Enhancing Brand Equity for B2B SME through Social...

Enhancing Brand Equity for B2B SME through Social Media

An exploratory descriptive research

Filip Martinelle

Civilingenjör, Industriell ekonomi 2017

Luleå tekniska universitet Institutionen för ekonomi, teknik och samhälle

Acknowledgements

Afterfiveyearsofstudying,socializing,learning,attendingclasses,groupprojectsandsomuchmore.Thismasterthesishasbeenthelaststeptowardsmymaster’sdegreeinMarketingwithinIndustrialandManagementEngineeringatLuleåUniversityofTechnology.Iwouldliketotakethisopportunitytoaddresstheindividualswhohavehelpedmethroughoutmymasterthesis.

TherearesomepeoplethatIwanttoexpressmysincerestgratitudeto:

KatarinaHjertstedt,ThereseBohmanandthewholeteamatSymbrioAB,forgivingmesupportandguidancethroughouttheresearchproject,Ican’tthankyouenough.

My supervisorMana Farshid, for giving me valuable feedback and academic support during theresearch.

Finally,Iwanttothankmyfriendsandfamilywhohavebeensupportingmepsychologicallythroughthethesisandtheentirefive-yearjourneyatLuleåUniversityoftechnology.

Stockholm,June2017

FilipMartinelle

Abstract

Throughour smartphones, the access to information is higher thanever before. Socialmediahasrevolutionizedthecommunicationlandscapeinhowweshareinformationandcommunicatetoeachother.Socialmediahassignificantlyimpactedmarketingcommunication,thereforeorganizationsinB2Bareexploringandtryingtoidentifywaysinhowtomakeaprofitableuseofsocialmedia.Despitethisinterest,thereseemstobeinsufficientunderstandingofhowtoproperlymanagesocialmediainthe B2B context. Furthermore, branding and brand equity through social media communicationcreatesopportunitiessuchasdeepercustomerrelationship,collaborationandreducetheinformationnecessaryforapurchasedecision.Currentlythereisagapinthetheoreticalunderstandingofhowbrandequitycanbeenhancedthroughsocialmedia.

ThepurposeofthisresearchistoexploreanddescribehowbrandequitycanbeenhancedthroughsocialmediamarketingwithinB2BforSME.Thisresearchaimstounderstandhowsmallandmedium-sizedenterprisescanutilizesocialmediainthebestwaypossible.Theresearchadoptedaqualitativeexploratorydescriptiveapproach.Thecollectionofdatawasconductedthroughsixsemi-structuredinterview.Thesampleselectionforthequalitativeinterviewswereconductedonprojectmanagersandpurchasemanagers.

Theresultofthisresearchgavenewinsightstothecustomer-basedbrandequitymodelintheB2Bcontextandhowcustomer-basedbrandequitycanbeappliedinsocialmediamarketing.ThisresultedinabrandequitymodelforB2Bsocialmediamarketing,wherethestepshaveadependencytoeachother.Thus,enhancingbrandequity insocialmediademandsan identificationof thesocialmediabenefits, establishing a marketing plan, how to reach your target audience, utilize experience ofothers,communicatingabouttechnicalinnovationandchangethroughthesupplychain.

Keywords:Socialmedia,Brandequity,customer-basedbrandequity,Smallandmedium-sizedenterprises(SME)

Sammanfattning

Genomanvändandetavsmartphonesärtillgångentillinformationhögreännågonsintidigare.Socialamedierharrevolutioneratkommunikationslandskapetihurvidelar informationochkommunicerarmedvarandra.Socialamedierharpåverkatmarknadsföringskommunikationenvilketharresulterattillattföretagutforskarolikasättförhursocialamedierkannyttjaspåettfördelaktigtsätt.Trotsdetta,föreligger en otillräcklig kunskap om hur sociala medier kan användas inom B2B. Vidare skaparbrandingochbrandequityviasocialamediermöjligheterförendjuparekundrelation,samarbetesamtatt en minskad informationsinsamling inför ett köpbeslut. För närvarande visar forskningen enkunskapsluckavadgällerhurbrandequitykanutvecklasgenomsocialamedier.

Syftetmedstudienvarattutforskahurbrandequitykanutvecklasgenommarknadsföringavsocialamedier inomB2BförSME.Studiensyftartillattgeenökadförståelseförhursmåochmedelstoraföretag kan utnyttja socialamedier på bästamöjliga sätt. Studien antog en kvalitativ utforskandebeskrivande ansats. Data samlades in genom sex semi-strukturerande intervjuer. De kvalitativaintervjuernaharihuvudsakgenomförtsmedprojektledareochinköpschefer.

ResultatetavdennaforskninggavnyainsiktertilldenkundbaseradebrandequitymodelleninomB2Bochhurdenkundbaseradebrandequitymodellenkantillämpasiettsocialamedierperspektiv.DettaresulteradeienbrandequitymodellförB2Binommarknadsföringförsocialamedia,därstegenärberoende av varandra. Däremot, en utveckling av brand equity inom sociala medier kräver enidentifikationavfördelarnamedsocialamedier,ettupprättandeavenmarknadsplan,enplanförattnå sin målgrupp, ett användande av andras erfarenheter samt en kommunikation om tekniskinnovationochförändringinomförsörjningskedjan.

Table of Contents 1INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1

1.1BACKGROUND..................................................................................................................................21.2PROBLEMDISCUSSION.......................................................................................................................41.3RESEARCHQUESTION........................................................................................................................5

2LITERATUREREVIEW....................................................................................................................62.1OVERVIEWOFLITERATUREREVIEW......................................................................................................72.2SOCIALMEDIAMARKETINGINB2B.....................................................................................................82.3BRANDEQUITY...............................................................................................................................10

2.3.1BrandAwareness.................................................................................................................112.3.2BrandAssociation................................................................................................................112.3.3BrandLoyalty.......................................................................................................................112.3.4BrandImage........................................................................................................................112.3.5PerceivedQuality................................................................................................................11

2.4BRANDEQUITYINB2B....................................................................................................................122.4.1Aaker’sBrandEquityModel................................................................................................122.4.2CustomerBasedBrandEquity.............................................................................................13

2.5BRANDEQUITYWITHSOCIALMEDIAMARKETING.................................................................................162.5.1B2BBrandEquitywithSocialMediaMarketingCommunication.......................................172.5.2B2BBrandEquitywithSocialMediaMarketingCommunicationforSME..........................19

2.6FRAMEOFREFERENCE.....................................................................................................................202.6.1TheSelectionofTheoreticalBasis.......................................................................................20

3METHODOLOGY&RESEARCHAPPROACH..................................................................................233.1OVERVIEWOFMETHODOLOGY..........................................................................................................243.2RESEARCHAPPROACH......................................................................................................................243.3RESEARCHPURPOSE........................................................................................................................253.4RESEARCHSTRATEGY.......................................................................................................................253.5COMPANYBACKGROUND&PILOTSTUDY...........................................................................................26

3.5.1CompanyBackground.........................................................................................................273.5.2Product................................................................................................................................273.5.3Customers...........................................................................................................................273.5.4PilotStudyMethodology.....................................................................................................273.5.5PilotObservation.................................................................................................................283.5.6PilotStudyInterview...........................................................................................................283.5.7PilotStudyAnalysis..............................................................................................................28

3.6DATACOLLECTIONMETHOD.............................................................................................................283.6.1Questionnairedevelopment...............................................................................................293.6.2Interviews............................................................................................................................29

3.7LITERATURECOLLECTION..................................................................................................................303.8SAMPLESELECTION.........................................................................................................................303.9DATAANALYSIS..............................................................................................................................313.10QUALITYSTANDARDS.....................................................................................................................31

3.10.1Reliability...........................................................................................................................323.10.2Validity...............................................................................................................................32

4DATAPRESENTATION&ANALYSIS.............................................................................................334.1BRANDEQUITYINB2BVSBRANDEQUITYINB2C................................................................................344.2BRANDAWARENESS........................................................................................................................344.3BRANDASSOCIATION&BRANDPERFORMANCE....................................................................................354.4PERCEPTIONOFQUALITY..................................................................................................................354.5SALESFORCE..................................................................................................................................364.6BRANDLOYALTY.............................................................................................................................364.7SOCIALMEDIA................................................................................................................................374.8B2BBRANDEQUITYINSOCIALMEDIA...............................................................................................374.9SALESFORCEUTILIZATIONOFSOCIALMEDIA&CONTENTSHARING........................................................384.10BRANDLOYALTYINSOCIALMEDIA...................................................................................................384.11SOCIALMEDIAFORSME................................................................................................................39

5FINDINGS&CONCLUSION..........................................................................................................405.1FINDINGSFROMRESEARCHQUESTION................................................................................................41

5.1.1B2BBrandEquity.................................................................................................................415.1.2B2BBrandEquitywithSocialMediaMarketingCommunication.......................................42

5.2IMPLICATIONSFORTHEORY...............................................................................................................445.3IMPLICATIONSFORPRACTITIONERS....................................................................................................455.3LIMITATIONS..................................................................................................................................465.4FURTHERRESEARCH........................................................................................................................46

REFERENCES.................................................................................................................................47

APPENDIX1.INTERVIEWGUIDE(SWEDISH)..................................................................................50

APPENDIX2.INTERVIEWGUIDE(ENGLISH)...................................................................................53

List of Figures Figure 1: Theoretical model .......................................................................................................................................... 7

Figure 2: Social media use in different business functions ...................................................................................... 8

Figure 3: Aaker’s elements of Brand Equity ............................................................................................................. 10

Figure 4: Aaker brand equity model ......................................................................................................................... 13

Figure 5: Customer based brand equity (CBBE) model for B2B organizations ................................................... 14

Figure 6: Deductive Approach ................................................................................................................................... 24

Figure 7: Purchasing and invoice process ................................................................................................................ 27

Figure 8: Customer based brand equity (CBBE) model for B2B organizations ................................................... 41

Figure 9: Brand equity model in social media marketing for B2B organizations ............................................... 43

Figure 10: Theoretical model of brand equity in social media marketing in B2B ............................................... 45

List of Tables Table 1: Conceptualization and measurement of the frame of reference .......................................................... 21

Table 2: An overview of Methodology………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 24

Table 3: An overview of conducted interviews……………………………………………………………………………………………. 29

Table 4: Database keywords…………………………………………………………………………………………….………………………… 30

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Chapter 1

Introduction Inthischapter,introductiontothebackgroundandtheproblemdiscussionoftheresearchprojectispresented.Lastly,theintroductionwillsummarieswiththedevelopmentofresearchquestionwhichtheresearchprojectwillaimtoanswer.

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1.1 Background

“Socialmedia isn’ta fad, it’sa fundamentalshift inthewaywecommunicate”(Qualman,2010,p.548).Throughthe inventionsofsmartphonesandsocialmedia,theaccessof information ishigherthaneverbefore(Agnihotri,Dingus,Hu,&Krush,2016).Thesocialmediarevolutionhasreshapedthecommunication perspective and significantly impacted marketing communications (Hutter,Dennhardt,&Fuller,2013).Agnihotrietal.(2016)statethatcustomersarefrequentlyaskedto“like”,“follow” through different Social Networking Sites (SNS). It contributes to that customers arebecomingmore connected with organizations, more knowledgeable about products and creatingstrongbuyer-sellerrelationships.

Socialmediadoesnotseektoreplaceotherformsofcommunicationoreventransactions,insteaditseeks to complement them (Andzulis, Panagopoulos, & Rapp, 2013). Although, social media isperceiveddifferently forcustomersandcompanies.However,Rouse(2016)stateonedefinitionofsocialmedia,asbelow:

“Thecollectiveonlinecommunicationschannelsdedicatedtocommunity-basedinput,interaction,content-sharingandcollaboration.Incooperationwithwebsitesandapplicationsdedicatedto

forums,microblogging,socialnetworking,socialbookmarking,socialcurationandwikisareamongthedifferenttypesofsocialmedia.”-Rouse(2016)

KaplanandHaenlein(2010)explainthat,theconceptofsocialmediaistopoftheagendaformanyorganizations.Decisionmakers in organizations are exploring and trying to identifyways inwhichorganizationscanmakeprofitableuseof socialmediaapplications.Yetdespite this interest, thereseems tobe insufficientunderstandingofhowtoproperlymanagesocialmedia in theB2Bsector(Kaplan&Haenlein,2010;Jussila,Kärkkäinen,&Heli,2014).

The importance and popularity of the socialmedia is growing in the B2B context. However, B2Borganizations are trailing significantly in digital strength compare to B2C organizations (Harrison,Plotkin,&Stanley,2017).Furthermore,accordingtoJussilaetal.(2014)theinterestandadaptationofsocialmediainB2BhasalsobeenslowcomparedtoB2Corganizations.Although,evidenceshowthatnewopportunitiesareaccessiblethroughsocialmediaintheB2Bcontext.Withitsfeaturestoenhance communication, interaction, learning and collaboration, which can contribute significantbenefitstoanorganization(Jussilaetal.2014).

Whilepersonalface-to-facesellingworksbestincomplexandlong-lastingB2Bbuyingprocesses,non-personalcommunicationschannels,suchasadvertisinganddigitalchannels,playsupportiverolesbycreatingsynergiesinachievingsalesobjectives(Järvinen,Tollinen,Karjaluoto,&Jayawardhena,2012).AccordingtoJärvinenetal.(2012)theemergeofsocialmediaistoachievemarketingobjectivessuchasenhancingcustomerrelationships,generateviraleffects,consumerassistanceandpositiveword-of-mouth(WOM).

Furthermore,Hutteretal.(2013)statethatsocialmediasupportscommunitybuildingaswellas itpromotesactiveengagementsofconsumers.Also,Jussilaetal.(2014)explainthatutilizationofsocialmediacanidentifynewbusinessopportunitiesandnewproductideasthroughdeeprelationshipsandcollaborationbetweenorganizationsandotherparties.Although,isitimportanttokeepinmindthatsocialmediainbusiness-to-businessrelationshipsismuchmoredifficult,thanB2Ccontext,because

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ofthemanysignificantdifferencesinB2Bproducts,marketsandproductdevelopment(Jussilaetal.,2014).

Opportunities such as enhance communication are possible through branding in social media.SchivinskiandDabrowski(2016)statethatsocialmediacanbeexplainedasavarietyofdigitalsourcesof information that are created, consumed, initiated by online users as approach to educate oneanother about the brand, services, products, issues and personalities. In contrast, Bruhn,Schoenmueller,andSchäfer(2012)producedameasurementmodelandconcludedthatidentifyingmarketingcommunicationscontributetoanenhancementinbrandequity.Furthermore,Schivinski&Dabrowski(2016)statethatfirm-createdsocialmediacommunicationisexpectedtohaveapositiveinfluenceonbrandequity.

Brand equity is referred to a value that an organization can generate from a product with arecognizablenamecomparedtorivalsofthatorganization(Investopedia,2017).Inliterature,thereare twomajorauthorson the identificationaboutbrandequity, theyare;Keller (1993)andAaker(1996).Althoughthetwoauthorshavetwodifferentdefinitionofbrandequity.Aaker(1996)identifybrand equity as fourmajor sources of brand equity as brand loyalty, brand awareness, perceivedquality,brandassociations.WhileKeller(1993),identifycustomerbasedbrandequityastwomajorelements,brandimageandbrandawareness.

According to Kuhn, Alpert, and Pope (2008) powerful brand image and reputation enhancedifferentiationandcontributetoapositiveinfluenceonbuyingbehaviour.SchivinskiandDabrowski(2016) explain that precious research has recognized the positive effect that brand equity has onpurchaseintention,although,somearguethatitonlybelongsintheconsumerrealm.However,Kuhnet al. (2008) argue that branding and the concept of brand equity are increasingly important inindustrialmarkets. Furthermore, Kuhn et al. (2008) state that it has been demonstrated that theperception of a brand in themind of a buyer can be the determining factor in deciding betweenindustrialpurchasealternatives.

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1.2 Problem Discussion

Today, social media is among the best opportunities available for a brand to connected withprospectiveconsumers(Neti,2011).Thereasonbehindthisisthenumberofpeoplewhohaveaccesstotheinternet,whichismorethanthreebillionandnearlythreeoutoffourinternetusersvisitsocialmediasites(Kemp,2017).Withtheexcessivenumberofsocialmediausersworldwide,itisessentialfor communicationmanagers to understand this onlinebehaviour (Schivinski&Dabrowski, 2016).Therefore,marketersaretakingnoteofthesocialmediaopportunitiesandbeginningtoimplementnewsocialinitiativesatahigherratethanbefore(Neti,2011).However,despitethehugepopularitythatsocialmediaplatformhas,it’sstillarecentlymodernphenomenonanditisinthecreationphaseofitslifecycle.

Jussilaetal.(2014)explainthatdespitetheimportanceofsocialmediainB2Bcontextthesocialmediaresearchislimited,andfocuseslargelyontheconsumerinaB2Ccontext.EveninrealitysocialmediainB2Bcontext,istrailingcomparetoB2Corganizations(Michaelidou,Siamagka,&Christodoulides,2010;Harrison,Plotkin,&Stanley,2017).Thisgapisthereforeofimportance,tosuccessfullymanageandunderstandsocialmediaproperlyintheB2Bsector.Thisiscritical,becauseB2Borganizationsandliketheircounterparts(B2C)areinadigitalfootrace.Theyfaceshrinkingshelflivesforproducts,moreacutecustomerdemandsforpricetransparency,andbetterexperiences(Harrison,Plotkin,&Stanley,2017).Furthermore,smallandmedium-sizedenterprises(SMEs)struggleswithadoptingtechnologiesintheB2Bsector,duetotheirlackofskills,resourcesandtechnicalknowledgecomparewithlargerfirms(Derham,Cragg,&Sussie,2011).

