Who Is the Better Storyteller? The Impact of Storytellers in Destination Social Media Posts on Sharing of Social Media Content
(A2021-94176)

AUTHORS

Christoph Pachucki, Seeburg Castle University; Reinhard Grohs, Seeburg Castle University; Ursula Scholl-Grissemann, Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology

ABSTRACT

Destination marketers rely heavily on social media in their marketing communication efforts. Yet, research on how single elements of social media posts impact consumer response is scant. The present study examines how storytellers used in destination posts (third person vs. first person) impact sharing of social media content. Results show that a) first-person compared to third-person storytellers significantly increase sharing of social media content; b) first-person storytellers significantly support linguistic expression of emotional tone and confidence of language; c) contrary to expectations, emotional tone and confidence of language have no effect on sharing of social media content. The study enhances our theoretical understanding of social media marketing for tourist destinations and the effectiveness of storytellers in digital marketing. Findings further support marketers in the design of social media content that is shared by consumers.