Social media brand building strategies in B2B companies

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 754-776 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Cawsey ◽  
Jennifer Rowley
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Building ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Social Media Strategy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a unique overview of business-to-business (B2B) companies engagement with and strategic approach to use of social media in brand building. This research complements the much more extensive knowledge base regarding social media use in business-to-consumer (B2C) contexts. Design/methodology/approach Since social media marketing is a relatively new activity for B2B companies an interpretivist stance that is inductive in nature is adopted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with marketing professionals involved in managing social media programmes in France, Ireland, the UK and the USA. Findings The study found that the level of enagement with social media marketing varied, as summarised in the B2B Social Media Engagement Taxonomy. Enhancing brand image, extending brand awareness and facilitating customer engagement were the most common social media objectives. There was no evidence to suggest that companies saw social media as heralding a paradigm shift in brand management and control of the kind discussed and experienced in B2C social media contexts. The B2B social media strategy framework is proposed; this identifies the following six components of a social media strategy: monitoring and listening, empowering and enagaging employees, creating compelling content, stimulating electronic word of mouth, evaluating and selecting channels, and enhacning brand presence through integrating social media. Originality/value The research contributes to the knowledge base associated with social media marketing by offering insights into and a framework summarising B2B social media strategy.

Bilingual brand communities? Strategies for targeting Hispanics on social media

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dino A. Villegas ◽  
Alejandra Marin Marin
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Online Spaces ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Four Levels ◽  
Facebook Pages ◽  
The Impact

Purpose This paper aims to explore different strategies used by brands to target the Hispanic market via social media from the lens of the Spanish language in a multicultural country like the USA. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a netnographic approach by drawing information from a study of the Facebook pages of 11 brands belonging to different industries. Findings Companies engage in four levels of cultural identity adaptation using different strategies based on ethnicity: language adaptation, identity elements, identity matching and Latino persona. The study also shows that merely translating Facebook pages do not generate high levels of communitarian interaction. Practical implications This study examines different strategies used by brands in the USA to target the Hispanic audience on social media to provide insights for brand managers to develop online engagement. Originality/value With the increase in cultural diversity in different countries and the rise of social media platforms, brand researchers need to better understand how cultural identity permeates marketing strategies in online spaces. Social media platforms such as Facebook offer flexible environments where strategies beyond product- and brand-related aspects can be used. This study extends the literature by showing the heterogeneity of cultural identity-based strategies used by companies to ensure customer engagement and brand loyalty and the impact of such strategies on users.

Customer experience with the branded content: a social media perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Waqas ◽  
Zalfa Laili Hamzah ◽  
Noor Akma Mohd Salleh
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Peer Review ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Customer Experience ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Product Categories ◽  
The Social ◽  
Social Media Platforms

PurposeSocial media platforms are important channels to create a favourable customer experience. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the types of experiences customers can have with the branded content on social media.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 20 participants using semi-structured interviews. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the qualitative data.FindingsThe results identify seven types of branded content experience which are evoked when customers interact with branded content on social media. The results also suggest that branded content experience acts as a driver of consumer engagement with branded content which eventually leads to customers' sense of virtual community.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings provide theoretical implications for content creators. Further research should aim at comparing the branded content experience on different social media platforms and across different product categories.Originality/valueThis study contributes to customer engagement and experience literature in social media content by enhancing the understanding of branded content experience concept and its conceptual relationship with customer engagement in the social media context.Peer reviewThe peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/OIR-10-2019-0333

Creation of unstructured big data from customer service

2018 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 723-738 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jyotirmoyee Bhattacharjya ◽  
Adrian Bachman Ellison ◽  
Vincent Pang ◽  
Arda Gezdur
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Big Data ◽  
Customer Service ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Customer Contact ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Media Platform ◽  
Using Data

