Effects of social media marketing on consumers' brand likeability and purchasing decisions

The main purpose of this study is to understand the effects of social media marketing on consumers' brand liking and purchasing decisions. With the acceleration of digitalization and the spread of social media platforms, social media marketing, which has become an effective way for businesses to reach consumers directly, plays an important role in shaping consumer behavior. Especially young consumers' interactions with brands on social media directly affect brand liking and final purchasing decisions. In this context, the aim of the research is to examine how consumers' interactions with brands through social media shape their interest in the brand and how this is reflected in their purchasing decisions. The theoretical framework of the study includes the scope of social media marketing and past studies in this field. In the first part, the concept of social media, the historical development of social media and the differences between traditional media and social media are discussed in detail. Social media tools and applications were introduced; It has been examined what role platforms such as Instagram, Facebook and Twitter play in consumers' interaction with the brand. Then, concepts such as brand concept and brand components are mentioned. Under the title of brand likeability, various activities carried out by brands to leave a positive impression in the minds of consumers were examined and the importance of social media marketing in this process was emphasized. In the study, the stages of consumers' purchasing behavior and the personal, psychological, cultural and social factors affecting this process were discussed. In this context, the impact of the relationships that consumers establish with brands on social media platforms on their purchasing decisions is detailed. Social media marketing is seen as an effective way to increase consumers' interest in the product or service, and in this study, the effect of the messages consumers receive on social media on the purchasing process was also investigated. Brand likeability has been considered as an important part of this process and the role of social media in creating this likeability has been examined. Within the scope of the research methodology, the scales used to measure consumer behavior were determined according to social media usage habits and applied to 594 consumers. By analyzing the data obtained through the survey method, demographic variables such as gender, age, marital status, income level and education level and the effect of social media marketing on brand liking and purchasing behavior were evaluated. Additionally, the time spent on different social media platforms and the impact of interactions on these platforms on consumer preferences were analyzed. While social media marketing has the potential to strengthen consumers' purchasing intentions and ties with the brand, the study investigated what role these interactions play in brand preferences. The main hypothesis of the research is that social media marketing has a positive effect on consumers' brand liking and purchasing decisions. Research findings show that social media marketing activities are effective in developing consumers' positive attitudes towards the brand and forming purchasing intentions. It has been concluded that interactions, especially on social media platforms, play an important role in the process of consumers choosing brands. Keywords: Brand likeability, Social Media, Marketing, Consumer Behavior