social media

Although B2C companies were first to jump on the social media bandwagon, B2B companies are starting to recognise that social media can also work in a B2B context. But, as a B2B marketer, where do you start?

When I ask Australian B2B firms if social media and LinkedIn in particular has a place in their communications and marketing strategy I generally get a look that could best be described as worried or hesitant and occasionally dismissive.

B2B marketing can be a thankless task. There is a moment in every business where marketing hands off to sales. Planned or not, B2B marketing has created an opportunity, and sales is getting its chance to create a customer. At least, that’s what’s supposed to happen. Did marketing create enough interest? Can sales create enough curiosity and trust? Did they both do their part in getting the prospect to “tell me more?”

In B2B marketing we can learn a lot from our consumer cousins. But there are some tactics that while working well for B2C, just don’t work in the complex sales environment of B2B. One such tactic is still being hotly debated; and that's social media. what is its role for B2B marketing and what is the best practice for social media?

Chris Fell, Managing Director of g2m Solutions, writes... A recent blog article from Hubspot focused on how small and medium businesses should take the time to build credibility for their companies. They made the point that with emerging new media technologies and online tools, building reputation as a small business and communicating with customers has never been easier. Let's look at a few ways small business owners can build credibility on their own.

Christian Maurer, a Paris-based Consultant, Trainer and Coach, writes... From my own experience, I know that using social media can eat up considerable time, especially in the discovery phase. It is thus legitimate for a sales leader to be concerned about whether the time salespeople spend with social media is time well spent to interact with prospects and customers in a way that generates the revenue streams expected from them. So, is there a place for social media in B2B selling?

Chris Fell, Managing Director of g2m Solutions, writes... Modern marketing is all about engaging with your target audience and creating some interesting content that they would find enjoyable or interesting to consume. But, once you've developed some content, how should you leverage it?

Chris Fell, Managing Director of g2msolutions, writes... It is simply impossible to read a marketing article these days without someone expressing an opinion about social media. I have actively avoided blogging about this phenomenon up to this point because, well, I didn't want to be part of the Twitterati (with the emphasis firmly on the "Twit" in too many cases!) So, should social media play a part in your marketing?