Le banche di fronte alla sfida del Social Banking

Social Media represent a current and relevant trend for the banking sector: their use in support of or in substitution of traditional channels influences the way the offer of financial services is communicated and the management of stakeholder and client relationships. Therefore, it is increasingly important for financial institutions to understand and track Social Media interactions, especially during a time where banks are trying to gain more trust and achieve a closer social intimacy with clients after recent known events. This study has two aims: the first one is to analyse the content that banks and users share on two of the most popular social media platforms, and finally evaluate the role of digital channels in new business models of financial institutions. To reach these objectives, the study researched the interactions on Facebook and Twitter of 4 major banks, totalling 11.500 posts during 18 moths. The data, analysed through content analysis, highlights similarities and differences in the use of social media and illustrates how these new digital channels can contribute towards the development of client-bank relationships and, more broadly, to creating value.