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We're frequently asked if our corporate social media training is designed around the needs, challenges and specific attributes of B2B companies and the answer is a resounding YES! For B2B organizations, the benefits of social media, its implications on purchasing behaviors, and the changes it necessitates to companies' marketing practices are especially profound.
While many of arguments for B2B social media are below, please learn more about our program through the links at the top or bottom of this page--or view this slideshow here.
What, then, are the key benefits and business rationale for B2B social media marketing?
•Tap into highly engaged audiences. Professionals are “communal” by nature as they are engaged around their functions, disciplines and professions to ensure their career development and the best interests of their companies.
•Over 90% of B2B buyers are using these tools already: In February 2009, Forrester Research data found that 91% of B2B buyers are using social media tools, often to research and execute purchases, hailing the segment as "One of the most active groups of people when it comes to social participation."
•Help demystify complex brands. B2B brands are many times complex products and services; conversations help to decrease confusion and increase the purchasing rates of B2B products, services and offerings.
•Lower buyer-side risk. Favorable WOM reduces buyer risk for big-ticket B2B items (vs. lower-priced, lower-risk B2C purchases).
•Increase purchase referrals. Credible referrals from customers and professionals encourage enterprise purchases.
•Extend thought leadership efforts. With social media, B2B companies have the ability to leverage their existing thought leadership efforts and share them with a wider audience, resulting in more exposure and generating more prospective clients. Additionally, through social media programs your professionals can prove their savvy and know-how, rather than Web sites that only tell of competencies and benefits.
•Gain (and maintain) competitive advantage. Due to many B2B companies dismissing social media as merely a "consumer play," the prime time is NOW for first-mover advantages... but there's a limited window of time before competitors move into this space.
•Decrease lengthy sales cycles. The B2B sales cycle is far longer than the B2C sales cycle, but building relationships and extending greater levels of value, trust and credibility can decrease sales cycles, especially given that B2B purchase decisions are rational and necessitate more data and support (vs. more emotional-based B2C purchases).
•Nurture high-value customers. The B2B market is much smaller than the B2C market and thus, the value of customers is greater. Customer relationship management--both before and after the sale--is pivotal, Web 2.0 tools and technologies enable new platforms for communications, connection, support and knowledge share.
Please learn more about how our social media marketing training can help your B2B company reap the rewards of Web 2.0 technologies at the links below.
