Title: Electronic word of mouth in social media: the common characteristics of retweeted and favourited marketer-generated content posted on Twitter

Authors: Hassan Alboqami; Wafi Al-Karaghouli; Yasser Baeshen; Ismail Erkan; Chris Evans; Ahmad Ghoneim

Addresses: Brunel Business School, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH, UK ' Brunel Business School, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH, UK ' Brunel Business School, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH, UK ' Brunel Business School, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH, UK ' Brunel Business School, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH, UK ' Brunel Business School, Brunel University London, UB8 3PH, UK

Abstract: Marketers desire to utilise electronic word of mouth (eWOM) marketing on social media sites. However, not all online content generated by marketers has the same effect on consumers; some of them are effective while others are not. This paper aims to examine different characteristics of marketer-generated content (MGC) that of which one lead users to eWOM. Twitter was chosen as one of the leading social media sites and a content analysis approach was employed to identify the common characteristics of retweeted and favourited tweets. 2,780 tweets from six companies (Booking, Hostelworld, Hotels, Lastminute, Laterooms and Priceline) operating in the tourism sector are analysed. Results indicate that the posts which contain pictures, hyperlinks, product or service information, direct answers to customers and brand centrality are more likely to be retweeted and favourited by users. The findings present the main eWOM drivers for MGC in social media.

Keywords: electronic WoM; word of mouth; eWOM; social media; content analysis; marketer-generated content; MGC; Twitter; tweet characteristics; favourited tweets; retweeted content; tourism industry; hyperlinks; product information; service information; direct answers; brand centrality.

DOI: 10.1504/IJIMA.2015.072886

International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising, 2015 Vol.9 No.4, pp.338 - 358

Received: 18 May 2015
Accepted: 11 Jul 2015
Published online: 05 Nov 2015 *

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