Relationship Building Strategies on Facebook: A Longitudinal Analysis of Leading Companies in Germany

• In Event: Let's Talk Dialogue!

Abstract

Facebook has become a particularly suited tool for organizations to build and maintain user relationships. We distinguish three strategies for social media relationship building: dialogue orientation, information disclosure, and adapted communication style. This study examines the extent to which leading companies in Germany adopted these strategies for building relationships on Facebook and their effects on the quantity and quality of user interaction. We conducted two multi-level content analyses in the years 2012 and 2015. The findings of the longitudinal study indicate a growing importance of dialogue orientation and information disclosure while the strategy of an adapted communication style declines. Thus, the examined companies do not fully exploit the platform’s potential. Both studies showed that dialogue orientation positively correlates with the number of fan page fans and the extent of user interaction. However, there is a negative relation between the strategy of dialogue orientation and the valence in the user posts.

Authors

• Michael Johann, University of Passau

• Cornelia Wolf, U of Leipzig

• Katrin Tonndorf