Four Case Studies: How These (Very Different) B2B Organizations Are Succeeding With Social Media : MarketingProfs
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Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Succeeding With Social Media : Four Examples
Four Case Studies: How These (Very Different) B2B Organizations Are Succeeding With Social Media : MarketingProfs
Here are four examples of how SAP, Business Week, Equation Research and Radian are using social media to generate leads and business.
If you are a small business and a B2B company, selling to other businesses, your marketing strategy is relationship, not transaction based. Social media, indeed most of the Web 2.0 tools, work best with relationship marketing. None of the examples in this article are small businesses, but they do provide a stepping off point for business people to consider. The marketing professionals at these companies stress two basic principles of using social media I find worth repeating again and again. They are:
(1) It doesn't stand well alone.
Joe Westhuizen, VP of education strategy at SAP, stresses the value of experimentation: "Don't be afraid to apply B2C disciplines within a B2B framework. Try a range of tactics but use your analytic tools to watch them closely. When one takes off, get behind it with your other marketing channels. For example, if a direct marketing promotion is strong, amplify it with social media. And if a social media promotion works, amplify it with promotional codes, direct mail, or online videos."
(2) It isn't one way communication about us-us-us
Reflecting on Equation's foray into social media, Chris Burke, director of business development, recommends the following: "Use Social Media as a way to create new streams of value for audiences, not as another means to broadcast a marketing message. Especially when targeting B2B professionals, the first step in engagement should be asking the question, 'How can we add real value to the conversation?'"
Here are four examples of how SAP, Business Week, Equation Research and Radian are using social media to generate leads and business.
If you are a small business and a B2B company, selling to other businesses, your marketing strategy is relationship, not transaction based. Social media, indeed most of the Web 2.0 tools, work best with relationship marketing. None of the examples in this article are small businesses, but they do provide a stepping off point for business people to consider. The marketing professionals at these companies stress two basic principles of using social media I find worth repeating again and again. They are:(1) It doesn't stand well alone.
Joe Westhuizen, VP of education strategy at SAP, stresses the value of experimentation: "Don't be afraid to apply B2C disciplines within a B2B framework. Try a range of tactics but use your analytic tools to watch them closely. When one takes off, get behind it with your other marketing channels. For example, if a direct marketing promotion is strong, amplify it with social media. And if a social media promotion works, amplify it with promotional codes, direct mail, or online videos."
(2) It isn't one way communication about us-us-us
Reflecting on Equation's foray into social media, Chris Burke, director of business development, recommends the following: "Use Social Media as a way to create new streams of value for audiences, not as another means to broadcast a marketing message. Especially when targeting B2B professionals, the first step in engagement should be asking the question, 'How can we add real value to the conversation?'"
Monday, November 2, 2009
Citibank Survey Reveals Small Businesses Not Joining Social Media Conversation
Citibank Survey Reveals Small Businesses Not Joining Social Media Conversation
The is a great opportunity for savvy small business owners who understand the value of relationships as the slower your competition embraces Web 2.0 technologies, the better for you.
The Internet has blurred the distinction between personal and professional making it necessary to address your "Whole Brand" when establishing an online presence. The Whole Brand consists of individual (personal and professional), your company, a product/service, and the category of thought leadership e.g. sustainable design for an architect. I created The Whole Brand program for sole proprietors and small, two or three person firms, so that taking advantage of technology is done in an meaningful and orderly way. Guess I have a lot of prospective clients out there, assuming that another 15% of the market is getting ready to join in.
The is a great opportunity for savvy small business owners who understand the value of relationships as the slower your competition embraces Web 2.0 technologies, the better for you.
The Internet has blurred the distinction between personal and professional making it necessary to address your "Whole Brand" when establishing an online presence. The Whole Brand consists of individual (personal and professional), your company, a product/service, and the category of thought leadership e.g. sustainable design for an architect. I created The Whole Brand program for sole proprietors and small, two or three person firms, so that taking advantage of technology is done in an meaningful and orderly way. Guess I have a lot of prospective clients out there, assuming that another 15% of the market is getting ready to join in.
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