This document provides guidance on using social media for business-to-business purposes. It notes that B2B buyers now conduct significant online research, and social media can influence purchase decisions. It recommends developing goals and tactics for social media use, choosing appropriate sites like LinkedIn and Twitter, regularly posting engaging content, and monitoring discussions to build relationships and influence prospects. Key steps include starting a company blog, using social profiles to share helpful information, and integrating social media engagement with other marketing efforts.
Company account tens to be used for the purpose of sharing corporate information, new features, functionality, case studies, etc. Personal accounts tend to be used for sharing information about the industry or their particular field and are usually less promotional One of the first things you want to do is listen to conversations and see what they are saying about you Social media monitoring software allow a more sophisticated approach to automate search, monitor high volume keywords across many channels and run reports on mentions of your brand, competitors and top keywords
Inbound marketing leads generate more opportunities that traditional demand chanells (inherent higher interest) Social media can help address perception of risk Provide buyer with information that supports decision outside of the traditional sales context “ Your prospect…cares about his boss or the story you're telling or the risk or the hassle of making a change. He cares about who you know and what other people will think when tells them what he’s done after he buys from you. The opportunity, then, is not to insist that your customers get more rational, but instead to embrace just how irrational they are. Give them what they need.”
Building up a strong LinkedIn network and being willing to introduce others (in good faith, of course — always use your best judgment) can also increase what opportunities you can get in the future. B2B marketing is often built through trust and word of mouth. Having a shared connection is a great way to start establishing some of that trust from the very beginning. LinkedIn Answers serves as a knowledge base where business representatives can establish authority and expertise by participating in the ongoing discussions. LinkedIn Groups is an opportunity for business professionals to interact with other topics relevant to his/her interests.
Google Alerts is a great tool to keep up with what’s happening in relation to your company, your industry and your competitors. You can get updates via e-mail or in RSS (and even in real-time) about new search results or news stories for a certain query or topic. Further, free tools like Social Mention and YackTrack will monitor the social sphere for other mentions of your business on social sites, especially. BackType will take that a step further and monitor phrases in comments on blog posts. All of these aforementioned services can be emailed to you in a daily digest format which your team can evaluate to find opportunities.