EXPLORING THE BRAND BUILDING PROCESS IN MICRO VENTURES THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE: A STUDY OF THE WOMEN-OWNED HOME-BASED COOKED FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES IN KHULNA CITY IN BANGLADESH

Investigation on the practice of social media in order to build a brand in the digital era is the purpose of this study. Identification of the impact of the usage and functionalities of social media on building a brand is the goal of this endeavour. The research explores the impact of different communication mode in brand management. The association of brand development and firm-created interaction and user-generated interaction has also been exploited. A qualitative study has been conducted for the research. Data are collected from semi-structured interviews with 8 shops owners of the online homemade food industry in Khulna city who have a strong command of social media. They practice social media for their business. They provide initial information of actions taken by firms and their enthusiasm behind engaging this industry. The outcome obtained from this effort displays the firm’s engagement of strengthening awareness and image of a brand by utilizing social media interaction initiated by firms and solidification of trust and loyalty of a brand by exploiting actions taken in social media by the users. Social media’s capacity to build the equity for a brand in a new yet convincing industry is explored in this exertion. i Correspondence: email fa.nwu.bd@gmail.com Farzana Akther, Sk. Md. Reazul Kabir, Mst. Naznin Sultana, Imtiaz Masroor EXPLORING THE BRAND BUILDING PROCESS IN MICRO VENTURES THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA USAGE: A STUDY OF THE WOMEN-OWNED HOME-BASED COOKED FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES IN KHULNA CITY IN BANGLADESH European Journal of Management and Marketing Studies Volume 7 │ Issue 2 │ 2022 35 JEL: L60; L96; M10


Introduction
The increasing usage of social media has developed a complete innovative genre for brands and related companies which has forced them to search for new collaborative ways to reach and engage user groups (Gallaugher & Ransbotham, 2010). This marketing channel is able to provide unparalleled scope for building status and brand and this channel is growing rapidly which has already reached more than two-thirds of entire Internet users (Correa et al., 2010). In our society, there is a rapid dissemination of social media (Dickey et al., 2010) which is encouraging the usage of social media by the firms for brand development and marketing activities (Gallaugher & Ransbotham, 2010), though all the information available on social media are not authentic (Shearer & Mitchell, 2021) and there are a good number of businesspeople who are not accustomed to this new accommodation (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). Nonetheless, a better archive and a better medium of communication are provided by social media  and social media plays a mediating role in the achievement of outstanding firm performance through innovative ways of marketing activities to connect customers to the brand (Tajvidi & Karami, 2021). Both sellers and buyers get the opportunity of sharing their perspectives on social media platforms (Castillo et al., 2021).
Contemporary usage of social media platforms for sharing knowledge binds the professionals to rethink their approaches towards consumers and consumers prefer informal communication on these platforms (Kwayu et al., 2021). Transferring consumers voice patterns from dialogue to trialogue vehicles communicating between one another and with the authority of the firm for the betterment of the firm (Lipsman et al., 2012;Mangold & Faulds, 2009). The organization has the scope to develop impactful customer relationships by using social media (Gashi & Ahmeti, 2021). This customer category includes both existing and potential customers who can interactively join together to identify the problem and identify solutions. For the sake of the relationship, this interactive pact can interchange the traditional roles of customer and seller. Indeed, value-generating customer attachment orientation can be introduced through content that generates communication and peer-to-peer communications can influence the buying decisions of a customer (Sashi, 2012). New opportunities for brand interactions have been generated at the dawn of different platforms of social communication. This is supported by the evidence of internet-based brand engagement activity on social media. eWOM (e-word of mouth) is a tremendous way of expanding brand awareness and spreading brand intention among consumers (Bilal et al., 2021). By using social media, it can be affordable for a marketer to relate with attainable and probable consumers by gathering information from two-way communication which also increases reach through consumers in an unmediated and quick manner. Additionally, networking based on social media, brand recommendations, and information allocation is important to marketers. When people hear about a product or service from a friend on Facebook, they're 15 percent more likely to buy it than when they learn about it any other way, according to the social network's statistics (Childers & Boatwright, 2021). Aside from that, social media platforms make it possible to distribute information about products and services in a viral or rapid fashion (Berger & Milkman, 2012). The effect of this is that corporations are actively participating in new social media marketing techniques and approaches (Lashgariet al., 2018). The importance of source dependability is shown in a more in-depth examination of communications in social media, accomplished by separating social media communication created by firms from social media communication generated by users. The firm generated contents have a positive impact on consumers while they make a decision and helps the brand to achieve a distinct position in the mind of customers (Raji et al., 2020). Digital platforms are taking over the place of traditional media and getting popular among customers and customers are generating communications and concepts for social media (Burgess & Banks, 2010). Consumers are able to tell the difference between user-generated and firm-created social media content because of the differing impacts on brand image dimensions. Social media contents created by the firms have a good effect on brand awareness and image, whereas social media communication generated by the users has a positive effect on brand trust and loyalty.
Social media platforms are now being used by a whole lot of people as a platform for sharing information (Chen & Zhu, 2021). There has been a dramatic shift in the information sharing environment as a result of the rise of social media. People of different paradigms have increased the use of social media in different phases of their lives (Gaini et al., 2021). Consumers' communication patterns are being influenced by the rising relevance of programs such as Facebook, YouTube, and others in their daily routines. More time is being paid by the people on social media, and as a result, more and more conversation is taking place there. Through interactive strategy development, there is always a scope for social media marketing to enable brand loyalty through which brand engagement for the consumers (Hazzam, 2021). Khulna's home-cooked food industry is gaining in popularity by the day. The majority of store owners practice social media to operate their trades. And each one of them is working hard to build their own brand. The dynamic, omnipresent, and often real-time contact made possible by social media significantly alters the landscape for brand managers. The firm's actors must have a thorough grasp of this transformation.
In this study, efforts are put to generate an investigation towards the development of a brand using social media. It is also emphasized to find the impact of the firm created social media communication towards the expansion of a brand image and awareness. Investigative efforts have also been given to identifying the impact of user-generated social media communication on the creation of the brand trust.

