B-2-B Social Media Marketing Continues to Grow
B2B Social Media Marketing is Growing
It is not only business-to-consumer (B2C) social media marketing that has been growing, but also business-to-business (B2B). B2B marketing occurs when marketing techniques are used to facilitate a commercial transaction between two businesses, for instance, between a retailer and a wholesaler or a wholesaler and a manufacturer. The importance of B2B social media marketing, however, is often underrated, as using social media for marketing purposes can have much more value for the business than merely generating leads.
Different Focus
B2B social media marketing techniques do not differ much from that of B2C. Although the target audiences, products and cycles are different, social media marketing techniques are similar. The biggest difference perhaps should be the focus of the social media marketing campaign for B2B. The focus should be on creating striking content which will be perceived valuable to B2B buyers and influence their purchasing decisions. It is well known that B2B buyers often search the Internet for information on products before they approach B2B sellers. B2B marketers should carefully consider the different types of social media they might use. LinkedIn seems to be a popular choice for generating leads and sales while Twitter could be used to directly engage with customers, prospective buyers and sellers as well as industries.
Apart from generating leads and sales, what other benefits are there for B2B social media marketers? I can think of at least the following three:
- Sharing resources perceived to be of value to B2B buyers can generate leads and sales, but can also play a role in branding and creating a unique brand personality.
- Better relationships can be established between buyers and sellers in that trust and loyalty can be enhanced through direct contact (and interactivity).
- Having a presence in an online environment, especially a social media environment, has become imperative in creating a competitive advantage for the business.
As social media marketing for B2B increases, more techniques would be proposed and refined. Businesses interested in this type of marketing should learn the tricks by looking at examples of other B2B social media marketing campaigns.
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