How reliant is B2B Marketing on Social Media
Time to jump on board
Social media is now a must have marketing tool, especially in the B2B space. Tactics around consumer marketing and B2B marketing are starting to converge at an aggressive rate, as the same channels are used to reach these very different audiences. Whether it is Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Youtube, Pintrest or Google +, can you afford not be communicating with your potential buyers through these established communication platforms? Before you jump on board, however, you need to ensure that the platforms you’re using are right for your target market and business objectives.
What can Social Media add to the mix?
Social media marketing, used effectively, has proven to be successful in creating awareness, gaining trust, driving thought leadership and ultimately generating leads. According to B2B marketing specialists Eloqua, over 40% of B2B companies still do not have a social media strategy, whilst ownership of the strategy continues to fall between departments.
And we have a winner
Among B2B companies, Marketing Charts have stated that LinkedIn was the most effective, with 65% of respondents having acquired a customer through the professional network. Company blogs (60%), Facebook (43%), and Twitter (40%) followed. A recent report by Webmarketing123, illustrated a similar dynamic for lead generation, with 44.6% saying LinkedIn has been effective in generating lead flow, with Facebook in second (35.1%) and Twitter (31.6%) in third.
Some basic rules to get started
So for those dipping your toes into the social media pond, LinkedIn would seem like the ideal starting point. LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and an ideal platform to generate awareness. With 200 million professionals signed, and growing at a rapid rate, the opportunity to network is frightening. The various groups, profiles and advertising platforms allow businesses to position themselves as thought leaders, develop brand awareness and drive traffic, through uploading premium content, actively blogging, sharing insight and influencing opinion. It’s imperative, however, to get the basics right when embarking on a LinkedIn social strategy by ensuring your company profile is complete, employees are all signed up/sharing information and you have enough content to start developing a position globally and within your groups. A trickle of content may spike interest in your company for a day or two, but it will fail to generate the return you desire. Developing a longer term strategy social media strategy with adequate budget, time and ownership will produce effective lead generation and uplift your brand in the eyes of both your peers and prospects.
