The role of social media marketing of ESG in warehouse logistics

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Purpose: Due to the relatively low level of exploration of the topic of ESG in social media marketing communications, the authors of this text decided to diversify the purpose of the article: 1. to explore the topic of ESG activities in warehouse logistics and its communication in SM; 2. to carry out and present the results of quantitative research involving statistical analysis of the results of social media marketing publications on ESG. Design/methodology/approach: The following research question was posed by analogy: P1. Which area of ESG activity is most attractive to customers from the perspective of engagement on LinkedIn? The research hypothesis was then stated: H1. There is a statistically significant relationship between the amount of storage space and the marketing performance of publications on LinkedIn and is positive in nature. To achieve the stated objectives and verify the hypotheses, a two-stage research process was designed. It began with a literature analysis and synthesis and was followed by a quantitative study of marketing performance. Among other things, the first stage of the research defined the key areas of ESG activity in the real estate market. This division became the basis for the second, quantitative stage of the research. The study consisted of an analysis of online data from November 2022 - July 2023 compiled from the results of 140 posts published on the social media platform LinkedIn. This is because the pilot study, as well as the analysis of the literature, showed that this is the platform most often chosen to communicate ESG activities. Statistical analysis included: a comparison of client engagement scores in publications on key ESG areas in the real estate market, and a correlation analysis of warehouse space and social media marketing scores. Findings: It was observed that in most cases, communication of ESG-related activities formed the majority of a company's total communication on its LinkedIn profile. It proves that the most frequently communicated ESG area on LinkedIn is environmental aspects. However, they are associated with the lowest average engagement. Subsequently, Pearson's correlation coefficient has been used to examine the severity of the relation between the different variables. Once the analysis is executed, it may be concluded that there is a statistical significant correlation between the size of the warehouse and the outcome of publications communicating ESG on LinkedIn. A stronger correlation occurred in the analysis of engagement scores. Practical implications: It was found that there is a very high correlation between the size of the warehouse and consequently the ranking of developers in Europe and the results of publications communicating ESG on LinkedIn. Based on the results, it can be recommended that further research should be pursued in the direction of engaging customers in ESG marketing communications. Social implications: The presented article focused on exploring the topic of ESG activities in warehouse logistics and its communication in social media. The construction sector contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. The sector therefore faces a number of challenges that it is socially expected to solve. Following in the footsteps of researchers, an increasing number of institutions at both the European and national levels are introducing laws and regulations to accelerate this process. EU directives, national laws and guidelines from independent institutes are aimed at forcing the industrial sector to respond and implement solutions. The ESG revolution is gaining momentum because of this. We are currently in a transitional phase, and there is still a lot of work to be done, but change is already inevitable. ESG activities that are being implemented by companies are being communicated in parallel on social media. Originality/value: The results of the research evaluate the correlation between warehouse size and marketing performance, show areas of ESG, which are the most frequently communicated and the most attractive to customers from the perspective of engagement on LinkedIn. It can be a basis for future studies on the implementation of ESG activities in warehouses and can serve practitioners in selecting projects of interest and worth deploying. Keywords: ESG, contemporary logistics, modern warehouses, social media marketing. Category of the paper: Research paper.