Customer engagement and performance in social media: a managerial perspective

The topic of customer engagement via social media is receiving increasing consideration in the literature. Previously, scholars' use of the notion and dimensionality of customer engagement has been incomplete and inconsistent - an oversight that has significant theoretical and practical repercussions. This paper examines the managerial perspective on customer engagement and performance metrics in the context of social media. Data is collected from three different sources representing the main categories of social media stakeholders. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers from 41 companies, 23 advertising/communication agencies, and 10 research/consulting firms and cover a range of views on different social media channels platforms. The results illustrate the gaps between customer engagement's conceptions, the customer engagement dimensionality, and the metrics of social media performance beyond customer engagement. We also derive theoretical and managerial practical implications and suggest an agenda for future research.