BOHR International Journal of Advances

in Management Research
2024, Vol. 3, No. 1, pp. 6–11
DOI: 10.54646/bijamr.2024.31
www.bohrpub.com

RESEARCH

Impact of social media marketing on consumer behavior:

A comparative study of traditional marketing channels
and digital platforms
Harshith Kumar Shetty N *
Department of PG Studies and Research in Commerce, Sri Dharmasthala Manjunatheshwara College (Autonomous), Ujire,
India

*Correspondence:
Harshith Kumar Shetty N,
[email protected]
ORCID:
Harshith Kumar Shetty N,
0000-0001-7321-3240

Received: 06 November 2023; Accepted: 30 November 2023; Published: 06 March 2024

Today’s businesses are using social media marketing as a powerful method. It would help businesses to achieve
their marketing goals in an effective way. It is possible by leveraging the power of various social media channels.
Social Media Marketing utilizes social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Snapchat to
advertise products and services. The main aim of social media marketing is to connect with existing customers
and reach new customers. In social media marketing a number of strategies are involved. This comparative study
examines the impact of social media marketing on consumer behavior in comparison to traditional marketing
channels. Through the analysis of data from both digital and traditional channels, the study highlights the significant
impact of social media marketing on consumer behavior. Digital platforms offer more benefits like interactive
communication and customized content, which contribute to increased consumer engagement. The results of
our study demonstrate the significance of utilizing social media marketing to enhance consumer engagement
and satisfaction, presenting valuable insights to marketers in the current digital environment. A well-structured
questionnaire was used to collect responses from 100 respondents in the Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka
State in this study. Our research revealed that customers are more inclined toward social media marketing than
traditional marketing.
Keywords: social media marketing, traditional marketing, customers

1. Introduction tools to promote a business and connect with existing and

potential customers. It includes content planning, content
Social marketing is a method of advertising products, scheduling, publishing, social media analytics, social media
services, or brands through social media platforms advertising, etc. Social media has a number of benefits such as
and websites and engaging with the intended audience. building identity and awareness, increasing brand image, etc.
Marketing objectives can be achieved through the reach, Nowadays, we can see a number of social media platforms.
interactivity, and user-generated content of social media The most used platforms are Facebook, Instagram, TikTok,
platforms. Social media marketing provides a unique LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Pinterest (1).
opportunity to connect with this massive audience on the Compared to traditional marketing, social media
platforms where they already spend their time. Social media marketing has several distinct advantages, including the
marketing is the practice of using social media platforms and fact that SMM has two kinds of interactions that enable

6
10.54646/bijamr.2024.31 7

targeted customer relationship management tools: both Marketing such as search engine optimization (SEO), search
customer-to-customer and firm-to-customer. In other engine marketing (SEM), content marketing, influencer
words, while traditional marketing tracks customer value marketing, content automation, e-commerce marketing,
primarily by capturing purchase activity, SMM can track campaign marketing, social media marketing, social media
customer value both directly and indirectly. A few of the optimization, e-mail direct marketing, display advertising,
studies revealed that today the majority of the people e–books, optical disks, and games are becoming more and
influencing various products are because of social media more common in our advancing technology (? ).
marketing. Today people are spending more than two h a
day on social media (2). So, it is an easier and smoother way
to promote the product through social media marketing. 1.2. Research gap
Social media marketing has become an integral part of
the overall marketing strategy for many businesses due From our review, we came to know that there has been no
to its ability to reach and engage a vast audience, provide study conducted in Dakshina Kannada District to find out
targeted advertising options, and foster direct customer consumer behavior and to compare traditional and social
interactions (3). However, it’s important for businesses media marketing platforms. Hence, there is a need for study
to develop a well-defined strategy, tailor content for each on this particular study.
platform, and consistently monitor and optimize their social
media marketing efforts to achieve desired outcomes.
2. Objectives of the study
1.1. Literature review 1. To study the influence of social media marketing on
consumer behavior.
Digital marketing has had a major effect on traditional
2. To compare the effectiveness of traditional marketing
marketing in India, providing businesses with new
and social media marketing.
opportunities to reach and engage with customers
while reducing marketing costs and increasing ROI. 3. To analyze the use and challenges of social media
Limited internet penetration, language diversity, lack of marketing.
standardization, privacy concerns, and skill shortages are
the main challenges of digital marketing (4). People have
a positive mindset toward credible commercials. As a 3. Hypothesis
result, firms should strive to include these characteristics
in their marketing. Appropriate targeting should be done Ho = Personal profile of the respondents is independent of
depending on the age and occupation of consumers to their opinion and perception of social media marketing.
reach out to the audience on social media. Advertisements
can be personalized to increase response and conversion H1 = Personal profile of the respondents is not
rates. Businesses should work to increase engagement on independent of their opinion and perception of social
their social media profiles (5). The use of social media for media marketing.
online customer engagement is a smart strategy that can
be employed by digital marketers in order to emotionally
connect the advertised brand with the users of social media. 4. Scope of the study
Efficient use of social media for marketing communications
can generate a passion for the advertised brands in the social The focus of the study was to find out consumer behavior and
media users’ minds, as well as instigate a brand purchase to compare traditional and social media marketing platforms.
intention (6). The combination of ICT and SMM provides Hence the area of study was Dakshina Kannada District.
a comfort to show positive involvement in the marketing The sample was selected from students, professionals,
and acts according to the scenario. The development of the homemakers, and agriculturists. The study covered all three
Internet and 4G technologies boosts social media in the domiciles, i.e., rural, urban, and semi-urban.
direction of price control in respect of specified products and
services. These circumstances are a firm base for small-scale
industries and entrepreneurship development. Information 5. Research methodology
communication technology in favour of the development
of social media marketing in India (7). Digital marketing It was an empirical study based on both primary and
is cost-effective and has a great commercial impact on secondary data. The primary data were collected using a
the business. Social Media Marketing is a key factor that well-designed and structured questionnaire. Google Forms
guarantees success. businesses can really benefit from Digital was used to collect the data from the sample respondents.
 8 Harshith Kumar Shetty

