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Adoption Strategies of Social Media in B2B: A Multiple Case Study Approach
KTH, School of Industrial Engineering and Management (ITM).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8528-4828
KTH, School of Industrial Engineering and Management (ITM), Industrial Economics and Management (Dept.), Industrial Management.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-9709-540X
(English)In: Article, review/survey (Refereed) Submitted
Abstract [en]

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to clarify business-to-business (B2B) firms’ strategies of social media (SM) marketing communication. Secondly, to explore the factors contributing to the formation of adoption and integration strategies, and identify who the B2B firms target.

Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study approach is utilized to compare four multinational corporations and their practices. Face to face interviews with key managers, as well as extensive readings and observations of the firms’ websites and SM platforms have been conducted. 

Findings – The study results in a model, illustrating different processes of selection, adoption and integration involved in the development of SM communication strategy for B2B firms. Major factors involved in determining the platform type, and strategies used within different phases and processes are identified.

Research limitations/implications – Since the chosen methodology may limit generalizability, further research is encouraged to test the model within a B2B context especially within SMEs, as only large multinational corporations were investigated in this study.

Practical implications – The paper provides insight in to how B2B marketers can align SM with the firm’s goals through the strategic selection of platforms in order to reach the targeted audience and communicate their message.

Originality/value - The study uncovers the benefits gained by B2B firms’ through interaction with individuals on SM. This is a significant contribution as the value of such interaction was previously undefined and acted as a barrier for adopting SM in some B2B firms.

National Category
Media and Communications
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-220391OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-220391DiVA, id: diva2:1167728
Note

Key words: Social media adoption, strategy, B2B marketing, communication channels, IMC. QCR 20171219

Available from: 2017-12-19 Created: 2017-12-19 Last updated: 2022-06-26Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Digital Marketing Strategy: B2B and Stakeholders Communication
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Digital Marketing Strategy: B2B and Stakeholders Communication
2018 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Since digital media entered the business domain, many different tools and platforms have transformed the nature of business communications. This transformation has not been easy, since the journey has been accompanied by challenges from the marketers’ side against the adoption of the new platforms into the firm’s communication channels. Business to business marketers have also been engaged in such challenges by maintaining a slow adoption, which has motivated the researchers to study the adoption of different means and tools of digital communication in a business context.

Through this research, I contribute by exploring the adoption strategies of digital platforms in the B2B supply chain including B2B firms, retailers and end users. By digital media, I mainly refer to social media and beacon technology. First, I begin this thesis by identifying the adoption and integration strategies of social media and digital marketing into traditional marketing channels in a B2B context. In this part, I identify the B2B firms’ target audience and propose a model facilitating a B2B firm’s practical social media adoption strategies.

Second, to explore the benefits of different social media content sharing approaches derived from information accessibility resulted in the prior study of this thesis, I introduce and examine Public and Gated-Content sharing approaches. Thereafter, assisted by Social Power Theory and Resource Dependence Theory, I examine the effect of Public and Gated-Content sharing approaches on the target audience’s willingness to interact with the firm. The findings of this study reveal that Gated-Content approach can help the firms build closer relationship with the target audience and engage them in a co-creation process.

Third, by studying proximity marketing through the adoption of beacon technology in the retail context, I explore the current methods of usage, as well as the benefits and challenges of in-store proximity marketing adoption for content sharing purposes. I complete the thesis by presenting the different challenges of such adoption, which consist technical, human behavior, managerial perception, resource and privacy factors. Finally, I identify the need to integrate the physical aspect of place and location back again into the online digital communication channels within a retail context.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: KTH Royal Institute of Technology, 2018. p. 63
Series
TRITA-IEO, ISSN 1100-7982 ; 2017:13
Keywords
Digital Media, Proximity Marketing, Beacon Technology, Social Media
National Category
Media and Communications Information Systems, Social aspects
Research subject
Industrial Economics and Management; Media Technology; Information and Communication Technology
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-220144 (URN)978-91-7729-639-3 (ISBN)
Public defence
2018-01-15, F3, Lindstedtsvägen 26, Stockholm, 13:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Funder
Swedish Retail and Wholesale Development Council
Note

QC 20171219

Available from: 2017-12-19 Created: 2017-12-16 Last updated: 2022-06-26Bibliographically approved

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Lashgari, MaryamUlfvengren, Pernilla

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