E-marketing orientation and social media implementation in B2B marketing

AbstractPurpose – The purpose of this paper is to consider the potential of an organisational orientation,namely the electronic marketing orientation (EMO) to address implementation issues inbusiness-to-business (B2B) social media implementation. Previous research has demonstrateddifferences between B2B and business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing.Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws on existing B2B marketing, social media andorganisational orientation literature, both academic and practitioner. This facilitates the developmentof a conceptual model and research proposition as a basis of further research into addressingcontemporary barriers to B2B social media implementation.Findings – The paper contends that each of the four components of the EMO addresses differentimplementation issues faced in implementing social media and, more specifically, the unique issuesfaced by B2B marketers.Research limitations/implications – The paper is conceptual in nature; however, it providesdirections for future empirical research.Practical implications – The differences in promotional and sales channels and messages requiredin B2B context are addressed in the research propositions. The paper highlights implementationchallenges and how a particular organisational orientation can facilitate the decision-making in dealingwith them.Originality/value – The paper provides a unique theoretical contribution by introducing the EMOconceptual model in a specific context of B2B social media marketing.