Social media acceptance in B2B marketingA study exploring the reasons behind the difference in social media usage

between B2B and B2C markets

Johanna Eck

Sofie Johansson

Business Administration, bachelor's level

2020

Luleå University of Technology

Department of Business Administration, Technology and Social Sciences

Acknowledgements This bachelor’s thesis was written during the spring of 2020 at Luleå University of Technology and concerns the subject of B2B marketing on social media. We would like to begin by thanking all of the companies and professionals who took the time to answer our questions, without you this thesis would not have been possible. We hope you can share in our pride of this work and its results which you contributed immensely to. Furthermore, we would like to thank our supervisor, Joe Vella, who has guided us through the process of creating this thesis. Your passion for the subject of B2B has been especially inspiring and helpful during the whole process. We would also like to thank our classmates, who have read our work, and whose work we have read in return. You have taught us a lot, and helped us look at our thesis with new eyes. We would also like to individually thank some people. Sofie: I would like to thank my parents who have both been very supportive and interested, always willing to discuss the work of this study and read through each section as they were completed. I also want to thank my boyfriend who has been interested in my work and always helped ensure that I have had good work conditions, especially in these times when most of the work has been done from home, always making sure that I get enough peace and quiet. Finally, and most importantly, I want to thank my partner, Johanna, who has always helped me with the parts of the work that I have done, who has helped keep us both focused and who has a lot of passion for this subject! Johanna: I would like to thank my father who took the time to read through our thesis and give pointers where he saw fit; I might not have always agreed on your input and some of it I down right ignored, but nonetheless I really appreciate the time and effort you put in. I would also like to thank my brother who occasionally gave me a ride to the University and who (mostly) left me in peace when I was working, he might have cooked for me once or twice as well. And I’ll thank my mother as well because it feels weird leaving her out, she didn’t really do much (other than give birth to me way back) but still; thanks mum. I would also like to thank my grandparents for their unconditional love and support. Finally, and most importantly, I would like to thank Sofie for all her hard work and for making this whole journey so much fun! I’m so happy we got to do this thesis together, without you it would never have been possible.

Abstract Social media is a fast growing platform when it comes to marketing. It is, however, used to a

greater extent by business-to-consumer (B2C) companies than by business-to-business (B2B)

companies. Because of this there has been considerably less research done concerning marketing

on social media for B2B, compared to B2C.

This study explores why social media marketing is less common in B2B than B2C. This was

done by conducting eleven one-on-one interviews with people who work at different B2B

companies, and who have influence over their respective company’s marketing process. To

analyse and evaluate the findings of this study the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was

used. By identifying the external variables that deter B2B companies from using social media the

perceived usefulness and ease of use were analysed in order to explore what affects the

difference in social media acceptance for marketing between B2B and B2C companies.

The findings of this study show that the perceived ease of use is the dominant factor that deters

B2B companies from using social media for marketing purposes. This is however not the reason

for the difference between B2B and B2C. The difference can instead be explained by a more

negative perception of the usefulness of marketing on social media. This negative perception is a

result of the characteristics of social media, the industry the company is operating within, as well

as the company’s products and customers.

Sammanfattning Sociala medier är en snabbt växande plattform när det kommer till marknadsföring. Det används

dock i större utsträckning av business-to-consumer (B2C) företag än av business-to-business

(B2B) företag. På grund av detta har det gjorts betydligt mindre forskning gällande

marknadsföring på sociala medier för B2B än vad som har gjorts för B2C.

Denna studie utforskar varför marknadsföring på sociala medier är mindre vanligt i B2B än B2C.

Detta har gjorts genom att genomföra 11 intervjuer, öga-mot-öga, med personer som arbetar på

olika B2B-företag och som har inflytande över sitt respektive företags marknadsföringsprocess.

För att analysera och utvärdera resultaten från denna studie användes Technology Acceptance

Model (TAM), en modell som mäter acceptansen av olika tekniska plattformar. Genom att

identifiera de externa variabler som hindrar B2B-företag från att använda sociala medier

analyserades användbarheten och användarvänligheten, som den uppfattas av dem intervjuade,

för att undersöka vad som påverkar skillnaden i sociala media acceptans i marknadsföringssyfte

mellan B2C- och B2B-företag.

Resultaten av denna studie visar att den upplevda användarvänligheten är den dominerande

faktorn som hindrar B2B-företag från att använda sociala medier för marknadsföringssyften.

Detta är dock inte orsaken till skillnaden mellan B2B och B2C. Skillnaden kan istället förklaras

av en negativare uppfattning av användbarheten av marknadsföring på sociala medier. Denna

negativa uppfattning är ett resultat av egenskaperna hos sociala medier, den bransch som

företaget är verksam inom, samt företagets produkter och kunder.

Table of Content

1. Introduction 1 1.1 Background: The B2B Market 1 1.2 Background: Social Media 2

1.2.1 Advertising Services on Social Media 2 1.3 Background: Marketing Through Social Media 3 1.4 Problem Discussion 4 1.5 Purpose and Research Questions 6 1.6 Delimitations of the Study 6

2. Literature Review 7 2.1 The Business Landscape 7 2.2 Social Media 7 2.3 B2B Marketing on Social Media 8 2.4 Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) 11

3. Methodology 14 3.1 Research Purpose 14 3.2 Research Approach 14 3.3 Data Collection 15 3.4 Data Analysis 16 3.5 Reliability and Validity 17

4. Empirical Data 18 4.1 Companies’ General Relationship with Social Media 18 4.2 External variables 19

4.2.1 Time and Resources 20 4.2.2 Social Media Characteristics 20 4.2.3 Product and Industry Characteristics 22 4.2.4 Customer Characteristics 22 4.2.5 A little about circumstantial CSR 23

5. Discussion 24 5.1 What are the main variables that negatively affect the perceived usefulness and ease of use of social media platforms within B2B marketing? 24

5.1.1 Perceived Ease of Use 25 5.1.2 Perceived Usefulness 25

5.2 Why have B2B companies not adopted social media to the same extent as B2C? 28

6. Conclusion 31 6.1 Implications for Practitioners and Theory 33 6.2 Limitations 34 6.3 Suggestions for Future Research 35

Reference List 37

Appendix 1: Interview Guide English 41

Appendix 2: Intervjuguide Svenska 43

Table of Figures Figure 1: Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) 12 Figure 2: Research Framework based on TAM 16 Figure 3: External variables influencing Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use 24 Figure 4: Final Research Framework, external variables affecting social media acceptance within B2B 31

List of Tables Table 1: External variables summarized into categories 19

1. Introduction This first chapter presents the background for this report, with previous research and essential

information about the business-to-business (B2B) market and social media. This is followed by a

problem discussion containing some previous research, for the purpose of illuminating the

current openings for continued research, which this report intends to fill. That brings the

introduction to its purpose, research questions and delimitations.

1.1 Background: The B2B Market

In order to understand why social media is adopted more frequently in business-to-consumer

(B2C) marketing than it is in B2B marketing, it is important to understand what differs between

the two. Building lasting relationships with customers is essential for B2B marketers in order to

retain lucrative customers. This is possibly the most significant difference between B2C and B2B

markets (Hutt & Speh, 2013). B2B customers are also fewer, which often stimulates a one-to-one

type of relationship (López-López & Giusti, 2020). A single purchase usually involves larger

amounts of money, and entails more work (Vella, 2020). Therefore, the buying process is often

more rational, professional and involves careful planning. The buying decision takes more time,

because of the complex negotiation processes and also because of the size of the buying team. In

B2B sales there are often several people working together to decide on a purchase, all with their

own information regarding purchase options, compared to B2C, where the decision is usually

made by a single person (Vella, 2020). The journey towards reaching an agreement and a

purchase decision is therefore much more complex and consumes more resources within B2B.

