In the digital business environment of today, the convergence of Social Media Marketing (SMM) and Electronic Customer Relationship Management (e-CRM) has gone beyond transactional communication to an intelligent data-driven ecosystem driven by AI, machine learning and real-time predictive analytics. Enhanced further by post-pandemic shifts in consumer behaviour, organisations are turning to social platforms as strategic engines for e-CRM to personalise customer experience, create brand trust and generate long-term loyalty. This study explores the role of Social Media Marketing (SMM) as a strategic driver of Electronic Customer Relationship Management (e-CRM) practices. It reviews the literature in a systematic manner to map important trends in publications, influential contributors, collaboration networks and thematic evolutions and fills the research gaps in social CRM capabilities and data-driven consumer engagement.A quantitative bibliometric and network analysis was performed for the period 2016-2025, based on the metadata retrieved from the Scopus database. After a systematic screening process based on strict inclusion and exclusion criteria, a final sample of 360 peer-reviewed publications was analysed. Performance analysis, citation metrics, Bradford’s Law, thematic mapping, and co-occurrence network models were performed by R-based Bibliometric tools. It was found that the literature grew at an annual growth rate of 5.36%, witnessing significant citation impact and publication peaks associated with accelerated digital adoption post-pandemic. The US is leading in the total volume of documents and citations, with strong contributions also from India, China, and countries with high collaboration such as Spain and Jordan. Thematic network analysis shows that the core operational concepts (CRM, public relations, sales) are progressively integrating with data-driven “motor themes” such as digital transformation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and sentiment analysis.The findings offer practical implications for organisations interested in using SMM for e-CRM improvement, emphasizing real-time sentiment monitoring, hyper-personalized interaction, AI-enabled automation, integrated customer profiles, and privacy-sensitive marketing.