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Running Head: BUSINESSES SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE

Businesses Social Media Usage and Consumer Attitudes

Erica Wincheski
Illinois State University

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Abstract
Many uses and gratifications theorists have found that there are several different reasons
for people to be using technology and social media. Through further research, we are finding that
social media is making an impact on not only the consumers of media, but social media is hitting
a high demand for promoting freely with businesses, celebrities, politicians, and large
corporations. We chose to do a study on the relationship between businesses use of social media
and consumer attitudes. There havent been many studies on the effects of social media through a
business perspective.
We created two social media pages, used made-up restaurants as our independent
variables named Verde and Blanco, and used a Likert-type scale survey to pass out to college
students at a large Midwestern university to see if the usage of social media had an effect on
attitudes towards the restaurants featured. We found that there is no statistically significant
difference between Verde and Blanco on variance. However, we found that there is a statistically
significant difference between Verde and Blanco on attitudes. The Facebook page that had more
information, deals, and vibrant photos had more of a positive response to the participants.

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Businesses Social Media Usage and Consumer Attitudes
The purpose of this study was to find out how businesses use social media and if their
social media usage has any effect on consumers attitudes. Social media is fairly new and
becoming more and more popular in todays society. There have not been many studies on
whether or not a business usage of social media does in fact affect consumer attitudes. The
method that we used was a survey with questions using a Likert-type scale. We created two
Facebook pages and had consumers analyze the pages and answer the questions to the survey.
The use of the survey was to find out if consumers had different attitudes depending on which
Facebook page they were basing judgment on. The two Facebook pages were very different in
what they offered, posted, and the photos they uploaded.
The uses and gratifications theory focuses on explaining why people use technology and
different media outlets the way they do. This theory was first introduced in 1948 when Lasswell
noticed a pattern in media and how consumers actively sought out certain media outlets to fulfill
specific needs (Blumler, Katz & Gurevitch, 2011). This theory is concerned with the social and
psychological origins of needs, which generate expectations of the mass media or other sources,
which lead to differential patterns of media exposure (or engagement in other activities),
resulting in need gratifications and other consequences, perhaps mostly unintended ones
(Blumer, et. al., 2011). The uses and gratifications theory digs down deep to discover why people
choose certain media and what influences those decisions. Also, the theory tries to identify what
needs are being fulfilled when consumers are actively seeking media outlets.
Many other studies have focused on the importance of social media and how it is
affecting our society. Research has been done on ways to incorporate social media into the
business world and how social media is a benefit to free advertising. There are also studies done

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on uses and gratifications for why people are using certain media outlets and how technology
advancement is creating more gratifications. Although all this research has been done, we found
nothing that specifically relates to how Facebook pages affect consumer attitudes.
Literature Review
Social Media
Social media is dominating and changing technology and the way people communicate
today. It has become so popular that according to an academic article published in 2009; almost
75% of active internet users have used social media and networking sites (Foregger, 2009).
According to Facebook.com, as of December 31, 2013 there are 1.23 billion monthly active
users. That is an incredible number for a company that has only been around for ten short years.
In comparison, Twitter, a social media site that started in 2007, has 241 million monthly active
users. Among these users, 500 million tweets are sent out per day (www.twitter.com).
Organizations have seen the value in social media and are starting to take advantage of it.
Social media is allowing for consumers to voice opinion and it is empowering people to
post their opinions and ideas online. People now have the chance to be part of the flow of
information by blogging, tweeting, posting, and commenting on social media outlets and
websites. Because of social media and the internet, information is instant and available whenever
it is wanted.
Because of the growing numbers and consumer usage with social media, organizations
have started using social media as well to reach consumers and publics. According to the article,
A Review of Social Media and Implications for the Sales Process, by James Andzulis,
Nikolaos Panagopoulous, and Adam Rapp, consumers and the public want to be recognized by
companies. Customer expectations continue to grow and people are starting to expect that their

