So, as you know from my post last week, I attended a fab Social Media Club event. It was fab in every except that I was left a little annoyed. I guess I’ve allowed this to fester into a full-blown annoyance.
Everyone seems to use media examples to discuss social media success.
Hello?
Does no one see that B2B is left completely out of the equation in all of these examples. Thing is, no one seems to take issue with it.
Well, I do.
We at Eastwick believe fervently in the promise that social media holds for B2B businesses. Just look at LinkedIn; more money, more features. Have you seen Thomas Friedman’s page lately? Wow! It’s going places…
I won’t go too far down this path or I’ll either giveaway our secret sauce or rant, but the point is our clients and potential clients are increasingly putting their faith (and dollars) in our social media initiatives.
We pride ourselves on our creativity and it’s not just limited to our storyboarding process. We have some amazing strategies we’re deploying in phases.
So watch out Mario Sundar! We’ve got our eye on you…
[cross-posted here]
5 responses to “Social Media For Business: It's More Than B2C”
The biggest challenge I’ve seen is getting people to understand there is rarely an immediate lead/conversion in the traditional sense.
That being said, social media is still a track-able initiative, so it may mean a different type of conversion should be expected – in the immediate sense and longer-term.
Absolutely agree. “Conversion” in this context should have several touch points and messages that go along with them. It’s that back-and-forth to lead the consumer by the bread-crumbs that is key…
Dear Jennifer,
I am a postgraduate student at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and doing a research on CEO weblogs. I would like to ask if you could spend a few minutes to answer some questions which will be used solely for research purpose.
Your kind assistance is highly appreciated.
Here are the questions:
Q1. What are the main purposes of your construction of this weblog?
Q2. Is your weblog attached to your company website? And why?
Q3. Who are your anticipated bloggers?
Q4. How do you decide your topics?
Q5. Do you reply to the postings? If yes, how often? And do you reply them via your blog or other means like email (please specify).
Q6. What would you do with these postings?
Thanks in advance!
Best,
Olivine Lo
olivinelo@cuhk.edu.hk or
olivine.lo@gmail.com
Hi Olivine,
I am happy to help! Please email me at work with your questions jlindsay@eastwick.com. I look forward to hearing from you!
Cheers,
Jennifer
As a B2B copywriter and Social Media writer in the B2B space I think that B2B companies need to step up to the plate a little more. Rather than wait for B2C to represent them they need to actively demand a seat at the table. Because of the direct connection with the B2C consumer and the ability for customization on a one to one basis, B2C companies for the most part have dived in and not looked back. In contrast, B2B companies have lagged behind… with many stating that “Social Media isn’t for them because they sell to businesses.” Or,that “social media is for teenagers.”
There are still fewer B2B companies in Facebook and Twitter than there should be and even in 2009 many still drag their feet as if they are waiting for Social Media to go away. My view on this is that B2B companies need to understand what aspects of social media work for them, that as long as they have clients that make up their businesses they need to build relationships, and that building relationships, rather than focusing on lead generation is where they will reap benefits from social media. They need to go out, find out where their audiences are and then join them in engagement. They need their agencies to understand the nuances of social media marketing and social media networking and then strategically help them deliver a plan for tangible outcomes – focused on their business drivers.
To your point about “secret sauce” I personally don’t know that there is a “secret” as such to making social media work. A clear strategy, objectives and measures are required and then there must be the willingness to listen, learn and experiment and then tweak. And then, they need to share case studies so that others can learn.
I’ve a few simple suggestions on how B2B companies can get started with Social Media on my blog, of which this is one of the most popular posts:
http://nickyjameson.com/2009/02/07/7-practical-tips-for-business-to-business-social-media-marketing/