur de bör använda- samt vilket innehåll de bör publicera i sociala medier. Metod: Studien har karaktären av en fallstudie med Höganäs AB som utgångspunkt. Genom en kvalitativ metod och med ett induktivt angreppssätt har data insamlats genom semistrukturerade djupintervjuer. Resultat och slutsats: Företag inom B2B bör använda plattformarna LinkedIn och YouTube och eventuellt Instagram. Plattformarna bör uppdateras i enighet med deras karaktär samtidigt som hänsyn tas till inläggens kvalitet. Företag bör planera hur ofta plattformarna ska uppdateras likväl som de bör kombinera social media med traditionell media. Höganäs ABs innehåll i sociala medier bör fokusera på kvalitet, kostnad och miljö då det är innehåll som har möjlighet att skapa kundengagemang inom bilindustrin. Teoretiskt och praktiskt bidrag: Studien bidrar med teoretiska kunskaper om hur kundengagemang hos B2B företag kan skapas genom rätt användning av och rätt innehåll i sociala medier. Studien bidrar även med praktiska implikationer till Höganäs AB om hur de bör använda sociala medier samt vilket innehåll de bör publicera i sociala medier för att engagera närmare kunder samt OEM företag i sociala medier. Nyckelord: Business-to-business, sociala medier, kundengagemang, social mediestrategi / Authors: Damaris Chauca Palma, Mikaela Svensson Supervisor: Docent Richard Afriyie Owusu   Examiner: Professor Bertil Hultén Faculty: School of Business and Economics at Linnaeus University Programme: Business Administration and Economics Programme Course: Degree Project in Marketing, 30 credits. Spring 2017. Name of report: An engaging strategy. Research questions: How should B2B companies use social media to create customer engagement? What content should B2B companies use in social media to create customer engagement? Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to give implications for a social media strategy that can be used by B2B companies to create customer engagement in social media. The study aims to provide knowledge on how B2B companies can use social media to create customer engagement in social media. The study also aims to provide knowledge on how Höganäs AB should use social media and the content that they should post to create customer engagement in social media. Method: This case study is based on Höganäs AB and has used a inductive approach. Furthermore qualitative methods have been used and data has been collected through semi structured interviews. Results and findings: B2B companies should use LinkedIn, YouTube and possibly Instagram.  These platforms should be updated frequently based on the characteristics of each platform. Companies should form a plan which indicates how frequent every platform should be updated and integrate traditional marketing with social media. Höganäs AB should create social media content that highlights quality, costs and environmental aspects to engage their customers within the automotive industry. Theoretical and practical contributions: The study contributes to increased knowledge on how social media can be used by B2B companies and knowledge on which content that should be published on social media to create customer engagement. Further the study provides Höganäs AB with practical implications regarding how the company should use social media and the content that they should publish on social media to engage both their closer customers and OEM’s in social media. Keywords: Business-to-business, social media, customer engagement, social media strategy

La recherche se propose de définir l’engagement client (EC) dans le cadre des destinations touristiques, son contenu et sa mesure. Elle propose d’intégrer ce concept novateur comme nouvelle variable résultat dans les modèles de compréhension des comportements touristiques. Elle montre aussi l’influence de la valeur de consommation et de la valeur globale dans la création d’un engagement envers la destination et les effets modérateurs de l’expérience sur ces mêmes relations. La recherche répond à trois objectifs : (1) définir le concept d’EC dans le contexte des destinations, ses dimensions et sa mesure , (2) conceptualiser la valeur perçue dans le cadre des destinations, (3) modéliser les influences des dimensions de la valeur de consommation et la valeur globale sur l’EC en fonction de l’expérience touristique vécue. Le terrain de recherche est La Réunion, une PDI (Petite Destination Insulaire). La démarche méthodologique s’appuie sur deux études empiriques : une étude qualitative exploratoire menée auprès de 15 touristes à La Réunion via des entretiens semi-directifs et une étude quantitative exploratoire