Despitethenewrevelationofsocialmediainbusinessandthelackofacademicresearch,socialmediahavealreadybeendemonstratedtoopenmanynewopportunitiesfortheB2Bsector(Jussilaetal.,2014). Michaelidou et al. (2010) state that social media and specifically SNS can be used tocommunicatewiththeircustomersandsuppliers,buildrelationshipsandtrust,aswellastoidentifypotentialpartnersintermsofB2Bselling.ErdogmusandCicek(2012)explainthatbusinessescanusesocialmediaplatformtopromoteproductsorservices,provideinstantsupportorcreateanonlinecommunityandthereforeenablesconsumerstoshareinformationwiththeirpeersaboutbrandsandtherebyinfluenceother.Furthermore,theseconversationsprovideorganizationsacost-effectivewayfordigitaluserstotalkaboutbrands,whichwillincreasebrandequity(Schivinski&Dabrowski,2016).

ErdogmusandCicek (2012) furtheremphasize that socialmediaplaysan important roleonbrandequityduetoconsumersshareinformationondifferentplatforms.Additionally,brandequityisakeyelementinanyorganizations,becausebrandequityasstatedbyChand(2016)isthevalueandpowerthatdeterminesabrandworth.AccordingtoSchivinskiandDabrowski(2016),brandequityisakeymarketingassetthatcancreatecloserrelationshipbetweenfirmsandnurturesalong-termbuyingbehaviour.

According toAshleyandTuten (2015)marketers receive littleguidanceonhowdifferentmessagestrategiesonsocialmediawillaffectprocessing,engagementandultimately,brandoutcomessuchasbrandequity.Theaimofthisresearchistoexplorehoworganizationscanenhancebrandequitywithsocialmediamarketingandthereforeproperlyunderstandhowdifferentmarketstrategiesinsocialmediashouldbeconductedfortheirbrand.Furthermore,theresearchwillestablishafundamentalunderstandingofhow tomanage socialmediamarketing inB2Borganizations.This studywill use

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models in thebrandequityB2Bcontext inorderto figureouthowtheyareconnectedwithsocialmediamarketing.

This researchwill emphasizeon SMEswithin theB2B context.Mainlybecause they represent themajorityofindustrialbusinessesandarethesignificantdriverofeconomicgrowth(Michaelidouetal.,2010).Second,SMEsingeneralhaveslowpaceinadoptingasocialmediamarketingbecauseofthelackofresourcesandexpertise.Thirdly,therearelowbarrierstotheuseofsocialmediatechnologies,thereforeSMEscanmakeuseofsocialmediainthesamewayslargerorganizationscan,withoutthenecessityofextensiveresources(Derham,Cragg,&Sussie,2011).Furthermore,thisresearchwillfocustounderstandtheindustrywhichthecasestudyingoingtoconductin,whichistheconstructionandinstallationindustry.

Therefore,theresearchobjectiveisstatedasfollows:

ThepurposeofthisresearchistoexploreanddescribehowSMEcanenhancebrandequityinSocialMediaMarketingwithintheBusiness-to-Businesscontext.

1.3 Research Question

TounderstandhowSMEscanusesocialmediatoenhancebrandequity,thisresearchwillexploretherelationshipbetweenbrandequityandsocialmediamarketing.Whilethefundamentalpurposeofthis research is explained in the research objective, this purpose needs to be decomposed intoresearchquestionstonarrowtheresearch.Bydoingthis,theresearchwouldhaveagreaterpossibilityofaccomplishingthescopeoftheresearchpurpose.Theresearchquestionisthereforeasfollowing:

ResearchQuestion

WhatfactorsforSMEinB2BareofimportancewhenconsideringbrandequityinSocialmediamarketing?

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Chapter 2

Literature Review In this chapter, the literature reviewwillbepresentedaswell as the fundamental theoriesof theresearch. It includes the theoretical explanationof eachmajor area and the relationshipbetweensocialmediamarketingforB2BSMEandbrandequity.

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2.1 Overview of Literature Review

Inthisresearch,theliteraturereviewisbasedontwomajorareas,SocialmediamarketingandBrandequity. The literature will later describe the relationship between these two areas, which will bedescribedinbrandequitywithsocialmediamarketinganditsunderlyingchapters.TheCBBEmodelisanimportantcomponentindescribinghowbrandequitycanaffectsocialmediamarketingandhowtousethevitalfactorsinthemodelforsuccessinmarketingcommunication.Thistheoreticalmodelisconductedbasedontheresearchpurposeandquestion,itaimstoprovideaframeworkforhowtheliteraturereviewisexecutedandhoweverypartisrelatedtoeachother.ThisrelationshipisexplainedvisuallyinFigure1below.

Figure1:Theoreticalmodel

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2.2 Social Media Marketing in B2B

Social media are online applications, platform and media which aim to facilitate interactions,collaborationsandsharingofcontent(Angella&Ko,2012).AccordingtoAngellaandKo(2012)socialmediatakesavarietyofdifferentformssuchas,weblogs,socialblogs,microblogging,wikis,podcasts,pictures,video,ratingandsocialbookmarking.Socialmediaplatformsarebecominglybeingpopularbecause individuals desire to be social and share their experiences with other people (Houtari,Ulkumiemi,Saraniemi,&Mäläskä,2015).Thus,accordingtoHoutari (2015),socialmediatoolsarestarting to be an interesting component of B2B marketing because of the roles of personalrelationshipsandinteractionsinthesemarkets.

Consideringthedifferentbusiness-relatedareasthatfunctionsinanorganization,Kärkkäinen,Jussila,andVäisänen (2010) research showhow socialmedia is used in thesedifferent functions forB2Ccompanies,whichispresentedinFigure2below:

Figure2:SocialmediauseindifferentbusinessfunctionsSource:(Kärkkäinen,Jussila,&Väisänen,2010)

“Socialmediaisasmartwaytobuildbrands,socialmediaplatformsareknowntobeoneofthemostpowerfulandfastmeansofbranding”(Neti,2011).Socialmediacanallowcompaniestodifferentiatethemselveswith a unique identitywhich, according toMichaelidou et al. (2010), is crucial in B2Bbranding.WhiletheimportanceofsocialmediamarketingforB2Bmarketshasbeenaccepted,theimpactofsocialmediamarketingmaynotyetbeenrealized(Wang,Pauleen,&Zhang,2015).Wangetal.(2015)explainthat92%ofmarketersagreewiththeimportanceofsocialmediamarketingintheirbusiness,however,only6%ofbuyersclaimthatsocialmediamarketingaffecttheirB2Bbuyingprocessesand10%claimthatsocialmediamarketinghelpsthemestablishacompany’scredibility.HoweveraccordingtoDerhametal.(2011),socialmediamarketinghaslowbarriersforutilization,andSMEscanmakeuseofsocialmediainthesamewaysthatlargecorporatescan,withouttheneedfor extensive resources. Therefore, according to Wang et al. (2015) can SMEs use social mediacommunicationtoenhancebusinessperformancesuchasmarketing,innovationandcollaboration.Itisimportanttounderstandthatsocialmediaismoreaboutinteractingwithpotentialcustomerthanselling (Neti, 2011).Althoughbusiness canpromoteproducts and services, socialmediahasmoreemphasisonprovidinginstantsupport,orcreateanonlinecommunityofbrandenthusiaststhroughallformsofsocialmedia(Erdogmus&Cicek,2012).

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Socialmediacommunicationhasbeenrecognizedasphenomenawithextensivedemographicappeal(Schivinski&Dabrowski,2016).Although,it’snotamassadvertisingstrategy,instead,itisatoolthatcanidentifypeergroupsandadvertisetothatparticulargroup(Neti,2011).Additionally,socialmediaenables consumers to share information with their peers about the product and service brands(Erdogmus & Cicek, 2012). This benefits people who is seeking a detailed description of theproduct/servicewhich inreturncouldcontributeto initiatedpurchasedecision(Neti,2011).Wheninformation is shared through social media, it is important that the message is provided withconvenientlyplacedlinkssothattheprospectcanmakeapurchaseorlookforadditionalinformationwithleasteffort(Neti,2011).

Conversations between peers provide companies another cost effective way to increase brandawareness,boostbrandrecognitionandrecall,andincreasebrandloyalty(Erdogmus&Cicek,2012).Once the customer in B2B sector are comfortable with active interaction, the tools to offeropportunitiestoimprovecustomerengagement,customerserviceandleadgenerationshouldalsobeincluded (Järvinen et al., 2012). Only then can socialmedia be used to increase customer loyaltythroughcustomersupport services,networking, communitybuildingandhence improvecustomerretention(Järvinenetal.,2012;Erdogmus&Cicek,2012).

Houtarietal. (2015)explain thatcontentcreationhasnotbeena relevant topic inB2Bmarketingperspective,becausecompaniesexperiencealossofcontrolwhenmarketingviasocialmediawhenaudienceparticipatesincontentcreation.However,user-generatedcontentinvolvesthewillingnessofcustomerstoengageinactivitiesrelatedtoco-creation,communityandself-concept(Houtarietal., 2015). According to Schivinski & Dabrowski (2016) user-generated content (UGC) is a rapidlygrowingvehicleforbrandconversationsandconsumerinsights.Additionally,accordingtoHoutarietal.(2015),user-generatedcontentcreationhasbeenconnectedtobrandequitybecausefirm-createdsocialmediacommunication impacts functionalbrand images.Sinceconsumers typically judgetheinformationprovidedbyother individuals tobetrustworthyandcredible, thereforecanUGChavegreateffectonaconsumers’overallperceptionofbrands(Schivinski&Dabrowski,2016).

Agnihotrietal.(2016)explainthatinmarketingresearchitisarguedthatsalespeopleshouldbeawareof theemergingtechnologytools thatcanenableexchangeprocess tobecomemoreefficientandeffective.Therefore,salesforceshoulduseanytechnologythatenhancesinformationcommunication.Although,accordingtoJussilaetal.(2014)industrialproductsareusuallypurchasedbyprofessionalpurchasingpersonnelwhoconsidermanydifferentcriteriawhenmakingbuyingdecisions.Theytendtoacquireplentyofinformationabouttheindustrialproductsbeforeapurchase,andtheynormallyevaluate the different alternatives objectively.However, according toAgnihotri et al. (2016) salesforce has the opportunity to use social media as a tool to build networks and communicateinformation about the brand. By extending sales interactions in a way that welcomes two-waycommunication, non-selling activities and relationship components such as prospecting and after-sales follow-ups, which are encouraged through the use of social media (Agnihotri et al., 2016).Although, it is important to understand that B2B purchase needs more than just social mediainteractions,itmostlyneedsaface-to-facecommunicationbeforemakingapurchasedecision(Wangetal.,2015).

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2.3 Brand Equity

“Powerfulbrands createmeaningful images in themindsof customers.A strongbrand imageandreputationenhancesdifferentiationandhasapositive influenceonbuyingbehaviour” (Kuhnetal.,2008).Thecitationaboveexplaintheimportanceofbrandinginthemindofacustomerinpurchasingdecision. In addition, brand equity is rooted in the products branding and the development ofmarketing(Juntunen,Juntunen,&Juga,2010).ThegeneraldefinitionofbrandequityagreedbymostresearchersisdefinedbyBiedenbach&Marell(2010)as:

“Asetofbrandassetsandliabilitieslinkedtoabrand,itsnameandsymbol,thataddtoorsubtractfromthevalueprovidedbyaproductorservicetoafirmand/ortothefirm’scustomers”-

(Biedenbach&Marell,2010,p.448)

Keller (1993)andAaker (1996)are the twomost significantauthors in the researchofdevelopingdefinition andmeasuring scales for brand equity (Biedenbach&Marell, 2010; Kim&Hyun, 2009;Juntunenetal.,2010).However, theyhavetwodifferentdefinitionsofbrandequity.Aaker (1996)identify brand equity as four major sources of brand equity as brand loyalty, brand awareness,perceived quality, brand associations. Furthermore, Aaker (1996) consider brand equity as anaggregateofassetsandliabilities.Aaker’sfourdimensionsarevisualizedinFigure3below:

Figure3:Aaker’selementsofBrandEquitySource:(Chand,2016)

However, other scholars argue that brand equity consists of the four sources above, but alsoproprietary assets (Severi & Ling, 2012). Keller (1993) definition however, is that brand equity isdivided into brand awareness and brand image. Keller (1993) explains that there are two generalmotivationsforstudyingbrandequity,oneisafinanciallybasedmotivationtoestimatethevalueabrandforaccountingpurposes.Secondreasonforstudyingbrandequityarisesfromastrategy-basedmotivationtoimprovemarketingproductivity,thisiscalledcustomerperspective,wherebrandequityisappraisedaccordingtotheconsumer’sreactiontoabrandname(Severi&Ling,2012;Keller,1993).

Although,KellerandAakerdefinitionofbrandequityarethemostcommonindescribingbrandequitythereareothermajor contributors to the concept.Mahajanet al. (1994)explainbrandequity as,customerbasedbrandequitycanbeevaluatedbythelevelofcustomersunderstanding,andFarquhar(1989) describebrandequity canbe changed via the changes in consumers’ thoughts as they arebuyingaparticularproduct.

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Thisstudywilldiscussmorein-depththedimensionsofbrandequityanditstheoriesofbrandequityaccordingtotheauthors:Aaker(1996)andKeller(1993),whicharethemostcontributedauthorstobrandequityandthemostcitied.Therefore,thisstudywillchoosetodiscussthesedimensionsfurther.Thus, the dimensions of brand equity thatwill be further discussed consist of brand associations,brandawareness,perceivedquality,brandloyaltyandbrandimage.

2.3.1 Brand Awareness

AccordingtoSeveriandLing(2012)brandawarenessisanessentialelementandakeycomponentinbrandequity,anditisacommonfactorforcustomerwhenselectingbetweenbrands.Aaker(1996)explains brand awareness as the persistence of a brand that is planted in the customermemory.Therefore,awarenessofabrandcanaffectcustomers’perceptionandattitudestowardsthebrand.Bycreatingongoingassociations,familiaritywithrelatedofferingsandbuyingexperiencescanbrandsincreasetheirbrandawareness(Severi&Ling,2012).Keller(1993)furtherdescribesbrandawarenessas an influencer to customer decision making in buying goods through creating strong brandassociation.

2.3.2 Brand Association

AccordingtoAaker(1996)brandassociationsinvolvesimagedimensionsthatareuniquetoaproductclass or to a brand, and that it enhances themost significant of a particular brand. Keller (1993)describes brand associations as an entity that create association with attributes, attitudes andbenefits. Brand association also acts as an information collection tool, for brand to differentiatedthemselvesfromotherbrands(Severi&Ling,2012).

2.3.3 Brand Loyalty

Aaker (1996)definesbrand loyaltyas thecustomerrepresentationtowardthebrandthat leadstoconstantpurchasingofthebrandovertime.Furthermore,brandloyaltycanbeconceptualizedasthelast dimension of customer brand resonance, which is the customers’ relationship and level ofidentificationwithabrand(Erdogmus&Cicek,2012).SeveriandLing(2012)arguethatbrandloyaltyisanessentialelementbecausebrandloyaltycangenerateprofit,whichcomestousewhenevaluatingabrands value.Behavioural approach is an importantelement inbrand loyalty, it is believed thatconstantpurchasingofonebrandovertimeisacontributorofbrandloyalty(Severi&Ling,2012).Furthermore,brandloyaltyhasalsothepowertoimpactthecustomerdecisiontodeclineofshiftingtocompetitors’brands.

2.3.4 Brand Image

Keller (1993) defines brand image as a brand that is brought to the customer’s mind by brandassociations.Additionally,brandimagecanbealsodefinedasconsumer’sthoughtsandfeelingsaboutthebrand(Severi&Ling,2012).Aaker(1996)describesbrandimagethatcanbeasetofassociationswhichissignificanttothecustomer.AccordingtoSeveriandLing(2012),brandimagecanberelatedtotheuniquenessofaspecificproductclassificationandstrongbrandimagecreatesdifferentiationtootherbrands.Furthermore, it isstatedbyresearcherthatconsumer’sperceptionofqualityandvaluearesignificantlyaffectedbybrandimage(Severi&Ling,2012).

2.3.5 Perceived Quality

AccordingtoAaker(1996),perceivedqualityisanassociationthatiscentralinbrandequityandhasbeenshowntobeassociatedwithpricepremiums,brandusage,priceelasticitiesandstockreturn.

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Perceivedqualitycanbedefinedastheoverallperceptioncustomerhaveoftheinnovationandqualityofaproductorserviceincomparingwithotherbrandoffering(Severi&Ling,2012).However,it isimportanttonotethatqualityofproductisnotthesameasperceivedquality,perceivedqualityisthebuyer’spersonalopinionabouttheproduct.

