I was at a meeting last week concerning a new website, and a client asked me why they should participate in social media. I think most people see and understand the relevance to consumer brands, but business-to-business is a completely different animal.
From my experience, there are seven steps leading from denial to acceptance regarding B2B involvement in social media.
1. “I can’t reach customers with social media.”
Touching a multitude of consumers to convert to customers with your advertising message is a main marketing goal. Current statistics state that people of every age use social media (32% of the 65+ population, 53% of 50-64, 77% of 30-49 and 83% of 18-29 demographic). Trust me, the prospects will “like” your presence on these sites.
2. “What is the benefit of social media in B2B marketing?”
The top three reasons most B2B companies use social media are to create brand awareness, encourage social sharing and to gain trust. Other less common reasons include lead generation and market perception of your brand.
3. “What would I post and why would anyone want my messages showing up on their Facebook timeline?”
Social media is not your traditional “This is my product, here’s what’s cool about it” marketing. It’s an opportunity to personally engage with your customers. Post things that would be valuable to them. Do you send out a newsletter? Do you host webinars? Do you have speaking events? Do you write articles? This is all relevant content to post. It’s also an opportunity to make yourself a thought leader in your industry. Give consumers something they’re not getting anywhere else. If you struggle with content, you can always write a short response to someone else’s article, or point out a new trend.
4. “I would rather potential customers just go to my website.”
Google now includes social media in its results algorithm. What does this mean? if you don’t have social media, Google will classify your site as less authoritative, and that affects your rank in search results. Google is the number one search engine, and YouTube (a social network) is number two. If you don’t have a corporate or product video on YouTube, you cannot be found in the number-two search engine. Google also created Google+ (their version of Facebook), which includes a profile on Google maps when people try to locate your business. This is another opportunity for social media to tailor your online message to potential clients.
5. “I don’t have time to update social media.”
If you do join the social media world, you must commit to updating your listings. Put an employee in charge of writing three posts a week, as well as responding to comments. It takes a couple of hours a week to actually connect to clients and prospects—a worthwhile investment.
6. “Okay, sign me up. Where do I start?”
In the B2B world, I recommend starting with LinkedIn. This is a social site that is all about business, offing the ability to connect and communicate with clients and prospects as well as interact in groups, establishing your authority in the industry. Once you’re established on LinkedIn, the other major players to consider are Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Twitter and Pinterest. Different industries will have different uses for each of these platforms, and it is important to establish a plan before taking on too much.
7. “I am active on the major sites, should I be doing anything else?”
Online brand management and monitoring are critical steps that are often overlooked by B2B customers. You should consider participating in forums and blog discussions related to your industry, monitoring and responding to comments made about your company or products throughout the Web. Google alerts can be set up to help facilitate your brand management.
We live in a changing world, but social media has proven that it is a fixture in that world. Don’t be left behind. Start with one, run some tests, talk to your customers, look at your competitors, talk to us and take the plunge.