Talk less and listen more? The effectiveness of social media talking and listening tactics on export performance

Magnus Hultman, Abbie Iverson, Pejvak Oghazi*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This research investigates the effect of social media talking and listening tactics on customer performance through firms’ networking capabilities and promotion adaptation strategies among entrepreneurial, emerging market, small and medium-sized enterprises (ESMEs). From a survey of 169 ESME managers, the study tests whether firms should use social media to listen and adapt to the foreign market or disseminate and network in the foreign market. The study's ultimate aim is to guide managers on how best to leverage social media in their international export campaigns. The results were analyzed using a series of nested structural equation models. We found that using social media tactics combining both talking and listening leads to significantly higher levels of customer performance than using talking or listening strategies singly. Moreover, we found that each tactic's mechanisms operating these effects differed. By showing, first, the mechanisms through which social media tactics affect customer performance and, second, the superiority of an ambidextrous social media strategy, the study provides ESME entrepreneurs with an understanding of how best to leverage social media to facilitate international exporting.

Original languageEnglish
Article number113751
Peer-reviewed scientific journalJournal of Business Research
Volume159
ISSN0148-2963
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 18.02.2023
MoE publication typeA1 Journal article - refereed

Keywords

  • 512 Business and Management
  • promotion adaptation
  • networking
  • export
  • social media
  • SME
  • ambidexterity

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