Examining Audience Reaction to B2B Content Marketing Delivered via Social Media

Abstract

Social media provide multiple platforms and tactics to reach business-to-business (B2B) audiences with content they may rely upon to make purchasing decisions. But while content marketing has drawn some academic interest over the past decade, particularly in the field of media effects where audience reactions are studied with traditional theoretical frameworks, there is very little scholarly research examining how content marketing in social media influences audiences, particularly with regard to purchase decisions. In the highly competitive B2B marketing space, where those making purchasing decisions must be well informed and expect brands to provide content to that end, audience reaction and tactics are especially valuable to understand.