This complex buying process makes customers within B2B value suppliers that can make the

process easier and less time consuming for them (Gartner, 2018). “[...] purchase ease has a

significant impact on the value customers perceive from their purchases [...]” (Gartner, 2018, p.

7).

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1.2 Background: Social Media

Social media is defined by the Webster online dictionary as “forms of electronic communication

(such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online

communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos)”

(Merriam-Webster, 2020). This is the definition of “social media” which is used throughout this

thesis.

The use of social media is continuously growing, from 2010 to 2019 the number of people using

social media grew from 0,97 billion people, to 2,95 billion (Statista, 2019). These numbers are

expected to continue to rise, although at a slower rate (Statista, 2019). With the increase in the

number of social media users it also becomes more important for marketers in both B2C and

B2B to have multiple platforms where they supply customers with valid information. This seems

to have been identified by companies, as the use of social media platforms has grown quickly

within the marketing context during the past decade. Statistics show that 69% of the enterprises

(with ten or more employees) in Sweden used social media during 2019 and 57% used social

media for marketing purposes (SCB, 2020).

Social media helps with developing links between individuals that would otherwise have been

very hard to achieve (Dixit & Prakash, 2018). For businesses it enables a fast and far reaching

two-way communication between consumer and supplier, which presents many benefits for

marketers. Yet, while social media platforms have been widely adopted for marketing within the

B2C sector, they have yet to be used to the same extent within B2B (Diba, Vella & Abratt, 2019;

López-López & Giusti, 2020).

1.2.1 Advertising Services on Social Media

Creating a business page on social media is usually free of charge. In addition, many social

media platforms provide advertising services to effectively reach targeted customer groups, these

services are, however, usually priced. These are services that can be used by both B2B and B2C

companies to reach their target segments. LinkedIn, for example, provides marketing services

through “LinkedIn Marketing Solutions” where they “[...] help[s] you engage a community of

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professionals to drive actions that are relevant to your business.” (LinkedIn, 2020). Unique to

LinkedIn is the ability to target individuals based on their professional status. LinkedIn is also

the biggest social media platform when it comes to B2B relations (Iankova, Davies,

Archer-Brown, Marder, & Yau, 2019; López-López & Giusti, 2020). Facebook has a similar

service, called “Facebook Business”, through which companies can create pages where they send

out and manage advertisements (Facebook, 2020). Similarly Twitter has “Twitter Business”

(Twitter, 2020), Instagram has “Instagram Analytics” (Instagram, 2020) and Snapchat has

“Snapchat Ads” (Snapchat, 2020); all of which offer targeted advertising for businesses.

1.3 Background: Marketing Through Social Media

Organisations have started to shift from using traditional media to using more digital media in

regards to marketing (Alalwan et. al., 2017). Lacka and Chong (2016) however, state that many

of today's marketers within B2B have a negative perception of the impersonal nature of the

online environment and insist on the importance of face-to-face interactions. In fact, face-to-face

interactions are still the dominating form of communications between B2B companies and their

customers (Iankova et.al, 2019). This way of seeing things is however changing, as the younger

generations, who grew up with social media, start to get higher and more important positions

within companies. As the attitudes change, the use of social media platforms within businesses

will continue to grow, it is therefore important for companies, including companies in B2B, to

not fall behind in the transition.

Social media platforms enable information-sharing about products and companies, and it also

helps with empowering consumers (Dixit & Prakash, 2018). Having a social media presence has

been proven to deepen customers’ trust in companies, because of the added transparency

(Prabhakar & Umair, 2020). Because of this, along with additional reasons, social media has

been proven to have a clear positive impact on companies’ relationships with their customers

(Eid, Abdelmoety, & Agag, 2019). Many businesses are acknowledging the potential of social

media platforms in the field of marketing (Dixit & Prakash, 2018) as well as identifying them as

platforms for effective communication with their targeted customers (Alalwan, Rana, Dwivedi &

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Algharabat, 2017). Social media platforms have become important instruments for observing and

analysing customer behaviour as well as to increase customer connectivity, trust and loyalty

(Dixit & Prakash, 2018). It also helps companies to further understand customers’ views, needs

and preferences concerning the company’s products (Eid, Abdelmoety, & Agag, 2019). The

pressure from the competitive landscape is increasing, demanding the participation of the

industry companies to the degree that “non-adoption of social media may in fact detract from the

image of the B2B firm” (Siamagka, Christodoulides, Michaelidou, & Valvi, 2015, p.95).

1.4 Problem Discussion

“There has not been much theoretical research regarding B2B organizations and the inuence

that SM can have on their buying and selling behaviours.” (Diba, Vella & Abratt, 2019, p.1491).

Research and literature about social media primarily concerns B2C markets, while comparatively

little research has been done concerning B2B (Diba, Vella & Abratt, 2019; Iankova, et.al., 2019;

López-López & Giusti, 2020). Iankova et.al. (2019) emphasise that B2B differs from B2C and

need its own theories in this area of study. Furthermore, Zhang and Du (2020) highlight the need

for more studies in order to help B2B marketers to better implement social media in their

marketing efforts. Studies show an interest from B2B marketers to adopt social media for

marketing purposes, they are however held back by a poor perception of the benefits and the

relevance of such a venture (Lacka & Chong, 2016).

To explore B2B marketing, or the lack thereof, on social media platforms, the main theory and

model used for this study is the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis, Bagozzi, &

Warshaw, 1989). This model, and the theories that build on it, show the causality between

perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use and intention to use. Previous research has verified

the existence of the causality between these variables in the context of social media (Dixit &

Prakash, 2018; Lacka & Chong, 2016; Wirtz & Göttel, 2016), as well as in other contexts

(Al-Gahtani, 2001; Willis, 2008; Siamagka, et al, 2015). Furthermore, high levels of perceived

usefulness and perceived ease of use have been proven to stimulate intention to use, and as a

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later step, actual use (Davis, Bagozzi & Warshaw, 1989; Lacka & Chong, 2016; Wirtz & Göttel,

2016). Previous research has shown that the actual usefulness and ease of use is less important

than that which is perceived, in this case by marketers, when considering a new business

endeavour. Previous studies also show that the overall perception of usefulness of social media is

poor among marketers within the B2B sector (Lacka & Chong, 2016). Because of the low

perception of usefulness and ease of use, the intentions and attitudes towards using social media

for marketing within B2B are still low, resulting in the actual level of use also remaining

relatively low. But why is the perceived level of usefulness and ease of use so low?

Previous research has shown the connection between perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use

and intention to use to be true in this area of research (Lacka & Chong, 2016; Wirtz & Göttel,

2016). However, a clear mapping of these variables, and how they actually affect acceptance, is

missing. The aim of this thesis is to identify these variables, to create a better understanding of

why marketers in the B2B sector have not implemented marketing strategies on social media

platforms to the same extent that B2C marketers have, in the hope that they in the future can be

addressed to enable B2B companies to reap the many benefits of marketing on social media.

“It is also pertinent to analyse the factors stimulating the adoption and use of those [social

media] sites in the B2B context. Furthermore, as the usability of social media sites is the factor

hindering the adoption of those sites in B2B marketing, it is of paramount importance to evaluate

the adoption of social media sites from the perspective of those sites’ usability.” (Lacka &

Chong, 2016 p. 3).

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1.5 Purpose and Research Questions

The purpose of this thesis is to explore why B2B marketers do not utilize social media platforms

for marketing to the same extent as B2C marketers do. The following research questions have

been identified to help reach this purpose.

Research question 1:

Why have B2B companies not adopted social media to the same extent as B2C?

Research question 2:

What are the main variables that negatively affect the perceived usefulness and ease of

use of social media platforms within B2B marketing?

