IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/iburev/v30y2021i4s0969593120301256.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The integrated use of social media, digital, and traditional communication tools in the B2B sales process of international SMEs

Author

Listed:
  • Fraccastoro, Sara
  • Gabrielsson, Mika
  • Pullins, Ellen Bolman

Abstract

Social media and digital tools are gradually changing the way firms market themselves. Understanding how these communication tools are used by sales functions within business-to-business (B2B) markets could clarify the dynamics underpinning the sales process in an increasingly technology-mediated world. This paper explores how social media, digital, and traditional sales communication tools are leveraged during the three main phases of the B2B sales process within international SMEs.

Suggested Citation

  • Fraccastoro, Sara & Gabrielsson, Mika & Pullins, Ellen Bolman, 2021. "The integrated use of social media, digital, and traditional communication tools in the B2B sales process of international SMEs," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 30(4).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:30:y:2021:i:4:s0969593120301256
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ibusrev.2020.101776
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969593120301256
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ibusrev.2020.101776?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Shuba Srinivasan & Oliver J. Rutz & Koen Pauwels, 2016. "Paths to and off purchase: quantifying the impact of traditional marketing and online consumer activity," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 440-453, July.
    2. Hudson, Simon & Huang, Li & Roth, Martin S. & Madden, Thomas J., 2016. "The influence of social media interactions on consumer–brand relationships: A three-country study of brand perceptions and marketing behaviors," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 27-41.
    3. Kaplan, Andreas M. & Haenlein, Michael, 2010. "Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of Social Media," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 53(1), pages 59-68, January.
    4. Luo, Yadong & Bu, Juan, 2016. "How valuable is information and communication technology? A study of emerging economy enterprises," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 51(2), pages 200-211.
    5. Chen Lin & Sriram Venkataraman & Sandy D. Jap, 2013. "Media Multiplexing Behavior: Implications for Targeting and Media Planning," Marketing Science, INFORMS, vol. 32(2), pages 310-324, March.
    6. Gabrielsson, Mika & Gabrielsson, Peter, 2011. "Internet-based sales channel strategies of born global firms," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(1), pages 88-99, February.
    7. Klitmøller, Anders & Lauring, Jakob, 2013. "When global virtual teams share knowledge: Media richness, cultural difference and language commonality," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 48(3), pages 398-406.
    8. Alarcón-del-Amo, María-del-Carmen & Rialp-Criado, Alex & Rialp-Criado, Josep, 2018. "Examining the impact of managerial involvement with social media on exporting firm performance," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(2), pages 355-366.
    9. Kietzmann, Jan H. & Hermkens, Kristopher & McCarthy, Ian P. & Silvestre, Bruno S., 2011. "Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media," Business Horizons, Elsevier, vol. 54(3), pages 241-251, May.
    10. Fletcher, Margaret & Zhao, Yang & Plakoyiannaki, Emmanuella & Buck, Trevor, 2018. "Three Pathways to Case Selection in International Business: A Twenty–Year Review, Analysis and Synthesis," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 755-766.
    11. de Haan, Evert & Wiesel, Thorsten & Pauwels, Koen, 2016. "The effectiveness of different forms of online advertising for purchase conversion in a multiple-channel attribution framework," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 33(3), pages 491-507.
    12. Naik, Prasad A. & Peters, Kay, 2009. "A Hierarchical Marketing Communications Model of Online and Offline Media Synergies," Journal of Interactive Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 288-299.
    13. V. Kumar & JeeWon Brianna Choi & Mallik Greene, 2017. "Synergistic effects of social media and traditional marketing on brand sales: capturing the time-varying effects," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 45(2), pages 268-288, March.
    14. Schmid, Stefan & Kotulla, Thomas, 2011. "50 years of research on international standardization and adaptation--From a systematic literature analysis to a theoretical framework," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 20(5), pages 491-507, October.
    15. Klaus E. Meyer & Saul Estrin & Sumon Kumar Bhaumik & Mike W. Peng, 2009. "Institutions, resources, and entry strategies in emerging economies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 30(1), pages 61-80, January.
    16. Fabian Bill & Sven Feurer & Martin Klarmann, 2020. "Salesperson social media use in business-to-business relationships: An empirical test of an integrative framework linking antecedents and consequences," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(4), pages 734-752, July.
    17. Gil Appel & Lauren Grewal & Rhonda Hadi & Andrew T. Stephen, 2020. "The future of social media in marketing," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 48(1), pages 79-95, January.
    18. Fischer, Eileen & Rebecca Reuber, A., 2014. "Online entrepreneurial communication: Mitigating uncertainty and increasing differentiation via Twitter," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 29(4), pages 565-583.
    19. Sigfusson, Thor & Chetty, Sylvie, 2013. "Building international entrepreneurial virtual networks in cyberspace," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 48(2), pages 260-270.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yingying Zhang Zhang & Sylvia Rohlfer, 2023. "Cultural Configurations for International Innovativeness: A review and theoretical proposal," Working Papers EMS_2023_05, Research Institute, International University of Japan.
    2. Emmanuel Bruce & Zhao Shurong & Sulemana Bankuoru Egala & John Amoah & Du Ying & Huang Rui & Tai Lyu, 2022. "Social Media Usage and SME Firms’ Sustainability: An Introspective Analysis from Ghana," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-17, August.
    3. Civelek Mehmet & Červinka Michal & Gajdka Krzysztof & Nétek Václav, 2021. "Marketing communication tools and their influence on marketing innovation: Evidence from Slovakian SMEs," Management & Marketing, Sciendo, vol. 16(3), pages 210-227, September.
