Abstract:
Social media is becoming most important media for sharing information and as a marketplace
for businesses and customers. With the rise of the internet, social media marketing (SMM) has
become one of the most powerful tools and cost-effective ways for promoting products and
services. However, no study has been done to reveal factors that influence them in adopting
social media in health in Ethiopia. Thus, this study seeks to fill in the gaps and find out those
factors by explores the factors influencing private healthcare providers' behavioral intention and
use behavior in adopting SMM in Gondar Town. A facility-based cross-sectional survey was
conducted, and structured questionnaires were used to collect data on 238-health professional’s
work in private healthcare facilities in between March and June 2023. SPSS Version 26 and
AMOS SEM version 23.0 was employed to examine the research model. All participants in the
study reported using social media platforms and possessing at least one social media account.
Facebook (89.5%) was the most popular social media platform among the participants, followed
by Telegram (87%). The primary purposes for using social media were to stay connected with
friends and family (95%) and to maintain connections with customers (51.7%). Healthcare
professionals’ behavioral intention to use SMM found positive relationship and significantly
influenced by PE (0.351) and SI (0.351). FC (0.365) and BI (0.326) found positive impact and
significate effect to use behavior. In the study, behavioral intention has a mediating effect for PE
and SI but not EE and the moderating effects of age, gender, experiences and voluntariness not
found significant. In conclusion, the findings contribute to understanding the adoption of SMM
in the healthcare industry, highlighting the importance of various factors in influencing
behavioral intention and use behavior. The implications of this research extend to private
healthcare providers, policymakers, and marketers, offering insights for enhancing
communication and engagement with patients through social media. Overall, this study provides
valuable insights and practical implications for improving the adoption of SMM among private
healthcare providers in Gondar Town.
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