TABLE 1 | Personal profile of the respondents. TABLE 4 | Actively using social media platforms.

Variable Options Frequency Percentage Options Frequency Percentage

Gender Female 58 58 Facebook 46 46

Male 42 42 Instagram 85 85
Total 100 100 Twitter 20 20
Age Below 18 2 2 LinkedIn 17 17
18–24 67 67 Snapchat 30 30
25–34 19 19 TikTok 3 3
35–44 6 6 Other 5 5
45 and above 6 6
Source: Primary data.
Total 100 100
Domicile Rural 51 51
Semi-urban 23 23
TABLE 5 | Frequency of encounter marketing content on social
Urban 26 26 media platforms.
Total 100 100
Family’s annual income Less than 1,00,000 40 40 Options Frequency Percentage
1,00,000–2,50,000 42 42
Multiple times a day 28 28
More than 2,50,000 18 18
Daily 26 26
Total 100 100
A few times a week 31 31
Source: Primary data. Rarely 14 14
Never 1 1
Total 100 100
TABLE 2 | Frequently encountering traditional marketing channels. Source: Primary data.

Options Frequency Percentage

Television advertisements 79 79 TABLE 6 | Effective marketing channel in capturing consumers’

Radio advertisements 26 26 attention and influencing their behavior.
Print advertisements (newspapers, magazines) 54 54
Options Frequency Percentage
Outdoor advertisements (billboards, banners) 39 39
Direct mail campaigns (flyers, brochures) 31 31 Social media marketing 55 55
Telemarketing calls 18 18 Traditional marketing channels 11 11
Other 4 4 Equally effective 29 29
Not sure 5 5
Source: Primary data.
Source: Primary data.

TABLE 3 | Purchases based on advertisements encountered

through traditional marketing channels and social media market
in the past years.
6. Results and analysis
Variable Options Frequency Percentage In this part of the study, the data collected through primary
sources are analyzed and interpreted.
Social media marketing Yes 77 77
From Table 1, it can be seen that 58% of respondents
No 23 23
were female and 42% were male. The majority (67%) of
Total 100 100
respondents belonged to the 18–24 age group, followed
Traditional marketing Yes 76 76
by the 25–34 age group (19%). More than half (50%) of
No 24 24
the respondents were from rural backgrounds. 42% of the
Total 100 100
respondents had annual incomes of 1,00,000 to 2,50,000.
Source: Primary data. It is observed from Table 2 that traditional market
channels are still not outdated. Among several traditional
marketing channels, television advertisements are the most
The secondary data were collected from books, reports, and encountered traditional market channels (79%). 54% of
websites. The sample size of the study was 100 people from respondents opined that they are seeing marketing ads or
Dakshina Kannada district. We used Excel for the analysis. strategies in paper advertisements.
10.54646/bijamr.2024.31 9

TABLE 7 | Factors that make social media marketing more effective TABLE 9 | Drawbacks of social media marketing compared to
or influential compared to traditional marketing channels. traditional marketing channels.

Options Frequency Percentage Options Frequency Percentage

Personalized content and targeting based on 65 65 Trust issues regarding the authenticity and 66 66
user interests and demographics credibility of online advertisements
Interactive and engaging ad formats (videos, 52 52 Information overload due to the abundance 43 43
quizzes, polls) of social media content and ads
Ability to share and receive 39 39 Privacy concerns related to data collection 43 43
recommendations from friends and and targeted advertising
influencers Difficulty in measuring the effectiveness and 32 32
Access to user-generated content and 24 24 return on investment of social media
reviews marketing
Real-time updates and promotional offers 31 31
Source: Primary data.
Other 1 1

Source: Primary data.

TABLE 10 | Social media marketing has a greater impact on younger
consumers compared to older consumers.

