From Likes to Loyalty: Exploring the Pathways Linking Interactive Social Media Engagement to Consumer Loyalty

Purpose This study examines how interactive social media marketing influences brand loyalty, focusing on the mediating roles of Brand Awareness, Perceived Value, and Brand Love. Methodology Structural Equation Modeling with PLS-SEM was employed with a sample of 385 respondents, who were administered through convenience sampling, to execute this quantitative research with a cross-sectional time order. Bootstrapping was applied to assess mediation effects. Findings Results show that social media marketing significantly enhances brand awareness and love, but does not strongly influence the perceived value. The mediation analysis confirms that social media marketing affects brand loyalty indirectly through brand awareness and brand love, with brand love as the more powerful mediator. Perceived value does not significantly mediate the relationship. Conclusion The research suggests that social media marketing enhances brand awareness and emotional involvement, although it exerts no influence on perceived value. Brand love is the most potent catalyst and mediator of loyalty, signifying that emotional connection outweighs logical assessment. Consequently, companies should prioritize cultivating authentic emotional connections over merely increasing awareness to establish enduring customer loyalty. Managers should design social media strategies that foster emotional engagement and authentic connections, as loyalty is better sustained through brand love than through awareness or value perceptions alone.