Brand Image
In other words, a company's image may be well-defined as the representation of a brand in the minds of consumers as the outcome of brand association (Keller, 1993). Additionally, consumers' perceptions of and attitudes toward a brand shape its image (Roy & Banerjee, 2007). To paraphrase Aaker (1991), "brand image" is a collection of consumer-recognized activities. There is a strong correlation between the uniqueness of the brand image of a product and its distinctiveness according to Bearden and Etzel (1982) and Park and Srinivasan (1994). It has been shown that brands with a strong brand image outperform their competitors in terms of consumer perceptions (Hsieh & Li, 2008). Because of this, customers' actions will be influenced and influenced by the brand image (Burmann et al., 2008). Products with strong brand images may be seen as having higher quality and value by customers, who base their opinions on such views to some extent (Richardson et al., 1994). Consumers' perceptions of quality and value are severely harmed by brand image, bestowing to learning directed by Jacoby et al. (1971).

Brand Awareness
When the point derives to building brand equity, brand consciousness might be a vital and important component that is often overlooked (Aaker, 1996); (Cobb-Walgren et al., 1998). To put it another way, Aaker defined brand awareness as the buyer's recollection of the structure of the brand. It is through constant exposure, increased familiarity, and strong linkages with the product and with the experience that brand awareness is built (Keller, 1998). Consumers' higher cognitive processes may be affected by strong brand connection, according to Keller (1993Keller ( & 1998. Brand awareness and brand association, according to Pitta and Katsanis (1995), are intertwined with brand awareness developing in the subconscious of the client before the brand connection is formed and ingrained in the customer's reminiscence. Saini and Chauhan (2017) noted that brand awareness and brand association are linked.

Brand Association
A set of entire brand name associations helps a brand to build up a clear brand identity, whereas some consumers could connect better consequences to useful advantages; emotional pricing helps the brand top of others. Building brand association, a firm needs to evaluate its brand as well competitors' brand through consumer orientation (Aaker, 2000). When the purchaser is choosing among different products or services, the association plays a vital role in finalizing this; therefore, the brand association is a very essential determinant of brand equity. Hence, the brand association can be looked at or associated with the image, preference and liking of the brand (Keller, 1993), its trustworthiness and whether it delivers its pledge and its reliability (Piaralal & Mei, 2015). According to Aaker (1991), product associations and organizational affiliations are the two most often cited types. Brand loyalty is built on the basis of associations, which also provide value to both the company and its consumers.