2.4 Brand Equity in B2B

Kuhnet al. (2008) explain that every brand retains a certain amountof brandequity. There is anagreementbetweenmarketers thatbrandequity shouldbedefined in termsofmarketingeffectsuniquely attributable to a brand, and that different marketing outcomes results will occur if theproductorserviceisorisn’tidentifiedbyabrand(Keller,2009).Itisalsoimportantformarketerstounderstandthedriversofbrandequity indifferentmarkets.Leek&Christodoulides(2011)explainthatbrandequityinB2Bcontexthavefivesources,allthefourattributesofAaker(1996)andotherproprietaryassetssuchaspatentsandtrademarks.Therefore,Aaker(1996)firstfoursourcesofbrandequitycorrespondtocustomer-basedbrandequitywhilepatentsandtrademarksreflectfirm-basedbrandequity.

According to Leek & Christodoulides (2011) has branding previously been viewed by businessmarketersasanirrelevantfactorforbusinessmarkets.Identifiedmostlyforitsemotionalvalueandbelievedtohaveverylittleimpactintheorganizationaldecisionmakingprocessandonlybelongsinthe consumer realm (Leek & Christodoulides, 2011; Kuhn et al., 2008). However, Leek &Christodoulides (2011) explain that despite business marketers have a different perspective onbrandinginB2CandB2B,theybothneedstoinducetrustanddevelopbothcognitiveandaffectiveties with stakeholder. Kuhn et al. (2008) further explain that there is an increase of branding ingenerallyandbrandequityinindustrialmarkets,andtheincreasehasoccurredbecausewhatbrandsmeanstoabuyercanbethedeterminingfactorindecidingbetweenindustrialpurchasealternatives.Thus,statedbyLeek&Christodoulides(2011),business-to-businessorganizationsarewillingtopayapremium price for their favourite brand which is a consequence of high brand equity. Anotherimportantcharacteristicofbrandequityisbuyer’swillingnesstorecommendabrandtoothersandwillingnesstoextendthebrand’sgoodwilltootherproductlines(Biedenbach&Marell,2010&Leek&Christodoulides,2011).

2.4.1 Aaker’s Brand Equity Model

Aaker (1996) identifies five brand equity components in his brand equitymodel, these are brandloyalty,brandawareness,perceivedquality,brandassociationsandalsootherproprietaryassets.Thismodelisusedtounderstandtheconceptofbrandequityandgainfurtherinsightsintotherelationshipbetweenthedifferentbrandequitycomponentsandfutureperformanceofbrands(AakerD.,2009).Thismodelindicatesthatbrandequitywillincreaseonlywhentheunderlyingcomponentsarealsoincreased.Furthermore,thesedimensionsofbrandequityhaveanassociativerelationshiptoeachother(Pappu,Quester,&Cooksey,2005).

AccordingtoPappuetal.(2005),thecustomer’sperceptionofbrandqualitywillbeassociatedwiththeirbrandloyalty.Themorebrandloyaltyacustomerhastowardsthebrand,themorelikelyisthecustomer to perceive the brand as superior quality and vice versa. Additionally,more favourableassociationscustomerhastowardsabrandwillcontributestoincreasebrandloyaltyandperceptionofquality.Whencustomershavestrongassociationsandperceivedqualityforabranditislikelythatthebrandawarenessisalsohighandviceversa.(Pappu,Quester,&Cooksey,2005)

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AccordingtoBiedenbach(2010)therehavebeensomeofstudiesconductedofAaker’sbrandequitymodelintheB2Bsetting,whichindicatethereisarelationshipbetweenthespecificdimensionsofbrandequity. InB2Bcontext,brandawarenesshasapositiveeffectoncustomermemoryto formstrong and unique brand associations. Additionally, it is important in the differentiating betweenpurchasingalternatives,butalsofordevelopingastrongandpositivebrandimage.

Aaker’sbrandequitymodelispresentedbelowinFigure4:

Figure4:Aakerbrandequitymodel

Source:(Tutorialspoint,2017)

2.4.2 Customer Based Brand Equity

To understand the role of different types ofmarketing communications for brand building, Keller(2009)designedamodelforbrandequity,whichhecalledthecustomer-basedbrandequity(CBBE)model. CBBE is often divided into two categories; consumer behaviour and consumer perception.CBBEcanbeunderstoodasaconceptthatpredictsthatconsumerswillreactmorefavourablytoabrandedproductthantoanunbrandedproductinthesamecategory(Schivinski&Dabrowski,2016).

Keller(1993)proposessixdimensionsofbrandequityarrangedinfourhierarchicallevelsintheCBBE.Keller(1993)claimsthathisCBBEmodelcanbeappliedinaB2Bcontext,howeverKuhnetal.(2008)haveresearchonanmoredetailedmodelapplicationonKeller(1993)customer-basedbrandequityinaB2Bcontext.WhichwillbepresentedinFigure3below:

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Figure5:Customerbasedbrandequity(CBBE)modelforB2BorganizationsSource:adoptedfromKeller(1993),Kuhnetal.(2008)

Kuhnetal.(2008)statesthateachstepinthebrandingladderisdependentonsuccessfullyachievingtheprevious,frombottomtotop.Thesestepsinturnconsistofsixbrandbuildingblocks–salienceofthe manufacturer’s brand, performance, reputation, judgments, Sales force relationship andpartnershipsolutions.Theaimofthepyramidistoreachpartnershipsolutions,whereacompletelyharmoniousrelationshipexistsbetweenbusinessesandthebrand.

Keller(2009)definethefirstblockassalienceofthemanufacturer’sbrand,whichistoensurethecorrectbrandidentityinbuildingastrongbrand.AccordingtoKuhnetal.(2008)intheB2Bcontextbrandspossessimages,associationsandperceptionofvalue,butinitialawarenessandassociationareoften achieved by direct contact with company salespeople. Kim & Hyun (2009) suggest that acompanyimageisinfluencedbytheprocessofproduct,price,distributionchannel,advertising,after-sales service concerning environment and employee attitude. Kuhn et al. (2008) discuss the vitalimpactdistributionnetworkshaveonbrandinginindustrialmarkets,makingtheroleofdistributorsparticularlyimportantinbuildingbrandequity.

Organizationsingeneralhaveabuyingcentrethatconsistsofnumbersofpeoplewhichimpactthepurchasedecisionandmakestheprocessmorecomplexed.Sincemembersofthebuyingcentrehavedifferent needs, views of the purchase situation and buying criteria. Awareness of the brand cantherefore reduce the collected information necessary for a purchase decision in buying centre’s(Homburg, 2010). According to the study that Kuhnet al. (2008) performed, they saw that in thetechnologicalindustrytheawarenessofthemanufacturersbrandnameswasshowntobestrongerthan awareness of the product brand themselves and that majority of respondents list moreassociationswhen asked about themanufacturers thanwhen asked about the individual productbrand.

Keller(2009)explainsthesecondstep,establishingbrandmeaningbylinkingtangibleandintangiblebrandassociations.Brandmeaningiscategorizedineitherfunctionalorabstractassociations.Kuhnetal.(2008)suggestthatthesecondstep,whichincludesblockperformanceandreputationintheCBBEmodel,arethecomponentsthatcreatebrandvalue.Inindustrialcontext,itevolvesaboutthecompanysupportservices(betweentheserviceproviderandcustomer)andthecompanyreputation

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inB2Bcontext.Kuhnetal.(2008)statesthattherearesomeattributes inbrandassociationintheindustrialpurchasingprocessthatshouldbeincludedsuchastechnicalcapability,deliveryreliabilityandresponsiveness.Itappearsthatquality,reliability,performanceandserviceareprimaryfactorsforbuildingbrand loyalty in industrial context. Kim&Hyun (2009) show that company reputationaffectspurchase intentiondirectly aswell as indirectly through theperceivedqualityoffering in abusinessinsurancemarket.

Keller(2009)explainsthethirdstep,brandresponse,representopinionsandevaluationofthebrandbasedonacombinationofassociationsidentifiedinbrandmeaning.Kuhnetal.(2008)explainsthatinaB2Bcontextbrandresponseisdividedintotwoblocks,judgementsandsalesforcerelationship.Thesejudgmentsincludeoverall:

Ø QualityØ CredibilityØ ConsiderationØ Superiority

AccordingtoKuhnetal.(2008)industrialbrandmanagementhavemorecustomeremphasisonrisk-reduction than on expressive benefits. Furthermore, organizations that increases their brandawareness will reduce the perceived risk for customer, hence organizations should know thatcustomerthatknowthebrandismorelikelytopurchasethanpeoplewithoutjudgements(Homburg,2010).Beforeformingajudgmentofaproduct,peoplegenerallywantedsomeformofdemonstrationorexposure(Kuhnetal.2008).Biedenbach&Marell(2010)alsostatethatproducttrialisapowerfultoolfortheformationofbrandbeliefsandattitudes,andthatbrandbeliefsisconvertedfromdirectexperiencewhicharestrongerthanthosegeneratedbyindirectexperiencesuchasadvertising.Kuhnetal.(2008)furtherexplainthatpeopletakeintoconsiderationtheexperiencesofothersinformingtheir brand judgment. Experience of other people have therefore effect on the buying-process,becausebuyersprefertobuyabrandthatisassociatedwithhighawarenesslevels(Homburg,2010).

AccordingtoKuhnetal.(2008)study,credibilitywasoneelementidentifiedasbeingakeyfactorintheB2Bcontext.Kim&Hyun(2009)explainthatgoodcorporateimageislikelytogivetrustworthinessandcredibility to industrialbuyer,which in turn leads toan increase in theperceivedqualityof abrand.AccordingtoKuhnetal.(2008)study,respondentsidentifycredibilityintechnologyindustryprimarilywithmanufacturerandspokeabouttheirrelationshipwithcompanyrepresentatives.

AccordingtoKuhnetal.(2008),thesalesforceisamajorbrand-buildingtoolforB2Bmarketers.Abuyer’spurchasechoicedependsnotonlyontheirassessmentoftheproduct’sfunctionalbenefits,butalsoontheirevaluationofthecompany’ssalespeople.Kim&Hyun(2009)explainsthat initialawareness and association of a brand are often achieved by direct contacts with salespersons inbusinessmarkets.ThisisfurtherstatedinthestudycollectedbyKuhnetal.(2008)whenaskedabouttheir relationship with the brand, respondents spoke about their relationship with companysalespeopleforemost.However,theycontinuetostatetheimportanceofhavingtheabilitytocontactcompany representatives in each business area, followed by after-sales service and staff honesty(Kuhnetal.,2008).

Thefinalstepinthepyramidiswherebrandresponseisconvertedtocreateanintense,activeloyaltyrelationshipbetweencustomersandthebrand(Kuhnetal.,2008).ThisiscalledPartnershipsolutions

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byKuhnetal. (2008),andoriginally it isdescribedashavingfourkeyelementsaccordingtoKeller(2009):

Ø BehaviouralloyaltyØ AttitudinalattachmentØ SenseofcommunityØ Activeengagement

AccordingtoKuhnetal.(2008)thereisalackofresearchthatsupportstheexistenceofattitudinalattachment and a sense of community in industrialmarkets, although there is evidence of activeengagement.AccordingtoKuhnetal.(2008)studyexplainsthatbehaviouralloyaltyappearedtobemoreconsequentialofthecontractperiodthananythingelse,withrespondentsstatingaftercontractperiodendedtheywouldreviewallproductstodeterminewhichwouldbestmeettheirneedsattherightprice.Kuhnetal.(2008)statesthatcustomerloyaltygeneratingfactorshavealsobeenfoundtobe of importance to the success of industrial brands.Unlike B2Cmarkets, the gain or loss of fewcustomerscansignificantly impactan industrialmanufacturer’sbottomloyalty.Kim&Hyun(2009)alsoexplainsthatactivitiessuchasorderprocessing,coverageanddeliverycanaffecthowacustomerperceivequalityandbrandloyalty.Ifthereisastrongbrandloyaltytothebrand,thewillingnesstocommunicateaboutthebrandandmakebrandreferralsiscommon(Kuhnetal.,2008).Therefore,theexperienceoftheotherusersplaysacriticalroleduringthedecision-makingprocess,buthowevernotpost-purchase.AccordingtoKuhnetal.(2008)customergenerallydon’twanttoinvestmoretime,energyorotherresourcestogettoknowthebrandbetterbeyondthoseexpendedduringpurchaseandconsumption.

2.5 Brand Equity with Social Media Marketing

Andzulis et al. (2013) state that companiesmust viewcurrent socialmediaapplicationas a living,dynamicprocess.Socialmediamarketingisastrategythatwillrequiresubstantialcommitmentandcontinuousmonitoringoveralongerperiodtohavevisibleresults(Neti,2011).Infact,parallelstotheadoptionofthe internetbycompanies justoveradecadeagocaneasilybedrawn(Andzulisetal.,2013).However,socialmedia’sroleandimplementationateachstepofthesalesprocessmustalwaysbedeterminedwithakeeneyeandearonthecustomer.

Fromacustomer-basedbrandequityperspective,marketingcommunicationsactivitiescontributetobrand equity and drive sales inmanyways: by creating awareness of the brand, linking the rightassociationstothebrandimageontheconsumermemory,elicitingpositivebrandjudgementsand/orfacilitatingastrongerconsumer-brandconnection(Keller,2009).AccordingtoAshley&Tuten(2015)statethatmarketerscategorizesocialmediaasabrandingcommunicationchannelfirstandforemost.Therefore,socialmediaactivitiescanincreasebrandawareness,customerengagement,loyaltyandgood brand image which not only attracts more attention, interests, and contact from potentialconsumers,butalsoincreasesconsumersatisfactionandpositivewordofmouth(Kim&Hyun,2009;Ashley&Tuten,2015).

Socialmediasitescontainingusergeneratedcommentsandreviewthatcanaffectthecreationofthebrand,providingcompanieswithgreatereffectivenessincommunicationprocessfortheirgoodsandservices(Callarisa,Garcia,Cardiff,&Roskchina,2012).Tohelpbuildorcreatebrandidentity,meaning,responsesandrelationship,marketerscandiffertheircommunicationstrategiesintheirattempttofindwhatmotivatesaudience toengagewith thebrand (Swani,Brown,&Milne,2013).However,

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marketersmustselectappropriatecommunicationstrategiesonsocialmediatostimulateaudiencesto engage with their brand messages. Furthermore, Keller (2009) points out that marketingcommunications activities must be integrated to deliver a consistent message and achieve thestrategic positioning. Also, Callarisa et al. (2012) understate that in order to fully understand thepotentialsocialmediamarketing is to firstlycapitalizeonthebenefits itcangenerate;secondly, itdependsonthewillingnessandabilitytorespondefficientlyandeffectivelytocriticismspublishedbyreviewers.

2.5.1 B2B Brand Equity with Social Media Marketing Communication

Beforeafirmcanenterthesocialmediaarena,itmustdeterminetheappropriategoalsassociatedwithsocialmediaimplementation(Andzulisetal.,2013).AccordingtoNeti(2011)companiesshouldnotjustjumpontothebandwagonbecauseeveryoneelseisdoingit.Themarketneedstobeanalysedtounderstandwhethertheirbrandwouldbenefitfromsocialmediamarketing.However,companiesmustalsoidentifyandunderstandthevaluepropositionforthecustomer,notjustthefirm(Andzulisetal.,2013).ThisgoesinlinewithwhatKuhnetal.(2008)saidaboutthefirstblock(salienceofthemanufacturer’sbrand)intheCBBEmodel.Firststepinbuildingastrongbrandfororganizationsistoensurethecorrectbrandidentity.Hence,organizationsneedtoanalyseandidentifythetargetmarketwhichreflectintheirownmarketstrategiesandobjectives.

After receiving the information about what customers want, marketers need to analyse thatinformation so that organizations canbegin the initial selectionofwhich types of socialmedia topursueandputtopriority(Andzulisetal.,2013).Kaplan&Haenlein(2010)addressestheimportanceof choosing your audience, it depends on the target group that the organizationswant to reach.However, if time isnotenough toparticipate inall socialmediaplatforms,organizationsneeds tochooseacertainplatformbecause“beingactive”isonekeyrequirementofsuccess.Also,Andzulisetal.(2013)explainthatorganizationsneedtoaskyourselfasorganizationsquestionslike;arecustomersimply lookingforaforumtobetterunderstandproductorservice?Dotheywantto interactwithexperiencedcustomers toallay theirown fearsbeforemakinga capital investment? Or, are theyperhapslookingforloyaltyrewardsforchoosingtokeepbusinesswithonecompanyoveranother?Thesearejustafewexamplesoftypesofquestionsacompanymustfaceintheapproachuseofsocialmedia.

ThesecondstepintheCBBEisperformanceandreputationofthecompany,infactreputationinB2Bisconsideramajorfactor(Kuhnetal.,2008).Socialmediacanaffectthereputationbypeoplesharingoptionsandcontentcreation informationfromthecompany.For instance,WOM(word-of-mouth)serves asone sourceof information for consumers in thepurchase-decisionmakingprocess, as itprovides informationonproductperformanceand the socialandpsychological consequencesofapotential purchase decision through interactions with other experienced customer (Hutter et al.,2013).AlthoughindustrialproductshavemoreemphasisonthephysicalperformanceandpersonalsellingthaninB2C,wherepsychologicalattributesandadvertisingarecriticalforsuccess(Jussilaetal.,2014).However,sinceconsumersarefamiliarwiththesourceofWOM,thereceivedinformationisreliable,credibleandtrustworthy.WOMisthereforeasourceofinformationthatismoreeffectiveininfluencingconsumer’sdecision-makingthanothermarketingcommunicationchannels.(Kuhnetal.2008).

