scholarly journals The use of social media in the B2B sales process: a meta synthesis

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Graziela Perretto Rodrigues ◽  
Adriana Roseli Wünsch Takahashi ◽  
Paulo Henrique Muller Henrique Prado
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Business Organizations ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sales Process ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Business To Business

Purpose The purpose of this study is to understand how business-to-business organizations use social media during the sales process. Design/methodology/approach The meta-synthesis steps methodology (Hoon, 2013) was applied. Findings This study presents a theoretical framework and contributes to improved understanding of how business can use social media in the sales process stages. The results allow identifying stages, discussing the integration between marketing and sales and generating benefits for the organization. Originality/value The proposed framework helps in understanding the previously performed fragmented studies. This study shows that social media use not only influences the sales process stages and increases the benefits to the business but also works as a mediator in the relation between sales process stages and identified benefits.

All about that tweet: student perceptions of professors’ social media use in the classroom

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-136 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Merle ◽  
Karen Freberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Public Relations ◽  
Student Perceptions ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore whether public relations professors’ presence on social media and the inclusion of a social media assignment influence students’ perceptions of a course. Design/methodology/approach The experimental portion of this investigation consisted of a 2 (the presence or absence of a professor’s social media accounts) × 2 (the presence or absence of a social media assignment) factorial design resulting in four conditions. Findings The presence of a social media assignment positively influences students’ intent to register for a public relations course. Research limitations/implications The manipulation of a professor’s social media use and the inclusion of a social media assignment might have been too subtle. A more explicit scenario might elicit more reactions from the participants. Practical implications This study discussed key findings and best practices for professors who may want to use social media and the use of social media assignments in the classroom. Originality/value This experimental investigation emerged from a distinct need to understand whether university students expect their professors to engage in social media activities.

scholarly journals Social Media Adoption, Usage And Impact In Business-To-Business (B2B) Context: A State-Of-The-Art Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yogesh K. Dwivedi ◽  
Elvira Ismagilova ◽  
Nripendra P. Rana ◽  
Ramakrishnan Raman
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Use ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Comprehensive Analysis ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Weight Analysis ◽  
Social Media Tools ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Business To Business

AbstractSocial media plays an important part in the digital transformation of businesses. This research provides a comprehensive analysis of the use of social media by business-to-business (B2B) companies. The current study focuses on the number of aspects of social media such as the effect of social media, social media tools, social media use, adoption of social media use and its barriers, social media strategies, and measuring the effectiveness of use of social media. This research provides a valuable synthesis of the relevant literature on social media in B2B context by analysing, performing weight analysis and discussing the key findings from existing research on social media. The findings of this study can be used as an informative framework on social media for both, academic and practitioners.

Antecedents and consequences of social media marketing use: an empirical study of the UK exporting B2B SMEs

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 284-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riyad Eid ◽  
Ziad Abdelmoety ◽  
Gomaa Agag
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Export Performance ◽  
Empirical Evaluation ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social ◽  
Antecedents And Consequences ◽  
Use Of Social Media

Purpose The social media have enabled companies to reach out to global markets and provided them with the opportunity to customize their strategies and offerings in an unprecedented way. Given the scant empirical evaluation of social media use in the small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) business-to-business (B-to-B) context, this paper aims to offer a comprehensive description of the antecedents and consequences of social media use in international B-to-B SMEs and the way in which this use affects their export performance. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a sample of 277 British B-to-B SMEs and uses positivist research with a quantitative approach, adopting a survey strategy through questionnaires and structural equation modeling. Findings The results reveal that the use of social media influences export performance through the quality of international business contacts – understanding customers’ views and preferences, brand awareness and knowledge of the competition in various international markets. This study contributes to the emerging literature on B-to-B SMEs digital marketing by determining the mechanism through which B-to-B SMEs may benefit from using the social media in their efforts to export. Originality/value Despite the promising potential of the social media, especially for export-oriented companies, very limited attention has hitherto been paid to the relationship between the use of social media and export performance. This study attempts to fill the gap by investigating the extent to which actual use of social media impacts on the performance of exporting firms.

Cognitive needs and use of social media: a comparative study of gratifications sought and gratification obtained

2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 79-90
Author(s):  
Ashfaq Hussain ◽  
Ghulam Shabir ◽  
Taimoor-Ul-Hassan
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Uses And Gratification ◽  
Uses And Gratification Theory ◽  
Information Professionals ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Information Comprehension