Brand Trust
Scholars have defined the notion of brand trust in diversified ways. The confidence a customer builds in the brand's trustworthiness and integrity is one way to describe "Brand Trust". Adding to that, consumers' perceptions of danger are taken into account when determining brand trust (Delgado-Ballester, 2004). When it comes to long-term, high-relationship clients, this strategy is seen as a thoughtful one (Chaudhuri & Holbrook, 2001). A variety of studies have shown that consumers' confidence in a brand may grow as a result of many distinct reasons. A consumer's total happiness with the product is the only factor that contributes to brand trust referring to Delgado-Ballester and Munera-Aleman (2005). Consumers' faith in brands is bolstered by attributes for example brand likelihood, brand competency, and brand repute (Lau & Lee, 1999). The idea of building customer confidence in a brand by engaging in corporate citizenship and social responsibility has also been floated (Willmott, 2003). It has been stated that building brand loyalty requires more than just building confidence in a business; it also necessitates having a positive brand effect (Ringberg & Gupta, 2003). Brand trust is considered to be the most crucial factor in building a connection between consumers and brands, according to many experts in marketing and advertising (Portal et al., 2019). According to Blackston (1992), belief is an important part of a consumer-brand connection.

Brand Loyalty
On-line marketing literature and social media have both focused extensively on the need of customer loyalty (Hawkins & Vel, 2013). In this context, loyalty in online environments has been defined as a customer's positive attitude toward a product/website/brand and their habit of making repeat purchases (Anderson & Srinivasan,2003). Similarly, the emotional reaction and sentiments toward the activity or product have been previously studied on brand loyalty intentions (Ajzen, 1991). Leckie et al. (2016) has proposed that continuous brand loyalty with a service supplier is explained by a positive consumers angle. Brand loyalty suggests that the extent of the commitment of a client to his brand and the way persistently he repeats his purchase for the identical brand. A loyal client can like better to purchase his brand systematically.

Use of Social Media as Brand Communication
Using the newest interactive technology, people's lifestyles plus businesses are changing rapidly. In recent years, organizations have realized the value of the internet and have made steps to ensure that they are engaged in internet-based communities (Berthon et al., 2012). Netizens have been given unprecedented access to online exposure because of the rise of Internet 2.0 technologies, particularly social media (Chen, 2012). Companies and their consumers may now interact in new ways thanks to social media platforms. A company's ultimate goal is to connect with and learn from its target audience in order to shape the perceptions of the people who buy its products (Brodie et al., 2013). As a mass phenomenon, social media has broad appeal across a wide range of demographics (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). Brands and products are often mentioned in the material made by internet users, which helps to raise brand awareness (Berthon et al., 2008). Users are increasingly turning to social media as an alternative to traditional forms of advertising, according to research (Karakaya & Barnes, 2010).

Firm-created Social Media Communication
Buyers now believe social communication platform content to be more trustworthy over old-style marketing communications channels (Karakaya & Barnes, 2010;Swain & Cao, 2014). As a result, social media may be recognized as an essential part of any kind of marketing and brand activity (Hutter et al., 2013). For brands, the social media's elasticity enables them to develop manuscript in a variety of formats and distribute it across several social networks. Firm-created communication is the term for this process. To put it another way, it's the direct sharing of any kind of content made by companies on their official social media accounts Laroche et al., 2013). People use it to sell items on online platforms with the intention of increasing brand awareness . Create a network of communication with the brand to a developing market, as well as offer themes for discussion that may foster connections between the company and its new customers and between the customers (Gensler et al., 2013). As a widespread phenomenon with the broad demographic appeal, corporate social media communications have been acknowledged (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2010). Advertisers' usage of social media generated by their own companies is on the rise, but it's still a relatively new trend (Nielsen, 2013). An agency's reputation may be characterized by utilizing the viral transmission of information through the Internet (Li & Bernoff, 2011), as well as the better possibility for reaching a wider audience than traditional media (Li & Bernoff, 2011).