menée auprès de 572 répondants : 350 novices n’ayant jamais visité la destination mais étant familiers à cette dernière et 222 expérimentés ayant effectivement visité la destination pour un motif de loisirs/vacances. L’étude qualitative permet de compléter et d’adapter les échelles de mesure de la valeur de consommation dans le cadre des destinations. La recherche distingue 8 dimensions de la valeur de consommation d’une destination touristique spécifique : La Réunion. L’étude quantitative permet (1) de développer un instrument de mesure de l’EC dans le cadre des destinations, (2) de valider empiriquement les échelles de mesure de la valeur de consommation et de la valeur globale, (3) de mettre en évidence l’influence de la valeur perçue sur l’EC. La recherche a comme principaux apports la conceptualisation de l’EC dans le cadre des destinations et la mise en évidence des effets de la valeur perçue et de l’expérience dans sa formation. Elle indique en conséquence la nécessité d’orienter les stratégies d’offres expérientielles et de promotion en fonction des dimensions identifiées. Elle propose également des outils permettant aux managers de la destination de soutenir les comportements et états d’EC envers la destination. / The research aims to define customer engagement (CE) in the context of tourism destinations, its content and its measurement. It proposes to integrate this innovative concept as a new outcome variable in the models conceptualising tourism’s behaviors. It also shows the influence of consumer value and customer value in creating an engagement towards the destination and the moderating effects of the experience on those same relationships. The research has three objectives: (1) define the concept of CE in the context of destinations, its dimensions and its measurement, (2) conceptualize the perceived value in the context of destinations, (3) measure the influences of the dimensions of consumer valeur and customer value on EC depending on experience. The methodology is based on two empirical studies: an exploratory qualitative study conducted among 15 tourists in Reunion via interviews and a quantitative exploratory study conducted among 572 individuals: 350 novices who had never visited the destination but familiar with it and 222 experienced having actually visited the destination for leisure / vacation. The studies concern Reunion Island, qualified as a SDI (Small Destination Island).

近年來，使用社群網站的公司數量急遽的增加，公司視社群網站為是另外一種渠道，可增加產品的曝光，並且獲取新客戶與維繫現有客戶。因此，許多公司企圖藉由多種形式與特色的內容去吸引觀看以及與客戶互動，以發揮社群網站的最大效用。然而，如何去吸引到最多客戶仍就是一個未解的謎題。管理內容發展包含許多不同的面向，包括呈現的內容、什麼樣的類別能受到顧客喜愛，以及決定最適當的時間發布，為了加強對於內容策略的了解，本篇研究提出一些方法，藉由發展社群網站內容刺激顧客參與。 根據使用與滿足理論框架，本篇研究專注於透過內容發展來滿足顧客。藉由學術文獻上的參考與實際案例分析，本研究識別出幾個重要的元素，最能夠去影響內容人氣的程度，分別是生動、互動、豐富、情緒。本篇研究使用知名雜誌內容中我們所提到的四個重要元素，測驗其帶來的影響程度。 透過本研究，我們不僅發現互動與情緒元素可以對於顧客參與帶來正向的影響，並且也證實顧客參與於粉絲專頁上，對於公司而言是有利益的。這些發現可以改善公司對於內容特色上的了解，以及知道如何有效去刺激顧客參與於社群網站。 / The number of enterprises that use social network sites (SNS) has increased dramatically in recent decades. Companies consider SNS to be another channel for increasing brand and product exposure and acquiring or retaining customers. Many companies attempt to leverage social networks by providing various forms of content to attract views and interact with customers. How to reach and attract the maximum number of customers remains a significant question for all types of businesses. Managing content development involves various dimensions, including determining what to present to viewers, what type of content customers prefer, and when the appropriate time is to post new content. To enhance the understanding of content strategy, this study aims to address ways to stimulate customer engagement by developing SNS content. Based on the use and gratification framework, this study focuses on the spectrum of strategies for satisfying users through content development. By employing a review of academic research and practical cases, this study identifies factors that can influence the intensity of content popularity and users’ behavior on SNS. The four components of content development are vividness, interactivity, richness, and emotiveness. This study tests the level of influence of each factor using data from brand fan pages of famous magazines. Through the research, we not only find that the interactivity and emotiveness factors would positively affect customer engagement but also verify that the intensity of customer engagement on the brand fans page is beneficial to companies. The findings can improve companies’ understanding of the attributes of quality content and how to stimulate customer engagement on SNS.

Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka vilka värden som på längre sikt har avgörande betydelse för att engagera en kund med avseende på lojalitetsprogram. Metod: I studien användes en kvantitativ metod där en enkät med stängda svarsalternativ skickades ut till ca 30 000 respondenter. Till enkäten användes ordinal- och nominalskala för att möjliggöra Spearman’s rho korrelationsanalys med hjälp av statistiska mjukvaran IBM SPSS. Analyserna användes sedan för acceptera eller förkasta de hypoteser som deducerats från teorin. Resultat: Resultatet visade att trots en pågående negativ trend för lojalitetsprogram så skapar de engagemang och är betydande för kunden. Det värde som visade sig ha signifikant betydelse för engagemanget var kundens mervärde. Kundens mervärde leder till upprepade köp och har en direkt påverkan på kundens lojalitet och kundens uppfattning av programmet som påverkar engagemanget. Resultatet av studien kan därför ses som en pågående interaktionsprocess där företagets aktiviteter påverkar kundens engagemang både i och utanför lojalitetsprogrammet. Ett ökat mervärde i interaktionsprocessen till följd av företagets aktiviteter och kundens värdering av varumärket, ökar kundens engagemang, vilket möjliggör att lojalitet kan skapas genom program på längre sikt. Förslag till fortsatta studier: Syftet med studien är att öka förståelsen för de värden som engagerar kunden med avseende på lojalitetsprogram. Författarnas ambition är att vidare forskning ska ta avstamp i studiens resultat och den modell som utvecklats. Förhoppningen är att studien ska ligga till grund för empirisk tillämpning inom servicenäringen samt utgöra underlag vid strategiska beslut och marknadsundersökningar.

Puisqu’ils représentent l’ensemble des sources de valeur du client pour une entreprise, les comportements d’engagement attirent largement l’attention tant des managers que des académiciens. Cette thèse de doctorat propose d’étudier l’impact de la propriété légale de la firme par les clients sur leurs comportements d’engagement. Les résultats d’une première étude (N = 26 781) montrent que la Customer Lifetime Value des clients propriétaires de la firme est plus élevée et croît plus rapidement dans le temps, comparativement à celle des clients non propriétaires. Dans un même temps, les clients propriétaires sont plus enclins à recommander la firme (Customer Influencer Value). Une seconde étude terrain (N = 295) a été menée dans l’objectif de comprendre le mécanisme d’influence de la propriété légale sur les comportements d’engagement. Les résultats de cette étude introduisent le rôle de la propriété psychologique pour expliquer les effets de la propriété légale sur la Customer Knowledge Value (suggestions et réclamations). Les implications théoriques et managériales, ainsi que les limites et voies de recherche sont présentées par la suite. / Considering that they represent all the customers’ valuable behaviors, engagement behaviors gain particular interests from both managers and academicians. This doctoral dissertation studies the influence of customers’ formal ownership over the firm on their engagement behaviors. Results from Study 1 (N = 26 871) reveal that customers-owners’ Customer Lifetime Value is stronger and evolve more rapidly, compared to customers-non-owners’ one. Furthermore, customers-owners present a stronger intention to recommend the firm (Customer Influencer Value). We perform a second study (N = 295) to understand the underlying process through which formal ownership influences engagement behaviors. Results introduce the importance of the psychological ownership concept, to explain how formal ownership influences Customer Knowledge Value (suggestions and complaints). These findings have implications for theory, practice, and further research.

