Examining the relative impact of professional profile images and facial expressions in small business-to-business marketing online
Pawar, Sanchit; Fagerstrøm, Asle; Dimude, Ifeoma Angelica Z.; Sigurdsson, Valdimar; Eriksson, Niklas
Peer reviewed, Journal article
Submitted version
Permanent lenke
https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3005712Utgivelsesdato
2019Metadata
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This article responds to a call for research on the context-specific effects of human images in different online contexts. This study investigates how inherent facial expressions in a consultant’s profile image influence the likelihood to contact tendency of small business-to-business website visitors. The results from a conjoint study (n = 67) demonstrate that a consultant’s profile image with a smiling facial expression induced a higher likelihood to contact tendency. While the absence of a profile image reduced this tendency, relatively more than an image with a neutral facial expression. In light of these results, implications for small businesses as well as suggestions for future research are discussed.