What’s the Point of Social Media for B2B?
Posted by Patrick Murphy on Mon, Sep 19, 2011
In consumer businesses, social media is so trendy right now. In fact, if a consumer brand isn’t taking part in social media activates, they can be deemed behind the times and uncool! Social media seminars pop up all over the place, there are a plethora of books and a million so called “social media experts” are out there looking for your attention and business. Social media has been a huge success story for B2C companies, because they can directly impact a customer buying decision and change their brand perception right on somebody’s laptop screen. But what about B2B, where there are fewer buyers and those buyers tend to steer away from social media websites? The buying process in B2B tends to be longer and more complicated, and may not suit a social media environment.
Why invest in Social Media?
B2B marketers are convinced about investing in Social Media. And rightly so. Social media provides opportunities for B2B businesses that are not so obvious. Some major B2B brands actually have a large presence on social media platforms already. Brands like DuPoint, Caterpillar and Bershire Hathaway are delving into the social media circle. And while they’re not trying to sell their products, they are looking to create a discussion around their businesses.
Social media is about B2B conversation
Looking at social media to increase sales, and leads for B2B products and services is not the right way to approach the medium. Is a major corporate buying decision likely to be influenced by a single tweet or Facebook status? Unlikely. Instead, look to social media to increase brand reputation and provide value-adding activities. For B2B, social media is all about the conversation. Anybody who is influenced by your product or service will have experiences, thoughts and opinions about it. With social media, they can express these views, whether positive or negative. That’s why it’s important to get your presence out there on these platforms to protect and support your brand image.
Still not convinced about how to use social media for your B2B business? Contact SiliconCloud today to learn more about making social media work for you.
Check out this FREE guide '10 Tips on Monitoring Social Media' to help you develop your company further.
