TY - JOUR
T1 - Nurturing online communities
T2 - An empirical investigation1
AU - Bapna, Sofia
AU - Benner, Mary J.
AU - Qiu, Liangfei
PY - 2019/6
Y1 - 2019/6
N2 - Online brand communities can be valuable to firms, but how do firms cultivate such communities? We find that engagement, that is, “likes” in response to firm posts, in the online brand community is associated with subsequent growth in the community. We theorize that when individuals engage with firms’ posts, the social media platform broadcasts such interactions to others, who are not necessarily part of the firm’s online brand community. Such social diffusion of information about the interaction and the related firm content provides individuals with new information about the firm, based on which they may decide to join the brand community of the firm. We find that firm posts that convey firm credibility through product and industry knowledge, convey organizational achievements through information about firm milestones, partnerships, or awards, seek opinions, and convey promotions or offers, are associated with engagement. Such posts have a significantly greater effect on engagement for early stage brand communities, that is, for those in their first year and a half, than for later stage brand communities.
AB - Online brand communities can be valuable to firms, but how do firms cultivate such communities? We find that engagement, that is, “likes” in response to firm posts, in the online brand community is associated with subsequent growth in the community. We theorize that when individuals engage with firms’ posts, the social media platform broadcasts such interactions to others, who are not necessarily part of the firm’s online brand community. Such social diffusion of information about the interaction and the related firm content provides individuals with new information about the firm, based on which they may decide to join the brand community of the firm. We find that firm posts that convey firm credibility through product and industry knowledge, convey organizational achievements through information about firm milestones, partnerships, or awards, seek opinions, and convey promotions or offers, are associated with engagement. Such posts have a significantly greater effect on engagement for early stage brand communities, that is, for those in their first year and a half, than for later stage brand communities.
KW - Influencing perceptions
KW - Monetary incentives
KW - Online brand community
KW - Online community
KW - Sense-giving
KW - Social media
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85067173350&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85067173350&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.25300/MISQ/2019/14530
DO - 10.25300/MISQ/2019/14530
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85067173350
VL - 43
SP - 425
EP - 452
JO - MIS Quarterly: Management Information Systems
JF - MIS Quarterly: Management Information Systems
SN - 0276-7783
IS - 2
ER -