Purpose Customer service provision is a growing phenomenon on social media and parcel shipping companies have been among the most prominent adopters. This has coincided with greater interest in the development of analysis techniques for unstructured big data from social media platforms, such as the micro-blogging platform, Twitter. Given the growing use of dedicated customer service accounts on Twitter, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness with which parcel shipping companies use the platform. Design/methodology/approach This paper demonstrates the use of a combination of tools for retrieving, processing and analysing large volumes of customer service-related conversations generated between parcel shipping companies and their customers in Australia, UK and the USA. Extant studies using data from Twitter tend to focus on the contributions of individual entities and are unable to capture the insights provided by a holistic examination of the interactions. Findings This study identifies the key issues that trigger customer contact with parcel shipping companies on Twitter. It identifies similarities and differences in the approaches that these companies bring to customer engagement and identifies the opportunities for using the medium more effectively. Originality/value The development of consumer-centric supply chains and relevant theories require researchers and practitioners to have the ability to include insights from growing quantities of unstructured data gathered from consumer engagement. This study makes a methodological contribution by demonstrating the use of a set of tools to gather insight from a large volume of conversations on a social media platform.

scholarly journals Self-presentation, privacy and electronic word-of-mouth in social media

2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oleksandra Pasternak ◽  
Cleopatra Veloutsou ◽  
Anna Morgan-Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Electronic Word Of Mouth ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Self Presentation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Privacy Preferences ◽  
Self Image ◽  
The Individual

Purpose This study aims to explore the nature of electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) and the key drivers of this consumer-generated brand communication, focusing on eWOM in the context of social media communications. Design/methodology/approach The study uses inductive qualitative design, and the data have been collected via 22 semi-structured interviews with individuals who follow brands on Facebook. Findings Building on interview data, the paper advances a conception of eWOM in the social media context and highlights that eWOM consists of a broad range of brand-related communications, which include such activities as consuming, commenting, posting and forwarding information. The study also uncovers two major antecedents of eWOM, which are one’s concern for self-presentation and privacy. Research limitations/implications Further research could examine additional drivers of brand-related eWOM in the context of Facebook brand pages, and investigate eWOM in other social media platforms. Practical implications The findings have two important implications for brand management. Firstly, considering the importance of self-presentation, brands are advised to develop an in-depth understanding of the types of self-image pursued by their target audience. Secondly, given the concerns about privacy on social media, brands may carefully consider and manage the levels of privacy that should apply when communicating with their followers. Originality/value The novel insights centre on the individual differences in eWOM activity, and the importance of one’s perceptions of self-image and privacy in explaining these differences. It seems that the propensity to engage in eWOM and the form that this communication takes are the reflections of one’s self-presentation and privacy preferences.

Utilization and effectiveness of social media message strategy: how B2B brands differ from B2C brands

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 721-740
Author(s):  
Jing Zhang ◽  
Mingfei Du
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Perceived Value ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Five Dimensions ◽  
Message Strategy ◽  
Customer Perceived Value ◽  
Media Message ◽  
Message Strategies

Purpose This study aims to investigate how business-to-business (B2B) companies use message strategies on social media platform and how these strategies are effective in improving customer perceived value and encouraging customer engagement, as well as how B2B companies differ from business-to-customer (B2C) counterparts in terms of utilization and effectiveness of social media message strategy. Design/methodology/approach Based on content analysis of Sina Weibo brand pages and survey of website visitors, this paper examines the differences of social media message strategies and their impacts upon customer perceived value and customer engagement between B2B and B2C companies. Findings B2B companies use more rational appeals and less emotional appeals, have lower degree of informativeness and perform better in interactivity and variety than B2C companies. These five dimensions of message strategy have different roles in engaging customers via perceived value across B2B and B2C settings. Originality/value The research makes significant contributions to B2B social media marketing literature by answering two interrelated questions, namely, “What companies are doing?” and “What companies should do?” on social media websites. Besides, it provides insightful implications for B2B companies on how to implement appropriate message strategies in their social media marketing efforts by conducting Importance-Performance Analysis.

