Social Media Marketing (SMM) is an integral part of digital marketing. However, there is a lack of literature focusing on how B2B companies use Social Networking Sites (SNS). B2B firms can use SNS to create customer value by interacting with customers, as well as building and fostering customer relationships. Being closer to their customers will enable them to create a unique brand identity and to differentiate themselves from the competition. Customers can also benefit from the company by being able to communicate with the company and provide feedback.
The use of social media for business purposes is growing constantly. Companies primarily use SNS to attract customers and to cultivate customer relationships. Besides of the other benefits of SMM and in contrast to other technologies (e.g. e-commerce), SNS do not require a large investment. Yet, their diffusion among B2B SMEs is ostensibly slow, with the majority of B2B SMEs in the UK being uncertain as to how SNS can be used to support their brands. In addition to the uncertainty as to the use of SNS to support brands, researchers identify such barriers as the perceived irrelevance of SNS within the industry the company operates in, as well as staff familiarity and lack of training.
Considering that SNS may be more relevant to certain industries than others, it still has to be researched what social media benefit to the particular type of industries and what criteria define the popularity of content depending on the target audience within B2B sector.
Find out more about social networking practices of B2B companies in the UK in the paper by Michaelidou, N., Siamagka, N. T., Christodoulides, G. (2011) Usage, barriers and measurement of social media marketing: An exploratory investigation of small and medium B2B brands. Industrial marketing management, 40(7), 1153-1159.