AccordingtoHoutarietal.(2015)atop-downblogforinstancecanenhancecorporatecredibilityandtrustbysharingwell-consideredopinionsaboutacompanyandgiveoutsidersnewinsightaboutthe

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corporateculture.Also,thattheauthenticityismoreimportantthanthenumberofbloggerswhichisnecessary for success. Rapp et al. (2013) explain the power of social influence in the buyer-sellerrelationship,where brand reputation ismeasured using relational elements, such aswhether thebrandappearstrustworthy,reputableandhonestintheclaimsitmakes.Forretailersandconsumers,brandreputationisasought-afterresourcethatcanthatcanenhancethelikelihoodofsocialmediausageacrosscommunicationplatforms.

With the wide range of communication options and constant availability, social media offerspossibilitiestoenhanceoverallinformationcommunicationwithcustomerforsalespeople(Agnihotrietal.,2016).Andzulisetal.(2013)continuewiththeimportancethatsalesandmarketingfunctionssynchronizewith their strategicand tacticalactivities tocreate,deliverandcommunicatesuperiorcustomer value. Social media must be managed as a joint communication between sales andmarketing.Inthisregard,socialmediacanoperateasatechnologythatthesalesforcecanusetobuildnetworksandbettercommunicateinformation(Agnihotrietal.,2016).Andzulisetal.(2013)alsostatethatsocialmediacannotbemanagedbyonepartofthebusinesswithoutinput,orimpact,onotherelements of the firm. Social media needs this divisional and functional collaboration to meetcustomers demand of satisfaction, attention, service and problem resolution. If they get it, thecustomerwillbecomeadvocateandsharetheirpositiveexperiences,theimplicationofsocialmediais therefore connected to organizations reputation. However, the information needs to becommunicated accurately and clearly, the customerwill not be satisfied even if the knowledge iscorrect(Agnihotrietal.2016).

AccordingtoAndzulisetal.(2013)thegoalistoincludemembersofeveryfunctionalunitinthefirmfromthebeginning,tobesuretocommunicatewhatisbeingdevelopthroughouttheorganizationastheeffortsprogress.Whenemployeesunderstandthattheirpositionsarenotatrisk,thatsocialmediaisthestrategythatcanbindtheorganizationgoingforwardtheywillunderstandandappreciatetheflexibilityandbenefitsthatsocialmediabringtothefirm.Theycannotbepushedtothatconclusionhowever,theymustbeprovidedwiththeinformationneededtofeellikeavaluedpartoftheprocessso that they can come to accept and respect it in their own terms. According to Houtari (2015)employees can engage actively in content creation for their company by participating in onlineconversations,however,employeeparticipationcanprovideindirectinfluencefromtheperspectiveofmarketers.

Neti (2011)argues that socialmediaplatformsshouldbeusedasa tool thatcreatesapersonalitybehind theirbrandandcreates relationships thatotherwisemaynevergain.This createsnotonlyrepeat-buyers, but customer loyalty. According to Andzulis et al. (2013), personal and businessrelationshipsarebuiltontrust,andsocialmediaoffersaforumforcustomerstobeheardon.ThisgoesinlinewiththelaststepintheCBBE,partnershipsolutions,wherebrandresponseisconvertedtocreatealoyalrelationship(Kuhnetal.,2008).Neti(2011)alsostatesthateverythingthathappensonsocialmediachannelsisfoolproof,companiescannotfakeauthenticityinanattempttogetmorepeopleinvolved.Opinionsarethereforetakenseriouslyonsocialmediaandthemoreauthoritativethecompaniesget,themoreseriouslytheyaretaken.Sinceopinionsthatarecommunicatedbetweenmembersofaconsumercommunitycanberegardedasaformofelectronicwordofmouth,theymaythereforehaveanimpactonconsumer’sattitudesandbehaviours(McCarthy,Rowley,Ashworth,&Pioch,2014).Andzulisetal.(2013)statethatsuccessfulcompaniesofsocialmediautilizationreward

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their loyal customer with discounts or other benefits for formally becoming fans, providinginformationtothecompanyorevenforsimply“checkingin”whentheyvisit.

2.5.2 B2B Brand Equity with Social Media Marketing Communication for SME

Derhametal.(2011)suggestthatSMEsarenotahomogeneousgroup,butratherthattheyalterinmanyways.SME-owner-managersdifferfromeachother forexample intheirageandeducationallevel,theirdegreeinentrepreneurship,theirbusinessgoalsandattitudetosocialmedia.Additionally,manyof thedecisionmakers inSMEsmaynotbegovernedby typicalbusinessobjectives suchasprofit,growthandcompetitiveadvantagebutmorebysocialandfamilymotives,suchasmaintainingpersonalidentityorfamilyconnections.

Although,accordingtoHirvonen&Laukkanen(2016)explainthattheunimportantroleofbrandinginB2Bfirmsisbecauseoftheiruncertaintyaboutthepositiveeffectsofbrandingontheirfinancialgains.ThisisespeciallytrueforSMEsfortheuseofsocialmedia.However,Michaelidouetal.(2010)explainthat insocialnetworktheoryforB2Bfirms,socialnetworksare important forthesurvivalofsmallfirmsandcriticalincompetingwithlargerbusiness.Additionally,accordingtoDerhametal.(2011)web2.0andsocialmediaprovideSMEswithanopportunitytoovercomedifficultiessuchaslackofskills,resourcesandtechnicalknowledgecomparewithlargerfirms.Furthermore,socialmediahastheadvantageforSMEstostandoutoftheircompetition,andtheopportunityfor“giftedamateurs”tocompetewithlargerorganizations.AccordingtoJussila(2014)aresocialmediaplatformssuchasLinkedIn or Facebook-like a natural choice for SME companies in the beginning of social mediaadoption.Fortheirrelativeeaseofuse,perceivedadvantagesandcompatibilitytocurrentuserneedsandsystemswhicharemajorfactorsinorganizationaladoptionofinnovations.

AccordingtoDurkin,McGowan,&McKeown(2013)hastheadventofsocialmediashiftedinmanywaystothegenerationandmaintenanceoftrustandcommitment,ithasbecomemoreimpersonalandmoreremotelyfacilitated.ThishaspresentedSMEcompanieswithanewsetofopportunitiesbutalso challenges suchashow to invest in thedevelopmentofpersonal relationshipandhow theserelationshipscanbefound,fosteredandmaintained.AnotherchallengethatSMEcompaniesmustovercome is theadoptionof socialmedia, fromthe studyconductedbyDurkinetal. (2013) smallcompaniescouldperceivesocialmediamoreasathreatthanopportunity.

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2.6 Frame of Reference

To visualize the relationship between the research question of the study and the relevant theorypresentedintheliteraturereview,aframeofreferencehasbeencreated.Thepurposeoftheframeofreferenceistoprovideaselectionofliteratureandshowhowtheyareconnectedtotheresearchquestion.Therelevantpeer-reviewarticlesusedintheliteraturereviewhavebeenrevolvingaroundtwomajorareas,brandequityandsocialmedia.Theliteraturehasalsopresentedsometheoreticalmodels that can be used for practice. Furthermore, the literature has discussed the relationshipbetween the two areas in consideration to the business-to-business context and also for SMEorganizations. The frame of reference will constitute a base in collecting and analysing the dataconnectedtotherelevantvariableoftheresearchquestion.

ResearchQuestion

WhatfactorsforSMEcompaniesinB2BareofimportancewhenconsideringbrandequityinSocialmedia?

2.6.1 The Selection of Theoretical Basis

Theliteraturereviewcoversallthetheoreticalaspectsrelevanttotheresearch.However,toanswerthe research question only the most suited theories will be selected. Therefore, this conceptualframeworkisbasedontheliteraturethatiscentraltotheresearchquestionandwillcreateaguideforfurtherdatacollection.Basedontheresearchquestiontheframeofreferencewillcapturetwomajorareas,brandequityinB2BandsocialmediamarketinginB2B.

The research purpose is to explore and describe how to enhance brand equitywith socialmediamarketingforB2Bcompanies.InthebrandequityinB2B,thedifferencesandopportunitiesofbrandequityintheB2BcontextisdescribedandcomparedtotheB2C.Kuhnetal.(2008)isaconsiderablecontributor tobrandequity in theB2B context, thebaseof the research is todiscuss thegeneralincreaseoftheconceptofbrandequityinB2B.Leek&Christodoulides(2011)researchisasupporttoKuhn, inorderto identifytheopportunitiesforbrandequity inB2B.Aaker’sbrandequitymodel isintroducedtounderstandtherelationshipbetweenAaker’sbrandequitydimensions,however,inB2BbrandequitytheresearchwewillfocusonisKeller’scustomer-basedbrandequity.Furthermore,Kuhnetal.(2008)introducesamoredetailedmodelofKeller(1993)customer-basedbrandequity,whichwillbeapplied in thedatacollectionandadopted in thesocialmediaperspective.Thesteps fromidentitytorelationshipinKuhnetal.(2008)CBBEmodelwillbeinvestigatedandmeasuredfurtherinthisresearch.

For the socialmedia aspect in B2B brand equity, this researchwill try to combine the twomajorresearchareasandexploreanddescribehowtheyareconnected.The intention is toexplorehowKuhnetal.(2008)CBBEmodelforB2Bcompaniesisconnectedtosocialmediamarketing.Andzulisetal. (2013) contributes to social media implications to brand equity and Agnihotri et al. (2016)contributestosocialmediaimplicationstoB2Bsales.While,Derhametal.(2011)explainshowSMEorganizationcanutilizesocialmediainaneffectiveapproach.Thischaptertrytoidentifyaspectsfrompreviouslychaptersandputthemintoasocialmediaperspectiveinordertoidentifyfactorsrelevanttotheresearchquestion.

TheframeworkforthisresearchissummarizedinTable1below.

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Table1:Conceptualizationandmeasurementoftheframeofreference

Concept Conceptdefinition

Measurement Reference

BrandequityinB2B BrandequityinB2B

-TheimportanceofbrandsinB2B

Kuhnetal.(2008),Leek&Christodoulides(2011)

BrandequityinB2BcomparetoB2C

Brandequityinconsumerandbusinessmarkets

-PerceptionofB2BbrandingvsB2CBranding

Kuhnetal.(2008),Leek&Christodoulides(2011)

Brandawareness Silencetothemanufacturer

-Brandawarenessonpurchasedecision

Kuhnetal.(2008)Keller(1993)

Brandassociation Reputation -Descriptionofbrandassociationonpurchasedecision-Perceptionofbrandassociationfactors,functionalorabstract


Brandperformance Performance -Perceptionaboutabrandperformance-Preferencesoffactorinbrandperformance


Perceptionofquality Judgements -Perceptionofexposer Kuhnetal.(2008)Keller(1993)

Salesforce Salesforcerelationship

-Descriptionofsalesforceonpurchasedecision-Perceptionofthefirstcontact-Salesforcecontributiononbrandawareness/association-Theperceptionwithrestofthecompanyemployees


Brandloyalty Partnershipsolutions

-Descriptionofbrandloyaltyonpurchasedecision-Theperceptionofbrandloyaltyaftercontractperiodhasexpired-Perceptiononrecommendbrands


SocialMedia Socialmediause -Descriptionofsocialmediaonpurchasedecision-B2Bperceptionofsocialmedia

Agnihotrietal.(2016)Netietal.(2011)

B2Bbrandequitysocialmedia

Marketingwithinsocialmedia

-Descriptionofbrandawarenessinsocialmediaeffectonsales-Perceptionofbrandloyaltyinsocialmedia

Andzulisetal.(2013)

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-Understandingthetrustworthinessofsocialmediainformation

Sales force utilizationofsocialmedia

Salesforceuseofinformationtechnology

-Perceptionofsalesforceonsocialmedianetwork-Descriptionofsalesforceutilizationonsocialmedia-Understandtrustworthysocialmedia

Agnihotrietal.(2016)

Contentsharing User-generatedcontentcreation

-PerceptionofusefulnessofcontentsharingbypublicinB2B

Houtarietal.(2015)

Brand loyalty in socialmedia

Customerloyaltyonsocialmedia

-Perceptionofsocialmediarelationship

Netietal.(2011)

SocialmediaforSME SocialmediainaSMEperspective

-Understandingofcompetitorsonsocialmedia-PerceptionofSocialmediarevenues

Derhametal.(2011)

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Chapter 3 Methodology & Research Approach In this chapter, the researchmethodology and research design are presented given the researchpurposeandquestion.Additionally,theappropriatemethodologyshouldbeselectedinconcerntoresearch approach, research purpose, research strategy, data collection, literature approach,observations,interview,archivaldata,sampleselection,dataanalysis,reliability&validity.

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3.1 Overview of Methodology

Theoverviewofthemethodologyisexplainedinthetable2below.Theremainingpartofthemethodologychapterhavebeentodescribethepurposebehindeachselectedmethodapproach.

Table2:AnoverviewofMethodology

Methodology SelectedMethodologyResearchApproach Deductive&Qualitative

ResearchPurpose ExploratoryDescriptive

ResearchStrategy CaseStudyDataCollection Semi-StructuredInterviewsSampleSelection Non-probability,sixinterviewcasesDataAnalysis Patternmatching

3.2 Research Approach

AccordingtoSaunders,LewisandThornhill(2007)dependingontheresearchpurposethereistwomainresearchapproaches;deductiveorinductive.

Deductive approach is when the researcher has developed theories and hypothesis to design aresearchstrategytotest thesehypotheses.Deductive is thesuperiorresearchapproach innaturalsciences, where laws present the foundation of explanation. Inductive approach, is when theresearcherwouldcollectdataanddevelop theoryasa resultofdataanalysis. (Saunders, Lewis,&Thornhill,2007)Ininductiveresearch,theresearcherfirstobservestheproblemwithanopenmind,identifies pattern from the observations, sets up tentative hypothesis, and finally correlateshypothesistoexistingtheoryordevelopnewsetoftheory(Runeson,Höst,Rainer,&Regnell,2012).

Theaimofthisresearchistoanswertheresearchproblemandpurposewithadeductiveresearchapproach.DeductiveresearchbecausethisstudyaimstomakeuseofexistingtheoriesinB2Bbrandequityandsocialmediamarketinginsupportingtheresearchpurpose.AvisualizeddeductiveresearchapproachisexplainedinFigure7below,whichisadaptedfromRunesonetal.(2012).

Figure6:DeductiveApproachSource:AdaptedfromRunesonetal.(2012)

TheresearchpurposeistoexplainhowSMEorganizationscanenhancebrandequityinsocialmediamarketingwithinB2B.Therefore,havethisstudyformulatedthetheoriesfromthetwomainresearchareas to answer the research question. Furthermore, the conceptual theoretical framework wasconductedwiththepurposeoffindingandexploringtheunderstandingofthesubject.

AccordingtoSaunders(2007)theresearchstudycanbedividedintotwocategorize;QualitativeandQuantitative.

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Qualitativedataisreferredtoallnon-numericdataordatathathavenotbeenquantified.Itcanbeeverythingfromashortlistofresponses,open-endedquestionsinanonlinequestionnairetomorecomplexdatasuchastranscriptsofin-depthinterviewsorentirepolicydocuments.AccordingtoDavid&Sutton(2011)quantitativehowever,hasmoreemphasizeonthequantificationofthecollectionofdata.Thisdatawillbeofnumericalbased,wherethecollectionofdataisverystandardized.Dataformaquantitativeperspectivecanrangefromsimplecountstomorecomplexdatasuchastestscores,andthedistributionofthecollectionusuallycomesfrommailorwebbasedquestionnaires.

Inourresearchstudy,theaimwastogainin-depthknowledgeabouttheresearchproblem.Thedatacollectionhasthereforebeenconductedthroughinterviewsandhavebeenexpressedinwordsforfurtheranalysis.Interviewshavebeenanimportantinformationdatasourcethroughouttheresearchprojecttoexplorethefundamentalproblem.Theresearchchoiceofusinginterviewsasthecollectionofdatacontributesthattheresearchapproachisbestsuitedforaqualitativedatacollection.

3.3 Research Purpose

AccordingtoSaunders(2007)therearethreedifferentclassificationsthatresearchpurposecantakeExploratory,DescriptiveandExplanatory.Astudycanbedependedononeoftheseclassification,oracombinationofthem.

Exploratorystudiesaretryingtofindoutwhatisgoingoninasituationintheabsenceofpreviousremark (David & Sutton, 2011). It is particularly useful when the researcher wish to clarify theunderstandingofaproblem,suchasiftheresearcherisunsureoftheprecisenatureoftheproblem(Saunders, Lewis, & Thornhill, 2007). There are three principal ways of conducting exploratoryresearch; a searchof the literature, interviewing “experts” in the subject, conducting focus groupinterviews. The advantage for exploratory research is that it is flexible and adaptable to change.Furthermore,whenconducting this typeof research the researchermustbewilling tochange thedirectionasaresultofnewdatathatappearandnewinsightsthatoccurtoyou.

ForDescriptive studies the aim is to portray an accurate profile of persons, situations or events(Saunders,Lewis,&Thornhill,2007).Descriptiveresearchisoftenusedasaforerunnertoapieceofexploratory researchor apieceof explanatory research. Therefore, it is necessary tohavea cleardescriptionofthephenomenaonwhichtheresearcherwishtocollectdatapriortothecollectionofthedata.

Explanatory studies are best suited when the researcher want to establish causal relationshipbetweenvariables(Saunders,Lewis,&Thornhill,2007).Theemphasistothisapproachisonstudyaproblemorasituationinordertoexplaintherelationshipbetweenvariables.