Purpose The purpose of this study is to compare the gratification sought and gratification obtained for cognitive needs from social media among information professionals in the limelight of uses and gratification theory. Cognitive needs are related to knowledge, acquiring information, comprehension etc., and gratification sought and gratification obtained are two distinct components of the uses and gratification theory. Design/methodology/approach For this quantitative research study, a self-administered survey questionnaire was used to collect data from the participants of the study. Sample of this study was 700 information professionals who are necessarily users of social media. Findings Finding of this study depicted that gratification obtained and gratification sought from social media for cognitive needs are different from each other, and information professionals need to revisit their social media use for cognitive needs. Research limitations/implications The present study is limited to gratification sought and gratification obtained for cognitive needs among information professionals. Practical implications This study has determined that information professionals need to revisit their social media use for cognitive needs, as the obtained gratifications are different from gratification sought from social media. Social implications Social media provides versatility of information in different forms and large numbers of information professionals are the users of social media around globe. Perceived use of social media for cognitive needs has been resulted into destructed gratifications. This study has brought the actual outcome of the use of social media to the audience so that they may rectify their social media use. Originality/value This study is a significant contribution for information professionals to review the gratifications sought and obtained from social media for cognitive needs. It has been established in this study that gratifications sought are significantly different from gratifications obtained from social media among information professionals.

scholarly journals Between hope and fear: developing social media guidelines

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 130-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michaël Opgenhaffen ◽  
An-Sofie Claeys
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Potential Risks ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Depth Interviews ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine employers’ policy with regard to employees’ social media use. Specifically, the authors examine the extent to which employers allow the use of social media in the workplace, what opportunities can be related to employees’ social media use and how social media guidelines are implemented within organizations. Design/methodology/approach In-depth interviews were conducted with HR and communication managers of 16 European companies from different sectors and of varying size. Findings Some organizations believe that social media should be accessible to employees while others ban them from the workplace. Most respondents believe that organizations can benefit from employees sharing work-related content with their own network. However, they encourage the sharing and retweeting of official corporate messages rather than employees developing their own messages. This fear regarding employees’ messages on social media is reflected in the broad adoption of social media guidelines. Research limitations/implications Future research should chart the nature of existing social media guidelines (restrictive vs incentive). Accordingly, the perceived sense and nonsense of social media guidelines in companies should be investigated, not only among the managers but also among employees. Practical implications Organizations should remain in dialogue with employees with regard to social media. Managers seem overly concerned with potential risks and forget the opportunities that can arise when employees operate as ambassadors. Originality/value The use of in-depth interviews allowed the authors to assess the rationale behind social media guidelines within organizations in depth and formulate suggestions to organizations and communication managers.

The gratifications in the experience of the use of social media and its impact on the purchase and repurchase of products and services

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 297-315
Author(s):  
Maria Santos Corrada ◽  
Jose A. Flecha ◽  
Evelyn Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Information Search ◽  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the use of social media and its impact on information search, communication with a company, and purchase and re-purchases of products and services. Using use and gratification theory as a starting point, it also examines the impact of satisfaction of use of social media in the process of purchasing and re-purchasing products and services. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was conducted with 444 participants, and the data were analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling technique to observe the effects between the variables of social media use, search information, communication with the company, purchase, re-purchase and satisfaction of use of social media. Findings The results reflect how the use of social media generates significant rewards that significantly impact the search for information and the communication with the company. The data also show how communication with the company has an impact on the purchase and re-purchase of products and services. Finally, it was empirically confirmed that the gratification received by users through social media use impacts satisfaction with social media use. Originality/value The results contribute to how social media impacts alternative evaluations through the gratification of user needs, resulting in motives and behaviors leading to the purchase of goods and services, as established by Use and Gratification Theory. In its contributions to the Academy, Use and Gratification Theory (U&G) explains why individuals use and share information using social media. First, it justifies the purchase and re-purchase of products and services due to user satisfaction according to users’ experience using social media. Second, it presents a vision of how the use of social media is a significantly important result in the gratification of consumer needs.

The use of social media among business-to-business sales professionals in China

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keith E. Niedermeier ◽  
Emily Wang ◽  
Xiaohan Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Sales Performance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Sales Professionals ◽  
Sales Process ◽  
Successful Business ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Survey Responses ◽  
Business To Business