User-generated Social Media Communication
If you're looking for a unique way to analyse your brand, social media is it. One can achieve an extraordinary level of consumer participation in brand-related activities via social media. As a result, it could be appropriate to mention that in this platform the content is predominantly consumer-created (Andéhn et al., 2014). Creating and sharing are liked by people. Scholars interpret this as user-generated content when this kind of thing occur on the internet-based platform which contains different essentials like blogs, forums, videos, and pictures (Korkofingas & Ang, 2010).

Word-of-Mouth (WoM) and eWoM
Social media associates with eWOM with the online customer to customer interaction concerning brands (Munting et al., 2011). eWom, according to research, is having greater credibility, affinity plus connection for the purchaser than a marketer-created source of  (Gruen et al., 2006). Now a day's social media become an ideal tool for eWom, as a result, user generate and unfold brand-related info to their relatives, peers, friends (Kim & Ko, 2012). Some studies examine the WoM activity related to brands on Twitter. Consumer postings establish an information diffusion process that includes stigmatization remarks, feelings, and opinions from the public, they understand.

Research Approach
This study has been used through the exploratory method. Exploratory research seeks to investigate areas that are not researched sufficiently and "Explanatory designs seek to establish cause-and-effect relationships. Their initial purpose is to determine how events occur and which ones may influence explicit outcomes" (Houghton, 2015). The information has been collected in the form of primary research. Face to face personal interviews were conducted to collect the data from the online homemade food shop owner. The result of the interview has been transmitted into a script. Where all the questions have been asked through what, why and how.

Measurement of Constructs
In chapter 2, the literature review has been demonstrated and from that, the parameters of the investigation have been extracted. According to the parameters of the investigation, an interview guide has been prepared and interviews with the owner of the homemade food shop of Khulna have been conducted.
Afterwards, a transcript of this interview has been written. To analyse the factors, the entire transcript has been grouped so that we can get the findings. After that, the finding has been compared with the parameters. The importance of grouping is that it shows the relation between the characteristics of the parameters in terms of the present scenario of the online homemade food industry Khulna.

Data Analysis Process
The data analysis process began with reviewing the literature. From those literature parameters of investigations were extracted. According to that interview, a guide was prepared. With that semi-structured interview, a guide interview has been conducted. From those interviews, the interview transcript was written. Then the transcript was grouped to analyse the preliminary findings of the study. Then the transcripts were compared with preidentified parameters of investigations. And at the end, the research theme was defined.

Challenges in Data Management
All the data collected has been via face-to-face personal interviews. From this data, the transcript has been produced. Each interviewee has faced different challenges. This has been a challenge in managing and analysing the data. These challenges have been treated by using the meaning of analysis context as a unit of analysis. This means that the data will be coded for its meaning, not sentence by sentence.

Population and Sample
For the case study, 8 online homemade food shops have been chosen. To conduct a satisfactory and organized interview process, the following activities has been realized: firstly, contact the prospect interviewees over the phone to set an interview date and location to conduct the interview, secondly, manage the interview using the prepared Interview Guide. Thirdly, the duration of the face-to-face interviews differed upon each case and finally, the entire interview has been audio recorded.

Results and Discussion
In this chapter, the focus is on the results of the field research and its analysis. First, each parameter of utilization of social media for developing the brand according to the transcript of the interviewed company is defined. Then the data of all companies in the parameter is displayed and after that, each parameter with the scenario of the field data is discussed. The homemade food industry of Khulna is mostly run online. The shop owners use different media to communicate but that is less important in this industry. They exist online through social media. They don't have any website. They use a business card and leaflet. Pride Tiffin Box has its own field officer to communicate with the customer. Besides Cook Studio and Pride Tiffin Box, all others shops attend different fairs.