1.6 Delimitations of the Study

Social media has been previously defined in this report with Webster online dictionary’s broad

definition (2020). Meaning that we do not make any distinction between different social media

platforms, the denotation “social media” instead includes all social media platforms. In the

conducted interviews the definition of social media might, however, be affected by the

perception and definition of the people at the companies we approach. Previous research,

however, show that the most relevant social media platforms for B2B businesses are LinkedIn,

Facebook and Twitter (Diba, Vella & Abratt, 2019), it is therefore likely that these will be the

platforms primarily discussed in the interviews.

In order to ensure that the answers gathered are relevant in practice we have chosen to only

interview people who have influence over the marketing process. Because of the short time

frame and accessibility, this thesis will be limited to B2B companies with operations at Luleå

Science Park. There has been no consideration regarding company size, industry or type of

operation as this has been determined as irrelevant for the purpose of the study.

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2. Literature Review This chapter presents the relevant theories and models which will be used to answer the research

questions. Starting with social media and B2B marketing, and some advantages and obstacles

that occur when companies use social media in B2B marketing. After this, the main model is

presented, the Technology Acceptance Model, also known as TAM by Davis, Bagozzi and

Warshaw (1989).

2.1 The Business Landscape

Through the swift growth of the digital world, buyers are gaining access to more and more

information about suppliers and their products without actually interacting with them (Gartner,

2018). It is therefore of utmost importance for suppliers to provide their customers with easily

accessible information about their company and products. Research has shown that a company’s

buying group spends 27% of their time doing online research about the product/service they are

looking for, as well as, about potential suppliers (Gartner, 2018). Some of this time can be

assumed to be spent on visiting potential suppliers’ social media pages, which would serve as an

additional way to find information about the company. Previous research has also demonstrated

that potential buyers value suppliers who provide them with the right information (Diba, Vella &

Abratt, 2019). Sharing product information can even deepen relationships and increase social

capital (Rodriguez, Peterson, & Krishnan, 2012), it has also been shown to reduce later purchase

regret (Gartner, 2018). A more informed buyer also enables sharing of ideas and cooperation in

creating new unique products that increase the value and competitiveness of both parties

(Gartner, 2018).

2.2 Social Media

Alalwan et. al. (2017) identify a clear shift among organisations, from traditional media

marketing to digital interactive marketing, which they attribute to the attractiveness and

interactivity on social media platforms. Social media should therefore be integrated as an

essential part in promotional marketing efforts (Alalwan et. al., 2017). “In a time of multichannel

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buying and no clear customer preference on channels for each job, suppliers must provide

information consistently across all channels to enable buyers to buy.” (Gartner, 2018, p. 16). In

fact, Alalwan et. al. (2017) has, in their literature review of 144 studies in the area of social

media marketing, observed an overwhelming support of the positive effects of social media in

creating customer perception and awareness. Furthermore, the literature review by Alalwan et.

al. (2017) also shows social media platforms to have a crucial role in creating brand recognition

and identity. Another advantage of social media marketing is the electronic word of mouth

(e-WOM) which has been shown to be more effective than traditional word of mouth (WOM)

(Alalwan et. al., 2017; Dixit & Prakash, 2018). E-WOM has become a dominating channel in

influencing buyer behaviour (Dixit & Prakash, 2018) as social media enables customers to more

easily and effectively share their experiences, both positive and negative, with a much larger

group of people (Alalwan et. al., 2017). This transparency also helps to build a higher level of

trust among consumers (Prabhakar & Umair, 2020). Furthermore, social media is an important

tool in international business marketing. It helps with improving supply-chain coordination,

customer relationships, customer service and general firm performance (Eid, Abdelmoety, &

Agag, 2019).

Social media platforms are also integral in creating and maintaining customer relationships, “By

increasing the rate of content posting and sharing with customers over the social media

platforms, firms are more able to foster the level of interactivity and association with their

customers” (Alalwan et. al., 2017, p. 12). Alalwan et. al. (2017) conclude that there is a strong

support in previous studies of social media’s effective use in sustaining relationships with their

targeted customers. Which is one of the most important aspects of B2B marketing (Hutt & Speh,

2013).

2.3 B2B Marketing on Social Media

Research shows that B2B companies mainly use social media to target professionals and to

create search engine optimisation (SEO) (Iankova, et. al., 2019). The gap between potential use

and actual use of social media platforms within the B2B context is however large (Iankova, et.

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al, 2019). Iankova et. al. (2019) found that B2B companies have the lowest perceived

effectiveness of social media among different business models. Companies seem to prefer to use

more traditional digital tools such as e-mail and websites.

B2B marketers encounter both great opportunities and obstacles when active on social media.

Lacka and Chong (2016) identifies a number of advantages and obstacles of using social media

platforms within B2B marketing. One of the advantages identified is companies’ ability to target

and manage customers. Marketers within B2B have successfully identified and attracted new

customers through social media as well as engaging with existing customers in a meaningful way

(Lacka & Chong, 2016; Alalwan et. al., 2017; López-López & Giusti, 2020). Furthermore, these

engagements create a closer relationship between customer and supplier which results in greater

trust and loyalty (Dixit & Prakash, 2018), which is one of the key variables to success within

B2B businesses (Hutt & Speh, 2013). Iankova et. al. (2019), however, found that B2B companies

use social media to identify and interact with potential customers rather than to build and manage

relationships. They further speculate that social media is viewed as important when developing a

reputation and creating customer connections, but beyond that offline channels are prefered.

Social media also enables companies to obtain valuable feedback (López-López & Giusti, 2020)

to better tailor offerings to the customers, as well as opening up the possibility of co-creation

(Gartner, 2018; Lacka & Chong, 2016; Dixit & Prakash, 2018). Customers increased access to

knowledge has a clear impact on innovation and product management where companies can

benefit from competitive advantages by increasing sales innovations and reducing time to market

(Lacka & Chong, 2016; Eid, Abdelmoety, & Agag, 2019). Social media platforms have also

been shown to be effective platforms for branding strategies within B2B marketing. The unique

reach and interactiveness of social media enables companies to create a unique brand identity as

well as increasing brand awareness on a larger scale (Alalwan et. al., 2017; Lacka & Chong,

2016).

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Despite these advantages B2B marketers struggle to implement social media strategies

successfully. B2B companies are lacking knowledge, resources and confidence in social media

marketing, which deters them from implementing these platforms (Zhang & Du, 2020). Thus

many marketers within B2B seem to perceive social media platforms as irrelevant and more

suitable for the B2C sector (Lacka & Chong, 2016). There has also been shown to be a lack of

support from executives (Diba, Vella & Abratt, 2019). One of the biggest barriers for B2B

marketers seems to be the poor understanding of how to use social media platforms for the

purposes of B2B marketing (Lacka & Chong, 2016). In general there seems to be a widespread

lack of understanding as to how the main goals of the company can be translated into digital

tactics (López-López & Giusti, 2020). Hence, marketers are unable to recognize the benefits and

usefulness in a B2B context which leads to a negative attitude towards social media platforms

(Lacka & Chong, 2016). Although this seems to be the main reason why B2B marketers avoid

social media platforms, another reason is the lack of control over communications (Lacka &

Chong, 2016). In this respect the fast and far reaching properties of information on social media

is perceived as something negative, this is especially true when it comes to confidential

information. The possibility of confidential information leakage is yet another aspect that

discourages B2B marketers from adopting social media platforms (Lacka & Chong, 2016;

López-López & Giusti, 2020).

Lacka and Chong (2016) concludes that the main reason why the potential of B2B marketing on

social media platforms has not been fully exploited is because of poor usability, as perceived by

B2B marketers. This is further supported by Iankova et. al. (2019), who states that there is a lack

in the believed usefulness of social media platforms in comparison to other platforms. The

usability, or usefulness, can be further explored in the Technology Acceptance Model.