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explore the role of social media usage among business-to-business sales professionals in China. Specifically, the authors seek to define and explore the unique ways in which Chinese salespeople use social media, with a special emphasis on the role of guanxi. Guanxi is a complex cultural construct that revolves around the exchange of favors to build trust and connection for business purposes. Design/methodology/approach – Three in-depth interviews of sales managers from two industries along with survey data from 42 pharmaceutical sales representatives were collected to gain an understanding of the general usage and attitudes toward social media in the sales process in China. Findings – Results indicated that virtually all the salespeople in the sample were highly familiar with social media and integrated it into the sales process. Furthermore, all participants indicated that their companies were highly supportive of the use of social media with their customers. More importantly, salespeople in China view social media as a critical tool in building guanxi with their customers. Findings from this exploratory study are used to create a conceptual framework for understanding the important role of social media in building guanxi in China. Research limitations/implications – While the sample is limited to three managerial interviews and 42 survey responses, the data indicated a near universal acceptance and use of social media among Chinese salespeople. Most importantly, social media appears to be the modern gateway to the ancient and culturally unique construct of guanxi that is absolutely indispensable to successful business-to-business sales performance in China. Practical implications – The structural challenges within China make trust and emotional connection essential to any potential business relationship. Trust is at the core of guanxi. Any firm hoping to succeed in China must understand guanxi and the use of Chinese social media to help build it. This study adds to the knowledge and understanding of guanxi and begins to elucidate the uses of social media as a tool to build and maintain it. Social implications – Social media appears to be the modern gateway to the ancient and culturally unique construct of guanxi that is absolutely indispensable to successful business-to-business sales performance in China. This study deepens our understanding of not only guanxi but also how the modern phenomenon of social media is affecting it. Originality/value – This is one of very few studies to investigate the use of social media among salesforces in China. More importantly, the authors know of no other study linking social media with guanxi.

scholarly journals “How to use it more?” Self-efficacy and its sources in the use of social media for knowledge sharing

2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 231-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hussain Alshahrani ◽  
Diane Rasmussen Pennington
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Academic Staff ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Convenience Sample ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Use Of Social Media

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate sources of self-efficacy for researchers and the sources’ impact on the researchers’ use of social media for knowledge sharing. It is a continuation of a larger study (Alshahrani and Rasmussen Pennington, 2018). Design/methodology/approach The authors distributed an online questionnaire to researchers at the University of Strathclyde (n=144) and analysed the responses using descriptive statistics. Findings Participants relied on personal mastery experience, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion and emotional arousal for social media use. These elements of self-efficacy mostly led them to use it effectively, with a few exceptions. Research limitations/implications The convenience sample utilised for this study, which included academic staff, researchers and PhD students at one university, is small and may not be entirely representative of the larger population. Practical implications This study contributes to the existing literature on social media and knowledge sharing. It can help researchers understand how they can develop their self-efficacy and its sources in order to enhance their online professional presence. Additionally, academic institutions can use these results to inform how they can best encourage and support their researchers in improving their professional social media use. Originality/value Researchers do rely on their self-efficacy and its sources to use social media for knowledge sharing. These results can help researchers and their institutions eliminate barriers and improve online engagement with colleagues, students, the public and other relevant research stakeholders.

Social media influence on the B2B buying process

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (7) ◽  
pp. 1482-1496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hoda Diba ◽  
Joseph M. Vella ◽  
Russell Abratt
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Media Influence ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Exploratory Approach ◽  
Functional Blocks ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Business To Business ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to explore if and how business-to-business (B2B) companies can use social media to influence the buying process. Design/methodology/approach The study uses an exploratory approach into the existing literature related to the B2B buying process and its relationship with social media. Findings The study shows that companies in a B2B context can use social media as a means of influencing the stages of the buying process by means of using one or more of the seven functional blocks of social media. Research limitations/implications The findings demonstrate the relation that exists between each stage of the buyer process in a B2B organization and the functional blocks of social media. This study opens the door for further research into the influence of each of these blocks on the buying process stages and the roles involved. Practical implications This study identifies how social media’s blocks influence the different stages and how organizations can use that to their benefit. Originality/value Few studies have investigated the use of social media in a B2B context. However, not many have looked into the influence of social media in the B2B buying process and buying center. This study looks into the relationship between the buying process stages and social media’s functional blocks as related to the different roles of the buying center.

Social media utilization of tourists for travel-related purposes

2015 ◽  
Vol 27 (5) ◽  
pp. 1003-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mustafa Öz
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Consumer Behavior ◽  
Media Use ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Online Questionnaire ◽  
Social Media Use ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Generalization Problem ◽  
Use Of Social Media ◽  
Questionnaire Method

Purpose – The aim of this study is to determine social media use by consumers for travel-related purposes. Design/methodology/approach – A quantitative study was conducted after reviewing the related literature. The primary data were collected by means of an online questionnaire, and the results were analyzed using a statistical package program. Findings – The respondents use social media intensively both in their daily lives ( > 96 per cent) and in travel-related activities (95 per cent). In addition to the detailed analyses of their usage, a model was developed to identify the factors behind social media use for travel-related purposes. Research limitations/implications – As a result of an online questionnaire method, only consumers having an Internet access could respond to the survey. Additionally, the sample was not random, and the respondents were selected only from Turkey. Consequently, the study may suffer from a generalization problem, especially for markets with major different cultural characteristics. Practical implications – The findings of the study may assist academics and practitioners to better understand social media and Web 2.0 technologies and their effects on consumers. Originality/value – One of the dominant trends affecting consumer behavior and tourism marketing in recent years is the use of social media. It is critical to understand such developments and their effects on consumer behavior that may impact on the distribution and accessibility of travel-related information.

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