Social Media Communication Channel
The figure shows the social media platform used by the firms. While conducting the survey it is found that all shops communicate through Facebook. Tasty Pastry has an Instagram account. All the shops emphasis on Facebook. From the survey, it is clear that the whole industry is dependent on Facebook for communication. Other alternative doesn't play any crucial role in this business.  In the survey, it is found that the communication framework is the creation of content. Shops created communication content to deliver the message. And it also found that shops use more or less three channels to provide information through social media. Later on, discussion part, we will discuss the matter briefly.

Social Media Content and Post Frequencies
This figure shows the post frequencies and content elements.

Communication Approach and Product & Message Characteristic
This figure shows the approach of communication, degree of digitalization and the message context. All companies use composite ways of social media communication. They try to use as much function they can use. They try to use them collectively to pursue the consumer. They promote their product on the digital platform. Digitalization can also help the shop owner to offer valuable information about the firm's product to people, enabling visibility and awareness by a larger number of customers relatively at a low cost. In the survey, it has been found that most of the shops design their message to convey quality and rapport. Humaira's Pastry and Lucy's Cook Book also focus on distinctiveness. Cake n Bake and Tasty pastry try to promote superiority in product and service through message content. Pride Tiffin Box's message tries to give customers a feeling that they provide good food at a low cost.

Brand Association Using Social Media
This figure is for brand equity and association. In survey it is cleared that all of the brand can be recognized by their name. They create awareness by the picture of their product, their status on Facebook. During the survey, most of the shop owners agreed that courtesy and well behavior is important in making a positive brand image. The quick response also plays a vital role. Pride tiffin box accepts their mistakes. All shops agreed that quality is most important. If anyone compromise with the quality, he/she will suffer in long run. AJ's Kitchen tries to meet the requirements of the customer. They think all of these will help them to create a positive brand image. They also agree that it is tough online. So, they try to communicate and provide information as early as possible through their social media page.

User-generated Social Media Communication
The figure shows the content and community belonging and describes how eWoM and the referral system works. Consumer's trust in an Internet vendor is an issue commanding ever more attention. During conducting a survey, it has been clear that the trust of the customer basically depends on user-generated content. People post a review of the product and share their opinion with their friends and family. If they heard a positive review of the product, they easily buy the product. All the shop owners agreed that this online homemade food industry is basically based on review and referral. Foodies' groups play a key role in this regard. When companies post their promotional posts, people make comments on the post. There are two foodies' groups that are very popular-Khulna foodies and Khulna food bloggers. Consumer shares their experiences. So, others people are come to know about the product. Humaira's pastry, Tasty pastry and cook studio also post on different girls Facebook groups of Khulna. eWOM helps a lot in the homemade food industry Khulna. When company post their advertisements on a brand page people like and comment on the post. They share their personal experiences. When anyone asks for suggestions in Foodies Group about the product people convey their attitude by commenting and giving suggestions to them. When people post on review on foodies' group, they give a score the product within 10 marks parameter. This rating helps people to know the perception of people towards the product. When people see a post, they mention their friends and family to the post. So, the others people get to know about the product. Social media enables this type of activity which helps to increase customer engagement. Humaira's pastry, Cake n Bake and Cook Studio sometimes tag their satisfied customer in their promotional post. So, the customer expresses their experience regarding the product and it creates buzz among the target customer.

