Developing Brand Credibility in the Digital Era: The Role of Social Media Marketing and Personalized Advertising in Influencing Purchase Behavior of Young Consumers

This study investigates the effects of digital marketing strategies on the purchase intentions of millennial consumers, specifically through social media marketing engagement, personalized digital advertising, and consumer digital trust. The study takes a quantitative approach using Likert scale-based survey instruments based on primary data collected from business managers in Ghana. Results show that engagement on social media marketing and personalized digital advertising have a positive impact on young consumers' purchase intentions. Consumer digital trust mediates the relationship between digital marketing strategies and marketing performance. Therefore, digital marketing strategies work effectively only when consumers have trust in them. Additionally, it offers actionable insights for marketers on how best to optimize their digital strategies to drive consumer engagement and trust. Future researches should consider more variables of digital marketing and different geographical context.