AbstractsCommunication

Today, more than ever before, social media plays an integral role in digital brand communication. Advertisers and marketers are continually working to capitalize on the massive size and popularity of modern social media in hopes of building stronger relationships with their consumers. Increasingly, social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter – under pressure to increase revenue – have made it harder for organic social content to effectively reach and engage consumers without paid support. With the surging usage of ad blockers, there is evidence to suggest that organic social media content may soon be an essential backbone to any robust digital strategy. To this end, this study examines and identifies the predictive components that make up organic social media content in order to provide a focal point for effective content optimization. Analyses reveal three components of organic content as significant predictors: the number of handles included in a message, the number of hashtags within a message, and the time at which a message is posted. Advisors/Committee Members: Eastin, Matthew S. (advisor), Wilcox , Gary (advisor).