Presenting the Relationship model of Social Media Marketing with the Behavior of Customers Baghdad city of Iraq with the Mediation of Communication Literacy

A B S T R A C T


Introduction
 
Social media marketing culture is one of the poles of conservatism and modernism. Social media marketing structures are positioned between hierarchy and networks, and social media marketing supervision ranges from tyranny to anarchy. On the other hand, with the generalization of social commerce and the rapid growth of various social commerce markets, marketers should look for new strategies to meet the tight competitive conditions in these networks and gain a share of the market. Social media marketing is a powerful way for businesses of all sizes to reach prospective customers. Customers interact with brands through social media and if businesses need to connect with their audience directly through social platforms. Sports equipment stores in Baghdad are not exempt from these rules, and they have faced a decrease in demand. In addition, the use of social networks and the low communication literacy of these stores have played an important role in the declining sales. In this research, we seek to answer the question of whether social media marketing has a significant relationship with the behavior of sports club customers with the mediating variable of communication literacy.
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Methods
The research method was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlation in terms of type, which was carried out through the field method. The statistical population of the research was all the customers of sports stores in Baghdad, with an unlimited population. According to Morgan's table, the sample size was equal to 384 people, and 400 questionnaires were randomly distributed among them. Data collection in this research was a combination of library and field methods.
The researcher-designed questionnaire was based on Likert’s scale so that qualitative and nonparametric information was interpreted using quantitative and numerical values.
Marketing actions in social media were measured using the questionnaire by Kim and Ko (2012). This scale has 11 five-choice questions, the scoring method is based on a five-point Likert scale. There are five dimensions in the tool including entertainment, interaction, novelty, customization, word-of-mouth advertising.
The data was first analyzed in SPSS through descriptive analyses to describe the sample and research variables. Descriptive indices of central tendency and dispersion indices were calculated. To determine the normality, the skewness-kurtosis test was used, and in the case of parametric conditions, the Pearson Correlation test and multivariate regression analysis were used. As for the effect of the mediator variable, structural equation method in PLS software was used.
 
 Results
 In terms of gender, 44% of the respondents were female and 56% were male. In terms of age, 38% were between 20 and 35 years old, 51% were between 36 and 50 years old, and 11% were more than 50 years old. Regarding the level of education, 16% had a high school diploma, 28% had a under graduate degree, 45% had a bachelor's degree, and 11% had a postgraduate degree or higher.
In order to answer the main hypothesis of the research, a linear regression test was used.
As listed in Table (1) the coefficient of determination of the first model before considering the role of mediating variable of communication literacy was 0.722. In the second model, after considering the mediating role of communication literacy, the coefficient of determination was 0.956, indicating the amount of changes in customer behavior through social media marketing with the mediating variable of communication literacy. The Durbin-Watson statistic also showed the phenomenon of autocorrelation between variables. Considering that the value of the regression line equation (2.435) is between 1.5 and 2.5, the absence of autocorrelation in the regression line equation is confirmed. Moreover, the variance of the f test, considering that it is lower than the error rate of 0.05, indicated the appropriate validity of the statistical model.
The result of the Sobel test was 3.9757. If the result of the Sobel test exceeds 1.96, the significance of the mediating effect of the communication literacy variable can be confirmed at the 95% confidence level. Therefore, it is concluded that communication literacy plays a mediating role in the relationship between social media marketing and sports store customers' behavior.
 
Conclusion
There are various types of social media that people use, such as blogs, social networks (like Facebook, both inside and outside the country), microblogs, photo and video sharing sites (like YouTube and Aparat), wikis, and podcasts. With the increasing use of social media, not only individuals but also companies and government organizations use them as communication tools. These organizations actively use social media for advertising and marketing, which has made it easier to implement integrated marketing activities without any time, place, or media restrictions. Many individuals share information through social media, and it has become one of the channels through which consumers receive information about the goods or services they need before making a purchase decision. Therefore, companies need to understand the purchase intention and motivations of their customers, as well as the impact of social media on these factors. Today, customers use various technologies, especially the Internet, as a tool to meet their needs and shop online.
It can be concluded that communication literacy plays a significant role in the relationship between social media marketing and the behavior of sports store customers. Today's audiences are more alert and capable of receiving messages through media industries rather than the traditional education system. Sports communication literacy can be a valuable tool to develop critical thinking skills in the field of sports. This can play a significant role in the development of product marketing through social media, influencing the purchasing behavior of customers in Baghdad.
Considering the increasing popularity of sports media and the large group of audience in these media, the need to institutionalize sports literacy among the recipients of sports marketing messages is undeniable. It is essential to base this institutionalization on scientific and theoretical foundations.