DIGITAL AND SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING USAGE IN B2B INDUSTRIAL SECTION.

JÄRVINEN, JOEL; TOLLINEN, AARNE; KARJALUOTO, HEIKKI; JAYAWARDHENA, CHANAKA

This study contributes to the emerging B2B digital marketing literature by providing a realistic overview of the usage, measurement practices, and barriers surrounding digital marketing in the era of social media. Investigating 145 B2B firms from various industries reveals that despite the interest in social media, companies continue to focus on one-directional communications with established digital tools. Furthermore, the results indicate that the advances in digital measurement tools remain largely unexploited, and the firms lack the human resources and know-how to make the most of opportunities provided by the developing digital environment. The implications of the study suggest that B2B companies should update their capabilities with respect to digital marketing usage and measurement in order to adapt current practices to fit the characteristics of today's digital media landscape.

SOCIAL media; BUSINESS-to-business transactions; DIGITAL media; MARKETING research; EMERGING markets; MARKETING literature; INTERNET marketing

Marketing Management Journal, 2012, Vol 22, Issue 2, p102

1534-973X

Academic Journal