News
Why B-to-B Merchants Should Engage in Social Media
By John Fairley, director of Web services & social media, Walker Sands Communications
Business-to-Business merchants are investing in
social media: According to Forrester Research, 77
percent of B-to-B decision makers are active in
social media. But, it’s a reality that many B-to-B
sellers are not yet equipped to handle social media.
To help determine capabilities and resources, you
need to ask several questions and be prepared to
take action. Here are a few things to consider:
Will we commit resources dedicated to social
media?
Social media requires real-time responses. It is
almost preferable to have no social media presence,
than one that lacks authenticity and interaction.
Continuously creating and updating content, as well
as consistent audience engagement in these
platforms, is critical to deriving real benefit from
social media efforts.
An ideal company blog, for example, should allow
executives at all levels to contribute thought
leadership, enhance conversations through comments,
and drive visitors to more in-depth content, via
hyperlinks.
Do we understand what networks our customers
frequent?
To provide enticing social media content to
potential customers, you need to find where the
conversations are happening, and start conversations
of your own in that space.
Monitor your brand, your competitors, and important
industry terms to get started. B-to-B organizations
can look for these conversations via LinkedIn
Answers and Groups, Google Alerts, Twitter search,
SocialMention.com, or even Radian6 and Alterian SM2.
Do we have realistic and measurable goals?
These can include Web traffic statistics, online
social network mentions, links, conversion rates, or
qualified leads. Having a metric for measurement
will help a business track progress, quantify
success, and learn to adapt if things aren't
working.
Do we have a social media policy & corporate
communications plan for it?
With social media for business, consistency is
important. Employees need guidelines for how they
engage in social media activities for work-related
purposes.
If you maintain a company blog, a blog editorial
calendar is often a good step. It establishes
deadlines, sets a timeline for regular content, and
encourages many members of the organization to
contribute thoughts.
Do we have a place to direct social media users?
Educational content often works best; whether that
is a link to download a whitepaper, or how to get in
contact with your company.
It’s also a good idea to equip social media users
with the means to react socially when they interact
with your content. For example, can they comment or
rate a blog post, or easily share it with others on
Digg or Twitter?
Do we have mechanisms to capture leads, and are
we ready to rapidly respond?
No company wants to let potential business slip
through the cracks. To this end, it’s critical to
respond quickly if you receive a lead through social
media.
Remember, social media users often turn to this
outlet because of its timeliness and sense of
instant gratification. If a business prospect wanted
to wait a few days for a response, they may as well
have sent you a letter in the mail.
Do we know the social media outlets ideal for
B-to-B?
LinkedIn is an important outlet for employee
profiles. These look professional and help prospects
find the right people at the organization.
Participation in LinkedIn Groups and Answers allow
companies to establish thought leadership, find
potential prospects talking about pain points, and
identify partnership opportunities.
Slideshare is another outlet many B-to-B companies
can, and should use, to share presentations with
others–as long as they don't include confidential
information.
Twitter can be used to follow other companies in the
industry, as well as potential prospects and
LinkedIn connections. B-to-B businesses can derive
and contribute valuable content here, including
answering industry questions with @replies, and
tweeting about industry-related questions and
company blog posts.
Facebook and YouTube have their places within B-to-B
plans as well.
What's right for your company?
You need to understand the industry and listen. This
will help you determine the proper outlets for your
messages.
---Source: i-Merchant Magazine June
7, 2010 (www.multichannelmerchant.com). John Fairley
is director of Web services and social media at
Walker Sands Communications (www.walkersands.com).
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