Social media, marketing, and five-factor personality: A review and synthesis of the literature

Purpose Whilst psychological literature has sought to understand the role of personality traits in determining social media behaviour, there is limited discussion on its importance to social media marketers. We signpost marketers to studies of five-factor personality and social media that could support more effective marketing efforts. Design/methodology/approach In accordance with the established PRISMA process, our systematic literature search identified 190 published studies into the effect of five-factor personality traits on various aspects of social media behaviour. Inter-rater reliability between two reviewers was high (k = 0.823, p < .001). The results were coded and are discussed here in relation to consumer behaviour within the marketing funnel, as well as in comparison to offline consumer behaviour. Findings Among nuanced findings, we find that extraverts are more likely to be receptive to the efforts of marketers than neurotics. For example, extraverts are more likely respond to online advertising. Reflecting links between extraversion and ‘market mavenism’ offline, extraverts are also likely to post updates and interact with others. Originality To our knowledge, this is the first such review to present marketers with systematically-identified research into five-factor personality and social media.Practical implications By reviewing the literature available to date, this paper will help marketers to understand ways of engaging consumers more effectively on social media according to their personality traits. Research implications We identify many opportunities for further development within this relatively new context for marketing and psychological research. This research will lead to more efficient marketing on social media.