A meta-analysis of the impact of social media content strategies: the moderating role of culture

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: Li, Fangfang; Leonidou, Leonidas C.; Chen, Jieke; Katsikeas, Constantine S.
• 署名单位: University of Leeds; University of Cyprus
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS STUDIES
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2506
• DOI: 10.1057/s41267-026-00870-x
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: word-of-mouth; user-generated content; customer engagement; FUNDAMENTAL PROPOSITIONS; consumer engagement; online; BUSINESS; Hofstede; view; firm

摘要

Social media has become a strategic tool for firms worldwide to drive customer engagement (CE) and enhance business performance, yet limited research has systematically examined how social media content strategies (SMCSs) perform across cultural contexts. To address this gap, we conceptualize SMCS along three key dimensions-content characteristics, content source, and content valence-and develop a meta-analytic model grounded in signaling theory. Drawing on 148 empirical studies comprising 869 effect sizes, we examine the mediating role of CE, through which these content dimensions indirectly impact brand, product-market, and financial market performance. We also assess how national cultural values (i.e., individualism, uncertainty avoidance, power distance, masculinity, long-term orientation, and indulgence) moderate the content-engagement link. The findings reveal that CE serves as a key mechanism linking SMCSs to firm performance. Moreover, the strength and direction of these effects vary systematically across cultural values, highlighting important boundary conditions caused by national culture for social media content effectiveness. This study advances research at the intersection of social media and international business by providing a systematic cross-cultural account of how digital content strategies translate into engagement and performance outcomes. Les r & eacute;seaux sociaux sont devenus un outil strat & eacute;gique pour les entreprises du monde entier afin de stimuler l'engagement des clients (EC) et d'am & eacute;liorer la performance commerciale. Pourtant, peu de recherches ont examin & eacute; de mani & egrave;re syst & eacute;matique comment les strat & eacute;gies de contenu sur les r & eacute;seaux sociaux (SCRS) fonctionnent dans diff & eacute;rents contextes culturels. Pour y rem & eacute;dier, nous conceptualisons les SCRS selon trois dimensions cl & eacute;s : les caract & eacute;ristiques du contenu, la source du contenu et la valence du contenu, et nous d & eacute;veloppons & eacute;galement un mod & egrave;le m & eacute;ta-analytique bas & eacute; sur la th & eacute;orie de la signalisation. Nous appuyant sur 148 & eacute;tudes empiriques comprenant 869 tailles d'effet, nous examinons le r & ocirc;le m & eacute;diateur de l'EC, par lequel ces dimensions de contenu influencent indirectement les performances de la marque, du march & eacute; des produits et du march & eacute; financier. Nous & eacute;valuons & eacute;galement comment les valeurs culturelles nationales (c'est-& agrave;-dire l'individualisme, l'& eacute;vitement de l'incertitude, la distance hi & eacute;rarchique, la masculinit & eacute;, l'orientation & agrave; long terme et l'indulgence) mod & egrave;rent le lien entre le contenu et l'engagement. Les r & eacute;sultats r & eacute;v & egrave;lent que l'EC constitue un m & eacute;canisme cl & eacute; reliant les SCRS & agrave; la performance de l'entreprise. De plus, la force et la direction de ces effets varient syst & eacute;matiquement en fonction des valeurs culturelles, mettant en & eacute;vidence des conditions limites importantes caus & eacute;es par la culture nationale pour l'efficacit & eacute; du contenu sur les r & eacute;seaux sociaux. Ce travail fait progresser la recherche & agrave; l'intersection entre les r & eacute;seaux sociaux et les affaires internationales en fournissant une analyse syst & eacute;matique et interculturelle de la mani & egrave;re dont les strat & eacute;gies de contenu num & eacute;rique se traduisent en cons & eacute;quences en mati & egrave;re d'engagement et de performance. Las redes sociales se han convertido en una herramienta estrat & eacute;gica para las empresas de todo el mundo, permiti & eacute;ndoles impulsar la participaci & oacute;n del cliente (CE, por sus siglas en ingl & eacute;s) y mejorar el rendimiento empresarial. Sin embargo, existe una investigaci & oacute;n limitada que haya