Managing relationships on social media in business-to-business organisations

Social media (SM) constitutes a valuable source of market intelligence, characterised by great ease and efficiency of interactions between networked partners, and by facilitation of individual expressions of self and brand engagement. Thus, SM can enable interaction, collaboration, and networking, thereby strengthening the relationships between actors within networks. Nonetheless, research into B2B organisations' usage of SM for relationship management remains limited, fragmented and lacking strategic direction. To expand the current state of theory, we draw upon twelve case studies of SM management concerning tactics for acquiring new and potential relationships, building a reputation online, and engaging with business partners. Results show four distinct engagement strategies that organisations tend to employ when implementing SM marketing strategies. The four strategies provide an insight into current approaches to SM marketing within B2B organisations, and how organisations are structuring themselves and managing their resources to respond to this opportunity.