B2B and Social Media: Barely Scratching the Surface

Many B2B clients were slow to embrace social media, and too many still consider it a sideline activity. As with B2C marketers, the biggest challenges are (1) understanding the potential of social media for business and (2) committing the personnel and time to make it work.

A lot of companies limit their use of social media to handling customer complaints. As long as unhappy customers are willing to vent on Facebook or Twitter, the companies feel they need to address the problem, calm down the complainer, and let the rest of the world know they are concerned. To do that effectively, a company needs to react quickly and take the right tone. That kind of instant, online customer service is certainly important, but it barely scratches the surface of social media’s potential for B2B marketers.

Content marketing is a perfect match for most B2B clients. Their customers are hungy for information, but not necessarily ready to read or hear a sales pitch. Some of the most common content in B2B landing pages, microsites, blogs and social media marketing includes:

Adapted from Advertising Creative: Strategy, Copy, Design, 4th edition, Tom Altstiel and Jean Grow

  • Photos
  • Videos
  • Webinars
  • Infographics
  • Infographics
  • Presentations
  • White Papers
  • Case Studies
  • E newsletters
  • Research reports
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The customer profile, product and content dictate which social networking platform to use.

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Infographic by L. Habermehl

For more detailed information about how to maximize the impact of social media for B2B, contact Bill Elverman, Vice President/Public Relations Director at PKA Marketing.

bill@pkamar.com

Twitter: @IndustrialPrGuy

Watch for Advertising Creative,
4th edition–
January 2016.

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