SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING TRUST AND LOYALTY AMONG MILLENNIALS AND GEN Z

Aim: The purpose of this study is to examine how social media marketing affects Gen Z and Millennial consumers, as well as how trust and brand loyalty differ between generations. Materials and Methods: Data on consumer attitudes and actions around brand loyalty and trust in social media marketing was collected via a self-created survey that was disseminated via Google Forms. Based on social media interactions, the poll evaluated the significance of social media marketing, frequency of brand engagement, reliability of influencer endorsements, and possibility for repeat business. To investigate generational differences in brand loyalty and trust, statistical analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS (Version 27) and methods such Chi-Square tests, Independent Samples t-tests, and One-Way ANOVA. Results and Discussion: Chi-Square tests were used to compare the mean scores of Gen Z and Millennials on factors such as trust in social media advertisements, influencer endorsement reliance, and brand loyalty. Interestingly, there was a substantial difference in trust between Gen Z and Millennials with respect to recommendations from influencers (p =.019). The relationship between generational differences and particular social media marketing behaviors was investigated using independent samples t-tests. The results showed a substantial correlation between brand content engagement and generation (p =.041), with Gen Z demonstrating higher levels of engagement. There are notable differences in brand loyalty between Millennials and Gen Z, according to a one-way ANOVA that examined mean scores on characteristics including likelihood of referring products and satisfaction with brands found through social media (p =.036). Conclusion: Regarding brand loyalty and trust, the survey indicates that social media marketing has distinct effects on Millennials and Gen Z. Even though both generations value business presence on social media, Gen Z is more likely to actively participate with brand content and trust influencer endorsements, whilst Millennials are more loyal to well-known brands.