Basedonthenatureoftheresearcharea,thisstudycanbedescribedasExploratoryDescriptive.TheresearchproblemwhichweaimtoexamineandexploreistheB2Bbrandequitywithinsocialmediamarketing.Theproblemarea isquiteunknown toprevious research,brandequity in socialmediamarketinginB2Bhasnotbeenwrittenaboutandislackinginresearch.Therefore,contributiontoanexploratoryapproach.However,itisalsoadescriptiveinthatsenseitaimstoportrayhowpersonsdescribeactualsituations.

3.4 Research Strategy

According toSaunders (2007) theresearchstrategythatwillbechosen isguidedbyyour researchquestionsandobjective.Thereisnoresearchstrategythatissuperiorthentheother.Someofthesestrategiesare;casestudy,experiment,survey,actionresearch,archivalresearchandethnography.It

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should be emphasised that no strategy ismutually exclusive, it is possible to usemore than onestrategyortocombinedtwooftheminordertocollecttherequireddata.

TheselectedresearchstrategyforcollectionofdataforthisstudyisCaseStudy,whichwillbeclarifiedfurther.Whenconsideringtheresearchquestion,thequestionistotestwith“how”thephenomenaisunderstood.Therefore,ourresearchstrategyandresearchquestionisbestsuitedforacasestudystrategy.

ACaseStudycanbedefinedas“astrategyfordoingresearchwhichinvolvesanempiricalinvestigationof a particular contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context using multiple sources ofevidence”(Saunders,Lewis,&Thornhill,2007,s.139).Saunders(2007)alsoexplainstheemphasisonthecontextwithinacasestudy,thebarriersbetweenthecontextandthephenomenonbeingwithinbeingstudiedarenotclearlyobvious.ACaseStudyisthereversestrategyofexperimental,wheretheresearchiswithinahighly-controlledcontext.Furthermore,itdiffersfromthesurveystrategy,wheretheabilitytoexploreandunderstandthiscontextislimitedbythenumberofvariablesthedatacanbecollected.

AccordingtoSaunders(2007)therearefourdifferentcasestudystrategiesbasedupontwovariousdimensions:

Ø Singlecasev.MultiplecaseØ Holisticcasev.Embeddedcase

Asinglecase referredtoSaunders(2007) isgenerallyusedwhere itrepresentsacriticalcaseor,auniqueorextremecase.Asinglecasemaybepreferredwhenitprovidesthestudywithanopportunityto analyse and observe a phenomenon that few have considered before.Multiple cases can beincorporatedasacasestudy,thatisclearlywhenthereismorethanonecase.Theemphasisforusingmultiplecasesistheneedtoestablishwhetherthefindingsofthefirstcasestudyandtheneedtogeneralisefromthesefindings.(Saunders,Lewis,&Thornhill,2007)

Saunders(2007)explainstheseconddimension,holisticv.embedded,referstotheunitofanalysis.Iftheresearcherhaschosenanorganizationwheretheresearcherhasbeenanemployeeoriscurrentlyemployedthere,andisconcernedwiththeorganizationasawhole,itisaHolisticCasestudy.Contrary,iftheresearcherisconsideringtheorganizationandexaminestheorganizationssub-unitswithinandanalysethem,thenitisanembeddedcasestudy.(Saunders,Lewis,&Thornhill,2007)

Forthisresearchstudy,amultiplecasestudyhasbeenselectedbecauseitprovidestheresearchwithanopportunitytoobserveandanalyseaphenomenonthatisunknown.Furthermore,amultiplecaseisoftenconductedwhentheresearchwanttoinvestigateifthefirstcasefindingsoccurinothercases.Thisresearchhasconducted interviewsonSymbrioscustomerandtheirperspectiveonB2BbrandequityinsocialmediamarketinginageneralperspectiveandnotontheirperspectiveonSymbrio.Furthermore, each respondent interviewedwere selected from different companies. Therefore, amultiplecasestudyistheappropriateapproach.

3.5 Company Background & Pilot Study

Inthefollowingsection,thedescriptionofthecompanySymbrioABwhichtheresearchprojecthasexecutedonwillbepresented.Furthermore,thepilotstudyoftheresearchwillbepresented.ThepilotstudyhasbeenconductedtogainfurtherunderstandingofchallengesanddifficultiesregardingtheliteraryconceptofB2Bsocialmediamarketing.Thepilotstudyhasbeenconductedononepersonthathasa relationshipwithSymbrioand isalsoacustomer to theorganization. Inconsiderationof the

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objective,togainknowledgeofthechallengesanddifficulties,themethodologyofthepilotstudywasdonethroughaninterview.

3.5.1 Company Background

SymbrioABisanorganizationthatwasfoundedin2000inStockholm,Sweden.Bythenitwentunderanothernamecalled“freesourcing”.However,duetocomplicationsaboutthenameandreplacementin the organizations “freesourcing”, the company changed name to Symbrio in 2009. Symbrio’sheadquartersisinStockholmwherethemajorityofthe32totalemployeesisstationed.Thatmeansthat Symbrio is an organization with between 1-50 employee, also known as SME. In 2015, theorganizationhadatotalannualrevenueon36millionSEK(Allabolag,2016).

3.5.2 Product

SymbriodeliversaMicrosoft-basedplatformforcompaniestohandletheirpurchasingand invoiceprocess,atypicalprocure-to-paysystem.Symbrio’ssystemthattheydelivertocustomer,purchasingandinvoiceprocess,isdescribedinFigureXbelow:

Figure7:Purchasingandinvoiceprocess

Symbrio’ssystemisspecialinthesensethatitcanmatchbusinessdocuments,thuscustomercanseethebestpricefortherightcontractterms.AlargemajorityofSymbrio’scustomerareoperatingwithinthemarketofconstruction,installationandelectricalbusiness.Thesecustomersrequirehugeamountoftransactionvolumesforthegreatamountofprojectstheyhave.This leadstocustomershavingsomedifficulties intimeandresourcescheduling,whichcausecustomerstomakesmallpurchasesandresultsinhugeamountofpurchaseordervolumes.Therefore,customerthatoperatesinlargeamountofprojectscanuseSymbrio’ssystemwithreducethesedeviationsthatoccur.

3.5.3 Customers

Today,thecompanycustomerbaseconsistsofover110customersspreadthroughoutfourNordiccountries,wherethemajorityofcustomersarebasedinSweden.Symbrio’scustomernetworkhavehadasnowballeffect,aftertheeventofsomerecruitingcustomersinonespecificindustryitbecameeasiertoattractmorecustomerinthesameindustry.Duetothis,Symbriohavebuilttheircompetitiveadvantageinthesemarkets.

3.5.4 Pilot Study Methodology

Toinvestigatetheproblemarea,whichistounderstandthechallengesanddifficultiesinB2BSocialMediaMarketing, aqualitative interviewhasbeenconductedona respondent in themarket thatsymbriooperatesin.ThepersonselectedfortheinterviewisapurchasingmanagerforacompanythathasarelationshiptoSymbrioandisalsoacustomer,thepersonisalsowellknownaboutSymbrioandhaveentailabouttheproductandthebrandinwhole.Observationshasalsobeenpartofthepilotstudytounderstandmoreaboutthecaseenvironment.

Customersplaceanorderfromtheir

preselectedsuppliers

Orderconfirmation

ontheselectedproducts

Deliverynotedescribingtheroutofshipping

Electronicinvoiceofthetotalcost

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3.5.5 Pilot Observation

AccordingtoSaunders(2007),participantobservationiswheretheresearchercommittoparticipatein the lives and activities of subjects and thus becomes a part of their group, organization orcommunity. Inthispilotstudy,observationhavebeenpartof theunderstandingof thecasestudyenvironment. Theextentof theobservationshasbeen conducted from regularmeetingswith theorganizationsemployees,weeklymeetingsregardingthecaseenvironment.

3.5.6 Pilot Study Interview

ThemajorityofSymbriocustomernetworkareinaindustrywheretechnologyadaptsslowly.Inthiscase, the respondent who got interviewed had some experience with social media and littleexperience with Symbrio’s social media, therefore B2B social media marketing. Although, theinterviewgavesomevitalunderstandingofthesituationandchallengesgoingforward.

Whenaskedhowthepurchasingmanagerusedsocialmedia,thiswashisanswer:

“Iusedtolookandsometimessharecontent,butmostofthetimewhenIputupsomecontentitsforpersonalreason.WhenIusesocialmediaforbusinessreasonsitsgenerallynotalot,however,whenourcompanyputoutsomecontextmostoftheemployeeshelpthecompanyto“like”indifferentsocialmediaplatformsinordertohelpthecompanysocialmediasitestohaveabetterchanceon

reachingpeopleoutsidethecompany.”

WhenaskedwhatSymbrioshoulddointheirsocialmediatoreachmoretopeoplehesaid:

“Symbrio’sproductisverycomplexandgeneralitisalong-terminvestment,andIbelievethatifacustomerwhoareinterestedinbecomingacustomershouldwanttoexpectthatSymbrio’ssocial

mediaexpresstrustandloyalty.”

3.5.7 Pilot Study Analysis

The intention with this pilot study was to provide information to a better understanding of thechallengesanddifficultiesaboutB2Bsocialmediamarketing.However,theinformationbeforethestudywaslimitedandthepeoplewhowerepossibletointerviewusessocialmediainasmallamount.This isgeneralproblemintheindustrywheretheresearchisconductedin,whichhavebeamajordifficultygoingforward.Although,thepersoninterviewedsoundedpositivetotheuseofsocialmediainB2Bmarketing.

Therespondentinterviewedhassomeopinionsaboutthetopicandgavesomeinterestingknowledgetotheresearch.Thepurchasingmanagerwantedtheproductandperceivedbrandopiniontoreflectonthesocialmedia.Ifacompanyvisionistocreatelong-terminvestmentwithcustomer,theyneedtoreflecttrustandloyalty.ThisisimportantforcompaniesintheB2Bcontext,wheretheproductsaretypicallycomplexedandthepurchasingprocessinthiscontextislongerthaninB2C.

Thefindingsinthispilotstudyhaveimpacttheresearchgoingforward.Theinformationgatheredinthe interview correlate with the initial observation of themarket situation provided by Symbrio.Additionally,thepilotstudygavesomecrucialinformationabouttheperspectiveofB2Bsocialmediamarketinginthiscaseenvironment.

3.6 Data Collection Method

Saunders (2007) explains that there are two types of generating data by participant observation,PrimaryandSecondarydata.Primaryobservationiswhentheresearchwouldnotewhathappened

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orwhatwassaidbytherespondentatthetime.Secondaryobservationisstatementsbyobserversofwhathappenedorwassaid.

3.6.1 Questionnaire development

Whenconductingtheresearchquestionnaireguideforthequalitativecollection,themind-setofthisprocesswasto identifytheframeofreferencesofthisresearchtoestablishthecriticaltheoreticalareasthatneedstobeanswered.Additionally,afterthecriticaltheoreticalareasandmeasurementshavebeenestablished,thedevelopmentanddesigningofthequestionnaireguidewasconducted.Thedesignofthequestionswasestablishedfromidentifyingandadoptingfromthearticlesoftheframe of reference. Thereafter, determining the types of questions, length of the questionnaire,structure,preliminaryquestionsetc. Finally, testing thequestionnaireonanexternal individual tomakethelastchanges.

3.6.2 Interviews

Theresearch isconductingacasestudyasmention inresearchapproach,thereforethemaindatacollectionmethodforthisresearchhasbeeninterviews.Saunders(2007)explainsthattherearethreetypesofinterview:structuredinterview,semi-structuredinterviewandin-depthinterview.Accordingto David & Sutton (2011) structured interview is where the structure of the questionnaire andprocedureisidenticalfrominterviewtointerview.Thestructuredinterviewisbuiltonhighlevelsofreliabilityandstandardization.However, in semi-structured interviews, the researchermayhaveastructure of questions or topics to cover, but the researcher has a higher influence to steer theinterview.Finally,unstructuredinterviewiswheretheresearcherisemphasisingeachinterviewin-depth,theresearchistryingtohaveamoreindirectroleandstrivetolettherespondenttellhisorherstoryandhaveahigherdeterminationoftheflowoftheinterview.

Basedon the researchpurposeandquestions for this study,which is toexploreanddescribeB2Bbrand equity in social media a problem exploratory descriptive interview has been conducted.Therefore,exploringanddescribingtheproblemareaandtogaintheknowledgeneededtoformanin-depthanalysisofthetopic.Togainthesufficientunderstandingandknowledgeaboutthesefactors,semi-structured interviewshavebeenconducted.However,sincetheresearchhaveconductsemi-structuredinterviews,theinterviewguidehasaimtoguidetheinterviewerandthereforetheprocessoftheinterviewguideisnotstrict.Intable3belowisanoverviewoftheconductedinterviewsforthisresearch,whichwasexecutedthroughtelephone.

Table3:Anoverviewofconductedinterviews

Respondent Title Length TypeInteroc ProjectManager 51min A

APQ Partner,PurchasingManager 45min B

Mälarör ProjectManager,Purchasing 48min CONE StrategicPurchasingManager 53min DMidrock ERPManager 62min EVeidkke PurchasingManager 63min F

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3.7 Literature Collection

TobuildatheoreticalframeofreferencethesearchforliteraturehasbeenconductedmanlyviaLuleåUniversityoftechnology.Thereasonresearchhasbeenconductedontheuniversityistoreachdatabases such as google scholar, which is the data base that has beenmainly used throughout thisresearch.Findingtherelevantarticlestothisresearchhasbeendifficultinthatsincethatthereisaresearch gap between two research topics. Therefore, google scholar has been of great benefitregardingfindtherelevantarticles for theresearch.Wheretheresearchareahadenoughofwell-knownarticles,thefocushasbeenonthequalityofthearticleandhowmuchthearticlehavebeencited.However,where the research area of articles has been lacking the focus have beenon therelevanceofthearticletotheresearch.Belowarethemajorresearchareaspresentedanditskeywordofeacharea.

Table4:Databasekeywords

TheoryAreaKeyword

Socialmediamarketing

Socialmedia Socialmedia,socialmediamarketing,socialmedianetworking,socialmediaengagement,socialmediabrand

SocialmediainB2B SocialmediaB2B,socialmediabrandingB2B,socialmediasalesprocess

SocialmediaforSMEs SocialmediaSME,Socialmediasmallmediumenterprises

Brandequity Brandequity Brandequity,brandawareness,brandassociation,brandquality,brandloyalty

BrandequityinB2B BrandequityinB2B,brandequityinBusiness-to-Business,brandinginB2Bmarkets

Aakersbrandequitymodel Aaker’sbrandequitymodel,Aaker’sbrandequitymodelinB2B

CBBEmodel Customerbasedbrandequity,CBBEB2B,CBBEmodelinB2B

BrandEquitywithSocialMediaMarketing

BrandEquitywithSocialMediaMarketing

Brandequitysocialmediamarketing,Brandequitymarketingmix,Socialmediabranding

B2BBrandEquitywithSocialMediaMarketing

B2Bbrandequitysocialmediamarketing,Socialmediaeffectsonseller&retailerandconsumer

B2BBrandEquitywithSocialMediaMarketingforSMEs

BrandequityB2BsocialmediaSME,SocialmediaforSME

3.8 Sample Selection

Thesampleselectionofthisresearchhasbeenselectaccordingtotheappropriatedatacollection.Having decided that the researchwill conduct interviews as themain data source to answer theresearchquestions,theresearchhavetherebychosenthepropersampleselection.Furthermore,duetothelackoftimeandresourceforthisresearchproject,theselectionofsampleisevenmorecritical.

AccordingtoSaunders(2007)thesamplingtechniquescanbedividedintotwocategorize,probabilitysamples andnon-probability samples. Usually in survey’s or experimental research strategies theprobability sampling ismuchmore common, where the sampling gather data arise from random

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samplesofaknownpopulation.Non-probabilitysampleshowever, is theprobabilityof thegatherdatawhenthetotalpopulationisnotknownandrequiretheresearchtomakestatisticalinferencesaboutthecharacteristicsofthepopulation.Therefore,non-probabilitysamplesaremorefrequentlyusedwhenadoptingacasestudystrategy.Thisresearchprojecthasadoptedaqualitativestudy,asaresultnon-probabilitysamplehasbeenused.(Saunders,Lewis,&Thornhill,2007)

According to Saunders (2007) the sampling frame for any probability sample is important. Thesamplingframeisthecompletelistofthecasesfromwhichyoursamplewillbedrawninconsiderationtoyourresearchquestionandobjective.Therefore,thelistofcriteriaforthisresearchhasconductedthroughtheresearchquestion.Thefollowingcriteriawillbeused:

I. Theorganizationischaracterizedasasmall-mediumenterpriseII. Therespondentselectedisintheorganizationsbuyercentreorhasdeepknowledge

aboutpurchaseIII. Therespondentiswillingtoparticipateinthestudy

Accordingtotheresearchquestionandthelistofcriteria,SymbrioABhassuggestedsixrespondentsfromdifferent organizations.However, due to the lack of small-mediumenterprises, someof theselected respondents are employees in larger enterprises. Although, some are employees to thesubsidiarytothelargerorganization.Therefore,thistypeofsubsidiarycanbeconsideringasasmall-mediumenterprise.

3.9 Data Analysis

David&Sutton(2011)explainthatthereisnumberofprocedurestoanalysequalitativedatasuchasframework analysis, discourse analysis, narrative analysis, content analysis and grounded theory.Additionally, Saunders (2007) suggests that in practise several analytical procedures combineinductiveanddeductiveanalysisapproachesforqualitativedata.

