Providing a Paradigm Model of Customer Engagement in Social Media Marketing of Knowledge-Based Companies: A Mixed Approach

Abstract

In the turbulent landscape of social media, the success of knowledge-based companies has become more dependent than ever on the active engagement of customers in marketing processes and value creation. This study aims to propose a paradigm model of customer engagement in the social media marketing of knowledge-based companies using a qualitative approach based on systematic Grounded Theory. The research data were gathered through semi-structured interviews with 17 academic experts and managers of knowledge-based companies, and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding processes. As a result of the data analysis, the paradigm model of the study was extracted in the form of six main dimensions: causal conditions, the central phenomenon (customer engagement), contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences, organized into 68 key categories. The findings indicated that customer engagement is a multidimensional and dynamic phenomenon shaped under the simultaneous influence of environmental, technological, organizational, and perceptual factors. Through interactive and customer-centric strategies—such as developing multi-channel interactions, empowering digital human capital, and value co-creation—it leads to consequences such as sustainable customer loyalty, brand equity enhancement, and achieving a sustainable competitive advantage. By presenting a localized paradigm model based on field data, this research provides a coherent framework for understanding and designing engagement-oriented strategies in the social media marketing of knowledge-based companies, serving as a theoretical and practical foundation for managers and researchers of digital marketing in developing economies.