B2B on Facebook?
Authors
Schlägerová, Pavla ; Jakobsen, Henriette Diget
Term
4. term
Publication year
2014
Submitted on
2014-08-07
Pages
142
Abstract
Facebook har tiltrukket mange marketingfolk, som bruger virksomhedssider til at nå deres målgrupper. For forbrugermarkeder giver det ofte mening, men for virksomhed-til-virksomhed (B2B) er billedet mere komplekst. B2B-køb indebærer højere risici, større kompleksitet og behov for tillid i én-til-én-relationer, hvilket kan gøre Facebook mindre oplagt som kanal til potentielle B2B-kunder. Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan B2B-virksomheder bruger Facebook-virksomhedssider, og vurderer, om platformen er anbefalelsesværdig, når man tager højde for begrænsede ressourcer og behovet for at vælge kanaler, der giver tydelige fordele. På baggrund af en analyse af 68 danske B2B-virksomheder med Facebook-virksomhedssider finder vi, at Facebook ikke passer til alle B2B-virksomheder, og at den enorme brugerbase ikke i sig selv bør være det afgørende argument. Resultaterne peger på, at Facebook-virksomhedssider især er relevante for virksomheder med under 200 sidefølgere, færre end 500 ansatte og med fokus på nationale markeder frem for internationale målgrupper. Derudover tyder fundene på, at Facebook-virksomhedssider ikke er velegnede til salgs- og kundeorienterede aktiviteter eller leadgenerering. I stedet fungerer de bedre som en kanal til intern kommunikation med fokus på at engagere medarbejdere—hvor medarbejderne er de primære drivkræfter bag engagementet på siderne hos danske B2B-virksomheder. Derfor bør B2B-marketingfolk betragte Facebook-virksomhedssider som et værktøj til medarbejderengagement frem for til at skaffe nye leads.
Facebook has attracted many marketers who use company pages to reach their audiences. This often makes sense in consumer markets, but for business-to-business (B2B) the picture is more complex. B2B purchases involve higher risk, greater complexity, and a stronger need for one-to-one trust, which can make Facebook a less obvious channel for reaching potential B2B buyers. This thesis examines how B2B companies use Facebook Business Pages and evaluates whether the platform is worth adopting given limited resources and the need to choose channels that deliver clear benefits. Based on an analysis of 68 Danish B2B companies with Facebook Business Pages, we find that Facebook is not a good fit for every B2B firm, and that the platform’s vast user base should not be the main reason to use it. Our results suggest that Facebook Business Pages are most suitable for companies with fewer than 200 page followers, fewer than 500 employees, and a focus on national rather than international markets. We also find that Facebook Business Pages are not well suited to sales or customer-oriented activities or to lead generation. Instead, they work better as a channel for internal communication that engages employees—with employees being the primary drivers of activity on the pages of Danish B2B companies. Therefore, B2B marketers should view Facebook Business Pages more as a means of employee engagement than as a lead generation tool.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
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