Whenselectingtherightdataanalysismethodforthisresearchwhich isthesinglecasestudy,theresearchershouldtakeinconsiderationtotheresearchpurpose(Saunders,Lewis,&Thornhill,2007).Howeveraccording toRunesonetal. (2012), therearea fewthings that isgeneral forall typesofanalysis techniques in qualitative approach. The idea is to identify generalizations in terms ofrelationships, patterns, sequences etc. This is done through analysing the data by commenting,categorizing,codingandsummarizing.

Runesonetal.(2012)furtherexplainsthatthereareseveraltechniquesthatcanbeusedforanalysingqualitativedata,patternmatching,explanationbuilding,time-seriesanalysis,logicmodelsandcross-casesynthesis.Inthisresearch,thepatternapproachisdominating,thismeansthattheresearchwillusepatternmatchingforthedataanalysis.

3.10 Quality Standards

Thelastaspecttoconsiderrelatedtoresearchmethodologyisthecredibilityoftheresearchfinding.When conducting research, it can be difficult to know the answers to the research. However, byincreasingthequalityofawell-plannedresearchitcontributestoreducingthepossibilityofgettingthewronganswers.AccordingtoSaunders(2007)therearetwoparticularemphasesonreducingthepossibility of getting the wrong answer, which are reliability and validity. (Saunders, Lewis, &Thornhill,2007)

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3.10.1 Reliability

AccordingtoSaunders(2007),reliabilityreferstothedegreetowhichthedatacollectiontechniquesor analysis procedureswill yield consistent findings upon three categorizes.Which are; could themeasurements yield same results in other occasions, would other researcher come to similarobservationsandistheretransparencyinhowitisinterpretedfromtherawdata.Iftheanswerisyestoallthecategorize,thenthereliabilityisconsideredashighandviceversa.Furthermore,Saunders(2007)explainsthattherearefourthreatstoreliability.Theyare,subjectorparticipanterror,subjectorparticipantbias,observererrorandobserverbias.

Toensurehighreliabilityinthisresearchproject,thesampleselectedforthedatacollectionweresixrespondents at different organizations. All these respondents had deep knowledge about thepurchasingprocessandhowbrandseffect theirpurchasingdecision.The respondentswhichwereinterviewedhadfurtherbeeninformedabouttheresearchpurposeandareatoestablishthebasisfortheinterview.Thus,clarifyinganyconcernsaboutthefollowingquestions,confirmingthattheirnamesisgoingtobeanonymousintheresearchandtheestimatedtimeoftheinterview.Theconductinginterviewsweresetatatimewheretherespondentfeltlikehe/shehadthemostcomfortabletodothe interview. To make sure that no research bias or error occur, the questionnaire has beenconstructedfortherespondentstotalkfreelyaboutthesubjectandnottheirperspectiveofSymbrio.Furthermore,therespondentshave informedbeforehandthattheycouldexpress freelyaboutthequestionsandthatnoanswersareconsideredwrong.Although,inordertominimizepersonalbias,the structure of the predetermined questions was constructed to minimize the influence on therespondent’sanswers.

3.10.2 Validity

Validity on the other hand, according to Saunders (2007), is concerned with if the data findingsappearstobecorrectfortherightsituationthatiswassupposedto.Forexample,iftherelationshipbetweentwovariablesisacausalrelationship.

Toestablishvalidityforthisresearch,theresearcherhasclarifiedthattheinterviewisanonymousandthereforeconfirmingthattheresultsoftheresearchcannothaveanoppositeeffectonthemselves.Furthermore, the internal validity is confirmed through reviewing the interviewguide, in order toestablishthecorrectpurposeofthisresearchinreflectiontotheframeofreferenceandtheliteraturereview.Theinterviewguidehasbeencomparedwithsimilararticlesstudiesinthefieldtoverifythatthequestionscorrelateswiththeresearchpurposeareasothatthequestionsareperceivedcorrectly.Externalvalidityisconcernedwithhavingaresearchdesignthatcanbeequallyapplicabletootherresearchsettings,suchasotherorganizations(Saunders,Lewis,&Thornhill,2007).Inthisresearch,thecasestudywasconductedononecustomerfromsixdifferentcompany.However,theinterviewedrespondents are in markets such as installation and construction industries. Therefore, will thisresearchtrytoexplainwhat isgoingoninthisparticularsetting.However,therespondents inthisresearchhadsomedifficultiestoanswerquestionsaboutsocialmediamarketinginB2B,thiswasdueto their lack of understanding and knowledge about social media. Another factor to this lack ofunderstandingcanbetheageoftherespondents,werehalfoftherespondentswhereabove50yearsold.Although,thisresearchaimstounderstandthisindustrysomequestionsweretoocomplexedfortherespondentstoanswer.

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Chapter 4

Data Presentation & Analysis In this chapter, the results and analysis of data will be presented. The data presented has beencollectedthroughsixinterviewonSymbrioABcustomers.Theresearchquestioninthisstudywillbeansweredthroughthequalitativefindingspresentedinthischapter.

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Data presentation and analysis will be presented and categorized from the selected frame ofreference. The qualitative data has been answered with the support of the relevant literatureconductedthroughframeofreferences,withtheintentiontoanswertheresearchquestion,whichisstatedbelow:

ResearchQuestion


4.1 Brand Equity in B2B vs Brand equity in B2C

Kuhn et al. (2008) explain that there is an increase of branding in generally and brand equity inindustrialmarkets,andtheincreasehasoccurredbecausewhatbrandsmeanstoabuyercanbethedetermining factor in decidingbetween industrial purchase alternatives. This descriptionof brandequityinB2Bhasbeenconfirmedbytheinterviewers,majorityoftherespondentsclaimthatbrandinginfluencesindustrialmarkets.Whiletherespondentshavesomedifferentviewsonexactlywhatfactoriscriticaltotheimportanceofbranding,theyallagreeonthatbrandinghaveaneffectinindustrialmarkets.However,everyoneclaimsthatbrandinginB2BhavealowerprioritythaninB2C.

Asexplainedbyaninterviewer,inorderforasmallcompanytoincreaseinscalethecompanyhavetoworkwithbrandingtoincreasethebrandawareness.Byincreasingbrandawareness,itleadstomorecustomerreferenceswhichleadstoanincreasedestablishmentonthemarket.

4.2 Brand Awareness

Accordingtothemostinterviewers,B2Bbrandawarenessaffecttherespondentsintheirpurchasedecision.Evenwiththemostrationalmind-set,brandingandbrandawarenessofacompanyhaveasignificanteffectonthepurchasedecision.However,accordingtotherespondents,brandawarenessdoesnotdeterminethecompletepurchasedecision,brandawarenessisjustonefactorofmany.Thephenomenon of brand awareness and its importance is further explained in this quote fromintervieweeEbelow:

“Ifthereisanysupplierthatyouhaveneverheardof,youmaywonderwhy?Isitbecausethecompanyisneworhasthecompanyrenameditself.Thisleadstoaninformationgaptothecompany,acompanyyoumaynotknowanythingaboutit.That’swhybrandawarenessis

important.”

Therefore,iftheydon’trecognizeabranditseithertwothings,thecompanyisnewtothemarketorthecompanyhavechangeditsname.

Kuhnetal.(2008)discussthatbuyingcentreconsistsofnumbersofpeoplewhichimpactthepurchasedecision,thereforecanbrandawarenessreducethecollectedinformationnecessaryforapurchasedecision.Accordingtotherespondents,brandawarenessallowscompaniestomakeanameinthemarket and therefore have reduce information collection for purchase decision. However, if acompany is interested inaspecificproduct, thenatural thinggoingforward is tocontact thesalespeopleofthatcompanyandgathermoreinformationaboutit.

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Accordingtorespondents,creatingbrandawarenessinB2BmarketisrelativelyeasierthantheB2Cmarkets, because the target audience in B2C markets is higher in number than B2B. When thecompanyhaveestablishedbrandawareness foramarket ina specificgeographicalarea, then thestrategy is toexpandgeographicallyor to the targetaudiencewhere thecompanywant tocreatebrandawareness.

4.3 Brand association & Brand Performance

According to Keller (2009), brandmeaning is established by linking tangible and intangible brandassociations.Brandmeaning iscategorized ineither functionalorabstractassociations.Duringtheinterviews,therespondentsexplainedthatabstractassociations isnotanevaluationthateffecttomuchinthepurchasedecisionforB2Bcompanies,unlessthesupplier/customerworksinawaythatcompromises their own policies. Furthermore, interviewers explain the lack of interest regardingrecognizingandcollectionofinformationabouttheabstractassociations.Although,ifthecompany’scorevaluesdonotmatchhowthesalesrepresentativepresenttheproducttothebuyercentreinawaythatdonotliveuptheirownvalues,itcouldbackfire.

Thecoreassociationthattherespondentsallagreeonisthefunctionalassociations,wheretheprice,product, service and delivery reliability are themost important factors in brand associations. Therespondentsagreethatregardingthepriceofaproduct,theemphasisisonthetotalcostorthetotalvalueof thatpurchase, rather thanthe initialpriceofaproduct.ThiscanbedrawntoKuhnetal.(2008)explanationofthemostvaluableattributesinbrandassociationintheindustrialmarkets.Kuhnetal.(2008)recognizedthatthecompanysupportservices,deliveryreliabilityandqualitywheremoreimportantinindustrialmarket,whichsupportsthedescriptionfromtheinterviews.Accordingtotheinterviewers,theperformanceoffunctionalassociationscontributestothereputationforindustrialcompanies.

4.4 Perception of Quality

Biedenbach&Marell(2010)explainsthatproducttrialisapowerfultoolfortheformationofbrandbeliefsandattitudes,andthatbrandbeliefsisconvertedfromdirectexperiencewhicharestrongerthan those generated by indirect experience such as advertising. During the interview, therespondentsallagreeonthatbeforemakingapurchasedecisionofallkinds,butforemostincomplexpurchasedecision,producttrial isessential.Therefore,thisconcurwiththe literaturethatproducttrailisstrongerthanindirectexperiencesuchasadvertising.Therespondentsneedtomakeatotalevaluationoftheproduct inordertogoforward inthepurchasingprocess.Theyneedtoevaluateconcernsaboutproducttraining,informationgatheredfromsupplier,contactothercustomerusingtheproductorpersonalmeetingwithsalesrepresentative.

AccordingtoKuhnetal.(2008),peopletakeintoconsiderationtheexperiencesofothersinformingtheirbrandjudgment.Experienceofotherpeoplehaveeffectonthebuying-process,becausebuyersprefer to buy a brand that is associated with high awareness levels. During the interviews, therespondentsexplainedthattopurchaseanuntestedbrandoruntestedproductitcouldbefatalforanycompany.Therefore,contactingorgatherinformationfromotherswhoexperiencethebrandorproductiscrucialbeforeapurchasedecision.

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4.5 Sales Force

Kuhnetal.(2008)statethattheinitialrelationshipindividualshavewithabrandisrelatedwiththeirrelationshipwithcompanysalespeople.Accordingtotheinterviewers,therespondentsallagreetothatthesalespeoplehavesignificantinfluenceintheirpurchasedecision.Thesalespeoplehaveaninfluenceonitscustomerfromtheinitialcontacttolong-termrelationship.Theinterviewershaveallstrong opinions about the salespeople and how they should act. The general perspective is thatsalespeople should create trust amongst the people interested in purchase, be informative andknowledgeableaboutthebrand.Ifthesalespeoplecannotansweraquestionimmediatelyitdoesnotchangeanyperceptionofthecompany,however,ifthesalespeopledonotrespondquicklyenoughtheinterestofapurchasedecreases.

Kim&Hyun(2009)explainsthatinitialawarenessandassociationofabrandareoftenachievedbydirectcontactswithsalespersonsinbusinessmarkets.Accordingtotheinterviews,theperspectiveoftheinitialbrandawarenessisoftenachievedbythesalesperson.Alltheintervieweragreesthattheinitialcontactwithacompany’ssalespeopleisimportantinapurchasedecision,itcanmakethewholepurchaseprocesstoendifthesalespersondonotmeettheexpectationsofthecustomer.However,iftheproductisfavourabletothecompany,thepurchaseprocesscancontinuebycontactinganothersalesperson.Theinterviewersalsoexplainthattheinitialcontactwithasalespersondependonhowthefirstcontactarise, if thepurchasercontactedthesalespersontheconversation ismoremutualthanifthesalespersoncontactthepurchaser.

Furthermore,thesalespersonneedstobetransparenttothecompany’svalues.Thecompanyhavechosenthisindividualtorepresenttheminthispurchase,thereforethisindividualneedtopresentthecompany’sculture.Ifnot,themarketingperspectiveandthecompany’svalueswillcollidewiththeactualperspectiveofthecompanyandthereforelosethetrustforthecompany.

Accordingtotheliterature,Kuhnetal.(2008)explaintheimportanceofhavingtheabilitytocontactcompany representatives in each business area before a purchase decision. According to theinterviewers, this is dependent on the scale of the product or service.When considering a largecomplexedpurchase,itiscrucialtoidentifyandhaveaface-to-facemeetingwithindividualsrelatedtotheirbusinessareasinthecompany.Therespondentsexplainedthattheindividualsthattheyaregoingtoworkwithareequallyimportanttocomeincontactwith,ifthereisanegativefeelingabouttherelationshipitcouldaffectthepurchasedecision. Ifthisshouldoccur,companiescanpairwithsomeoneelse,themostimportantfactoristhatthesupplierdeliverswhattheyhavecommittedon.

4.6 Brand Loyalty

Kuhnetal.(2008)explainsthatbehaviouralloyaltyappearedtobemoreconsequentialofthecontractperiodthananythingelseandaftercontractperiodendedthepurchaserwouldreviewallproductstodeterminewhichwouldbestmeettheirneedsattherightprice.Duringtheinterview,therespondentsdescribedbehaviouralloyaltyasaprobleminindustrialmarket.Consequently,tocreateavaluablebusiness tradewithacompany it requires tohavestrong relationships tocooperate.According torespondents,loyaltycanbesplitupintotwocategories,oneistherelationshiployaltyandtheotherisvalueloyalty.Agoodrelationshipdoesnotaffectapurchasedecisionafterthecontractperiodhasended. However, as explained by respondents, if the supplier has created value which results inincreasedrevenues,itcouldinfluencefuturepurchasedecision.

The respondents explain that in the procurement stage relationship loyalty should not be adeterminedfactortothepurchasedecision.Therefore,ifsomeindividualshavearelationship,theyshouldbeexcludedfromtheprocurementstage.Therespondentsagreethattheoptimalprocess,

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after thecontractperiodhasended, is to reviewallpossiblesolutionsgoing forward.Occasionallycompaniescanhavepoliciesaboutthepurchaseprocess,whichcouldincludeaminimumnumberofdifferentpossibilitiestoconsideredbeforemakingadecision.

Kuhn et al. (2008) discuss that if strong brand loyalty appears to a brand, the willingness tocommunicateaboutthebrandandmakebrandreferralsiscommon.Accordingtotheinterviewers,therecommendationofabrandisconsequentialtothepersonthattheindividualisreferringto.Mostcommonly,iftheindividualhasstrongbrandloyaltytothebrandandisapersonthatusuallymakesrecommendationstoothers,thenthewillingnesstocommunicateaboutthebrandishigh.However,theinterviewersalsoaddresstheconcernwithrecommendingbrandstotheircompetingcompanies.Ifarecommendationcould jeopardizetheirowncompanytopotential risks, thentherespondentswouldbecarefulwithanyreferrals.

4.7 Social Media

AccordingtoNeti(2011),socialmediaismoreaboutinteractingwithpotentialcustomersthanselling.Althoughbusinessescanpromoteproductsandservices,socialmediahasmoreemphasisoncreatinganonlinecommunityofbrandenthusiastthroughallformsofsocialmedia(Erdogmus&Cicek,2012).Duringtheinterviews,thegeneralperspectiveaccordingtotherespondentswerethatsocialmediaisnotusedtoitsfullestpotentialintheB2Bcontext.Duetothelargeusabilityintheprivatesectortherespondents had a positive perspective to social media. However, in B2B purchase decisions theinterviewershaddifficultytoseeifsocialmediahadanyimpact.Therespondentssawsocialmediaasa technical tool for collecting information to purchase decision, it could enhance or confirm theperceptiontheyhadaboutthecompany.Furthermore,socialmediahastheopportunitytoincreasetheperceptionofthebrand,toseewhattypesofpublicaffairsthecompanyisworkingon,toviewtheinternalperspectiveofacompany.

Theinterviewersexplainedthatsocialmediaisalsoaplatformtointeractwithpotentialemployees,platformslikeLinkedinisknownintheB2Bindustryforbeenasocialmediatoseekafteremployeesinabroaderway.

Accordingtotherespondents,socialmediacanincreasethebrandingofacompany.However,theargumentthatsocialmediausageincreasesbrandingisnomorethanthatcompaniestodayshouldexistingonsocialmedia.Theexplanationisthat,tobeamoderncompanytheymusthaveasocialmediapageandifthepageisprofessionallydonethemoreinfluenceithasinapurchasedecision.The respondents do encourage that the usage of social media should increase and use theopportunities that comes with it, however most of the B2B companies aren’t there yet. Therespondentsarguethatthisisagenerationissue,peopleinthisindustrywhoareprojectleadersandpurchasedecisionmakersareolderthantheaverageworker.Thesearepeoplewhohavebeenintheindustrybeforetelephoneswereusedintheirdailywork.However,thepeoplewhoarearound40-50haveanotherperspectiveonsocialmediaanditsusefulnessintheirdailywork.

