How to keep brand fan page followers? The lens of person-environment fit theory

Companies create brand fan pages (BFPs) on social media platforms to broadcast product information, increase brand awareness and engage customers. A common challenge facing BFPs is how to attract and retain followers effectively. Through the lens of the theory of person–environment fit (TPEF), the purpose of this paper is to develop and validate a theoretical model to explain the role of multidimensional fit perceptions in cultivating BFP users’ continued following intention.

Data collected from 193 active followers of BFPs on Sina Weibo, the most prevalent social media platform in China, were used to test the proposed model. The partial least squares method was employed to assess the relationships in the model.

The findings reveal that users will continue to follow the BFP if their needs align with what the BFP provides, and if they perceive their values and characteristics to match those of the brand and fellow followers.

This study is among the first to extend the research context of the TPEF from organizational behaviors to examining how perceived fit influences users’ continued intention to follow in the social media context. In addition to the theoretical contributions, the findings of this study have important implications for practitioners who undertake social media management or user behavior analysis.