The Impact of Social Media Strategies of innovation developments of health tourism businesses: The Case of DentX

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of innovative social media strategies on consumer behavior in dental health tourism, through a comparative case study of DentX and Dentakay dental clinics in Turkey. Using a qualitative research design based on thematic analysis of secondary data including social media platforms, official websites, online reviews, and publicly available digital content the study examines how digital communication practices influence brand awareness, customer trust, customer loyalty, and decision-making behavior among international patients. Findings reveal that innovative, interactive, and experience-driven social media strategies significantly enhance brand awareness and build customer trust more effectively than basic informational content. Customer trust emerges as a critical mediating variable between social media strategies and both decision-making behavior and customer loyalty. Dentakay's holistic, storytelling-oriented digital approach yielded stronger outcomes across all constructs compared to DentX's conventional content strategy. The study contributes to the intersection of digital marketing and healthcare research, offering theoretical and practical insights for dental health tourism providers seeking competitive advantage in global markets.