Furthermore, López-López & Giusti (2020) identify that the relationship with customers is more

personal and direct within B2B, than within B2C, which directly affects their use of social

media. They highlight the fact that the B2B customer is not the final customer and state that B2B

companies therefore should put additional effort into building personal relationships as these

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relationships are often more long-term. Iankova et. al.’s (2019) research shows that one-to-one

communications are significantly more common within B2B companies than they are within

B2C. In contrast, their research shows that many-to-many communications, in which social

media is included, are less common within B2B. This difference in the nature of communications

can be theorized to have an effect on why B2B companies do not implement social media to the

same extent as B2C, since these platforms are less suitable to the type of communications

prefered in B2B. In addition, losing one of the company’s long-term customers introduces a high

cost for the B2B company, a cost that is marginally lower for a B2C company, resulting in “[...]

a wrongly implemented tactic in the B2B industry has a higher financial opportunity cost with

respect to a social media tactic implemented in the B2C industry.”, (López-López & Giusti,

2020, p. 177). This is further supported by Iankova et. al. (2019) who speculate that B2B

companies are more concerned with the risks of social media, since larger, more valuable

contracts are at stake. This potential of a higher cost when using social media deters B2B

marketers from implementing these platforms without a clear digital strategy (López-López &

Giusti, 2020).

2.4 Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Figure 1) was introduced by Davis in 1986. It aims

to explain user behaviour as determined by the acceptance of a computer system by tracing the

impact of external variables on internal beliefs, attitudes, intentions and lastly, actual use (Davis,

Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1989). Perceived Usefulness (U) and Perceived Ease of Use (E) are

identified as the primary variables to influence behaviours, where Perceived Usefulness is

defined as “the prospective user’s subjective probability that using a specific application system

will increase his or her job performance within an organizational context” and Perceived Ease

of Use refers to the cost expected by the user when using the system (Davis, Bagozzi, &

Warshaw, 1989, p. 985). Behavioural Intention to Use (BI) is then determined by the Attitude

Toward Using (A) combined with the Perceived Usefulness (U); BI = A + U where A = U + E.

A conclusion that Davis and his team drew from this was that “people form intentions to perform

behaviours toward which they have positive affect.” (Davis, Bagozzi, & Warshaw, 1989, p. 986).

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The relationship between the variables shown in the equation seems to be based on the idea that

in a workplace people will form intentions to perform a behaviour that they believe will increase

their job performance, more so than depending on what their feelings about the behaviours are.

Figure 1: Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) Source: Davis, Bagozzi & Warshaw (1989, p. 985)

Similar variables to those found in Davis et. al.’s TAM have been used in other models, which

have also identified correlations between these variables and people’s attitudes towards, and use

of different systems. Technology acceptance is very similar to behavioural intention to use, an

acceptance of the technology can therefore be assumed when a respondent indicates an intent to

use it (Willis, 2008), this assumption will be used throughout this thesis.

TAM has been frequently used in previous research where it has been demonstrated to be

accurate and useful in correct application. Willis (2008, p. 14) states that “This model [TAM] has

been studied with a variety of populations and technologies and has proven to be one of the most

robust theories of behavior at work”. Siamagka et al (2015) reported similar findings and

provided examples of where it has been used successfully, such as e.g. email, voice mail, word

processing, graphics, online shopping etc., areas where TAM has been used concerning both

household and organisational usage, in both B2B and B2C contexts. The TAM has also been

successfully applied in different contexts in many different regions of the world, such as China

(Lacka & Chong, 2016), India (Dixit & Prakash, 2018), the United Kingdom (Al-Gahtani, 2001),

12

Jordan (Kooli, Tzempelikos, Foroudi & Mazahreh, 2019), Belgium, USA and Germany

(Valdeman, Van Praet & Mechant, 2017).

Furthermore, in 2016, Wirtz and Göttel reviewed and compiled 32 previous papers that utilized

TAM in research concerning technology acceptance, specifically within social media. They

found that “[...] TAM is one of the most prominent models in information technology acceptance

research and, according to our inquiries, so far also the prevailing theoretical approach

regarding users’ adoption of social media [...]” (Wirtz & Göttel, 2016, p. 98). Wirtz and Göttel

(2016) found that when it comes to social media acceptance, perceived ease of use is the more

important variable rather than, as in many other cases, perceived usefulness. In their conclusion

they further state that “[...] our research about the TAM in social media holds both theoretical

and managerial implications, which means that our findings offer an added value for scientists

eager to conduct future related research as well as for social media providers and managers of

organizations wanting to know what drives users’ technology acceptance in social media.”

(Wirtz & Göttel, 2016, p. 112). This indicates that TAM is both a frequently referenced model

that has often been used successfully within contexts of social media acceptance and that it

comes with recommendations for utilization in continued research.

13

3. Methodology This chapter explains the way in which this study has been conducted. Beginning with the

purpose and the approach of the research, which serves as the foundation to why the data

collection and analysis have been conducted in the way that they have.

3.1 Research Purpose

A study can have one of three purposes; exploratory, descriptive or explanatory purpose.

Exploratory research is research that does not aim to be a part of previous research, but instead

adds to and expands on what has already been done, in areas where more needs to be done. This

form of research also often leaves room for more research (Bäckström & Vella, 2020).

Descriptive research aims to describe a theory further and in more detail than has been

previously done (Bäckström & Vella, 2020). Explanatory research aims to connect theories or

ideas to explain how things are connected, or how they occur (Bäckström & Vella, 2020).

The research purpose in this study was an exploratory one. Since the purpose of this thesis was to

explore why B2B companies do not utilize social media platforms for marketing to the same

extent as B2C companies do. This is an area that still lacks research, and this study seeks to add

some new information to the existing body of knowledge. However, it will still require additional

research to be done in the future. An exploratory purpose also works well with the way that the

empirical data was collected, which was through direct interviews.

3.2 Research Approach

There are two different research approaches a study can have; qualitative or quantitative. A

qualitative approach is suitable for research that is more complex and does not have as clear

distinctions between the subjects, such as non-numeric and non-binary research. Numeric

research and binary research is instead the subject of quantitative research, since quantitative

research concerns things that can be precisely measured (David & Sutton, 2016). Furthermore, a

study can be inductive or deductive, where an inductive approach is used when an area is still

mostly unexplored and lacking in knowledge (Halvorsen, 2009), as was the case for this study.

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As is appropriate with exploratory research, the approach of this study was a qualitative

inductive one, since the study measured and explored peoples’ opinions through questions that

do not have simple yes or no answers. The main form of data collection used in this study was

more specifically qualitative interviews.

3.3 Data Collection

Initial data was collected from secondary sources in order to properly understand the established

landscape of knowledge. Information was collected using LTU’s library database, where

peer-reviewed articles were found using Business Source Premier and Google Scholar. The

keywords used to find relevant sources in these databases were; B2B, B2B marketing, social

media, social media marketing and Technology Acceptance Model. Additional data, specific to

this study, was then collected through one-on-one interviews with people who influence the

marketing process at different B2B companies operating in Luleå Science Park. The interviews

were conducted via videoconference due to the special circumstances presented by the Covid-19

situation. Due to technological difficulties some of the interviews were however conducted

without video. All the interviews were conducted jointly by Johanna Eck and Sofie Johansson.

The initial interview questions were phrased in a non-directory way in order to ensure that the

interview subjects’ answers were not influenced by the interviewer (see Appendix 1). As the

interviews progressed however, more direct follow-up questions were asked. The interviews

were conducted in Swedish and the results were later translated into English. The number of

interviews were determined as sufficient at eleven, when no new results were encountered

compared to previous interviews.

The B2B companies approached for this thesis were selected based on a local geographic area

where many B2B companies are situated. The specific area was chosen for its close geographical

proximity to Luleå University of Technology (LTU), and because Luleå Science Park and LTU

often engage in close collaborations, in the hopes that this would increase the likelihood of

responses from the companies approached. In order to collect information with a base in

15

practical use, only people responsible for, or involved in, a company’s hypothetical or actual use

of marketing on social media were interviewed.

