Drivers of Social Media Adoption in B2B Markets

Abstract

The Internet and social networks have been gaining increasing visibility in the business world. In the last decade, this digital transformation has led to a change in the behavior of marketing professionals and managers around the world. Although there are still some fears about the use of social networks in the B2B context, it is unquestionable that these networks have proven to be essential in outlining a competitive strategy. The purpose of our study is to identify the main drivers of social media adoption in B2B markets. Based on a sample of 223 workers from B2B companies, a structural equation model was used to test the relationships among the variables learning, memorability, absence of errors, usability, functionality, social influence, satisfaction, trust, and adoption of social networks. The results showed that the variables learning, memorability, and absence of errors are key determinants of the usability of social networks. In turn, social influence and usability are crucial for trust in social networks. In turn, usability and trustworthiness are fundamental to the functionality of social networks. Satisfaction with social networks is achieved through greater ease of use, functionality, and trust. Finally, when social network users are satisfied, experience social influence, and judge social networks to be functional, they tend to adopt social networks.