The impact of social media marketing activities on brand trust: a study on Trendyol followers

With the increasing rate of social media usage and the growing frequency of online shopping, the importance of social media for brands has also risen. Brands actively use social media to enhance their visibility and to gain customers' trust and loyalty. In this context, understanding what types of activities brands carry out on social media and how these activities affect consumers has become an important research topic. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between consumers' perceptions of social media marketing activities and their level of brand trust. The focus of the study is on the followers of the social media accounts of Trendyol, one of Turkey's leading e-commerce platforms. The population of the research consists of individuals who are active on social media and follow Trendyol's official accounts. The sample includes 406 voluntary participants selected through a convenience sampling method, all of whom follow at least one of Trendyol's social media accounts. Data were collected through an online survey. The survey included the "Social Media Marketing Activities Scale," adapted into Turkish by Yüksekbilgili (2018), and the "Brand Trust Scale," adapted into Turkish by Bardakcı and Gürbüz (2020). The collected data were analyzed using T-tests, ANOVA, and regression analysis. Findings revealed that the perception of social media marketing activities has a positive effect on brand trust. Both scales showed significant differences by gender, with female participants reporting higher levels of perceived social media marketing activities and brand trust than male participants. The perception of social media marketing activities also differed significantly according to educational level. Additionally, it was found that individuals who frequently purchase products they discover through social media have higher perceptions of social media marketing activities. Furthermore, the findings obtained through content analysis conducted on Trendyol's social media accounts between January 27, 2025, and February 27, 2025, were also incorporated into the research results. Keywords: Social Media Marketing Activities, Brand Trust, Social Media Marketing