Developing a Social Media Marketing Model for Purchasing Medical Equipment During the COVID-19 Pandemic to Enhance Public Health

Abstract

The outbreak of COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on global health systems, with a ripple effect on all aspects of human life. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop a social media marketing model for purchasing medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance public health. The research method was mixed. The qualitative population included all academic experts and marketing specialists, with a sample size of 25 participants, determined through semi-structured Delphi interviews until theoretical saturation was achieved. The quantitative population included all customers and sellers of medical equipment stores in the country, with a sample size of 384 participants selected randomly according to the Krejcie and Morgan sampling table. The questionnaire comprised 136 items using a 5-point Likert scale. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) were used for data analysis. The results indicated that the categories were identified in the form of 36 categories, 136 conceptual codes, and 256 items (indicators). These were embedded within the six components of the paradigm model as causal conditions (8 categories), the main phenomenon (3 categories), strategies (5 categories), contextual conditions (8 categories), intervening conditions (8 categories), and outcomes (4 categories). The overall model fit of the research was 0.773, and the model structure had a good fit with the data. In general, it can be stated that focusing on the development of social media marketing in viral crisis conditions can provide a foundational basis for marketing development in such crisis conditions.