The Impact of Social Media Marketing on Brand Loyalty Mediated by Brand Identification and Customer Satisfaction

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to identify the impact of social media marketing on brand loyalty mediated by brand identification and customer satisfaction. The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population included all students of the Islamic Azad University, Rasht Branch. A convenience sampling method was used to select a sample of 302 customers of online businesses. The research questionnaires included measures of social media marketing, brand loyalty, brand identification, and customer satisfaction. The study hypotheses were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with Amos and SPSS software. The results indicated that social media marketing (β = 0.26), brand identification (β = 0.38), and customer satisfaction (β = 0.27) had significant effects on customer brand loyalty. Furthermore, social media marketing (β = 0.27) and brand identification (β = 0.35) had significant effects on customer satisfaction. Social media marketing (β = 0.39) also significantly impacted brand identification. Additionally, a summary of the reported coefficients (indirect effects) showed that social media marketing (β = 0.26) and brand identification (β = 0.10) had significant indirect effects on customer loyalty. Moreover, social media marketing (β = 0.14) had a significant indirect effect on customer satisfaction.