An Examination of Social Media Practices that Improve Customer Satisfaction in the B2B Market in the ICT Sector in India

Abstract

Recent developments in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) have initiated significant transformation in the way in which B2B firms interact with existing and potential customers. These advancements have a profound impact on the marketing practices of firms. Social media is one of the most important information technology tools which have a transformative impact on business enterprises. It has dramatically influenced businesses and industries in this era. Social connectivity through this online platform has become a key to marketing in firms. Given the exponential increase in the use of social media, firms need to be present where their customers are in order to know the needs of their customers and to satisfy them. The use of social media as a component of a firms’ marketing strategy is widely recognised by marketing practitioners. Also, marketers have embraced the abilities of these online platforms to assist in marketing practices in firms. However, there is limited research that explores the influence of social media usage on customer satisfaction in the B2B sector. This study seeks to fill this gap and examines the influence of social media practices adopted by the ICT firms on customer satisfaction. A web based survey was used to collect data from a sampling frame of ICT firms in India. Analysis shows that social media practices have a positive and significant influence on customer satisfaction. This research makes a distinct contribution to social media literature. It addresses the gap in literature by providing an understanding of the effective use of social media for marketing purposes by the B2B firms in the ICT sector in India. It provides empirical evidence to support that these effective social media practices improves customer satisfaction in these firms.