4.8 B2B Brand Equity in Social Media

Accordingtotheinterviewers,B2Bmarketingonsocialmediahadalmostnoeffectontheirpurchasedecision. Although, they argue that socialmediamarketing had a stronger influence on theirB2Cpurchasedecision.However,iftheywereinterestedinacompanyforaB2Bpurchasetheycouldbeinfluencedbythecompanysocialmediapage.Theappealingfactoraccordingtotherespondentsis;how the company represent themselves, interesting content, an overall perspective of what thecompany values and products. Furthermore, the respondents explained that if the page got theirattention,itcouldresultinacalltothecompanysalesperson.

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Therespondentsexplainedthatbrandawarenessthroughsocialmediacanbeapositiveandeffectivemarketingplantocreateawarenessinmarketswheretheyarelacking.Furthermore,socialmediaasa marketing channel is this future way of reaching and creating brand awareness. Although, therespondentsarguethatsocialmediahaven’tgottothemosteffectivestageyet,platformslikesocialmediaformarketingpurposesstillneedssometimetodevelop.

Rappetal.(2013)discussthepowerofsocialinfluenceinthebuyer-sellerrelationship,wherebrandreputation ismeasuredusing relationalelements, suchasbrandtrustworthiness.Therespondentsexplainthatinordertocreatetrustinsocialmedia,theinformationthatcompaniessharewiththepublic needs to be correct. However, they argue that they are source critical when it comes toinformationsharedonsocialmedia. If thecompanyexaggerateabout theirability toperform, therespondentsexplainthattheywillprecedewithscepticismtotheinformationandcompany.However,ifanoutsiderindividualwritesfeedbackontheirsocialmediapage,thatinformationwillhavestrongerimpactonthecompany’strustworthinesswhichleadstoastrongereffecttothepurchasedecision.

Andzulisetal.(2013)discussedthatorganisationsneedstoaskquestionsaboutsocialmedialike,arecustomerlookingforaforumtobetterunderstandproductorservice.Accordingtotheinterviewer,socialmedia have an opportunity to communicate from the company to their supplier/customer.Furthermore, there is demand for improved communication through the supply chain, tocommunicateabouthowthecompanyrelatetotheirsuppliersandcustomer.

4.9 Sales Force Utilization of Social Media & Content Sharing

AccordingtoAgnihotrietal.(2016)salesforcecanusesocialmediaasatooltobuildnetworksandcommunicate information about the brand. During the interviews, the respondents discussed theeffectsalespeoplehaveontheirpurchasedecision.Theperspectiveofsalespeopleusingsocialmediafor building networks is, according to respondents, dependent on the way salespeople want toconnectviasocialmedia.Ifthesalespersonisjustinterestedinsales,socialmediaisnotthecorrectapproachtocommunicateon,ratheraface-to-facemeetingisneeded.However,ifcommunicationisgoing to occur on social media, it is important that the social media platform chosen for thiscommunicationisastrictplatformforbusiness.Furthermore,duetotheenormousselectionofsocialmediaplatformitiscriticaltodeterminedonesingleplatformtocommunicateon,sothatinformationisnotoverlooked.

According toHoutari et al. (2015), user-generated content creation has been connected to brandequitybecausefirm-createdsocialmediacommunicationimpactsfunctionalbrandimages.Duringtheinterviews,therespondentshighlightedthepositiveeffectofcontentsharingthroughsocialmedia.Ifcontent sharing could create brand awareness about the company the perspective was entirelypositive.Although, if therewas anythingnegative shared through socialmedia itwouldobviouslyeffect the company in anegativeway.However, the respondents explain that if negative contentwould occur, then the company require particular routines handling theproblem. Furthermore, ifexternalindividualsaresharingfirm-createdcontent,thisisareceiptofsomethingthatwassuccessfulandthatisthegoalforanymarketers.

4.10 Brand Loyalty in Social Media

Neti (2011)explainthatsocialmediaplatformsshouldbeusedasatoolthatcreatesapersonalitybehindtheirbrandandcreatesrelationshipsthatotherwisemaynevergain.Duringtheinterviewtherespondents argued that social media can be applied in the B2B industry to help with theircommunication problems. Respondents discussed that there is a lack of communicating technical

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innovationandchangethroughthesupplychain,whereplatformssuchassocialmediacanhelpwiththisknowledgetransferbetweengroupsofpeople.Tosecurethedevelopmentofknowledgeinthecompanywhichresultsinbetterproductstothecustomerandcouldresultinbetterbrandloyaltytothecompany.ThisisexplainedbyintervieweeFbelow:

“Intoday’sB2Benvironment,thereisalackofahighlyfunctionalcommunicationchannelwhichissoimportantforanytypeofindustry.Thereisalackofplatformswherecompaniescancommunicateinformationthroughoutthesupplychain.Weneedtocommunicateabouttechnicalinnovationsandchangetooursuppliers,however,theknowledgeisnotreachableforthem.Thereisaneedforacommunicationchanneltotransferknowledgethroughthesupplychainandsocialmediacan

definitelybeaplatformcapableofthat”

4.11 Social Media for SME

AccordingtoNeti(2011),companiesshouldnotjustjumponthebandwagonbecauseeveryoneelseisdoingit.Duringtheinterview,therespondentshaddifferentviewsontheimportanceofadoptingsocialmedia in result of their competitors implementing socialmedia. Although, the respondentsagree on the importance for their company to be on social media if their competitors haveimplementedit.However,ifanycompanyweretoadoptsocialmediamarketing,ithadtoresultinanobjectivetoadoptsocialmedia.Ithadtobeadecisionbasedon,“whatcansocialmediabringus”ratherthanjusttoadoptit.Furthermore,inadoptingsocialmediamarketingacompanyneedstofindandcreatetheirownwayofbusiness.

Hirvonen&Laukkanen(2016)explainsthattheunimportantroleofbrandinginB2Bfirmsisbecauseof theiruncertaintyabout thepositiveeffectsofbrandingontheir financialgains.The interviewerperspectiveofsocialmediafinancialgainswaslow.Theycouldimaginethatsocialmediahadsomelong-termeffect,duetoitsbrandingeffects.However,ifthefinancialgainsofsocialmediamarketingweredefinedandrevealed,thenthebudgetforsocialmediawouldincreaseandmatchaccordingly.Furthermore,therespondentsexplainedthattheB2Bindustryisgovernedbyfinancialresults,soinorderforincreasedsocialmediausage,companiesneedproofthatsocialmediaeffectsthefinancialgains.

TherespondentsdiscussedalsothefutureofsocialmediaandtheapproachoffuturecommunicationinB2B.ThedigitalizationevolutioninB2Bishardtounderestimatetheimportance,respondentshavenodoubtthatthedigitalizationwilltransformtheindustry.Futurecommunicationwillbelessaboutwritingandchattingwithcustomerorsupplierandmoreaboutcommunicatingthroughspeech.Theproblemwithwriting,according to the interviewer, is thatwriting canbecomplicatedandmessy,peoplehavesometroublewithformulateproblemstheyneedanswersto.However,speechislesscomplicatedandmoreeffectiveapproachof communication.Therefore,using speechapplicationsandsocialmediaforansweringregularlyquestionsandtranslatingspeechtotextissomethingthattherespondentsarelookingtowardsinthefuture.

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Chapter 5

Findings & Conclusion In this finalchapter, the findings fromthis researchprojectwillbediscussedandpresentedbasedupontheanalysis inpreviouschapter.Furthermore,will the implicationsfortheorypresentedanddiscussed.Finally,thechapterwillalsoincludelimitationsandrecommendationsforfurtherresearch.

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5.1 Findings from Research Question

ThisresearchprojecthasaimedtoexploreanddescribetheimportantfactorsregardingB2Bbrandequity insocialmediaforSMEcompanies.Toexplorethefactorsconcerningthis,theresearchhasdeveloped improved factors to existingmodels and developed ownmodels regarding B2B brandequityinsocialmedia.

ResearchQuestion


5.1.1 B2B Brand Equity

Thefindingofthisstudyproposesthat,Kuhnetal.(2008)CBBE-modelishighlyaccuratetothedatacollection.Kuhnetal.(2008)discusstheimportanceofcredibility,well-establishedmanufacturersandhigh-quality physical product. According to our interviewers, the aspects of CBBE-model in B2B isrelatedtotheirperspectiveofhowbrandequitycanbeenhancedintheirmarkets.Furthermore,therearesomefactorsthatcanimprovetheCBBE-modelinB2B.Belowaresomeadditionalaspectstoeachstep.

Figure8:Customerbasedbrandequity(CBBE)modelforB2BorganizationsSource:adoptedfromKeller(1993),Kuhnetal.(2008)

Ø Establishingidentityiscriticalforanycompanywhoarenewtothemarket.Accordingtotherespondents,brandawarenessallowscompaniestomakeanameinthemarketandthereforehavereduceinformationcollectionforpurchasedecision.Forcompanieswhoarenewtothemarketorwishtoestablishthemselvesinanewgeographicalarea,brandidentityandbrandawarenessisimportantandneedssomeconsiderationgoingforward.

Ø ForB2Bcompanies,brandmeaningisfocusedonthefunctionalassociationsofthecompany.Hence,factorssuchasprice,product,serviceanddeliveryreliabilityarethemostimportantassociationsfactorsaffectingthepurchasedecision.However,theinitialpriceofaproductisnotinconsideration,ratherthetotalcostorthetotalvalueofapurchase.Furthermore,theperformance of the functional associations contributes to the reputation for industrialcompanies.

Ø Brandresponseiswherethemarketingperspectivecollideswiththeactualperspectiveofthecompany.Whereindividualsgettointeractwiththecompanyproductsorsalesperson.This

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stepiscritical,becauseifthetwofirststepintheCBBEmodelisnottransparentwithbrandresponse, individuals could lose trust for the company. Furthermore, brand judgement isformedbasedontwofactors,producttrailandexperiencesofothers.Therefore,contactingorcollectinginformationfromotherswhoexperiencethebrandorproductiscrucialbeforeapurchasedecision.Thefirst interactionwithasalesperson is important, thecollectivedataargues that initial perspective of a brand is often achieved by the salesperson. If thesalespersondoesnotmeettheexpectationsofthecustomeritcouldendthewholepurchaseprocess.However, if the product is favourable to the company, the purchase process cancontinue by contacting another salesperson. Furthermore, the initial contact with asalespersondependsonhowthefirstcontactarise,ifthepurchasercontactedthesalespersontheconversation ismoremutual than if thesalespersonwouldcontact thepurchaser.Thesalespersonneedstobetransparenttothecompany’svalues.Thecompanyhavechosenthisindividualtorepresenttheminthispurchase,thereforethis individualneedtopresentthecompany’sculture. Ifnot, themarketingperspectiveand thecompany’svalueswill collidewiththeactualperspectiveofthecompanyandthereforelosethetrustforthecompany.

Ø Finally,relationshiporbrandloyaltycanbesplitintotwocategories,relationshiployaltyandvalueloyalty.Therespondentsexplainedthatintheprocurementstagerelationshiployaltyshouldnotbeadeterminedfactortothepurchasedecision.Therefore, ifsomeindividualshave a relationship, they should be excluded from the procurement stage. However, asexplained by respondents, if the supplier has created value which results in increasedrevenues, it could influence future purchase decision. Furthermore, recommendation of abrandisconsequentialtothepersonthattheindividualisreferringto.Iftheindividualhasstrongbrand loyalty to thebrandand isaperson thatusuallymakes recommendations toothers, then the willingness to communicate about the brand is high. However, there isconcern with recommending brands to their competing companies, because it couldjeopardizetheirowncompanytopotentialrisks.

5.1.2 B2B Brand Equity with Social Media Marketing Communication

Thesecondpartoftheresearchquestionaimstodevelopanindependentmodelforhowbrandequitycan be enhanced through social media to B2B companies, foremost SME companies. Thisimplementationisaresultofthecollectionofdataoftheinterviews.Whenexaminingthefindingsofbrandequityinsocialmediamarketingcomparetotheliterature,therearebothsimilaritiesandnewdiscoveries.AccordingtoWangetal. (2015),whilethe importancesocialmediamarketingforB2Bmarketshasbeenaccepted,theimpactofsocialmediamarketingmaynotyethavebeenrealized.

Whenconsideringthecollectionofdatafromtheinterviewer,thisperspectiveiscorrect.Theviewofsocialmediahasbeenacceptedasanimportantmarketingchannel,however,thepotentialofsocialmediahasnotyetbeenrealizedandit’sdifficulttorecognizethepositiveeffectonpurchasedecision.Furthermore,therespondentsexplainedthatsocialmediaisunderusedandthatthepossibilitysocialmediahaveinB2CmarketcanhavethesameimpactforB2Bcompanies.However,therespondentsarguethattodaysocialmediahavelimitedimpactontheirpurchasedecision,yetinthefuturetheimpactwillbeincreased.Thisperspectiveisduetoagenerationissue,wheretherespondentsexplainthatprojectleadersandpurchasedecisionmakersinthisindustryareolderthantheaverageworker.Thesearepeoplewhowasintheindustrybeforetelephoneswasusedintheirdailywork.However,thepeoplewhoarearound40-50haveanotherperspectiveonsocialmediaanditsusefulnessintheir

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dailywork.Thisiscritical,becausewhenthegenerationshiftiscommencingthebrandingfactorsforsocialmediawillalsoraisetothetopofagendaformanymarketers.

Basedon the findings from the research study, the followingmodel should incorporate some fewdifferentviewpointtobrandequityinsocialmedia.TheproposedbrandequitymeasurementmodelforsocialmediamarketingisadoptedfromKeller(1993)andKuhnetal.(2008)CBBE-model,withthecollaborationwiththeinterviewer.ThemodelisvisualizedbelowinFigure9.

Figure9:BrandequitymodelinsocialmediamarketingforB2Borganizations

Ø Thefirststepinimplementingsocialmediamarketingiswhyshouldanimplementationtakeplace. Identifying what social media can contribute to your company is absolute. Whenadoptingsocialmediacompaniesneedstorecognizeandcreatetheirownmarketingplanonsocialmedia. Companies should be concerned if other competing companies adopt socialmedia,however,thatshouldnotbethedeterminingfactor. Identifyinghowyourcompanywanttopresentthemselvesiscritical,becausesocialmediaisaplatformtowhereindividualscansensethepersonalitybehindthebrand,whichmakesthebrandmorevulnerabletoothersmarketingchannels.Furthermore,brandawarenessthroughsocialmediacanbeaneffectivemarketingplantoattractindustrialmarketswherethecompanyislackingawareness.

Ø Afterestablishingtheidentify,brandmeaningandassociationsneedtobeconsidered.Whatcanwedo as a company to reach our target audience. According to the respondents theappealing factor on social media is; how the company represent themselves, interestingcontent, an overall perspective of the company values and products. If the firm haveestablished an appropriate identity and association the content creation will be moreappealing to the target audience, which leads to a possibility of higher levels of contentsharingfromindividuals.Ifthecontentaboutthecompanywouldbenegative,thecompanyrequiresroutineshandlingtheproblem.Furthermore,therespondentsexplainthattocreatetrust in social media, the information that companies share with the public needs to becorrect.Ifthecompanyexaggerateabouttheirabilitytoperform,individualswillprecedewithscepticismtotheinformationandcompany.However,ifthecontentissharedandappealingtothetargetaudienceitcouldresultinacalltothecompanysalesperson.

Ø Brandresponsehastwoblocksforthesocialmediaperspective,experienceofotherandsalesforceutilizationofsocialmedia.Duetoindividualsformingtheirjudgementsbasedonproducttrail and experiences of others, the socialmedia perspectivewill focus on experiences of

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others.Socialmedia isaplatformwhereotherusersandnon-userscanwrite feedbackontheir social media page, which have a strong impact of the company’s trustworthiness.Accordingtotherespondents,gatheringinformationfromotherswhoexperiencethebrandor product is crucial before a purchase decision. Therefore, should companies be open-mindedwithlettingotherswritefeedbackontheirsocialmediapage,evenifitsnegative.Thesales force utilization of socialmedia, according to the respondents, depends on thewaysalespeoplewanttoconnectviasocialmedia.Ifthesalespersonwanttodiscusscomplexedsales, social media is not the correct approach to communicate on, rather a face-to-facemeeting is needed. However, salespeople can use socialmedia to communicate technicalinformationtocustomer.Although,ifthiscommunicationshouldoccur,isitimportantthatthesocialmediaplatformchosenforthisisastrictplatformforbusiness,suchasLinkedIn.Furthermore, due to the enormous selection of social media platform it is critical todeterminedonesingleplatformtocommunicateon,sothatinformationisnotoverlooked.

Ø Inthedatapresentationandanalysischapter,itwasdiscussedthatvalueloyaltyisafactorthatinfluencesthepurchasedecision.Accordingtotherespondents,socialmediacanbenefitB2B industries to help with their communication problems. There is a lack of accessingtechnicalinnovationsandchangethroughthesupplychain,wheresocialmediacanhelpwiththisknowledge transferbetweengroupsofpeople.Tosecure thatknowledge through thesupplychainisaccessibletoeveryone,whichleadstobetterproductstocustomers,whichinturncanleadstobetterbrandloyaltyandrelationships.

