Traditional marketing mixes are getting an overhaul. There’s a new paradigm for lead generating and ultimately sales: Social Media.
Social media [SM] marketing is more than online marketing – it’s a new way to engage your curren
t and future customers in a two-way, long-term dialog. And it’s a great fit for B2B companies – they’re perfectly suited for establishing relationships with clients and customers. They’ve been doing this through their sales teams since their doors opened. Getting it right can mean a genuine rise in quality leads and conversion to sales.
Some of the more common social media channels are:
- Website blogs
- LinkedIn
- Facebook
- Google+
- Twitter
- YouTube
— as well as the more familiar email newsletters and websites. This is by no means a complete list and some of you reading this a few months after this post is uploaded could see other SM platforms gaining prominence.
B2B companies look at the success of B2C companies like Apple, Starbucks, Godfather’s Pizza and want to jump onto the social media bandwagon. You can’t blame them. With the average local face-to-face sales call costing upwards of $90/call, no wonder finding qualified leads online is alluring.
But before a B2B company plunges into the SM realm, there are some myths to refute.
Myth #1: My company doesn’t need social media marketing because _____________.
Whatever you filled in that blank, beware: That notion can cost you plenty. The SM phenomenon for business is just getting on the radar. But for many CEOs, it’s been considered a “social science experiment” according to B2B guru Sean Geehan in his The B2B Executive Playbook. You really can’t afford to ignore SM for your company anymore.
Perhaps it’s the dizzying array of platforms from which to choose. Too much trouble to get set up? Think again.
Social media gurus Kipp Bodnar and Jeffery L. Cohen, authors of The B2B Social Media Book, explain it this way:
“… When done well, social media marketing can reduce marketing expenses, increase lead volume, and proved a clear and measurable ROI for your marketing dollars.”
Start small and keep it manageable. If you sell to a limited number of companies, you may decide your website, LinkedIn page and a monthly/quarterly e-newsletters are all you need.
But if you are dealing with a number of competitors that sell a fairly standard product or service to a broad industry, adding blogs and micro-blog postings, white papers, and slides uploaded to a cloud presence like Slideshare (slideshare.net) can lift you above the fray. Ask your sales team what they think would work best. They’ll not only have some good ideas, but allowing them to have input will help them buy into the new program.
If you’re still on the fence, just think: One bad experience with your product or service that’s tweeted out to a customer’s friends – and their industry contacts - can be costly. It can easily reach hundreds or even thousands of people – can you afford to not deal with that unhappy customer quickly?
You or an employee should continually monitor your brand’s online reputation and have a “crisis plan” in place for any negative messages. There are services for monitoring your company’s brand, but you still must have someone who sets aside time from their regular job to review the reports daily.
Research what’s happening in your industry and you’ll discover you really can’t avoid including SM in your marketing mix. Position your company as a pioneer with social media marketing – and start reaping the rewards.
Myth #2 coming soon….
- – - – - – - – - -
Recommended Reading:
The B2B Social Media Handbook, Kipp bodnar and Jeffery l. Cohen. amzn.to/Lj9YXR
The B2B Executive Playbook, Sean Geehan. amzn.to/JTUYiP
Blogs: Pam Dwyer’s Pamorama: 15 Informative 2012 Marketing Infographics, May 20, 2012. bit.ly/KuTjRZRich Text AreaToolbarBold (Ctrl / Alt + Shift + B)Italic (Ctrl / Alt + Shift + I)Strikethrough (Alt + Shift + D)Unordered list (Alt + Shift + U)Ordered list (Alt + Shift + O)Blockquote (Alt + Shift + Q)Align Left (Alt + Shift + L)Align Center (Alt + Shift + C)Align Right (Alt + Shift + R)Insert/edit link (Alt + Shift + A)Unlink (Alt + Shift + S)Insert More Tag (Alt + Shift + T)Toggle spellchecker (Alt + Shift + N)▼
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Traditional marketing mixes are getting an overhaul. There’s a new paradigm for lead generating and ultimately sales: Social Media.
Social media [SM] marketing is more than online marketing – it’s a new way to engage your current and future customers in a two-way, long-term dialog. And it’s a great fit for B2B companies – they’re perfectly suited for establishing relationships with clients and customers. They’ve been doing this through their sales teams since their doors opened. Getting it right can mean a genuine rise in quality leads and conversion to sales.
Some of the more common social media channels are:
Website blogs
LinkedIn
Facebook
Google+
Twitter
YouTube
— as well as the more familiar email newsletters and websites. This is by no means a complete list and some of you reading this a few months after this post is uploaded could see other SM platforms gaining prominence.
B2B companies look at the success of B2C companies like Apple, Starbucks, Godfather’s Pizza and want to jump onto the social media bandwagon. You can’t blame them. With the average local face-to-face sales call costing upwards of $90/call, no wonder finding qualified leads online is alluring.
But before a B2B company plunges into the SM realm, there are some myths to refute.
Myth #1: My company doesn’t need social media marketing because _____________.
Whatever you filled in that blank, beware: That notion can cost you plenty. The SM phenomenon for business is just getting on the radar. But for many CEOs, it’s been considered a “social science experiment” according to B2B guru Sean Geehan in his The B2B Executive Playbook. You really can’t afford to ignore SM for your company anymore.
Perhaps it’s the dizzying array of platforms from which to choose. Too much trouble to get set up? Think again.
Social media gurus Kipp Bodnar and Jeffery L. Cohen, authors of The B2B Social Media Book, explain it this way:
“… When done well, social media marketing can reduce marketing expenses, increase lead volume, and proved a clear and measurable ROI for your marketing dollars.”
Start small and keep it manageable. If you sell to a limited number of companies, you may decide your website, LinkedIn page and a monthly/quarterly e-newsletters are all you need.
But if you are dealing with a number of competitors that sell a fairly standard product or service to a broad industry, adding blogs and micro-blog postings, white papers, and slides uploaded to a cloud presence like Slideshare (slideshare.net) can lift you above the fray. Ask your sales team what they think would work best. They’ll not only have some good ideas, but allowing them to have input will help them buy into the new program.
If you’re still on the fence, just think: One bad experience with your product or service that’s tweeted out to a customer’s friends – and their industry contacts – can be costly. It can easily reach hundreds or even thousands of people – can you afford to not deal with that unhappy customer quickly?
You or an employee should continually monitor your brand’s online reputation and have a “crisis plan” in place for any negative messages. There are services for monitoring your company’s brand, but you still must have someone who sets aside time from their regular job to review the reports daily.
Research what’s happening in your industry and you’ll discover you really can’t avoid including SM in your marketing mix. Position your company as a pioneer with social media marketing – and start reaping the rewards.
Myth #2 coming soon….
- – - – - – - – - -
Recommended Reading:
The B2B Social Media Handbook, Kipp bodnar and Jeffery l. Cohen. amzn.to/Lj9YXR
The B2B Executive Playbook, Sean Geehan. amzn.to/JTUYiP
Blogs: Pam Dwyer’s Pamorama: 15 Informative 2012 Marketing Infographics, May 20, 2012. bit.ly/KuTjRZ
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