The influence of perceived social media marketing elements on consumer–brand engagement and brand knowledge

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 695-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
Man Lai Cheung ◽  
Guilherme Pires ◽  
Philip J. Rosenberger
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Hong Kong ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Electronic Word Of Mouth ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Brand Knowledge ◽  
Brand Engagement ◽  
Brand Building ◽  
Building Process

PurposeThis paper investigates the impact of social-media marketing elements, namely entertainment, customisation, interaction, electronic word-of-mouth (EWOM) and trendiness, on consumer–brand engagement and brand knowledge.Design/methodology/approachUsing an online survey, the study collects data in Hong Kong from 214 experienced social-media users, as indicated by their consumption of a durable technology product, a smartphone. We used partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS–SEM) to test the links between social-media marketing elements, consumer–brand engagement and brand knowledge.FindingsThe results reveal that interaction, electronic word-of-mouth and trendiness are the key elements directly influencing consumer brand engagement, then strengthening brand awareness and brand knowledge. This contrasts with the non-significant results found for the influence of entertainment and customisation on consumer–brand engagement.Research limitations/implicationsHaving cross-sectional nature, the study focuses on one single product, smartphones, at one location, Hong Kong. Future research may enhance the generalisability of the findings by replication in other countries with diverse cultures, such as countries in Latin America and Africa and examine other industries and other products, such as the service sector and convenience products with a low involvement level.Practical implicationsMarketers may strengthen consumer–brand engagement by using content that is trendy, along with encouraging interaction and positive EWOM on social-media platforms, in order to build strong and positive brand knowledge in consumers' minds.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the branding literature by providing an understanding of the role of social-media marketing elements in the brand-building process. Social media is a marketing channel recognised by its effectiveness in communicating brand-related information and its role as a means to stimulate consumers' brand engagement and brand knowledge. However, how effective these elements are for these purposes remains to be established. By empirically testing a theoretical model, this study confirms that specific social-media marketing elements, namely interaction, EWOM and trendiness, are critical drivers in the brand-building process in Hong Kong.

scholarly journals Online Engagement Factors on Instagram Local Fashion Brand Accounts

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rima Raidah Rachmah ◽  
Lidia Mayangsari
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Substantial Influence ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Fashion Brand ◽  
Online Engagement ◽  
Marketing Tool ◽  
Engagement Factors

Instagram is one of the most popular social media among young people. Indeed, Instagram not only used as social media but also a marketing tool for local fashion brands. There are various phenomena of Instagram marketing, yet there is still a lack of explanation of why the phenomena happened. Therefore, to propose an active social media marketing in Instagram for local fashion brands, identification of consumer engagement in social media is necessary. The objective of this research is to identify the forms of communication in which consumers most enthusiastically interact with local fashion brands on Instagram and explore the correlation between Instagram contents of fashion brands with the engagement of the consumers. The researcher surveyed through an online questionnaire as a tool to collect the data with Instagram active users as the requirement for respondents. The researcher found out that the content type of post characteristics influences boosting customer engagement. In this research, the content type classified into entertainment, informative, and remuneration posts. Each content type has different results in controlling customer engagement. Among the three classifications of content types, entertainment content type has the most substantial influence on customer engagement. Therefore, local fashion brands are recommended to utilize their marketing strategy by creating more entertainment content type, among other types on Instagram. Keywords: Instagram, social media marketing, content type, customer engagement.

Insights on the adoption of social media marketing in B2B services

2018 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 490-529 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicoletta Buratti ◽  
Francesco Parola ◽  
Giovanni Satta
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Service Industries ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Digital Networks ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Communication Activity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to review extant literature on social media marketing (SMM) in B2B service markets, by scrutinizing and categorizing potential benefits for firms. The study, in particular, empirically investigates the adoption of social media (SM) tools by firms operating in two conservative B2B service industries. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review is carried out driving to a deeper understanding of the current state of knowledge on SM in B2B services. Leading peer-review international journals are scrutinized performing ad-hoc queries on the Scopus database using pre-defined keywords. Moreover, a quantitative research is conducted on 60 firms, i.e. tanker shipping companies and ocean carriers, providing empirical insights on their SM activity on three SM platforms, i.e., Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Findings The outcomes from sample firms shed lights on the adoption rate of the most diffused SM tools, the size of the digital networks of stakeholders (number of followers), the intensity of the communication activity (number of posts, shares, photos, videos), and the level of customer engagement (number of likes and shares). Practical implications Research findings suggest to managers that SMM might be an easy-accessible and low-cost option for keeping the pace of sectorial transformations and creating a competitive advantage even in conservative sectors. Originality/value The paper, by investigating B2B service sectors, addresses an interesting gap in SMM literature as prior studies mostly focused on B2C industries and manufacturing contexts.

