The Role of Digital Marketing in Enhancing Brand Awareness: Analysing the Impact of Social Media, SEO, and Personalisation on Consumer Engagement and Brand Equity

Abstract

This study examines the impact of digital marketing strategies including Social Media Marketing (SMM), Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), and Personalisation on consumer engagement and brand equity in digital environments. This research aims to analyse the contribution of each of these strategies towards an enhanced customer interaction and a heightened customer-perceived brand value. A quantitative method was undertaken using a self-administered online questionnaire, which was sent through convenience sampling. Statistical analyses on the collected data were performed to identify the strength as well as the direction of the relationship between variables. Personalisation emerged as the most important driver for consumer engagement, followed by SEO, which facilitated improved consumer engagement through building brand visibility and credibility. As compared to SMM, this study found no statistically significant direct effect of SMM on either the level of consumer engagement or the level of brand equity. Given its limitations, such as exploratory study and a geographically narrow sample, its findings cannot be applied to the general population. In practice, marketers are encouraged to tailor the personalised digital experience and SEO techniques for better engagement as well as brand trust. The study makes original contributions by comparing how effective these strategies are relative to each other and suggests actionable recommendations on how to better align a digital brand position.