3.4 Data Analysis

The data collected from the interviews was analysed within the theoretical framework of the

TAM. The analysis was focused on what negatively affects social media acceptance within B2B

marketing and how they differ from B2C. This was done using the correlation of external

variables, perceived usefulness, ease of use and in the end, intention to use (Figure 2). In order to

properly analyze the external variables a thematic approach was used by summarizing the

encountered variables into different categories.

In the research framework the external variables were removed and exchanged for a question

mark to illustrate the study’s intention to identify these variables. In accordance with Willis

(2008), technology acceptance was assumed when respondents indicated an intention to use. In

order to ensure truthful answers from our interviews, all the collected data was presented

anonymously with no connection to company or person.

Figure 2: Research Framework based on TAM

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3.5 Reliability and Validity

Reliability is to what degree the indicator or test, that was used, constitutes as a consistent

measurement over time. More specifically, whether or not the people answering the questions

will give the same answer at different times (David & Sutton, 2016). To increase this study’s

reliability, interviews were conducted until additional interviews did not yield any new results.

Due to time restraints the interviews could not be repeated at a later date to confirm the

participants’ answers. The reliability has, however, been increased by conducting several

interviews, 11 in total, where the same questions were asked to different people, who gave

similar responses.

Validity is how well a study matches reality. Does the study show how the world really is and

how it really works? (David & Sutton, 2016). There are two ways in which validity is measured;

internal and external validity.

Internal validity is how well what is measured really reflects the experiences and beliefs of the

people who were studied (David & Sutton, 2016). This is something that qualitative studies, such

as this one, does well. Collecting data through one-on-one interviews ensures a high level of

internal validity. The people who have been interviewed are all practising professionals who

have influence over the marketing process at a B2B company, the results of the study therefore

reflect the current realities of their work.

External validity, on the other hand, measures how well the study matches the situation of the

rest of the world, the bigger population, from which only a small part has been measured (David

& Sutton, 2016). In this study the opinions of eleven people from eleven different B2B

companies were measured. All of the interviewed people were Swedish, working for companies

that in part have operations in Luleå Science Park. Because of this, this study cannot be

presumed to say much about the rest of the world outside of Sweden, or the rest of the existing

B2B industries that are not represented.

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4. Empirical Data

This chapter presents the results of the eleven one-on-one interviews conducted for this study.

First, the companies’ general relationships with social media will be presented in order to get an

overview of how social media is used in practice within B2B. Thereafter the external variables

which affect the use of social media are summarized and presented.

4.1 Companies’ General Relationship with Social Media

All of the companies that were interviewed are present on one or more social media platforms.

The most popular platforms among the respondents are LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, where

LinkedIn is the prefered platform for a majority of the companies. These platforms are, however,

in various states of use, some companies use them daily, while others are not currently using

them at all. All of the companies considered a presence on social media a necessity in order to

stay visible and relevant for current and future customers. A majority of the respondents also

displayed an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards the use of social media as a marketing

tool, even though, in many cases, the platforms were deemed irrelevant for their specific type of

business. On the other hand, some of the respondents identified a wish within the company to use

social media platforms more than they currently are.

The interviews also showed that many professionals within B2B use their personal profiles on

social media to find and create useful connections for the company they work for. Hence, even

though the company’s own social media page, in many cases, is not used to any great extent,

these platforms are still implemented to benefit and further expand the company’s business.

Furthermore, the study found that Facebook is overall considered a platform for personal

communication among friends rather than a professional arena for businesses. Facebook does,

however, seem to be a popular platform for employee recruitment.

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Even though this study found that most B2B companies have a social media presence, it is clear,

both in previous studies, as well as in this one, that these platforms are not being used to the

same extent as within B2C companies. This despite the fact that the overall attitude towards them

is very positive. In the following section the reasons for this will be presented.

4.2 External variables

Through the interviews a number of variables that prevent or inhibit the use of social media in a

B2B context have been identified. These variables have been summarized in the following

categories; Time and Resources, Social Media Characteristics, Product and Industry

Characteristics, and Customer Characteristics. A summary of each category and what affects it

can be seen in Table 1.

Table 1: External variables summarized into categories

Time and resources - Lack of knowledge - Lack of time - Lack of resources

Product and Industry Characteristics - Complex products/services - Traditional industry - Potential customers not present on SM - Substitute platforms

Social Media Characteristics - Large amount of information - Low attention span - Lack of control over the spreading of information - Lack of ownership of information - Limited quality in interactions - Low relevance in a business context - Inappropriate comments from followers

Customer Characteristics - Complex supply chain - Costly to make a mistake - Current customer base - Confidentiality

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4.2.1 Time and Resources

The fact that learning and maintaining a social media presence takes up a lot of time and

resources was very apparent in the interviews. In most cases the person responsible for the

company’s social media had other responsibilities at the company as well. It was clear that in

order to make full use of social media as a marketing platform, many of the respondents felt that

it was necessary to hire a new person specifically for the purpose of social media marketing. The

people currently in employment simply did not have the time to learn and uphold a proper social

media presence for the company. Maintaining a social media presence was identified as time

consuming because of several variables. Firstly, if the person maintaining the presence has a lack

of knowledge in how to use the platform effectively for marketing purposes, this slows the the

process down and also means that more time needs to initially be allocated to learning the

program. Secondly, creating social media posts is a creative process, it is not just the time to take

a picture and write the text that goes into social media management, there is often a strategy

behind it, concerning how to best present the company. This means that each post takes time to

create and that it can be very time consuming if the company wishes to have many regular posts.

Thirdly, a social media presence with a lot of interaction from followers or friends needs to be

properly managed, additional time therefore needs to be put into responses and interactions,

some of which might not even have any impact on customer growth.

Many platforms provide advertising services for companies to purchase. Even if these services

are perceived as helpful for most of the companies interviewed, and in many cases deemed cost

effective, they are still seen as too costly for some, especially for smaller companies. The free

properties of social media were however seen as sufficient by many of those interviewed, and

therefore the overall price of using social media was deemed low by all of the respondents.

4.2.2 Social Media Characteristics

Social media is a fast growing platform with many opportunities to promote and conduct

business online. The companies interviewed all identified a number of advantages with social

media as a marketing platform, such as; fast communications, a wide reach and cheap

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advertisement. They did, however, also identify aspects of social media that are disadvantageous

from a marketing perspective, aspects which limit the extent to which they use these platforms.

One of the primary concerns is the vast amount of information present on social media. With the

constant presence and addition of new information and content, the companies worry that there is

a high risk of getting lost in the “buzz” on social media. They fear that the time and resources put

into marketing on social media will be wasted and therefore many times opt to use other

platforms to reach out to potential customers.

The interviews also highlighted a concern for the lack of ownership and control of content when

using social media platforms, as this might have a direct negative effect on business. They

experience a lack of control in how and to whom the information posted on social media is

spread. Another concern is the lack of control of how other people chose to behave on the

company's pages. Rude comments, or comments of racist, homophobic or xenophobic nature

might be left by others on their page, and if these are not removed quickly enough, they risk

damaging a company’s reputation. Comments like these can easily be written after office hours

and might therefore not be noticed for a while. An additional problem with this is that not just

any employee who notices it might be able to remove it, things that need to be removed must be

brought to the attention of the admins before they can be deleted.

Another concern lies in how social media is used by the consumer, on social media the time to

capture the interest of a person is extremely short before they continue on to the next post. This

fast paced interaction is something that makes the respondents reconsider the use of social media

for marketing purposes, as capturing the interest of potential customers is believed to need more

time and deliberation. Furthermore, some of the respondents consider social media lacking in the

properties needed to properly build and sustain relationships in a business context. Many

important social cues that are paramount in order to build trust, such as body language and the

“personal touch”, are missing.