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opinions are heard. They want to be recognized for their loyalty. Social media created a way for
an organization to create an intimate brand and reputation. Social media should not be thought
of as simply another channel, another means by which to interact with the customer, or another
tool by which to manage brand and firm reputation but, rather, all of those things (and likely
many more) simultaneously, (Andzulis, et. al., 2012).
Social media also made it extremely effective for organizations to reach larger audiences
since the popularity of social media is so high. Companies have learned the importance to not
only utilize one social media page, but it is necessary for the success of an organization to now
utilize all social media networks while still maintaining a main website. The internet and social
media are no longer tools, but strategy and a way of doing business (Andzulis, et. al., 2012). The
definition alone describes the value that social media has to an organization. The production,
consumption and exchange of information through online social interactions and platforms,
(Andzulis, et. al., 2012).
Companies are not only creating their own profiles on social media outlets, but they are
also purchasing ad placements to put on social media. They are making their presence known on
these interactive websites by posting statuses and tweeting about deals, new product releases,
clients, etc. They now have a voice that is based on more than commercials and advertisements.
Because they are so accessible to customers, they are building trust, loyalty, resolving issues, and
answering questions more efficiently and in a timely manner, (Agnihotri, Kashyap,
Kothandaraman, & Singh, 2012). The communication tools are easily available now and creating
relationships that are consumer focused have become a major goal for orgainzations.
Facebook

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Facebook is one of the leading social media sites out there with over 1 billion users.
People are starting to think of it as a necessity to be on Facebook, especially in the professional
world. Advertising and promotions are done through Facebook. Relationships are maintained,
photos are shared, and communication is enhanced through Facebook. According to an article
titled, Facebook: Trademarks, Fan Pages, and Community Pages, by John L. Strand, there are
four types of Facebook pages. Those include personal pages, fan pages, official pages, and
community pages (Strand, 2011).
Personal pages are exactly that; personal. These are pages for individuals logging on as
themselves to interact and communicate through Facebook. Fan pages are ran by individuals or
small groups that share interests such as musicians, celebrities, brands, etc. This is a page that
people with similar interests go to discuss whatever the main interest is. There is one issue with
these and that is that it is hard for people to see if they are official or unofficial pages. It is hard
to trademark things on Facebook since there is little specialization that can be done to a page,
however, a trademark holder may ask Facebook to shut down fan pages.
Official pages are pages that the actual celebrity, artist, organization, etc. control.
Community pages are the newest thing to Facebook. They are described as a blogging type
pages. Anyone can post on these community pages even if they are not friends with the page.
For example, there is a Dr. Pepper community page. If someone posts a status saying, enjoying
a Dr. Pepper, this post will automatically post to the community page for everyone to see
(Strand, 2011).
With these different Facebook pages, it is easy for organizations to reach certain publics.
They create official pages and can share product information, promotions, and deals on these
pages. Anyone can look at these pages and like them, which allows the official page posts to

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show up in peoples newsfeeds. This is a great way to advertise and to continuously update
consumers on their product, organization, etc. Organizations are trying to encourage consumers
to interact with them on Facebook like consumers would with friends and family (Parsons,
2013).
According to an article titled, Using social media to reach consumers: A content analysis
of official Facebook pages, companies need to know how to establish a presence on Facebook
(Parsons, 2013). They must have intriguing content, be current, and be responsive to customers
while encouraging them to get involved and participate on their Facebook pages (Parsons, 2013).
There are several challenges as well as extraordinary benefits to an organization once it
establishes an online presence on Facebook.
Content on Facebook pages and the number of likes the page has plays a large role in
how audiences will interpret the brand (Parsons, 2013). A content analysis was conducted
focusing on these two things. The content could range from promotions, new deals, new
products, information etc. The like button is a way for consumers to express an opinion of the
page, post or photo uploaded to the site. When consumers click like on a page they are
identifying themselves with a group. Others can see when someone has liked something on
Facebook making it known that they have an interest in whatever type of page it is. All of these
things help a Facebook official page establish a presence.
Organizations are using Facebook to mainly connect with online users in the long run and
establish a relationship with individuals. It is more than just a place to go and find information on
the organization. It is a way of personally connecting with consumers.
College Students

