دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی بخش نرم برندسازی: قدرت نفوذ هوش هیجانی - امرالد 2017

Marketers and managers cannot directly control the environment, but they certainly can influence how stakeholders perceive company image, thereby influencing brand equity. Brand equity plays a key role in the success of a firm (Aaker, 1991; Ambler, 2003; Davis, 2000; Kotler, 1991), and often differentiates a company from its competitors (Hunt & Morgan, 1995; Capron & Hulland, 1999). Brand equity refers to additional value a company earns that is attributed to a variety of elements, most of which are intangible in nature. Among these elements are a recognizable name or symbol, superior quality and reliability compared to competitors or generic brands, and elements known as “behavioral assets” (Falkenberg, 1996).

Behavioral assets are not attributable to individuals, but instead they are the culmination of both hard and soft skills among all members of a company (Falkenberg, 1996). Hard skills include the knowledge and abilities used to develop processes and procedures, whereas soft skills include such things as empathy, motivation, listening ability, and relationship-building (Hunt, 1997). Few scholars or practitioners would dispute that building relationships among organizational buyers/sellers and stakeholders is important (Kadic-Maglajlic, et al., 2016; Keillor, et al., 2000).

Conclusions

We are on the forefront of an important paradigm shift for B2B marketers because the opportunity to expand relationship-building to every facet of communication with stakeholders has never been easier than it is now given social media marketing tools. Furthermore, to avoid myopic decision making, organizations must consider making decisions using both the head and the heart, and it is important to understand and manage one’s own emotions as well as the emotions of our customers (Manna & Smith, 2004). This is at the crux of our model of functional and emotional paths to B2B equity.

Marketers of B2C and B2B firms have many options available through which to communicate. However, the current technological and digital landscape offers new and exciting, channels of communication. Specifically, this research shows how B2B firms can use social media content marketing strategies to connect with stakeholders to demonstrate emotional intelligence, thereby enhancing brand image which may, in turn, increase brand equity.