Using stakeholder theory to understanding B2B social media usage in South Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to understand social media usage in business-to-business (B2B) organisations. The study aims to explore social media elements including social media stakeholders, content, platforms and social media usage itself. A two-case study approach is used to compare two multinational organisations and their social media practices. Interviews were conducted with key managers across organisational functions. In addition, observations and analysis of the organisations’ websites and social media platforms were conducted. The findings results in a conceptual model, illustrating the different social media marketing elements. This study shows that social media is used in B2B organisations to achieve marketing, human resources and sales goals such as advertising, brand awareness, communication, client relationship management, recruitment and sales. The select methodology may limit generalisability, further research is encouraged across different types of industries. The implication for B2B organisational social media use is that social media usage spans across different departments within the organisation. A such a multipurpose, multiplatform strategy should be adopted to achieve outcomes across organisational functions. This research hopefully extends the existing knowledge of social media use in B2B organisations by determining that social media offers B2B organisations a cost-effective , multi-use tool that contributes towards creating a competitive advantage