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College students are a very interesting population to study. We chose to do this study on
college students because college students make up a large portion of the overall population. They
have grown up with the advancements of technology including the internet and social media.
Therefore, technology and social media come natural to them. College students are using social
media to help maintain existing relationships from being away from home and to cultivate new
relationships (Braun, Brown, & Yang, 2013). They are also utilizing social media for
information and entertainment. Tweeting and micro-blogging are very popular among college
students and Facebook groups are a great way for college students to communicate when they
are put into group projects.
Enrollment to colleges and universities increased by 32% just in the last ten years
(www.nces.ed.gov). In 2011 there were 31.1 million college students enrolled between the ages
of 18 and 24 (www.nces.ed.gov). This alone shows how important it is to study this population.
The population of college students continues to grow and diversify as education is becoming a
necessity for success in the future.
Uses and Gratifications
For this study we have chosen to use the uses and gratifications theory. Uses and
gratifications research is concerned with, the social and psychological origins of needs, which
generate expectations from the mass media or other sources, which lead to differential patterns of
media exposure (or engagement in other activities), resulting in need gratifications and other
consequences, perhaps mostly unintended ones, (Limperous & Sundar, 2013). Uses and
gratifications theory focuses around the audience and media. There are several different agendas
a person could have for watching a particular television show, listening to a certain radio station,

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accessing Twitter and Facebook, or accessing any other media. This theory states that consumers
actively seek out the media to fulfill certain needs.
When uses and gratifications theory was first identified there were only four needs that
people actively sought to fulfill: entertainment, information, surveillance (when we monitor
topics of interest), and socialization. Since new media is emerging, there have been several
research studies done to find out if there are any correlations to new media gratifications and
older technologies. Researchers are finding that several uses and gratifications also fall under
older technology and media usage. One example would be video games. Researchers are
comparing radio and talk shows to video games, and finding that they share similarities in needs
and gratifications; that being entertainment. Radio and talk show research with uses and
gratifications was first introduced 60 years ago. Another study done 35 years ago found the same
types of gratifications being identified in the usage of blogging (Limperous & Sundar, 2013).
Newer technologies and media are expanding needs and gratifications by engaging their
audiences among other things. The passive audience has shifted since the internet was invented
and now we can say that there is a very active audience, (Limperous & Sundar, 2013). There
are new gratifications for newer media because people can actually interact and establish their
own media content on the internet.
According to some of the research Limperous and Sundar have conducted, gratifications
are becoming more specialized to certain media. They found that social media gratifications
involve social connection, entertainment, escape, gathering and sharing information, and creating
content. As new technologies emerge, so do uses and gratifications; however, new technologies
usually result in an abundance of technologies creating possibilities to accomplish the same

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things that are popular and relevant. This creates quick turnover and technology doesnt stay
new for very long because of the speedy advancement of technology.
Newer gratifications do not stay unique to one media outlet for long. For example, when
Facebook first came out, a new gratification was formed. This was a way for people to upload
and share photos. This soon became a shared gratification with numerous media outlets such as
Instagram and Twitter. The birth of cellphones provided another new gratification in terms of
mobility. Now we have tablets and smart phones that also fulfill this need. A new media
gratification is only unique for a short period of time before it is soon shared with other
technologies and media sources.
Since the internet has blossomed so much, consumers are actively seeking higher needs
and gratifications online. They expect more from companies and they expect information to be
easily accessible and instant. Consumers are becoming more and more demanding of companies
since the internet has emerged, which is why social media is playing such an important role in
the success of businesses these days.
RQ: How does a business use of social media affect the consumer attitudes on a brand vs. a
business that does not actively engage in social media?
Method
Participants
Students from a large Midwestern university served as participants in this study. Due to
the timeframe in which this study was conducted, these students were a convenience sample.
Surveys were handed out randomly. Participants were selected from a math class at the
university, the universitys library, and from members of a fraternity and sorority on campus.

