We Have the Technology:

An exploratory study of business-tobusiness social media branding

Ross Brennan Middlesex University

Robin Croft University of Bedfordshire

The premise
Socialnomics Social media celebrate the trivial The banal, insignificant Feeding the celebrity ego Huge in B2C Authoritative guides are B2C But almost nobody is talking about them in B2B

Research questions: role of social media in...

Information-based approach to B2B marketing? Managing B2B business relationships? Building trust between buyers & sellers in B2B? In making market-driving companies?

Content Analysis
20 expert articles from B2B press Focus on social media applications Textual analysis (objective) Purposive selection (subjective) Authorial agendas

Company analysis
Information Technology firms
Hardware, software, systems, services

Mostly or entirely B2B

Excluded Microsoft, Apple, HP, Dell, etc.

Combining hardware, systems, enterprise software The 10 largest firms globally

Based on numbers employed

Product Name

Employee s

Origin

Oracle Intel Cisco STMicroelectronics Hynix (E) SAP Renesas Technology Infineon Symantec Qualcomm

Enterprise software Semiconductors Networking Semiconductors Semiconductors Enterprise software Semiconductors Semiconductors Enterprise software Semiconductors

105000 83500 70700 51500 50000 47600 47000 26400 18400 16100
USA

USA USA USA Switzerland Korea Germany Japan Germany USA

LinkedIn
Used for
Discussions Events Internal marketing recruitment

Used by
All companies Nearly 80% of Oracle staff

FaceBook
Used for
Building links Promoting events News, pictures

Used by
Oracle, Intel, Cisco Unofficial Pages

Twitter
Used for
Linking to blogs, white papers, website, other SM sites Quick conversations News, press releases... general engagement

Used by
Major US firms Other registered name but not active

Flickr
Used for
PR shots Library pictures for journalists News, events

Used by
Larger US companies

YouTube
Used for
Video 'white papers' News, events

Used by
Major firms, especially Oracle Smaller firms, though badly done

Blogs
Used for
News, new ideas White papers, future thinking Corporate and public Getting conversations going Often password protected registration needed

Used by
Major US companies

Social bookmarks
Examples
RSS, Delicioius, Stubledupon, Reddit, Buzz

Used for
Cross linking Sharing Reminding

Used by
Major US firms

Findings: Leaders
Oracle Cisco Intel Symantec Qualcom

Laggards
Infineon SAP STMicroelectronics Hynix Renesas

Linkedin

Flickr

YouTube

Twitter

Facebook

Journalists

Investors

partners
Flickr

Linkedin

clients

YouTube

developers

Twitter

Facebook

government

Exiting staff

Prospective staff

Surprises?
Bulletin boards used by techies and geeks before WWW 75% of Oracle staff on LinkedIn: corporate culture? Non strategic, throw the stuff out there Vertical markets, conversations Return of Investment

Profile of Leaders
Thought leaders
Information-based marketing Co-creating ideas, innovation

Maximum visibility
availability Reputation

Virtual communities
Trusted relationships

Market driving

Further questions
Geography and social networks
Regional variations

Mapping the networks

Neural networks

Impact of corporate culture

Social and business hierarchies

B2C drivers in B2B

Mass market economies in innovation