The Benefits of Using Social Media Like a B2B Boss

"Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make but about the stories you tell." -Seth Godin

There are all sorts of untapped marketing benefits available through social media, and when you use it like you know what you're doing, you make yourself - and your company - stand apart from the crowd. Take a look at the B2B benefits from social media use.

Increased Exposure

This one is easy, so no cheating off your neighbor. The greatest advantage of using social media is recognition. Consider these stats:

• 72% of all Internet users are now active on social media.
• Facebook has 1.15B users; Google+ has 1B users; and Twitter has 550M users.
• 70% of marketers have used Facebook to successfully gain new business.

Social media is quickly becoming the best way to build a reputation that's centered on what you bring to the table: your values, benefits, and advantages.

Expanded Footprint

Consider the fact that more than 60% of social media engagement occurs through a mobile device. Repeat exposure is a great way for you to share blog posts, videos, and other content with people around the world.

Personalized Marketing

82% of B2B marketers use social media. Today, it's difficult to stay afloat without the social media buoy. It's the difference between conventional marketing and personalized marketing: You can either use a single arrow to hit a thousand different bullseyes...or you can narrow down your targets and use a single arrow to hit a handful of bullseyes.

Better Leads

Traditionally, content was king. Now, however, social media has a 100% higher lead-to-close rate than outbound marketing; its many methods, including community interaction, positive customer service, and audience influence, all have numerous benefits, as well:

• Maintain a competitive advantage over other agencies NOT using social media;
• Establish authority & subject matter expertise in your given field;
• Build relationships with customers & raise awareness of your company.

Improved Audience Targets

The easiest way to sabotage yourself is to hold fast to a belief that isn't true. Consider the following:

• The fastest growing demographic on Twitter? 55 to 64 year olds.
• The fastest growing demographic on Facebook and Google+? 45 to 54 year olds.

I'll bet you thought social media was just for technology-connected teenagers. Oh, no - not so! In fact, over 93% of marketers use social media primarily for business and every second of the day, two new people join LinkedIn - people who are, conceivably, not teenagers.

So the next time you start putting together your marketing plan, think twice about leaving out the three most active social media channels (Twitter, Facebook, Google+) from your list of venues. If you can always consider these as an option, then you're one step closer to using social media like a B2B boss.

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