Beyond Green Claims: How Different Content and Visual Media Shape Sustainability Communication on Social Media Platforms

Purpose: This study examines the types of green marketing content that drive consumer engagement on social media, focusing on content categories, visual media effectiveness, and platform-specific strategies. Design/methodology/approach: Employing a mixed-method content analysis, the research analysed 3,138 posts from six FMCG companies’ corporate accounts on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter) over one year. Posts were coded for green marketing relevance, content type, visual media, and engagement metrics (likes, comments/replies, shares/reposts). Findings: Green marketing content, comprising 38.4% of posts, outperformed non-green content in engagement across all metrics. Content highlighting environmentally responsible practices and green product promotion drove the highest interaction, with videos being the most effective visual medium. Platform-specific differences revealed X favoured environmental news while Facebook emphasized product promotion. Research limitations/implications: The study excludes posting timing, frequency, and sentiment analysis, and focuses solely on company-generated content. Future research should explore cross-industry applicability, user-generated content, and sentiment dynamics. Originality/value: This paper introduces a novel four‑category classification of green marketing content, empirically evaluates platform‑specific engagement patterns, and offers actionable insights for businesses to refine sustainable communication strategies on social media.