7 Practical Tips for Business to Business Social Media Marketing

There’s a saying that if you’re standing still, you’re actually moving backwards. The saying came to mind today while I wondered yet again why business-to-business marketers are still dragging their feet when it comes to Social Media Marketing.

Caveat: If you are a B-to-B marketer and you’re grabbing the opportunity Social Media Marketing offers then please share your own insights – they will help other marketers see what’s possible.

If you’re among the Business-to-business companies and agencies still thinking Social Media is a fad, not for you “because you’re business to business not business to consumer”,  “just for kids,” or have another fear-based approach here’s my suggestion. Get started. Make it a project,  a “straw dog, if you will”.  If you’re a large company, learn from small ones already doing it. Large companies can learn from Small Businesses who are seizing opportunities to reach customers in different ways. Unafraid to experiment.

After listening to yet another B2B marketer say casually they “don’t do Social Media” and that ”social media isn’t for B2B” I have to wonder. With the turmoil on the economic front, every company can benefit from some aspect of Social Media Marketing – as long as you have customers you want to keep and buyers you want to get. Every company, regardless of size should be looking to engage with their customers, who are making increasingly difficult decisions and becoming pickier by the day. These customers have ideas about how you can serve them better. How are you listening to them?

If, on the other hand, you feel that engaging with your customers is a waste of time or not something you want to “do” then clearly using Social Media Marketing is going to be no help to you whatsoever.  It’s your mindset that needs to change. But you’ll be making your competitors very happy.

OK, that’s an outline of the problem, now for a solution. Use the following 7 tips to kick-start your Social Media program.

1.  Decide on 3 business goals you would like to achieve in the next 3-6 months. This could be getting more sales, market research, finding new revenue streams, getting closer to your customers, getting customers to talk about you etc. Brainstorm a list and just pick three for now. Make sure you also set  success measures against each objective.

2. Agree on who your target audience is. Do they use Social Media? If so, what, how and where? If you don’t know ask them. Don’t assume because you don’t that they don’t either. And don’t assume they would not if you lead the way. Buyers research the web before making buying decisions. If you know that you need to ensure they not only find you but remain with you. If your competitors offer social interaction and you don’t you’re at a disadvantage.

3. Listen to and monitor what’s being said now. Not just about your company and brand, but about your industry, your competitors and your customer’s industries. There are companies to help you with social media monitoring. Or you can simply and cheaply set up a Google Alert for key terms in your industry.

4. Don’t try to eat the whole elephant. Set up a pilot project. Keep it simple. As far as possible involve people from all areas of your company. Sales, product development, customer care, HR – all should give input – and they should also be accountable for supporting the initiative(s). Setting up a pilot project takes away some of the fear and paralysis that can engulf companies… it’s almost impossible (and in most cases unrealistic) to convert an entire organization to a new idea at once. A well-planned pilot can get you buy-in as well as enable you to experiment. Think of it as a test-bed. Look for quick wins.

5. Select a Social Media  champion and give that champion support, resources and accountability. The more your pilot is supported by top management the greater the chances of success. However, be creative. Look at Social Media marketing as another marketing channel within your current marketing efforts. The difference is that instead of being one-way advertising from you to your customers, it’s two way conversation and networking. That’s the interaction that reaps rewards.

6. Set up a Twitter account. While there are many social media tools at your disposal, I suggest Twitter because:

• You can set up a free account very quickly
• It’s a shorter learning curve than, for example, blogging
• You can start your  listening/engaging process
• It’s a great way to find out who’s saying what  in your industry using search
• It’s a way for you to share what you are doing and invite feedback
• You can get your customers to “follow” you, and you can follow them
• You can invite conversation with your customers and prospects
• You can learn about other social media tools you may want to use, such as blogs
• It allows you to dip your toe in the social media waters

Once you have started doing the above however you’ll learn what else you might be able to include in your social media marketing. If you ask your customers they’ll have ideas too – listen to them, really listen. The thing is to plan, then start. Ready Fire Aim.

7. Make your website “Social Media” ready. There are several ways you can do this. You can include a blog. If your company writes articles and has valuable content on your site add an RSS feed so people can easily get your content. RSS stands for Really Simple Syndication by the way. You can include audio and video. Exactly how interactive your website should be is a bigger subject and undertaking so I won’t get into it here, however it is something your company should consider for both short and long term. Everything should link back to your goals. The more options you give for people to interact with you the richer your social media experience will be.

So there you have it. No list of tools – you can find those anywhere. By following these 7 tips you’ll be able to get started with using Social Media marketing and determine the tools that work for your company. Keep it simple.

You  may also  wish to check out Twitter: How to Get Started Guide for Business People from CIO.com.

If you’re a b-to-b company, marketer or agency, what do you think? Do you have any other suggestions for b-to-b marketers who want to get started but feel a bit stuck? Share by leaving a comment.

Tagged as: B2B, btob marketing, business to business, Social Media Marketing, socialmedia