Providing a Paradigm Model of Customer Engagement in Social Media Marketing of Knowledge-Based Companies

Abstract

This study aimed to provide a paradigm model of customer engagement in the social media marketing of knowledge-based companies by identifying the conditions, strategies, and consequences associated with this phenomenon. This applied qualitative study was conducted using a systematic grounded theory approach. The research population consisted of academic experts in digital marketing, managers and senior specialists of knowledge-based companies, and professionals with practical experience in social media marketing and customer interaction. Participants were selected through purposive and theoretical sampling, and sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were collected through 17 in-depth semi-structured interviews. After being recorded and fully transcribed, the interviews were analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding. MAXQDA software was used to organize and manage the qualitative data. To ensure the trustworthiness of the findings, Lincoln and Guba’s criteria were applied, including credibility, transferability, dependability, and confirmability. Data analysis led to the development of a paradigm model of customer engagement comprising six main dimensions: causal conditions, the central phenomenon, contextual conditions, intervening conditions, strategies, and consequences. Overall, 68 key categories were identified and organized within this model. The inferential findings indicated that customer engagement in the social media marketing of knowledge-based companies is a multidimensional, dynamic, and process-oriented phenomenon shaped by the simultaneous influence of environmental, technological, organizational, and perceptual factors. The causal conditions included digital market dynamism, changing customer expectations, data-driven decision-making, and the need for two-way brand–customer interaction. The contextual conditions included digital infrastructure, cultural and organizational readiness, and institutional support, while the intervening conditions consisted of technological limitations, competitive pressure, weak digital human capital, cultural–legal barriers, and concerns about data security. The main strategies included developing multi-channel interactions, empowering digital human capital, producing value-creating content, personalizing customer experience, managing customer knowledge, and facilitating value co-creation. The consequences were explained in terms of sustainable customer loyalty, enhanced brand equity, positive brand image, co-created value, organizational intelligence, and sustainable competitive advantage.