The role of parasocial relationship in social media marketing: testing a model among baby boomers

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunying Zhong ◽  
Valeriya Shapoval ◽  
James Busser
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Baby Boomers ◽  
Brand Loyalty ◽  
Relationship Building ◽  
Social Media Marketing ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
Parasocial Relationships ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Parasocial Relationship

Purpose This study aims to apply parasocial relationship theory to understand the hospitality brand-consumer relationship on social media. Aiming to examine brand-initiated mechanisms that drive relationship development, the study identified two sets of brand actions as antecedents, namely, content-related (utilitarian and hedonic benefits) and interaction-related factors (perceived interactivity and openness). This study also investigated the subsequent impacts of parasocial relationships on customer engagement behaviors and brand loyalty. As baby boomers are an important but understudied consumer cohort in social media marketing, this study empirically tested the proposed model for this specific group. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted electronically with baby boomer consumers from the USA. The partial least squares analysis was used to test the model validity for this consumer group. Findings The results of this study showed that content-related factors had significant effects on the parasocial relationship, which, in turn, significantly influenced customer engagement and brand loyalty. Research limitations/implications This study responds to the recent calls from scholars on developing and expanding a nomological network of parasocial relationships to understand consumer-brand relationships in social media. By focusing on baby boomers, this study adds unique insights on understanding online relationships and engagement, specifically for this cohort. Future studies should expand the study by examining other generations, platform differences or using longitudinal methods. Practical implications This study informs hospitality marketers in the development and implementation of a successful Facebook relationship building campaign targeting baby boomers. Originality/value According to the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study known to have developed a coherent parasocial relationship model that combined content-related benefits, interaction-related factors, online engagement and brand loyalty. It also represents one of the few to examine how hospitality brands can build a parasocial relationship with baby boomers, an important but cohort, on social media and provide actionable insights to hospitality marketers for this generation.

scholarly journals How TOMS’ “one day without shoes” campaign brings stakeholders together and co-creates value for the brand using Instagram as a platform

2016 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 300-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Roncha ◽  
Natascha Radclyffe-Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Value Creation ◽  
Brand Management ◽  
Customer Relationships ◽  
Brand Value ◽  
Brand Strategy ◽  
Cultural Issues ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Creation Process

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the power of social media networks, namely Instagram, in building brand communities and co-creating value for brands. By analysing the 2015 campaign #withoutshoes by TOMS, the authors intend to demonstrate how the value creation process can be extended to involve all stakeholders and raise the effectiveness of a brand’s communication campaign. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach was taken to enable an understanding of online consumer behaviour. A series of qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with retail and marketing professionals from the TOMS brand to explore brand strategy. The TOMS Instagram account was analysed for a specific marketing communications event and summative content analysis was applied to the brand’s Instagram profile in order to allow for an in-depth exploration of the co-creation process. Triangulation was used for the multiple sources of evidence in order to build the study and to establish the convergence of data results, to diminish bias and to increase accuracy of the research data (Saunders et al., 2009). Findings – Through a detailed overview of the campaign developed by TOMS, this paper explores how TOMS fosters the formation of consumer-brand-relationships as well as maps out the advantages of value co-creation. The research findings support the literature on co-creation, which argues that the way to achieve innovation and value creation in the changing and challenging marketing landscape is through co-creation. This study adds to the findings that co-creation strategies are a privileged manner of nurturing customer relationships and of lowering costs for marketing and research and development (Sawhney et al., 2005; Prandelli et al., 2006). Originality/value – There are a relatively limited number of studies focusing on the Instagram platform, and of those carried out thus far most concentrate on how the platform interprets cultural issues, rather than how it can be used effectively as a marketing strategy and how it can leverage user’s preferences. Also, not a lot of studies have focused on the relationship between value co-creation and its relevance and impact on brands through engagement processes and the role of experience in brand building. Brand value co-creation through human experiences can provide considerable implications for brand management (Prahalad and Ramaswamy, 2004a) as well as be a key component in the building process of customer experiences. This study suggests new approaches to getting useful insights about how brands can use social media to further engage with their target audience though an integrative framework of brand value co-creation with theoretical underpinning.

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