International Journal of Business and Management Invention ISSN (Online): 2319 – 8028, ISSN (Print): 2319 – 801X www.ijbmi.org || Volume 5 Issue 12 || December. 2016 || PP—115-125 www.ijbmi.org 115 | Page Influence of Social Media Marketing on Customer Engagement F. Safwa Farook, Nalin Abeysekara Open University of Sri-Lanka Open University of Sri-Lanka ABSTRACT: The study examined the influence social media marketing has on customer engagement. The study was decided to be investigated as we can see that organizations spending on social media continue to soar, but measuring its impact remains a challenge for most businesses. All in all, social networking sites facilitate active communication between companies and users and spur interactions among users. Here the need arrived to find out the factors influencing customer engagement; to explore what content they enjoy most on a Facebook brand page which drives them to re-visit. Data used for this study was obtained through questionnaires distributed to fans of a particular Facebook brand page. The results demonstrated that media and content type of posts exert a significant effect on customer online engagement. It also emphasized that higher the influence of social media marketing, higher would be the customer engagement. The findings of this study revealed the five factors that have a significant impact on customer engagement. SNSs are an additional medium through which information can be disseminated because it encourages a two-way communication between customers and firms. Hence, marketers need to be more cautious on what they post online as this is more likely to influence customers. The study also emphasizes the significance of ‗self-disclosure‘ as a major factor to intimate relationships among persons, as a strengthened brand- consumer relationship online will ultimately impact their purchase behavior in reality. Keywords: Content post, Customer engagement, Facebook, Media post, Social media, Social Media Marketing I. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The rapid evolution from the web 1.0 environment to the interactive and connected web 2.0 environment has modified the ways in which firms present their online image: from ―dot.com‖ firms (in which communication with consumers continues to be on-sided), to a new model in which the content is in the hands of technology, with consequences of a far wider scope in which marketing managers influence the actual potential clients (Hanna et al., 2011). Social media are regarded as new marketing tools for promoting a brands products/services, constituting an emerging communication channel through which to shape the relationship between a brand and its customers (Hsu, 2012).Social media marketing is a term which describes the actual acts of using social networks for marketing purposes. Social media marketing is common in the business-to-consumer (B2C) area, and the concept of social media related especially to B2C has been exclusively studied (Hanna et al., 2011; Kaplan and Haenlein, 2010; Kietzmann et al., 2011; Trusov et al., 2010, 2009).Weber (2009) suggests that a marketers role has changed from a broadcaster sending messages to a specific target segment to a company which collaborates with its customers and participates in virtual communities. The utilization of social media is now spreading also to the business-to-business (B2B) sector (Bernof, 2009; Ramos, 2009). More specifically, a shift in power has occurred, brought about by the internet‘s ability to greatly leverage consumer voices. In this way, firms can no longer dictate communication terms, but must be invited to participate in conversations by being relevant to consumers (Fournier and Avery, 2011). Consumers increasingly use social media not only to research products and services, but also to engage with the companies they purchase from, as well as other consumers who may have valuable insights about these companies (Garretson, 2008). Firms recognize the power of internet, an open, cost-effective and omnipresent network, which contributes to reducing or even eliminating geographic barriers and physical distance, as a platform to co-create value with customers, thanks to the capabilities of internet: interactivity, broad scope, persistence, speed and flexibility (Shawhney et al., 2005). All of this leads to the formation of a platform to gain client commitment. Among the ever-burgeoning variety of social media, Facebook is the most popular (Nielsen, 2012). Companies can establish Facebook brand pages, which provide individuals, businesses and organizations with information that has specific purpose, audience and topic to market, promote and inform about products and services (Cvijikj and Michahelles, 2011; Goorha and Ungar, 2012). Brand pages allow enterprises and