Discussion
The rise of social media and its esteem among consumers may be one of the most significant changes in recent years in the area of internet marketing and branding. As proven by the value of online brand involvement on social networking websites, social media have opened up new avenues of communication for companies. Entrepreneurs and brand managers may collaborate with consumers on social networking sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter to increase the exposure of their companies. In this study we find that there are two things that help to develop a brand; firm created communication and user-generated communication. During the survey, it has been clear that the homemade food industry of Khulna operates the business mainly on social media.
Whenever a company gets decided to become involved in social media, it must develop, execute, as well as monitor specific activities upon that chosen social media. Consumer-to-consumer interaction, product or service announcements, free advice and useful data are all examples of popular trends. Another is a higher level of customer service, which involves holding contests and giving away prizes to get people excited. All of these steps must be coordinated with the company's existing online advertising and marketing efforts in order to maximize their effectiveness. In our study, it seems that the homemade food provider tries to associate their product with an online marketing strategy Brand recognition and image are significantly dependent on company-created social media marketing, according to the report. Various measures are used by store owners to educate their customers. Moreover, they believe that this action aids them in gaining customers. Company-created information exchange is entirely run and administered by business owners. Due to the importance of a company's message and the importance of trustworthiness, it's imperative that businesses map out their social media content to impact customer attitudes about brands.
All the participants in this research clearly identify the engagement in the communities of their choice of an online brand via active sharing, learning, and ratifying activities that fluctuate in participation. They must do research & share data with other participants and with the brand respectively. As a result of logo-related variables including brand recognition, pride, and faith in the brand, donors are more likely to participate in the project.
One of the explanations why a few social media campaigns now do not work is due to the fact executives aren't seem to be completely dedicated to devoting their thoughts and time to being enthusiastically involved in their marketing through the social media platform. Homemade food providers of Khulna city are mostly women and they have little knowledge about this. It may suggest that firms ought to no longer only be concerned with the online network, also with the offline network to outspread their patron's devotion. Invitations to join the social media community should be sent to the customers. In the online community, corporations need to begin writing greater powerful content. Humble, honest, and concise are the key characteristics of effective content. Information should be there to satisfy the customers who want statistics. While working offline managers/executives should volunteer their service for the development of the relationship with the community. If the executive wants to establish a long-term relationship with the customers timing is a crucial factor. The response to any messages, comments, and posts should be within a day to establish brand equity and expansion of influence. It will also decorate the firm with a knowledge-sharing environment and strengthen relationships between customers and the company.
Social networks created through brand engagement increases customer satisfaction. As part of such interactions, consumers look for comments and previous evaluations from customers who have actually used or sold a service or product. This validates the concept of social benefits. An additional feedback channel that allows people to assess the firm's handling of criticism is provided by certain consumers who post their grievances publicly. Homemade cuisine depends heavily on this.
Consumer attitudes about a brand are influenced by the firm's content, even when this material no longer seems to have a direct impact on customer views of the brand. In addition, a company's social media content may help promote real advertising and marketing to a wider audience by generating a viral reaction. For this reason, the ideal situation for the managers who communicate should encourage customers to generate creative content supporting the brand. It achieves awareness among users because the contents created by the users give a strong message about the brand and business to the users.

Conclusion
To summarize, organizations must acknowledge the desire to participate in social media and cautiously develop a vibrant approach for doing so. Organizations may listen to their customers, connect with them, and even influence their discussions via the use of social media. Social community platforms provided by the companies gather like-minded customers under the same roof and provide them with the scope to converse into brandrelated issues. Because of this, social media should be considered by the organizations as a key factor to their advertising conversation mix and use it for their communications through advertising in order to expand brand equity. Consumers' increased usage of social media is seemed to own a noteworthy impact on brand fairness in the future. It is advantageous for marketers of using social media in a strategic method because it is a cheap investment that costs less compared to conventional marketing communication methods. While conducting this research, the following limitations occurred. The most difficult job was to conduct and manage the respondent's because often they didn't feel comfortable giving their opinions towards the questions. At the time of collecting data, sometimes the respondents hadn't enough time and interest to cooperate with the researcher. A non-probability convenient sampling method was used which may not be representative of the total population. There has been difficulty in conducting interviews with the respondents. It is hoped that these difficulties will lead to comprehensive research on how brands should be handled in light of today's social media landscape. On the other hand, social media has the potential of being an effective tool for brands since it gives the organization a platform from which to be heard. Their growing user bases allow consumers to communicate and get access to companies, especially for those who use Facebook as their "primary" site. It is possible for organizations to provide external audiences with the same feeling of belonging that they enjoy amongst themselves, making it easier for them to accept and support the dissemination of their brand's values when the appropriate individual is in charge of employing this technology. They may be able to save money by using the same message for both internal and external audiences. For their part, customers are encouraged to weigh in on the brand's overall strategy by leaving thoughtful feedback. They allow fans to influence the questions of organizations behind the scenes, increasing the relevancy and attraction of their brands. It is possible for Khulna's home-cooked food vendors to benefit from the city's burgeoning social media presence.