Social Media Marketing in the Scandinavian Industrial Markets

Abstract

Limited attention is paid in the academic literature to how business markets and marketers have harnessed social media. The purpose of this study is to depict how companies in business markets have been using social media and what kinds of future strategic actions they have planned for it. The research is based on a literature review, six case studies and eight interviews with industry experts. The research shows that managers are hesitant to adopt and use social media mainly due to the challenges of creating compelling content and because open interaction within social media is perceived as a threat, although companies have run trial campaigns with limited success. For academics, this study illustrates areas for further research and theory development.