Market Research Studies. Vol 1. B2B Social Media Marketing Insights

Each month I select top research papers from marketing academic journals and provide you bite-sized insights. This month is about B2B social media.        

I. Employee posts get 23% more attention, according to Industrial Marketing Management latest research.

Industrial Marketing Management journal examines how B2B social media marketing is influenced by who creates the message (the source) and what’s in the message (the content).

1. Employee-Generated Content Wins: When employees create social media content, it leads to 19% higher engagement intentions and 23% more actual engagement behaviors (like clicks) compared to content generated by the company. This is because employee content is seen as more trustworthy and relatable.

2. Emojis Boost Engagement: Posts by employees that include emojis see a 25% increase in engagement compared to posts without emojis. However, when companies use emojis in their posts, engagement drops by 18%, likely because it clashes with the expected professionalism.

3. Trust is Crucial: Employee posts increase both content-based trust (how reliable the info seems) by 11% and engagement-based trust (how engaging the style is) by 16%. This trust is a key reason why employee content outperforms company-generated content.

4. Objective Information’s Mixed Results: Including detailed, factual information boosts engagement by 15% when the company posts it, but when employees add too much detail, engagement can drop by up to 10%. This might be because people expect companies to be more fact-oriented, while they prefer employees to be more personal and less formal.

II. Action-oriented messages on LinkedIn drive higher engagement rate.

According to the article?in?Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, B2B context on LinkedIn that is authentic, invites participation, and connects on a personal level is more likely to drive higher engagement, leading to stronger customer relationships and trust.

1. Content Strategy and Engagement:

Action-oriented messages had the highest engagement rates on LinkedIn. A post categorized as an action-oriented message (Category C) received 23,013 impressions, 114 reactions, a click-through rate of 10.61%, 6 shares, 60 comments, and a high engagement rate of 11.39%.

Value-based messages also showed engagement, though at a lower level, with an example post receiving 10,035 impressions, 85 reactions, and a 3.52% engagement rate.

2. Authenticity and Co-Creation:

Authentic and transparent content, especially when involving co-creation, such as asking for customer input or suggestions, significantly boosts engagement. The study highlighted that inviting customers to participate in problem-solving led to an increase in comments and shares, exemplifying the importance of authenticity in building trust and engagement.

3. Extended Self and Emotional Value:

Content that leverages the concept of the extended self, where company representatives shared personal favorite products or experiences, contributed to creating emotional connections with the audience. This approach, although less impactful in terms of shares and comments, helped in establishing a relatable brand identity.

4. Impact on Visitor Demographics:

The experiments conducted by the company led to a diversification in the types of visitors to their LinkedIn page. Before the experiments, the majority of visitors were from smaller companies, but after posting the action-oriented message, there was a notable increase in visitors from larger companies, indicating that engaging content can attract audience from bigger companies.

III. 1% increase in new LinkedIn followers leads to a 0.6% increase in sales revenue.

Journal of Business Research latest findings in the paper called "Managing the content of LinkedIn posts: Influence on B2B customer engagement and sales?" underscore the importance of strategically managing LinkedIn content to drive both customer engagement and sales in a B2B context. The results highlight the interconnectedness of social media activities, website traffic, and sales outcomes, offering valuable insights for B2B marketers.

1. New Followers Drive Sales and Engagement:

The study found that an increase in LinkedIn followers significantly boosts both sales revenue and engagement. Specifically, a 1% increase in new followers leads to a 0.591% increase in sales revenue and a 0.512% increase in engagement.

2. Website Visits Enhance Sales:

Website visits were identified as a crucial factor in increasing sales revenue. A 1% increase in website visits results in a 0.356% increase in sales revenue. Additionally, there is a feedback loop where a 1% increase in followers leads to a 0.274% increase in website visits, and vice versa.

3. Impact of Different Post Types:

Different types of LinkedIn posts (sales, technical, and social) have varying effects on outcomes. For instance, sales posts increase the number of new followers (0.212% increase) and website visits (0.311% increase), but do not directly influence sales revenue.

Social posts were found to positively influence engagement, with a 1% increase in social posts leading to a 0.294% increase in engagement. However, they also negatively impact website visits, with a 1% increase in social posts leading to a 0.056% decrease in website visits.

4. Follower Growth as a Key Metric:

The study emphasizes that growing the number of followers on LinkedIn is a critical metric for B2B firms. Follower growth not only enhances engagement but also significantly contributes to sales performance, making it a pivotal factor in successful social media marketing.

IV. Timely content delivery in the B2B customer journey drives engagement.

Industrial Marketing Management findings in the paper called "Digital content marketing on social media along the B2B customer journey: The effect of timely content delivery on customer engagement" underscore the importance of not only creating valuable content but also delivering it at the right time, tailored to the customer’s journey stage, to maximize engagement and drive business outcomes.

1. Timely Content Delivery Drives Engagement:

The study emphasizes that delivering content that aligns with the specific stage of a customer’s journey significantly increases engagement. For example, the study found that product-related content delivered during the purchase stage resulted in a 47.7% fit, indicating that customers found this type of content most relevant during this phase.

2. No Universal Content Sequence:

The research highlights that there is no universally correct sequence for presenting content across different stages of the customer journey. Preferences for content types vary widely among individuals. Educational content was preferred in the pre-purchase stage by 45.3% of respondents, while cause-related content had a relatively even distribution across all journey stages, with 28.4% of respondents finding it most fitting during the purchase stage.

3. Impact of Content Type on Firm Engagement:

Engagement with different content types influences the customer’s willingness to engage further with the firm. Product-related content had the strongest effect on firm engagement, suggesting that timely and relevant product information is crucial for converting engagement into sales meetings.

4. Moderating Role of Social Media Usage:

The study found that the impact of timely content delivery on engagement is stronger among customers who frequently use social media for information retrieval. This indicates that heavy social media users are more responsive to well-timed content that meets their specific needs during different stages of the journey.

V. Social media use was shown to improve new B2B product development by 36%.

The study found that when B2B firms strategically use social media, they see a notable boost in their ability to develop new products.

1. 36% boost in product development: Strategic use of social media leads to a 36% improvement in new product development.
2. 45% increase via knowledge absorption: Effective knowledge gathering and transformation through social media provides an additional 45% boost in innovation.
3. Step-by-step learning impact: Firms improve product innovation by first acquiring, then transforming, and finally exploiting new knowledge.
4. Social media’s dual role: Social media not only directly aids product development but also enhances a firm’s ability to absorb and apply new information. ■