Examining the Brand Storytelling Key Considerations and Practices in B2B SMEs on Facebook

Abstract

Abstract This paper investigates the use of brand storytelling on Facebook in the context of business-to-business (B2B) small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based in the Namibian capital, Windhoek. Branding is often used for business-to-consumer (B2C) products, but the same applies to B2B, as both sectors face a fiercely competitive environment, felt by all SMEs. The study provides insight into how brand storytelling is used for B2B marketing on Facebook. Ten in-depth interviews were conducted across organisations representing key SME owner-managers. The results show that B2B marketing of SMEs uses social media to generate content and influence other B2B markets through collaborations and storytelling strategies about the brands. The study demonstrates how SMEs can use the power of brand storytelling to influence audiences competitively on Facebook. This study explains the use of Facebook by inter-firm brand storytelling mechanisms in terms of the storytelling’s characteristics rather than the individual aspects of the business (e.g., their message and visuals). It provides insight into the authenticity of brand storytelling and explores its collaborative benefits to maximise the SMEs’ limited resources. Insightful implications are that B2B can capture benefits from Facebook use for SMEs with the audience by leveraging storytelling strategies.