مقاله انگلیسی رایگان در مورد شبکه هم مدرسه ای: موانع بازاریابی دیجیتالی – الزویر 2022

Abstract

1. Introduction

2. Literature review

3. Methodology

4. Findings

5. Discussion

6. Limitations and future research

References

Abstract

     Despite the widely acknowledged benefits of digital marketing, many B2B SMEs have been slow to adopt these practices. These firms’ characteristics and ways of working mean that digital marketing as practiced in B2C or in larger firms may be unsuitable. This paper aims to increase understanding about digital marketing in B2B SMEs, by examining the barriers they face and the digital practices that work for them. A qualitative research methodology is used to focus on these previously unexplored practices in small B2B firms operating with the oil and gas industry. The study identifies the internal and external factors linked to this B2B SME context that both influence and act as barriers to digital marketing practice. The distinctive pattern of marketing practices arising from this combination of factors and the limited role of digital marketing within it, are revealed. These insights extend the debate about digital marketing’s use by showing empirically that a “one size fits all” ways of thinking about digital marketing is not appropriate for B2B SMEs. The implications for researchers and practicing managers are considered.

Introduction

     The benefits associated with digital marketing have been widely explored in B2C (Ashley & Tuten, 2015; De Vries, Gensler, & Leeflang, 2012), including its ability to increase sales, reduce costs, build customer insight, develop customer relationships, add value and strengthen the brand (Chaffey & Smith, 2017). Much less is known about digital marketing’s use or benefits in B2B firms (Brink, 2017; Karjaluoto, Mustonen, & Ulkuniemi, 2015; Leek, Houghton, & Canning, 2019; Taiminen & Karjaluoto, 2015) or in SMEs (Quinton, Canhoto, Molinillo, Pera, & Budhathoki, 2018; Quinton & Simkin, 2017); with significant gaps in knowledge about its application in B2B SMEs.

     Digital marketing refers to a range of practices that include the use of digital communication channels, such as websites, search engine marketing, digital advertising, social media, e-mails and mobile; in order to acquire, retain and build relationships with customers (Karjaluoto et al., 2015; Mulhern, 2009; Wymbs, 2011).1 The need to examine the role of digital in B2B marketing has recently been acknowledged (Kim & Moon, 2021), as the literature mainly concentrates on these firms’ growing interest in social media (e.g., Christodoulides, Michaelidou, & Siamagka, 2019; Iankova, Davies, Archer-Brown, Marder, & Yau, 2019; Juntunen, Ismagilova, & Oikarinen, 2020; LaPlaca & Lindgreen, 2016; Leek et al., 2019; Pitt, Plangger, Botha, Kietzmann, & Pitt, 2019; Wang, Malthouse, Calder, & Uzunoglu, 2019). While the focus in B2Bs on relationship building suggests they ought to have much to gain from using digital marketing, even the adoption of social media by these firms remains limited (Juntunen et al., 2020; Leek et al., 2019). In SMEs, despite evidence that business performance can be enhanced through digital marketing (Cenamor, Parida, & Wincent, 2019), the adoption of these practices remains low level and the reasons why are poorly understood (Quinton et al., 2018; Quinton & Simkin, 2017).

Findings

     The findings demonstrate the simplistic and somewhat limited application of digital marketing by B2B SMEs from the oil and gas industry and identify some of the challenges faced. Insights are provided from the two sets of interviewees. The marketing agency managers describe the potential benefits of digital marketing and offer an expert view of what good practice could look like for firms that embrace it. The managers from the small B2Bs provide a different perspective, explaining how digital marketing should fit within their broader business practices and how it can be used to support these existing ways of doing business. Rather than extolling digital marketing’s benefits, these managers were quick to identify the challenges they faced in its adoption. At the same time, the findings indicate an alignment in how these two interviewee groups explain the business practices within these B2B SMEs: generational differences, focus on relationships, limited resources, limited marketing role and supporting digital marketing role in business practice.