B2B growth and sales · Longitudinal time-series analysis of earned-media events and transaction activity, estimating dynamic effects.
The Effects of Traditional and Social Earned Media on Sales: A Study of a Microlending Marketplace
Andrew T. Stephen, Jeff Galak (2012). The Effects of Traditional and Social Earned Media on Sales: A Study of a Microlending Marketplace. Journal of Marketing Research. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.09.0401.
Plain-English take
Both traditional and social earned media affect marketplace activity; social earned media’s greater frequency can make its cumulative effect important despite smaller reach per event. For your marketing: Use it as a sales-process or B2B mechanism reference. Validate the relationship in your deal size, buying committee and sales cycle.
How much weight to give this
2.5/5 Evidence needs cautious interpretation
The 1–5 evidence-check score is a practical reading aid, not a formal peer review or a probability that a conclusion is true. It combines design strength (2 points), sample reporting (1), comparison/control clarity (1), and how much of the paper could be checked (1). Access affects how confidently this directory can assess a study, not the study's underlying quality. Blinding is reported separately because it is not relevant to every design.
Longitudinal time-series analysis of earned-media events and transaction activity, estimating dynamic effects.
A microlending marketplace; traditional press mentions and social media/blog/community activity linked to lending transactions.
Judged from the publisher-described design and comparison; consult the paper for complete analysis.
Publisher page and abstract were retrieved directly; full text was not assumed open.
Double-blind? Blinding was not established from the retrieved publisher record.
Research question
What the authors investigated
How do traditional versus social earned media affect sales/activity in a marketplace?
Design
Longitudinal time-series analysis of earned-media events and transaction activity, estimating dynamic effects.
Sample and setting
A microlending marketplace; traditional press mentions and social media/blog/community activity linked to lending transactions.
Reported result
What the study found
Both traditional and social earned media affect marketplace activity; social earned media’s greater frequency can make its cumulative effect important despite smaller reach per event.
This is a paraphrase of the source. Check the original paper for definitions, estimates, statistical uncertainty and analysis details.
Scope and transfer
Limitations to keep in view
One microlending marketplace and nonrandom earned-media exposure constrain external validity and causal interpretation.
Possible founder application
Use it as a sales-process or B2B mechanism reference. Validate the relationship in your deal size, buying committee and sales cycle.
Evidence access
Publisher record and abstract retrieved; consult the linked paper for full methods and tables.
SAGE publisher abstract identifies the two earned-media types and sales question; SSRN full text identifies the microlending marketplace and time-series study. Direct publisher-page retrieval was recorded on 2026-10-09; this profile uses publisher metadata/abstract and does not claim independent review of unavailable full text.
If only an abstract or metadata was available, the profile is limited to claims supported there. A paper's paywall does not change its evidentiary status, but it limits what we can substantiate from accessible text.