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4.2.3 Product and Industry Characteristics

During the interviews it became clear that many industries have their own digital platforms

which enable suppliers and customers to connect and conduct business. These platforms are in

many cases prefered to social media, since they are more specialized to the task at hand, and in a

way that is lacking on social media, ensures that the correct people are present and that they are

in fact looking for business opportunities. In addition, some of the people that were interviewed

identified the industry they are in as being very traditional and lacking in the overall

implementation of social media. Although many of the people saw a change in the way that

companies conducted business as younger generations gained higher and more vital positions,

the change was identified as being slow. So even though they saw many benefits with using

social media it is often deemed irrelevant, since the people they want to reach simply are not

present on those platforms.

Many of the people interviewed also identified their products as being too complex and

specialized to be able to be properly marketed through social media. They felt that in order to

properly market their products, more intricate and detailed communications were needed.

Furthermore, because of the large amounts of money involved, some of the companies deemed

social media as being improper when communicating with customers, instead more direct ways

of communications were determined as crucial.

4.2.4 Customer Characteristics

An issue, that was identified through the interviews, was the fact that B2B customers might not

want their suppliers to be overly visible. Instead the customers often aim to make the

products/services they buy considered a part of their own offer to the end customer. A too

aggressive marketing presence on social media can therefore in some ways be more harmful than

helpful. Furthermore, the respondents identified that there is always a risk of customers not

wanting to be associated with their company if social media is not handled correctly. The cost of

a mistake or inappropriate behaviour on social media is considered to be high and therefore it

deters them from using it. The respondents, however, identify that their relationship with

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customers can have positive consequences for them as well. In cases when they are a part of the

final product/service package to the end customer they sometimes benefit from marketing efforts

through the company that delivers the final package. Also, if the company delivering the final

package has long lasting contracts with their suppliers it may not be feasible for these supplying

companies to spend a lot of time and resources doing their own marketing, on social media or

otherwise, since they have no need to look for new customers. This affects the respondents’ use

of social media in such a way that they are content with the amount of customers they already

have and therefore do not see the need to further expand their customer base. In addition, many

of the respondents considered themselves to already have a sufficient network of contacts to

further expand their businesses without needing additional marketing ventures. The respondents

also identified the fact that many B2B companies have a small and very specific group of

potential customers, where contacting these directly is often considered simpler and more

efficient.

4.2.5 A little about circumstantial CSR

Besides the external variables explained above, which were all brought up in several of the

interviews, one more interesting point was mentioned in only one of the interviews; the lack of

local benefits and connections of social media. For companies with close local ties it can be

important to promote and use local marketing channels. Focusing on local channels can be

important because of a company’s corporate social responsibility, involving guidelines where

local tools are prefered. Feeling a need to focus their efforts locally can also be done if a

company forms part of another company's supply chain. Being a part of a big supply chain often

means that a company needs to be aware of the restrictions and policies of the other companies,

especially those of the companies that deliver the final products to the customers, so that all

companies involved maintain the standard promised to the end customer.

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5. Discussion This chapter analyses the external variables which affect the acceptance and use of social media

by B2B companies for their marketing purposes, therein answering Research Question 2.

Analysing and understanding these variables will then help to answer Research Question 1.

5.1 What are the main variables that negatively affect the perceived usefulness

and ease of use of social media platforms within B2B marketing?

During the interviews a number of variables that affect the perceived usefulness and the

perceived ease of use were identified. These variables were summarized in four categories where

Social Media Characteristics, Product and Industry Characteristics and Customer

Characteristics influence the perceived usefulness, while Time and Resources influence the

perceived ease of use (Figure 3). The first three variables affect the perceived usefulness, since

they affect the probability that the application will increase the company’s performance. It does

however not affect the perceived ease of use of the application itself. Time and resources on the

other hand, have a direct effect on the perceived ease of use of an application, since it affects the

cost of using the system, as both time and resources are direct costs for the company.

Figure 3: External variables influencing Perceived Usefulness and Perceived Ease of Use

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5.1.1 Perceived Ease of Use

The findings from this study indicate that the dominant factor influencing B2B companies’ use

of social media is a lack of time and resources. This factor overshadows the rest in such a way

that if the time and resources are missing, limited additional thought or evaluation is put into the

usefulness of social media. Overall, social media platforms are perceived as relatively easy to use

when properly mastered, however, a significant amount of time is often believed to be needed to

learn the systems and implement them in a useful way. Companies have also seen that in order

for marketing on social media to be successful and worthwhile, a continued presence and sharing

of new content is vital. The dominating factor influencing the B2B marketer’s perceived ease of

use, in a negative manner, therefore, seems to be the amount of time and resources needed to

properly learn the systems and uphold a meaningful presence on social media. This is in many

cases the decisive factor that holds B2B companies back from implementing social media to a

greater extent. This reaffirms Wirtz and Göttel’s (2016) findings that when it comes to social

media acceptance, perceived ease of use is the more important factor. Furthermore this also

reaffirms previous research that found that a poor understanding of how to use social media in

B2B marketing is a decisive variable which keeps marketers from implementing these platforms.

The time and resources spent on learning how to implement social media can, however, be

assumed to be the same for both B2B and B2C companies.

5.1.2 Perceived Usefulness

In accordance with Siamagka et. al (2015) many B2B marketers view it as a necessity to

implement social media into their businesses, in order to avoid experiencing competitive

disadvantages. B2B companies do however identify a number of aspects in the properties of

social media as being a hindrance to its usefulness. The fact that so many companies are present

on social media, sharing information and advertising, makes being seen and heard above the rest

a difficult task. For this reason, many marketers value the usefulness of marketing on social

media as relatively low. Instead they seek out other platforms, such as traditional media or other

less crowded digital platforms, such as e.g. websites, where it is easier to get a message across

without drowning in the extreme amount of content. Furthermore, within B2B markets it is not

25

uncommon to have industry specific platforms, to reach and interact with potential customers.

Since the potential customer base is so narrow and these platforms are specialised in bringing

customers and suppliers within a certain field of business together, social media is in comparison

viewed as less useful, and in some cases completely irrelevant.

Another important factor that affects B2B companies’ use of social media is the unique

characteristics of their current and future customers. The fact that the typical B2B customer is

not always the end user (customer) makes marketing on social media more complex. Being a part

of another company’s supply chain often makes things more difficult in the marketing process.

Variables such as customer confidentiality or the fact that companies do not wish to “share the

spotlight” with their suppliers makes creating content for social media more difficult. The fact

that B2B companies have fewer and more affluent customers also plays a role in their evaluation

of the usefulness of social media. The need to reach new customers and customers in greater

numbers is not always present. Instead, many B2B companies are content with the customer base

and connections they already have, feeling no need to invest more time and resources into

expanding their reach to new segments of people. The usefulness of social media as a platform

for marketing is therefore perceived as low. Instead, the most effective way to reach new

customers is most commonly to use the connections the company already possesses.

Many B2B marketers also perceive digital platforms such as social media as less useful because

of the impersonal nature of the interactions. The lack of social cues such as body language and

face-to-face meetings is believed to, to some extent, be damaging to businesses when initiating

relationships and building trust. For many B2B companies the traditional direct meeting aspect

of an interaction with potential and current customers is viewed as essential, both for them and

their customer. This reaffirms Iankova et. al.’s (2019) findings that B2B companies do not use

social media for building and maintaining relationships to a great extent, an area in which many

benefits have been found to exist. This is also in alignment with Lacka and Chong’s (2016)

statement that B2B marketers view the impersonal interactions on social media as a problem.

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Social media’s usefulness from a marketing perspective is, as a result, valued as limited, and

these platforms are rarely prioritised.