TABLE 8 | Frequency of social media marketing ads influences Options Frequency Percentage
purchasing decisions.
Yes 78 78
Options Frequency Percentage
No 5 5

Very often 18 18 Maybe 17 17

Often 18 18 Total 100 100

Occasionally 41 41 Source: Primary data.

Rarely 19 19
Never 4 4
TABLE 11 | Do you believe social media marketing has a significant
Source: Primary data. influence on consumer behavior?

Options Frequency Percentage

It is a fact from Table 3 that 76% of the respondents Yes 67 67

made purchases based on the advertisements seen through No 10 10
traditional marketing channels. 77% of respondents made Maybe 23 23
purchases based on the advertisements seen through social Total 100 100
media marketing.
Source: Primary data.
From Table 4, it is observed that 85% of respondents are
actively using Instagram, followed by Facebook (46%) and
Snapchat (30%). From Table 8, 41% of the respondents stated that social
It is clear from Table 5 that 31% of respondents opined that media marketing ads occasionally influence their purchasing
they are seeing marketing content on social media platforms decisions. 19% of respondents opined that social media
a few times a week. 28% of respondents are encountering marketing ads rarely influence their purchasing decisions.
multiple times a day. Along with several advantages, also we can see the
From Table 6 it is clear that 55% of respondents drawbacks of social media marketing. It is observed trust
opined that social media marketing is effective in capturing issue (66%) is one of the major issues of social media
consumers’ attention and 29 respondents stated that social marketing. Information overload and privacy concerns
media and traditional marketing are equally effective. (43%) also have an impact on social media marketing. It
It is crystal clear from Table 7 that, 65% of the respondents is found that difficulty in measuring the effectiveness and
opined that personalized content and targeting based on user return on investment (32%) is another drawback of social
interest is the major factor that make social media marketing media marketing Table 9.
more effective. 52% of the respondents opined interactive and The majority (78%) of respondents opined that social
engaging ad format is one of the factors that made social media marketing has a greater impact on younger consumers
media marketing more effective. 39% of the respondents compared to older consumers Table 10.
stated that ability to share and receive recommendations From Table 11, it is found that 67% of the respondents
from friends and influencers is another factor that made opined that social media marketing has a significant influence
social media marketing more effective. on consumer behavior.
 10 Harshith Kumar Shetty

TABLE 12 | Chi-square values.

Question Gender Domicile Annual income

Social media marketing has influenced my purchase decisions 0.594 6.506 10.941*
Social media marketing has increased my exposure to a wider variety of 2.021 5.689 10.551
products/services.
Social media marketing is more effective in influencing my purchasing behavior 2.224 2.332 3.446
than traditional marketing channels.
Social media marketing has influenced me to follow or subscribe to brands’ social 2.907 4.205 6.24
media accounts
Social media marketing has influenced my brand loyalty and repeat purchases 5.285 6.597 4.356
I believe social media marketing delivers accurate and reliable information about 4.757 3.5 11.788
products/services.
Social media marketing has positively influenced my perception of brand 1.139 2.702 4.246
reputation and authenticity.

Source: Primary data. *indicates significance at 5%.

7. Hypothesis testing ads, privacy concerns related to data collection and

targeted advertising, and difficulty in measuring the
Ho = Personal profile of the respondents is independent of effectiveness and return on investment of social
their opinion and perception of social media marketing. media marketing are the major challenges of social
H1 = Personal profile of the respondents is not media marketing.
independent of their opinion and perception of social 7. After applying the chi-square test for the Likert scale
media marketing. question, we came to know that the personal profile of
The hypothesis was tested by using the Chi-Square test and the respondents is independent of their opinion and
the test was conducted at a 5% level of significance. perception of social media marketing.
Table 12 reveals that all of the calculated statistics (except
one) are less than the critical value or insignificant at a
5% level of significance. We concluded that the personal 9. Conclusion
profile of the respondents is independent of their opinion and
perception of social media marketing. The purpose of this study was to compare the impact of
social media marketing and traditional marketing channels
on consumer behavior. Through various questions, we
8. Findings collected valuable insights from participants into their
perceptions and experiences. The results suggest that
1. Television advertisements are the most encountered social media marketing has an important influence on
traditional marketing channel. consumer behavior. Participants largely agree that social
media marketing effectively gets their attention and interest,
2. It was observed that the majority of respondents are
influences their purchasing decisions, and helps them
using Instagram, followed by Facebook and Snapchat.
discover new products and services. This underscores
3. 55% of the respondents opined that social media the power that social media platforms have in reaching
marketing is effective in capturing consumers’ and communicating with consumers. This comparative
attention and influencing their behavior. study highlights the transformative impact of social media
4. Personalized content and targeting based on user marketing on consumer behavior and encourages businesses
interests, demographics, and interactive and engaging to adapt their marketing strategies to leverage the power of
ad formats are the main factors that make social media digital platforms in today’s dynamic marketing landscape.
marketing more effective or influential compared to
traditional marketing channels.
5. 41% of the respondents opined that social
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