Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Development

Social Media, Consumer Behavior and Marketing Strategy: Implications of “Halal” on Islamic Marketing Operations
Professor Akin Fadahunsi, Dr. Samia Kargwell

Abstract
The paper broadly examines the role of social media in Islamic marketing strategy development within the context of the reported shift towards more relationship-oriented approaches to marketing. Social media platforms have emerged as key communication tools in relationship marketing in part because of their ability to facilitate on-going two-way communication between an organization and a mass audience, whilst maintaining the push-messaging capabilities of traditional marketing. There is therefore growing academic interest in exploring the factors that influence the adoption and use of social media for business development purposes. There is a similarly growing interest in the field of Islamic marketing, due in part to its sheer size, as well as the relatively significant influence that Islam exerts on the consumption behaviors of Muslims and on the operations of business managers. The goal of the paper, then, is to describe the role that social media platforms play as brand communication tools in an Islamic marketing context. We begin the paper with a brief exposition of the concept of Islamic marketing, highlighting some of the factors influencing academic developments in the field. Next, we discuss the main ways in which the use of social media by marketers and consumers alike influence Muslim consumer behavior. Finally, we conclude the paper by examining the effectiveness of the evolving role of social media platforms as tools with which marketing managers can influence the purchase behavior of Muslim customers.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jsbed.v3n1a4