The Rise of Social Media in B2B Marketing: Insights, Implications, and Future Directions

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to consolidate research trends on the distribution of marketing value, customer engagement, and inter-firm relationships through the use of social media in business-to-business (B2B) marketing. It also aims to identify emerging research directions and provide strategic insights for firms navigating digital distribution networks. Research design, data and methodology: This article uses a systematic review and bibliographic mapping analysis (VOSviewer) on 469 documents published between 2010 and 2024, extracted from the Scopus database and filtered through the PRISMA method. The study combines bibliometric and content analysis to examine how social media facilitates the digital distribution of marketing content, trust, and collaboration in B2B contexts. Results: The analysis reveals four key thematic clusters: social media marketing, digital distribution infrastructure, relational value co-creation, and platform-specific engagement. Most studies employ quantitative methods, with the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) as the dominant frameworks. Social media is shown to be instrumental in distributing marketing communication, enhancing stakeholder relationships, and supporting B2B sustainability. Conclusions: The findings enable B2B companies and policymakers to design more adaptive and relationship-driven distribution strategies. They also provide a theoretical foundation for future research into digital transformation and cross-border marketing infrastructure.