    4. Yu, Honglan & Fletcher, Margaret & Buck, Trevor, 2022. "Managing digital transformation during re-internationalization: Trajectories and implications for performance," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(4).
    5. Mora Cortez, Roberto & Ghosh Dastidar, Ayan, 2022. "A longitudinal study of B2B customer engagement in LinkedIn: The role of brand personality," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 145(C), pages 92-105.
    6. Lee, Jeoung Yul & Yang, Young Soo & Ghauri, Pervez N. & Park, Byung Il, 2022. "The Impact of Social Media and Digital Platforms Experience on SME International Orientation: The Moderating Role of COVID-19 Pandemic," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 28(4).
    7. Griffith, David A. & Lee, Hannah S. & Yalcinkaya, Goksel, 2023. "Understanding the relationship between the use of social media and the prevalence of anxiety at the country level: a multi-country examination," International Business Review, Elsevier, vol. 32(4).
    8. Mika Gabrielsson & Markus Raatikainen & Saara Julkunen, 2022. "Accelerated Internationalization Among Inexperienced Digital Entrepreneurs: Toward a Holistic Entrepreneurial Decision-Making Model," Management International Review, Springer, vol. 62(2), pages 137-168, April.
    9. Drummond, Conor & McGrath, Helen & O'Toole, Thomas, 2023. "Beyond the platform: Social media as a multi-faceted resource in value creation for entrepreneurial firms in a collaborative network," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Fraccastoro, Sara & Gabrielsson, Mika & Chetty, Sylvie, 2021. "Social Media Firm Specific Advantages as Enablers of Network Embeddedness of International Entrepreneurial Ventures," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 56(3).
    2. Liu, Zhenyuan & Geng, Ruoqi & Tse, Ying Kei (Mike) & Han, Shuihua, 2023. "Mapping the relationship between social media usage and organizational performance: A meta-analysis," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 187(C).
    3. Mara Bergamaschi & Cristina Bettinelli & Elena Lissana & Pasquale Massimo Picone, 2021. "Past, ongoing, and future debate on the interplay between internationalization and digitalization," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 25(4), pages 983-1032, December.
    4. Bayer, Emanuel & Srinivasan, Shuba & Riedl, Edward J. & Skiera, Bernd, 2020. "The impact of online display advertising and paid search advertising relative to offline advertising on firm performance and firm value," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 37(4), pages 789-804.
    5. Smith, Claudia & Smith, J. Brock & Shaw, Eleanor, 2017. "Embracing digital networks: Entrepreneurs' social capital online," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 32(1), pages 18-34.
    6. Cartwright, Severina & Davies, Iain & Archer-Brown, Chris, 2021. "Managing relationships on social media in business-to-business organisations," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 125(C), pages 120-134.
    7. Saeed M.Z.A. Tarabieh, 2017. "The Synergistic Impact of Social Media and Traditional Media on Purchase Decisions: The Mediating Role of Brand Loyalty," International Review of Management and Marketing, Econjournals, vol. 7(5), pages 51-62.
    8. Roma, Paolo & Aloini, Davide, 2019. "How does brand-related user-generated content differ across social media? Evidence reloaded," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 96(C), pages 322-339.
    9. Valter Afonso Vieira & Marcos Inácio Severo Almeida & Raj Agnihotri & Nôga Simões De Arruda Corrêa Silva & S. Arunachalam, 2019. "In pursuit of an effective B2B digital marketing strategy in an emerging market," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 47(6), pages 1085-1108, November.
    10. Atthaphon Mumi & Michael Obal & Yi Yang, 2019. "Investigating social media as a firm’s signaling strategy through an IPO," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 53(3), pages 631-645, October.
    11. Thomas Niemand & Sascha Kraus & Sophia Mather & Antonio C. Cuenca-Ballester, 2020. "Multilevel marketing: optimizing marketing effectiveness for high-involvement goods in the automotive industry," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 16(4), pages 1367-1392, December.
    12. Thomas Niemand & Sascha Kraus & Sophia Mather & Antonio C. Cuenca-Ballester, 0. "Multilevel marketing: optimizing marketing effectiveness for high-involvement goods in the automotive industry," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-26.
    13. Marchand, André & Hennig-Thurau, Thorsten & Flemming, Jan, 2021. "Social media resources and capabilities as strategic determinants of social media performance," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 549-571.
    14. Alfonso Pellegrino & Masato Abe, 2023. "Leveraging Social Media for SMEs: Findings from a Bibliometric Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-15, April.
    15. Lesscher, Lisan & Lobschat, Lara & Verhoef, Peter C., 2021. "Do offline and online go hand in hand? Cross-channel and synergy effects of direct mailing and display advertising," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 678-697.
    16. Paniagua, Jordi & Korzynski, Pawel & Mas-Tur, Alicia, 2017. "Crossing borders with social media: Online social networks and FDI," European Management Journal, Elsevier, vol. 35(3), pages 314-326.
    17. Shakeel ul Rehman & Rafia Gulzar & Wajeeha Aslam, 2022. "Developing the Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) through Social Media (SM): The Modern Marketing Communication Approach," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, May.
    18. Zarnadze Giorgi, 2020. "Social interactions impact on product and service development," Proceedings of the International Conference on Business Excellence, Sciendo, vol. 14(1), pages 324-332, July.
    19. Bento, Marisa & Martinez, Luisa M. & Martinez, Luis F., 2018. "Brand engagement and search for brands on social media: Comparing Generations X and Y in Portugal," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 234-241.
    20. Kirtika Deo & Abhnil Amtesh Prasad, 2020. "Evidence of Climate Change Engagement Behaviour on a Facebook Fan-Based Page," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-16, August.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:iburev:v:30:y:2021:i:4:s0969593120301256. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/133/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.