Background: Social medias have contributed to big changes in the way firms and customers interact with each other. Due to the great amount of people using social medias, firms have understood the importance of incorporating social medias in their marketing strategy. However, due to increasing competition, customer engagement on social medias has become important. To generate customer engagement, firms must create engaging social media content that is worth the customer’s time and effort. The micro-sized firms are under researched and therefore the authors have chosen micro-sized firms as a study subject and hence the sender of the content. Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to describe the key components of creating customer engagement on social medias for micro-sized firms. Methodology: This research took a qualitative approach in a deductive nature with a descriptive purpose and a cross-sectional research design. The need of primary data was collected by conducting seven semi-structured interviews with social media managers- and consultants. Participants were purposely sampled and the empirical findings were coded, concepts were identified and further categorised while trustworthiness was set to be a criterion for the quality of the research. Conclusion: The research provided seven key components of engaging social media content for micro-sized firms and further recommendations on how to implement them in the micro-sized firms social media management. The components are described together with an illustration. Keywords: Micro-sized firms, social media managers, social media, customer engagement, content appeals, social media targeting, social media timing and frequency, qualitative research, semi-structured interviews.

The marketing landscape is changing, with the focus shifting from traditional marketing methods towards digital marketing. Enterprises must realize the importance of this new paradigm to not risk falling behind competitors. The new paradigm focuses on customer relationships and trying to attract and create loyal customers. A new way of creating loyal trusting customer relationships is by using content marketing, meaning providing customers with valuable information in the form of content and enabling two-way communication. To understand how consumers perceive content and why they choose to engage or not, is crucial for enterprises, in creating successful content marketing.This study aims to provide knowledge and understanding of how content marketing affects customer engagement from a consumer's perspective. This study is a qualitative study using several semi-structured interviews and observations to gather data. A conceptual framework from previous research is used to analyse the result, this framework is a multidimensional approach of how consumers react and perceive different types of online content marketing.The outcome of this study shows that consumer engagement is a psychological state that is hard to reach for any enterprise/brand, to be truly successful the consumers dimensions of cognitive, emotional and action response must all be affected, which can be enabled through credible, targeted and differentiated content marketing. / Omgivningen för marknadsföring håller på att förändras, fokus har flyttats från traditionella metoder mot digitala marknadsmetoder. Företag måste förstå hur viktig detta paradigmskifte är för att inte halka efter sina konkurrenter. Det nya paradigmet fokuserar på kundrelationer och att försöka attrahera och skapa lojala kunder. Ett nytt sätt att skapa dessa relationer är att använda innehållsmarknadsföring (content marknadsföring), med det menas att tillhandahålla värdefull information i form av innehåll och att bistå med plattformar för att underlätta tvåvägskommunikation mellan kunder och företag. Att förstå hur kunder uppfattar innehåll och varför de väljer att engagera sig i den eller inte är avgörande för ett företag i att skapa lyckad innehållsmarknadsföring.Syftet med denna studie är att förse läsaren med kunskap och förståelse för hur innehållsmarknadsföring påverkar kundengagemang ur ett kundperspektiv. Studien är en kvalitativ studie som använder semi-strukturerade intervjuer och observationer som dataunderlag. Ett ramverk baserat på tidigare forskning används för att analysera resultatet, som byggs på ett flerdimensionellt synsätt hur kunder reagerar och upplever olika typer av innehållsmarknadsföring.Resultatet av studien visar hur kundengagemang är ett psykiskt tillstånd som är svårt för företag/varumärken att skapa hos konsumenten. För att uppnå lyckosam innehållsmarknadsföring måste kundens kognitiva, emotionella och viljan att ta handling stimuleras, vilket kan skapas genom trovärdig, målinriktad och differentierad innehållsmarknadsföring.