Furthermore, B2B companies often consider their products/services to be too complex to be

properly presented and marketed on digital platforms such as social media. In many cases the

potential customers might not even realise their need for the products/services provided by the

company. In order to properly market the product/service many marketers see the need for more

complex and intricate interactions with customers. The usefulness of social media is therefore

considered low in relation to the product/service they provide. The complexity of the

product/service also complicates the purchasing processes, making it longer and demanding

more thorough negotiation, which cannot be done through social media.

Another factor that makes social media platforms less attractive to B2B companies is the fact

that they, in many ways, leave the company vulnerable. The fast pace and short interactions that

make social media such a great tool for marketing can also have negative effects. Sharing too

much or the wrong content on social media can be detrimental to the company. Because the

customer base consists of relatively few and very valuable customers the cost of losing even just

one of them is high. This further reaffirms the statement from López-López and Giusti (2020)

that B2B companies are discouraged from using social media platforms because of the high cost

of losing a customer. It is therefore important for B2B companies to not make any mistakes or

act inappropriately. Interactions through digital platforms is believed to increase the risk of

misunderstandings and the fast, and in many ways, uncontrollable spreading of information

further adds to the risks of mistakes reaching and affecting current and potential customers. This

makes the fast and impersonal properties of social media more risky, and therefore affects its

usefulness as perceived by B2B marketers negatively. This is in accordance with Lacka and

Chong (2016), who state that the lack of control over communications is a variable that makes

B2B marketers avoid social media. In addition, B2B companies worry about inappropriate

behaviour from people interacting with their social media page. They identify a risk of this

possibly reflecting negatively on their company brand. Additional work is therefore needed to

27

administer and in a quick manner deal with negative interactions from followers on social media,

to counteract these risks. The extra cost in the form of time and resources, as well as the added

risk of appearing in a bad light to customers, makes social media considered less useful. Overall,

there is clear evidence that supports Iankova et. al.´s (2019) theory that B2B companies are more

concerned about the risks of using social media.

Another factor that negatively affects B2B companies’ willingness to use social media for

marketing is the lack of ownership when using these platforms. When posting on social media

and building a network of contacts in the form of “friends”, “followers” etc, companies

essentially give away ultimate control and ownership to the companies operating the social

media platforms. This leaves them vulnerable to changes outside of their own control, such as

changes in policies, user properties or a complete shutdown of the platforms or accounts. These

risks affect the companies’ view of the usefulness of social media as changes made by the owner

of the platform can affect them directly in a negative way. This is especially relevant since social

media platforms are constantly being evolved and changed in order to improve the use for both

supplier and consumer. Furthermore, restrictions, such as what is considered proper content or

how this content is allowed to be presented on the platform can directly influence the message

the company wants to send out. A complete shutdown of the company’s own account, or the

platform as a whole, would mean the loss of many resources and advantages created by the work

put into these platforms.

5.2 Why have B2B companies not adopted social media to the same extent

as B2C?

To properly understand why B2B companies do not utilize social media for their marketing to

the same extent as B2C companies do, the primary differences between these markets will be

reexamined and connected to the variables, which have been identified in this study, that

negatively affect B2B companies’ use of social media. Only the variables that are relevant to

these established differences between B2B and B2C markets are brought up here.

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In accordance with Hutt and Speh (2013), the most significant difference between B2C and B2B

is how important and long lasting the relationships with their customers are. This is one of the

primary factors as to why B2B marketers have not adopted social media to the same extent as

B2C. Social media does help to establish and maintain some of these relationships to some

extent, but it does not provide the important, deeper levels of trust that long lasting B2B

relationships require. Instead, that trust requires personal, face-to-face interactions. This implies

that B2B companies do not implement social media to the same extent as B2C, since social

media is often deemed as inappropriate and lacking in the most important aspect of B2B

marketing, building and maintaining relationships. Trust and deep relationships can instead be

built on reputation and proven capabilities through the work that is done, however, it hardly ever

relies on interactions on social media.

Another important difference between B2B and B2C, that directly affects the use of social media

for marketing, is the extra value added by transparency. The B2B customer is usually more

educated about the company and products they purchase since it involves large amounts of

money and extensive discussions within their own company. The closer and more personal

customer contacts in B2B markets also enable more direct and, usually, more efficient ways to

communicate information about the product and the company. Social media is therefore not as

essential in order to create transparency, and as a result, a deeper level of trust, between customer

and supplier within B2B as it is in B2C. The closer relationships between customer and supplier

within B2B also enables other ways of sharing ideas and creating cooperation, an area in which

social media has been proven to give huge benefits to companies within B2C.

B2B customers are also fewer, and the contracts can last for years and concern substantial

amounts of money. Because of this a company can be in business only working for a few

customers at a time. If a company already possesses these important customer contracts they

might not require additional customers and therefore not require substantial marketing at all, on

social media or otherwise. These aspects, and the complex nature of the buying team also make

B2B purchases require a more complex negotiation process, that is not deemed suitable for social

29

media communications. Because the contracts concern so many people, it means that parts of the

negotiations have to be done in person. The complex purchasing process and more extensive

legal aspects involved also mean that it is difficult to formulate many parts of these purchases on

social media. They have to be done in person, or in special forums dedicated to these affairs.

Because the purchase process is believed to not be suited for social media, many marketers also

avoid these platforms when it comes to marketing.

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6. Conclusion In this chapter the final conclusions of this study are compiled and presented. Clearly answering

why, and for what reasons B2B companies do not use social media for their marketing to the

same extent as B2C companies do. Recommendations and suggestions for further research are

also included at the end of this chapter.

Even though perceived ease of use has been identified, both in previous research and in this

study, as the most dominating factor when it comes to the acceptance of social media, it does not

explain the difference between B2B and B2C in the implementation of these platforms. The

main, and in this study, only variables affecting perceived ease of use are time and resources.

These variables can be assumed to be the same when learning and upholding a social media

presence regardless of whether the customer is another business or a private consumer, since the

systems used are the same. Instead, variables such as industry, type of product and company size

affect the amount of time and resources available. When comparing B2B and B2C, the difference

instead lies in the degree of usefulness in reaching and successfully interacting with customers,

this is illustrated in Figure 4. Where social media seems to be far less suitable for the complex

interactions between supplier and customer within B2B.

Figure 4: Final Research Framework, external variables affecting social media acceptance within B2B

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The perceived usefulness is, as shown in this study, primarily affected by the characteristics of

the social media platforms themselves, the characteristics of the industry the company is

operating in, as well as the characteristics of the company’s products and customers. The reasons

why B2B companies perceive social media as being less useful for marketing than B2C

companies do is the fact that social media is in many cases not considered to be suitable for the

complex products and relationships present within the B2B market. The social media platforms

lack the personal touch and benefits in one-to-one communication that is needed when building

trust in long lasting and high valued relationships. It is clear that B2B companies prefer more

traditional ways of interaction when building and maintaining relationships. Since managing

relationships is the single most important aspect when conducting business within B2B it is

therefore natural to assume that this has a big negative impact on the companies’ implementation

of social media.

Furthermore, the risks of upsetting potential, and current, customers and partners make social

media unreliable in communications. The overall risks of social media seem to be higher and

more costly for B2B companies which helps to explain why they do not utilize these platforms to

the same extent as B2C. B2B companies also experience a smaller and more specific pool of

potential customers which is easier to reach individually, in contrast to a B2C company’s

customer base which is generally much larger and hard to identify on an individual level. In

addition to direct contact usually being more suitable, there are often industry or task specific

platforms which are used to reach B2B customers. Furthermore, B2B companies seem to a

greater extent to be content with the number of customers and connections they already possess,

compared to B2C, and therefore they see a more limited need to market themselves to new

segments of potential customers.

In addition, even though B2B companies do not seem to be implementing social media platforms

to the same extent as B2C, a lot of work on these platforms is generally done by employees from

their personal accounts in order to reach out and create connections that benefit the company

they work for.

