Exploring the Motivation to Follow Small Brands on Social Media

Social media have impacted numerous aspects of consumers’ social life, including consumer behavior and the consumer—brand relationship. Consumer behavior is evolving though social platforms and is shaping the perceptions and the actions of customers towards brands. As a result, more and more brands are seeking visibility through social networks, establishing an online presence, trying to trigger interaction and engagement with consumers. This paper explores consumer motivation to interact and engage with small travel brands on social media and highlights elements of the brands that make them more appealing to consumers. The paper also identified consumer attributes that make them more willing to engage with small travel brands on social media. The findings of this paper help map the factors that play a key role on the intention of a consumer to follow and engage with a small brand, while there are clear strategies indicated on how a small brand can meet the consumers’ expectations and leverage on potential cross sell opportunities. The research outputs indicate that there are distinct follower groups in terms of interaction with travel brands with unique characteristics that can be leveraged for a more effective brand positioning. In addition, there are remarkable findings on the repetitive nature of buying behavior for people following small travel brands and the potential cross sell opportunities that arise. The findings of this paper may be considered as a roadmap for small brands to improve customer engagement and consumer buying behavior.