Leveraging a positive perceived image to boost social media usage in B2B companies

Context: B2B companies are becoming increasingly concerned with social media usage. This acknowledgement calls for further investigations, especially to understand if building a positive image of the company using social media stimulate usage intentions and behavior in business customers. Purpose: This work aims at exploring the impact of image of companies using social media (IM) in the connection between perceived usefulness (PU) and the social media effective usage (SMU) in B2B companies. This has been done by assessing attitude toward social media (ATT) and intention to use (ITU). Data: Primary research data were gathered through a survey based on the administration of an online questionnaire through LinkedIn, targeting a convenient sample of buyers operated in Italian B2B companies, applying structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the social media usage. Results: Findings suggest that image of companies using social media is positively related with the perceived usefulness of social media (PU) which, in turn, positively affects both attitude toward social media use and intention to use them. Image also affects internal social media agility (ISMA) which, in turn, positively affects perceived usefulness, whilst ISMA does not affect attitude toward social media use. Finally, attitude toward social media use is positively related with the intention to use which, successively, positively affects social media usage within B2B companies. Originality: Social media usage has been largely investigated in B2C contexts, but research in B2B industry is developing (Diba et al., 2019). To contribute to extant literature, this study has verified a model aimed at deepen the comprehension of B2B companies’ behavior within the realm of social media, through an extended version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). In addition, we analyze how perceived image of companies using social media can boost social media usage. Implications: The outcomes of this research are useful in terms of managerial implications, in particular for B2B companies and stakeholders alike, key players in the industry in general, and marketers making an effort to advocate social media use practices.