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All in all, B2B marketers seem to feel the need to be present on social media to stay relevant and

visible to customers, and their general attitude towards social media is positive. They do,

however, find several limitations in its usefulness for marketing purposes. This study found that

many of the benefits of social media identified in research does not apply in the same way to

B2B as it does to B2C. Benefits such as transparency, co-creation and information sharing are

not as significant within B2B, as these aspects are already implemented through other channels

when conducting business with customers. Furthermore, because of the unique and distinctly

different ways of managing relationships it is clear that the benefits of social media in this

respect cannot be directly translated from B2C to B2B. More research therefore needs to be done

specifically regarding B2B and social media in order to better understand the benefits and risks

which B2B companies encounter on social media platforms.

6.1 Implications for Practitioners and Theory

The results of this study helps to identify important variables that affect the complex relationship

between B2B and social media. This is interesting, both from a theoretical and a practical

perspective. For theory, this study has both verified findings from previous studies, as well as

highlighted some previously unexplored areas within the relationship of B2B and social media.

For example, an area that has been scarcely talked about previously is how important the

customers of the B2B companies are for their use of social media, and the ways in which they

communicate on these platforms. As was found in this study, the customers' opinions and

interactions with the companies on these platforms are of great importance. These results can be

used to further explain and understand B2B companies’ actions in regards to social media.

Furthermore, this study has identified some interesting areas for future research, as can be seen

in section 6.3.

The results of this study are also interesting for stakeholders, such as; social media operators, as

well as B2B customers and companies themselves. For operators it is important to identify the

aspects which deters companies from using social media, in order to circumvent these aspects to

enable more companies within B2B to start using the platforms. For customers and companies

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themselves, this study gives them insight into how their suppliers and partners, and in some cases

competitors, view the opportunities present on social media. Furthermore, it can help them

discover risks that they might not have previously been aware of when using social media, as

well as help them identify and counteract negative perceptions, thus advancing their industry’s

development in the field of social media implementation. A better understanding of the variables

and risks that keep B2B companies from implementing social media can in turn help companies

to create proper strategies to deal with these and create a successful marketing presence on social

media.

6.2 Limitations

The limitations of this study stem mostly from the limited time allotted, but it was also limited by

the human factor concerning the interviewers and by the number of interviews conducted.

The interviews were mostly conducted one after the other, by the two authors, during a two week

period. This meant that the authors had to be constantly aware of not influencing the

interviewees with their own opinions or the opinions discussed in previous interviews, but to

constantly remain objective throughout every interview.

The study was also limited by the amount of respondents. In total 49 companies at Luleå Science

Park were identified as operating within the B2B market, emails were sent to all of these, but

only eleven were able to participate during the allotted time period. Because of this, the study

became limited in the number of interviews, as well as in the amount of different industries

involved.

The biggest limitation affecting this study was, however, the time restriction. This made it so that

there was no time to redo the interviews, which would have increased the reliability of the study.

Because of the time restriction the study also had to be restricted to a very specific geographical

area which made the results less reliable from a general perspective.

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6.3 Suggestions for Future Research

When conducting this study a few areas for additional and future research have been identified as

follows:

● Studies with the same purpose as this one should be conducted in additional geographical

areas around the world, in order to explore whether the results of this study can be

generalized, and deemed relevant for B2B markets in other parts of the world.

● When conducting this study, differences between industries in regards for the use of

social media for marketing purposes became apparent. It would therefore be interesting to

conduct a similar study to this one, within a specific industry. This would be especially

interesting for stakeholders within said industry, as well as operators of social media

platforms that wish to better attract companies within that specific industry.

● Another factor that seems to have a great impact on the use of social media for marketing

purposes is the size of the company. It would therefore be interesting to conduct further

research with regards to company size. In larger companies where there are employees

specifically tasked with the use and maintenance of social media, the factor of limited

time and resources could be assumed to play a smaller role, additional findings in regards

to other variables might therefore be theorized to occur.

● Another interesting approach to the use of social media within B2B would be to conduct

research from the B2B customers’ point of view. This would be especially interesting for

suppliers within B2B to better understand where, and if, their customers are present on

social media, and how to best reach them.

● This study has shown that even though not as much work is put into marketing on a B2B

company’s own social media page, a lot of work is done through social media via

employees personal accounts. It would therefore be interesting to conduct further studies

as to, to what extent social media is used in this manner within the B2B market. It would

be interesting to compare results between B2B and B2C, to explore whether the fact that

B2C companies use social media to a greater extent is still valid.

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● A question which was not directly linked to the concept of B2B but which arose during

this study was whether an inactive presence on social media is preferable to no presence

at all. This would be interesting to examine from both a B2B and a B2C perspective. The

results of such a study would be especially interesting for companies that lack the time

and resources to properly uphold a presence on social media.

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Appendix 1: Interview Guide English

What is your overall attitude towards using social media platforms for marketing purposes?

What is the general attitude at your company towards social media platforms for marketing

purposes?

Does your company use social media platforms for marketing purposes?

Yes:

● Why does your company use social media platforms for marketing purposes?

● To what extent does your company use social media platforms for marketing purposes?

● What social media platforms does your company use for marketing purposes? Why?

● Is your company planning on changing the way it uses social media platforms for

marketing purposes? Are you planning on expanding your use of social media platforms

for marketing purposes? Why?

● What are the advantages during the use of social media platforms for marketing

purposes? (implementation)

No:

● Why does your company not use social media platforms for marketing purposes?

● Have you ever used social media platforms for marketing purposes? If yes: Why did you

stop?

● Is there a dialogue about using social media platforms for marketing purposes within the

company? Do you have any intention to start using social media platforms for marketing

purposes in the future?

● Do you in your position within the company have the power to start using social media

for marketing purposes?

41

● What is stopping your company from starting to use social media platforms for marketing

purposes today?

● What are the (perceived) disadvantages during the use of social media platforms for

marketing purposes? (implementation)

What other platforms does your company use for marketing purposes and why?

● Why do you prefer these platforms over social media? Or why do you prefer social media

over other kinds of marketing?

● What external aspects would you say has the most effect on your company's use of social

media platforms for marketing purposes?

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Appendix 2: Intervjuguide Svenska

Vad tycker du personligen om att använda social media i marknadsföringssyfte?

Hur är den generella attityden hos ditt företag gentemot social media i marknadsföringssyfte?

Använder ditt företag social media för marknadsföringssyften?

Ja:

● Varför använder ditt företag social media för marknadsföringssyften?

● I vilken utsträckning använder ditt företag social media för marknadsföringssyften?

● Vilka social media plattformar använder ditt företag för marknadsföringssyften? Varför

just dessa?

● Planerar ditt företag på att göra några förändringar i användningen av social media i

marknadsföringssyfte? Planerar ni på att utvidga användandet av social media för

marknadsföringssyften? Varför?

● Vad är fördelarna och nackdelar med användningen av social media i

marknadsföringssyften?

Nej:

● Varför använder inte ditt företag social media i marknadsföringssyfte?

● Har ni någonsin förut använt sociala medier i marknadsföringssyfte? Om ja: varför

slutade ni med det?

● Har ni någon dialog på ert företag angående potentiell användning av social media i

marknadsföringssyfte? Har ni någon avsikt att i framtiden börja använda social media i

marknadsföringssyfte?

● Har du med din position i företaget möjligheten att börja använda social media för

marknadsföringssyfte, för företagets räkning?

● Vad hindrar ert företag från att använda social media i marknadsföringssyfte idag?

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● Vilka problem/brister upplever ni med att använda social media i marknadsföringssyfte?

Vilka andra plattformar använder ditt företag för marknadsföringssyfte och varför?

● Varför föredrar ni andra plattformar framför social media? Eller föredrar ni social media

framför andra plattformar? Varför?

● Vilka externa faktorer påverkar er användning av social media i marknadsföringssyften?

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