Impact of Social Media Engagement on Brand Trust in the Philippines Real Estate Products

Kathleen B. Ocampo¹, Jay A. Sario, MPA, DBA, Ed.D²
https://orcid.org/0009-0007-8819-9753¹, https://orcid.org/000-0003-4755-3510²
kathleenvbartolome@gmail.com¹, docjayasario@gmail.com²
University of Perpetual Help System DALTA
Las Piñas City, Manila, Philippines^1-2
Philippine Christian University, Manila, Philippines²

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54476/apjaet/17401

                                                                                          Abstract

In the Philippine real estate industry, one of the most high-stakes and risk-sensitive markets, consumer trust is critical to purchase decisions. With the growing reliance on social media platforms for marketing and client interaction, understanding how engagement influences brand trust has become increasingly important. This study employed a descriptive–correlational design and surveyed 100 respondents who actively followed or interacted with real estate brands on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Social media engagement was measured in three dimensions—cognitive (attention and processing), emotional (affective response), and behavioral (active interactions)—while brand trust was assessed through credibility and benevolence. Findings showed that social media engagement was high across all dimensions, with means ranging from 3.07 to 3.15, while brand trust was also rated high, particularly in credibility (M = 3.20) and benevolence (M = 3.06). Correlation analysis revealed significant positive relationships between cognitive engagement (r = 0.15, p = 0.03) and behavioral engagement (r = 0.32, p = 0.01) with brand trust. Conversely, emotional engagement had a significant negative relationship (r = –0.23, p = 0.02). The results highlight that transparent, information-rich, and interactive strategies enhance trust, while overly emotional appeals may diminish credibility in the Philippine real estate market.

Keywords: social media engagement, brand trust, credibility, benevolence, real estate marketing

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