The social side of business: content, traffic and visibility

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this research is to explore content, traffic and visibility on four social platforms to boost social visibility.

Design/methodology/approach

The study explores content, traffic and visibility in the context of Spanish beer brands. A sample of 3,332 beer brands' social media (SM) sites, specifically the four most commonly used platforms amongst Spaniards, was analysed. An inductive content analysis by a panel of experts identified the main contents. A cluster analysis then divided the significantly different beer brand SM sites, and a Kruskal–Wallis test confirmed the significant differences by content and traffic. To determine and predict SM visibility, a binary logistic regression was conducted.

Findings

The findings reveal that traffic is not significantly correlated with social visibility. Moreover, the SM sites with the highest traffic show significant leisure content. Twitter is significantly different network in traffic and content, whilst YouTube is the best for boosting social visibility.

Practical implications

The study's findings constitute valuable information in understanding how content, traffic and visibility are correlated and help in managing brands' public presence and exposure on SM.

Originality/value

This study contributes to the existing literature by exploring four SM platforms (Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook), two dimensions of SM interactions (traffic and social visibility) and three main focal points of contents (leisure, product and promotion). This research bridges the gap amongst content, traffic and social visibility and ascertains how to gain traffic and boost social visibility.

Citation

Carpio Pacheco, D.A., Briz, T. and Urbano, B. (2023), "The social side of business: content, traffic and visibility", Management Decision, Vol. 61 No. 10, pp. 3017-3034. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-09-2022-1319