How many times a week are you asked if your business is active on social media? And are you personally on it? If so, why? Why not?
It’s similar to the early 2000’s, when it was imperative to have a website, without really having thought it out. Everyone had one, so your company should have one too.
The peer pressure is there, it’s real. In B2B, social media is a trend and getting bigger and bigger. But what is your project in social media?
Take a step back
Before answering the question, and before you even start, take a step back. This time, the challenge is more complex than a website. Social media does not behave in the same manner, nor does it have the same rules of engagement. In the era of hyper-segmentation, there are platforms for everyone and for almost everything. There’s more than just LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. You may have also heard of Pinterest and Instagram? Do you know about Xing, Viadeo, Quora, Klout and FourSquare? (and so on …)
In B2B, social media is not entertainment. It’s about doing business, facilitating purchases and, the sale of products and services. It is also often a question of disseminating knowledge to make the operation possible. This does not prevent a playful approach. But clearly, it’s all about business.
But where should you begin?
Proceed methodically; make a plan and develop a project related to corporate objectives. It’s the first step. To tally the efforts, familiarize yourself with the 7 main types of social media projects, namely:
- Join or create a community
- Reach out to influencers
- Become the influencer
- The Buzz
- Ambassador Program – Employee
- Ambassador Program – Customer
- Crisis Management
Knowingly, it becomes clear why you invest time, energy and resources in this adventure.
Taking part in the adventure of social media is the same as taking the shift onto the web in the early 2000’s. This time, you have the opportunity to prepare yourself and gain knowledge on the guiding principles and pplicatins of social media in your marketing mix, business strategy, sales, human resources and customer service.
You can also download our e-book on the subject and take time to read my article entitled “B2B marketers use social media.”
Receive some training to accelerate your learning curve.
To accelerate your education, why not follow some training? Exo B2B will offer, on November 13 at Campus InfoPresse, a one-day training workshop specifically on social media in B2B: Using social networks in a B2B marketing strategy.
Hurry, seats are selling quickly! Hope to see you there.