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The participants were informed that they should answer all the questions. These participants
were also advised that their answers would be kept anonymous.
Instrument
For our study we utilized a Likert-type survey that included 26 questions ranging from
strongly disagree (corresponding to one) to strongly agree (corresponding to five). All of the
questions referred to how consumers felt about the Facebook pages attached to the surveys. For
example, respondents were asked to answer questions like, I get a positive feeling of the
business image, and, I enjoy what this page has to offer me, on a 5-point, Likert-type scale.
There were also questions that focused on negative feelings towards the page such as, I would
not be likely to share this social media page on Facebook, and, this businesss page is very
difficult to read. We included both negative and positive questions to help us get an idea of the
overall feelings and attitudes respondents were experiencing while taking the survey on the
Facebook pages.
The independent variables used in this study were two made-up restaurant Facebook
pages; Blanco and Verde. The dependent variable for this study was the consumer attitudes after
looking over one Facebook page. A total of 100 surveys were distributed to participants. A total
of 50 surveys featured a Facebook page that did not utilize social media well and the other 50
surveys featured a Facebook page that used Facebook as an opportunity to upload deals and
special events for their company. Participants were asked to answer questions based on one
particular Facebook page; either Blanco or Verde.
Verdes Facebook page featured a picture of their restaurant as the cover photo. A picture
of the chips and salsa was set as the profile picture. The description of the page said, Hola!
Known locally for our spicy habanero salsa made in-house all day, every day. Family owned and

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operated. There were two posts featured on this page for the survey. The first one was a photo
of their in-house salsa with a description that said, Have you tried our in-house salsa? The
second post was a status update that said, Red-Cross donation bin will be up the entire month of
December. God Bless and Merry Christmas!
The other Facebook page was for Blanco: Tacos & Tequila. Blancos cover photo was
that of three bright and colorful arrays of tacos. The profile picture was the name written out;
Blanco, Tacos & Tequila. The description for the page said, Famous for our authentic Mexican
cuisine, HUGE margaritas, and our daily specials. There were also two posts featured. The first
one was a photo of a taco that read, TACO TUESDAY is here! Head on over for a FREE
TACO with purchase of an entre or margarita. #TacoTuesday. The second post was a photo
that read, Live every day like its taco Tuesday.
Each participant either received a photo-shot of the Facebook page Blanco or Verde.
Everyone was given the same survey questions to answer.
Procedure
We distributed the survey to participants in various majors and locations at a large
Midwestern university. Participants were given a brief introduction on the survey and its
purpose. We advised them to look over the Facebook page attached to the survey and then
answer the questions as honestly as possible. They were given about 15 minutes to complete the
survey and then the surveys were collected.
Results
We distributed 100 surveys to women and men at a large Midwestern university.
Majority of the students asked to participate in the survey were either in a fraternity or sorority
on campus with various majors and statuses in school. The left over surveys were distributed

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randomly in a library and a math class on campus (around 20 surveys). Our survey consisted of
26 questions and after the results and data were inputted, we stuck with the 26 questions because
the reliability was a .930. The analysis focuses on a Likert-type survey with questions all
pertaining to consumer attitudes.
After the surveys were collected, we inputted the data into SPSS so we could run tests to
analyze our findings. We utilized an independent samples t-test which revealed a significant
effect for attitudes, t (98) = -5.99, p < .001 with Blanco receiving higher scores for attitudes (M =
97.2200, SD = 12.60594) than Verde (M = 81.3600, SD = 13.82066). With these statistics, we
found that there is a statistically significant difference between Verde and Blanco. We also found
that there is no statistically significant difference between Verde and Blanco on variance.
Our main goal was to see if there were attitudinal differences between the two restaurant
pages. Our results correlated with our research question. There actually was a huge difference
between the two pages. Verdes results were M = 81.3600 while Blancos results were
significantly higher being M = 97.2200. These results suggested that the way an organization
utilizes their Facebook page does in fact impact a consumers attitudes.
Discussion
Based on the results, we found out that our survey questions were very reliable in terms
of attitudes and how they fit in with all the questions as a whole. Based on the data, we also
found that there was a significant difference on results between the two restaurant Facebook
pages suggesting that how an organization utilizes their Facebook page does have an impact on
consumer attitudes. Blanco, which posted about deals and promotions, received the higher score
suggesting that consumers are looking to restaurant pages for information and specials rather
than just wishing consumers a great holiday, as Verde did.