Furthermore,therespondentsarguethatthereisanotherimportantaspecttosocialmediamarketing,whichisthefinancialgains.Hirvonen&Laukkanen(2016)explainthatbrandinghaveanunimportantroleinB2Bfirmsbecauseoftheiruncertaintyaboutthepositiveeffectsofbrandingontheirfinancialgains.Especiallyinsocialmediamarketingitisdifficulttocalculatetheexactfinancialgains,whichiscrucialforindustrialcompanies.TherespondentsexplainedthatB2Bindustryisgovernedbyfinancialresults,soinorderforincreasedsocialmediausage,companiesneedproofthatsocialmediaeffectsthefinancialgains.

5.2 Implications for Theory

TheaimofthisresearchwastogaindeeperunderstandingofhowB2Bbrandequitycanbeenhancedthroughsocialmediamarketing.Thefindingsfromthisresearchmaynotbegenerallyappliedtoallcases, there were some limitations to the reliability of this study. However, the research hascontributedtoanewtheoreticalunderstandingofthetwocombiningareas,brandequityandsocialmediainB2B.Thisstudycontributestothepreviouslydevelopedscales,CBBEbyKuhnetal.(2008)whichwereappliedinanewcontext.OurstudysuggestedthattheCBBEbyKuhnetal.(2008)isstillapplicabletoday,theperspectiveofeachstepsintheCBBEissimilartotheliterature.However,whenconsidering the findings in this research some additional factors and perspective were explored.Therefore,contributingsomeadditionallyunderstandingtotheCBBEmodelinB2B.

Furthermore,thisstudycontributestotheunderstandingofthetworesearchareas,brandequityandsocialmediamarketinginB2B.Thisstudyhasconstructedamodel,basedontheliteratureandthefindingsinthisresearch,toimplementingaperspectivehowtoenhancebrandequityinsocialmediamarketingforB2B.ThistheoreticalmodelofbrandequityinsocialmediamarketinginvisualizedinFigure10below.

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This theoreticalmodel suggests few propositions that companies need to follow in order to fullyunderstandhowtoproperlymanagesocialmediainB2B.Therespondentsexpressedthatthefirststepinimplementingsocialmediaistoidentifywhyanimplementationshouldtakeplace.Therefore,identifyingthesocialmediabenefitsandestablishingamarketingplanisthefirststepinourmodel,which must be determined appropriate to establish the best brand meaning. Brand meaning isconcerningwithwhatthecompanyisdoingtoreachthetargetaudience.Ifthefirmhaveestablishedanappropriatebrandidentifyandmeaning,thepracticalfactorswillbemoreappealingtothetargetaudience.Brandresponseiswherethemarketingperspectivecollideswiththeactualperspectiveofthecompany,whichiscriticalbecauseofthetwofirststepisnottransparentwithbrandresponseIcould losetrust in themindof thecustomer.Brandresponseconsistofutilizingtheexperienceofotherandsalespeoplecanutilize socialmedia tocommunicateabout lesser information.The finalpropositionisthattohaveanappropriatebrandrelationshiponsocialmediathepreviousstepsneedstobe fullycompleted.Thegoal is tocreatevalue loyalty,whichcanbecreatedbycommunicatingabouttechnicalinnovationandchangethroughthesupplychain.

The findings from this research propose that CBBEmodel in B2B have a relation to socialmediamarketing,whichtakesthetheoryastepcloserinunderstandingthetheoreticalapproachofhowtoproperlymanagesocialmediamarketinginB2B.

5.3 Implications for Practitioners

This research study shouldbeadoptedbydecisionmakers inorganizations tounderstandhow toproperlymanagesocialmediamarketingintheB2Bsectortoenhancebrandequity.TheconclusioninthisresearchsuggestthatthefourstepsinFigure10needstobeconsideredtofullyenhancebrandequity in social mediamarketing. Furthermore, these steps are dependent on each other, whichmeansthatinordertoestablishbrandrelationshipthepreviousstepsneedtobefullyfulfilled.Thisprovides implications for practitioners and will be helpful for decision makers in organization tounderstandthemostimportantfactorstheyshouldfocusontoincreasetheirbrandequityonsocialmedia.

BrandIdentity BrandMeaning BrandResponse BrandRelationship

§ SocialmediaBenefits

§ Establishingamarketingplan

§ Increasingthebrandawareness

§ Howtoreachyourtargetaudience

§ Practicalfactors:brandimage,contentcreationandanoverallperspectiveofvalues&products

§ Utilizeexperienceofothers

§ SMinformationcommunication

§ Chooseaplatformstrictforbusiness

§ Goalistocreatevalueloyalty

§ Communicateabouttechnicalinnovationandchangethroughthesupplychain

Figure10:TheoreticalmodelofbrandequityinsocialmediamarketinginB2B

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5.3 Limitations

ThisresearchprojecthasaimedforexploringanddescribehowB2Bbrandequitycanbeenhancedthroughsocialmedia.Aftertheresearchdataanalysishadbeenconducted,fewlimitationsconcerningtheresearchstudyalsoarise.Thesampleselectionofthisresearchcouldhavebeenlargertohaveahigherreliabilityandvalidityoftheresearch.Thesampleselectioncouldalsohavebeenextendedtoawiderbusinessareasoftherespondents,however,duetotheresearchpurposethesampleselectedwereappropriate.Furthermore,thesampleselectioninthisresearchhadcriteriathattherespondentshastobeintheorganizationsbuyercentreorhavedeepknowledgeaboutpurchase.Therefore,thesampleselectionresultedinrespondentsthatwereolderthantheaverageworker,whichmadesomequestions in the interviews difficult for some respondents to answer. Because some of theserespondentshadsuchlimitedknowledgeaboutsocialmedia.

Although,duetothelimitationsconstrainingthisresearchsuchastimeandresourcestheresearchpurpose and question can be further explored. The research can be extended to other industrieswithinB2Bcontext.ThisresearchandfindingscanbethefoundationtootherstudieswithintheareaofB2Bbrandequityinsocialmediamarketing.

The questions asked in the qualitative interviews were mainly focused on large and complexedpurchasedecision.However,thequalitativeinterviewgotawideperspectiveofthecomplexityofthepurchase,fromsmallerpurchasetolargecomplexedpurchasedecision.

Thisresearchstudyhasbeenconductedonpurchasingmanagersandprojectmanagersinabusinessareawerethemajorityofworkersaremales.Ofthetotal6interviewonlyonefemalewasinterviewed,thiswasduetothelargeratioofmalesinthisindustry.

5.4 Further Research

Thisresearchhasaimedtoexploreanddescribeanareawherepreviousresearchhasbeenlimited.Especiallysocialmediaisjustinaninitialphaseandthepredictionisthattheusagewillonlyincreaseinthefuture.Therefore,istheestimationthatresearchwithinsocialmediawillalsobeincreaseinthefuture.ThisresearchhasbeenfocusingontheSwedishmarketwithintheindustryconstructionandinstallation.Therefore,canfutureresearchaimtoinvestigateonamoreworldviewperspectiveandindifferentindustries.Thisresearchprojecthasbeenlimitedtocollectdatafromsmallperspective,thereforeresearchwithinthesamefieldwithgreaterreachwouldbenefitfurtherresearch.

Thesampleselectionofthisresearchwasmainlypurchasemanagerandprojectmanagers,duetothecriteria selected in this research. Therefore, for future research a qualitative study could aim tointerviewrespondentsfromamarketingperspective,tofindouthowmarketersviewonB2Bbrandequityforsocialmediamarketing.Furthermore,aninterestingaspectwouldbetofigureouthowthisresearch purposewould have resulted if it had chosen a quantitative approach. The data from aquantitativestudycouldhaveresultedinaslightlydifferentconclusion.

Aninsightfromthisresearchisperceptionofsocialmediainthefuture,itisdifficulttounderstandandpredicthowsocialmediaisgoingtoaffectourcommunicationinthefuture.However,thewaypeople communicate will always improve and will always find the best possible solutions tocommunicateon.Therefore,apredictionisthattocommunicateefficientandaccuratetooneandother,thefuturecommunicationwillbelessaboutwritingandmoreaboutspeechtechnologies.

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Appendix 1. Interview Guide (Swedish) Respondentensomblevintervjuadehadetillåtelseattfåprataöppetomderasegnaerfarenheterpådefrågorsomställssamt.Respondentenblevinformeradattsamtaletspeladesinsamtatthanellerhonäranonymirapportenocheftertranskriberingensåkommerinspelningentasbort.Ärdetnågrafrågorinnanvikörigång?

1.1 Respondentens bakgrund

1. Hurgammalärdu?2. Vadharduförutbildning?3. Vadärdinrolliföretaget?4. Hurmångaanställdaharniiföretaget?5. Vilkenbranschskulledusägaattertföretagarbetarinom?6. Hurärorganisationsstrukturenieratföretag?7. Hurkanorganisationsstrukturenblikategoriseras?8. Hurfattarniinköpsbeslutiföretaget?9. Hurskulledubeskriveraninköpsprocess?10. Hurmångapersonerärinvolveradeiettinköpsbeslut?11. Hurgördusominköparenärnibehövermerinformationomleverantörenochprodukten?


12. Enligtdig,huranserdumarknadsföringavettvarumärkeharförbetydelseiB2B?13. HurviktigtärmarknadsföringinomB2BijämförelsevistillB2C,anserdu?1


14. Hurpåverkasdittinköpsbeslutomduharhörttalasomvarumärket1menintevarumärke2?-Hurpåverkasdittinköpsbeslutomduharvarumärkeskännedomomprodukten?-Hurpåverkasdittinköpsbeslutomduharvarumärkeskännedomompriset?-Hurpåverkasdittinköpsbeslutomduharvarumärkeskännedomomleverantörenskunder?-Hurpåverkasdittinköpsbeslutomduharvarumärkeskännedomservice?

1.2.2 Performance

15. Hurpåverkasdittinköpsbeslutomduharenuppfattningomföretagetstekniskakvalité?16. Hurpåverkasdittinköpsbeslutomduharenuppfattningomföretagetsleveranssäkerhet?


17. Påverkasdittinköpsbeslutomdufårassociationeromettföretag/varumärke?-Hurpåverkasduavassociationersomföretagets-produkt,serviceochprisdittinköp?-Hurpåverkasduavassociationersomföretagets-personlighet,värderingar,historiadittinköp?

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1.2.4 Judgements

18. Hurpåverkasdittinköpsbeslutomduharblivitexponerad/visadomföretagetsprodukt?19. Hurpåverkasdittinköpsbeslutomduinteharblivitexponerad/visadomföretagets

produkt?

1.2.5 Sales Force

20. Hurpåverkasleverantörenssäljpersondittinköpsbeslut?-Hurviktigtärdenförstakontaktmedsäljpersonen?-Bidrarkontaktenmedsäljpersonentillinitialauppfattningenomföretaget?

21. Hurviktigtärdetattfåkontaktmedresteradeföretagsanställdaföreettinköpsbeslut?

1.2.6 Partnership solutions

22. Hurpåverkasdittinköpsbeslutomdukännerlojalitetmotettföretag/produkten?-Hurpåverkasdittinköpsbeslutomduharhaftenproduktmenkontraktsperiodenhargåttutmotdetföretaget?-Omduharenstarkrelationtillettföretag,vadfårdigattrekommenderadetföretagtillkollegoribranschen?

1.3 Sociala Media

1.3.1 Social Media usage

23. Hurpåverkarsocialamedierdittinköpsbeslut?-Hurärdittperspektivpåanvändningenavsocialamedier?

24. Enligtdig,uppfattardusocialamediersomnågontingpositivtförföretagetinB2B?Varför?

1.3.2 B2B Brand Equity Social Media

25. Hurpåverkasdittinköpsbeslutomduharhörttalasomettvarumärkepåsocialamedier?26. Närdusamlarinformationinförettpotentielltinköp,hurkansocialamedierförbättra

företagetstrovärdighetochförtroende?

1.3.3 Salesforce Utilization of Social Media

27. Hurtänkerduattsäljpersonerkananvändasocialamedierförattbygganätverkmedkunder?-Hurtänkerduattsäljpersonerkananvändasocialamedierförattgeutinformation?(tex.kampanj,rabatter,tekniskinformation)?Omja,hurpåverkasdedig?

28. Vadanserduärpålitliginformationpåsocialamedier?-Vilkeninformationpåsocialamedierärvärdefullinförettinköpsbeslut?

1.3.4 Content Sharing

29. Anserduattdetärvärdefulltattallmänhetenanvändersocialamedierförattdelainformationomföretaget?

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1.3.5 Brand Loyalty in Social Media

30. Hurökaslojalitetenmotettföretagviasocialamedier?

1.3.6 Social Media for SME

31. Hurviktigtärdetförerattniskavarapåsocialanätverkomerakonkurrenterärdär?32. Vadanserdusocialamedierharföreffekterpåintäktertillföretaget?33. Omnisomföretagfickredapåommycketsocialamediergenererarintäktertillföretaget,

hurskulleerananvändningavsocialamediersettut?

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Appendix 2. Interview Guide (English) 1.1 The Respondents Background

34. Howoldareyou?35. Whatisyoureducation?36. Whatisyourrolewithintheorganization?37. Howmanyemployeesdoyourorganizationhas?38. Whatindustrywouldyousayyourorganizationisoperatingin?39. Howisyourorganizationalstructure?40. Howcanyourorganizationalstructurebecategorizedas?41. Howareyoumakingpurchasedecisioninyourorganization?42. Howwouldyoudescribethepurchaseprocessinyourcompany?43. Howmanypeopleisinvolvedinapurchasedecision?44. Howdoyouasapurchaserwhenyouneedmoreinformationaboutasupplieroraproduct?


45. Accordingtoyou,howdoyouconsidertheimportanceofbrandmarketinginB2B?46. Accordingtoyou,howimportantismarketinginB2BcomparetoB2C?


47. Howdoesyourpurchasedecisionaffectyouofyouhaveheardaboutbrand1butnotbrand2?-Howdoesitaffectyourpurchasedecisionifyouhavebrandawarenessoftheproduct?-Howdoesitaffectyourpurchasedecisionifyouhavebrandawarenessoftheprice?-Howdoesitaffectyourpurchasedecisionifyouhavebrandawarenessofthesuppliercustomers?-Howdoesitaffectyourpurchasedecisionifyouhavebrandawarenessoftheservice?

1.2.2 Performance

48. Howdoesitaffectyourpurchasedecisionifyouhavebrandawarenessoftheorganizationstechnicalquality?

49. Howdoesitaffectyourpurchasedecisionifyouhavebrandawarenessoftheorganizationsdeliverysecurity?


50. Doesassociationsofacompany/brandaffectyourpurchasedecision?-Howdoesassociationslikecompanybrand,serviceandpriceaffectyourpurchasedecision?-Howdoesassociationslikecompanypersonality,values,historyaffectyourpurchasedecision?

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1.2.4 Judgements

51. Ifyougetexposed/showedbythecompany’sproduct,howwillthataffectyourpurchasedecision?

52. Ifyoudon’tgetexposed/showedbythecompany’sproduct,howwillthataffectyourpurchasedecision?

1.2.5 Sales Force

53. Howdoesasalespersonaffectyourpurchasedecision?-Howimportantisthefirstcontactwiththesalesperson?-Doesthecontactwithsalespeoplecontributetotheinitialperceptionofthecompany?

54. Howimportantistheretogetincontactwithremaningofthecompanyemployeesbeforeapurchasedecision?

1.2.7 Partnership solutions

55. Howdoesloyaltytowardsthecompany/productaffectyourpurchasedecision?-Howwoulditaffectyourpurchasedecisionifyouhavehadanproductbutthecontractperiodhasexpired?-Ifyouhaveastrongrelationshiptoacompany,whatmakesyourecommendthatbrandtoothercollegesintheindustry?

1.3 Social Media

1.3.1 Social Media usage

56. Howdoessocialmediaaffectyourpurchasedecision?-Howisyourperceptionoftheusageofsocialmedia?

57. Accordingtoyou,doyouconsidersocialmediaassomethingpositiveforcompaniesinB2B?Why?

1.3.2 B2B Brand Equity Social Media

58. Howdoesyourpurchasedecisiongetaffectedifyouhaveheardaboutabrandonsocialmedia?

59. Whenyoucollectinformationintoapurchasedecision,howcansocialmediaimproveacompany’strustworthinessandcredibility?

1.3.3 Salesforce Utilization of Social Media

60. Howdoyouthinksalespeoplecanusesocialmediatobuildnetworkswithcustomers?-Howdoyouthinksalespeoplecanusesocialmediatocommunicateinformation?(excampaigns,discounts,technicalinformation)?Ifyes,howwillthataffectyou?

61. Whatdoyouconsiderreliableinformationonsocialmedia?-Whichinformationonsocialmediaisvaluableforapurchasedecision?

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1.3.4 Content Sharing

62. Doyouconsidercontentsharingaboutcompanyinformationassomethingvaluable?

1.3.5 Brand Loyalty in Social Media

63. Howdoesloyaltytowardsacompanyincreasesonsocialmedia?

1.3.6 Social Media for SME

64. Howimportantisthereforyourcompanytobeonsocialmediaifyourcompetitorsarethere?

65. Whatdoconsidertherevenueimpactsocialmediahasonthecompany?66. Ifyouwouldfindouthowmuchsocialmediaimpactsonthecompany’srevenues,how

wouldyoursocialmediausagelooklike?

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