examinado de manera sistem & aacute;tica c & oacute;mo las estrategias de contenido en redes sociales (SMCS, por sus siglas en ingl & eacute;s) funcionan en diferentes contextos culturales. Para abordar esta brecha, conceptualizamos las SMCS a lo largo de tres dimensiones clave: las caracter & iacute;sticas del contenido, la fuente del contenido y la valencia del contenido. Adem & aacute;s, desarrollamos un modelo meta-anal & iacute;tico basado en la teor & iacute;a de se & ntilde;ales. Bas & aacute;ndonos en 148 estudios emp & iacute;ricos que comprenden 869 tama & ntilde;os de efecto, examinamos el papel mediador de la participaci & oacute;n del cliente (CE), a trav & eacute;s del cual estas dimensiones de contenido impactan indirectamente en el rendimiento de la marca, el mercado de productos y el mercado financiero. Tambi & eacute;n evaluamos c & oacute;mo los valores culturales nacionales (es decir, individualismo, evitaci & oacute;n de la incertidumbre, distancia al poder, masculinidad, orientaci & oacute;n a largo plazo y indulgencia) moderan la relaci & oacute;n entre el contenido y la participaci & oacute;n. Los hallazgos revelan que la participaci & oacute;n del cliente (CE) es un mecanismo clave que vincula las SMCS con el rendimiento de las empresas. Adem & aacute;s, la fuerza y la direcci & oacute;n de estos efectos var & iacute;an de manera sistem & aacute;tica seg & uacute;n los valores culturales, destacando importantes condiciones l & iacute;mite causadas por la cultura nacional en la efectividad del contenido en redes sociales. Este estudio avanza en la investigaci & oacute;n en la intersecci & oacute;n de las redes sociales y los negocios internacionales al proporcionar un an & aacute;lisis sistem & aacute;tico y transcultural de c & oacute;mo las estrategias de contenido digital se traducen en resultados de participaci & oacute;n y rendimiento. As redes sociais tornaram-se uma ferramenta estrat & eacute;gica para empresas ao redor do mundo impulsionarem o engajamento do cliente (CE) e melhorarem o desempenho dos neg & oacute;cios, contudo, poucas pesquisas examinaram sistematicamente como as estrat & eacute;gias de conte & uacute;do em redes sociais (SMCSs) desempenham-se em diferentes contextos culturais. Para abordar essa lacuna, conceitualizamos SMCSs em tr & ecirc;s dimens & otilde;es principais - caracter & iacute;sticas do conte & uacute;do, fonte do conte & uacute;do e val & ecirc;ncia do conte & uacute;do - e desenvolvemos um modelo meta-anal & iacute;tico fundamentado na teoria da sinaliza & ccedil;& atilde;o. Com base em 148 estudos emp & iacute;ricos que incluem 869 tamanhos de efeito, examinamos o papel mediador do CE, por meio do qual essas dimens & otilde;es de conte & uacute;do impactam indiretamente o desempenho da marca, do mercado de produtos e do mercado financeiro. Tamb & eacute;m avaliamos como valores culturais nacionais (ou seja, individualismo, avers & atilde;o & agrave; incerteza, dist & acirc;ncia do poder, masculinidade, orienta & ccedil;& atilde;o de longo prazo e indulg & ecirc;ncia) moderam a rela & ccedil;& atilde;o entre conte & uacute;do e engajamento. Os resultados revelam que o CE & eacute; um mecanismo-chave que conecta as SMCSs ao desempenho da empresa. Al & eacute;m disso, a for & ccedil;a e a dire & ccedil;& atilde;o desses efeitos variam sistematicamente conforme os valores culturais, destacando condi & ccedil;& otilde;es limitantes importantes impostas pela cultura nacional & agrave; efic & aacute;cia do conte & uacute;do nas redes sociais. Este estudo avan & ccedil;a a pesquisa na interse & ccedil;& atilde;o entre redes sociais e neg & oacute;cios internacionais ao fornecer uma an & aacute;lise sistem & aacute;tica e transcultural sobre como as estrat & eacute;gias de conte & uacute;do digital se traduzem em resultados de engajamento e desempenho. (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (CE) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) (SMCS) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)--(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)--(sic)SMCS(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)869(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)148(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic) ((sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic),(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)) (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)SMCS(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic), (sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic)(sic).