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Limitations
Some limitations to this study were sample size and selection bias as a threat to internal
validity. There were only 100 participants that responded to the survey. This is a very small
representation of the large Midwestern university that we focused on. Also, to collect the data,
we focused mainly on one sorority and one fraternity on campus. This is also a very small
representation of the population at a large Midwestern university. Although the sorority and
fraternity had a variety of majors, ages, and year in school, this is limiting the possible answers
from the other populations of the school that are in other fraternities, sororities, organizations and
clubs on campus, and the rest of the students that are not involved in these particular categories.
The surveys represented a convenience sample which is not the best way to avoid bias opinions.
Implications
This study helped define how consumer attitudes are affected by Facebook pages. In this
study, we created two fake restaurant pages, both Mexican food, and made one more appealing
than the other by the use of pictures and marketing promotional food items of the day. The
results came back that there was a statistically significant difference between Verde and Blanco
on consumer attitudes. We found that students at a large Midwestern university have more
positive attitudes toward restaurants that utilize their Facebook page by interacting and posting
information that the consumers found significant and usable.
This study helps businesses understand how they could improve their marketing
strategies over Facebook. They can utilize social media in a way that could be beneficial to their
company. Consumers are looking for information from business Facebook pages. They are
looking for appealing pictures, interactions and a constant flow of information. If an organization

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is socializing and communicating with fans on Facebook, it can only benefit them and make their
product or organization more appealing.
This study also sheds some light on the uses and gratifications theory. It showed us that
people are actually looking to fulfill needs and gratifications when they look at an organizations
Facebook page. Whether it is interaction with the company or a hunt for good deals, how an
organization sets up their Facebook page can influence and sway their opinion of the business.
This can also lead to consumers feeling as if their needs and gratifications are lacking or
fulfilled.
Further Directions for this Research
Based on previous research, we found that the number of likes a business page has does
affect consumer attitudes as well. It shows the popularity of the page and people are more
inclined to like and look at a page by the amount of likes the page has. For further research,
this study could be conducted the same way except incorporating a higher number of likes for
each page. The two fake Facebook pages that we used only had a few likes on them which could
have caused bias for the research participants. Another study incorporating likes could be tested
to see just how influential that button is for a Facebook page. Several pages could be tested for
consumer attitudes based on the like button alone.
Since we found that Facebook pages do in fact have an impact on consumer attitudes, the
next step would be to see how much impact. A study could be done comparing several Facebook
pages by actually testing out the number of views each page receives and the amount of
consumers that actually purchase the product, visit the restaurant or attend the event.
Further research could also be done on how companies utilize other social media outlets
besides just Facebook. Those attitudes can be studied on sites such as Twitter and Instagram.

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There are so many ways for an organization to get involved with their consumers that businesses
are beginning to utilize social media and invent job opportunities for social media experts. It
would be interesting to see how affective other social media sites are at influencing consumer
attitudes.

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References
Agnihotri, R., Kashyap, R., Kothandaraman, P., & Singh, R. (2012). Bringing "social" into
sales: The impact of salespeople's social media use on service behaviors and value
creation. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management, 32(3), 333-348.
Andzulis, J., Panagopoulos, N. G., & Rapp, A. (2012). A review of social media and
implications for the sales process. Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management,
32(3), 305-316.
Blumler, J., Katz, E., & Gurevitch, M. (2001). Uses and gratifications research. The
Public Opinion Quarterly, 37(19731974), 509-523.
Braun, M., Brown, B., & Yang, C. (2013). From Facebook to cell calls: Layers of electronic
Intimacy in college students interpersonal relationships. New Media & Society, 16(1), 523.
Foregger, S. (2009). The uses and gratifications of facebook.com. National Communication
Association, 1.
Limperos, A. M., & Sundar, S. S. (2013). Uses and grats 2.0: New gratifications for new media.
Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 57(4), 504-525.
Parsons, A. (2013). Using social media to reach consumers: A content analysis of official
Facebook pages. Academy Of Marketing Studies Journal, 17(2), 27-36.
Strand, J. L. (2011). Facebook: Trademarks, fan pages, and community pages. Intellectual
Property & Technology Law Journal, 23(1), 10-13.
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