Is B2B Social Media Marketing Behind B2C?

The Perception

There seems to be a general perception that social media is better suited for B2C versus B2B marketing.  This view is supported by a general lack of easily accessible social media success stories in the B2B space; on the Internet and at conferences.  But it is a misconception.

The Reality

Without a doubt, there are countless impressive B2C success stories, including the funny Bodyform video created in response to a disgruntled Facebook post, and the successful OldSpice video campaign. But social media is also extensively and successfully in use for B2B marketing. We simply might not hear about it as much because the examples are not as entertaining.

B2B social media is best suited to generate awareness.  To just pick a few examples, social media can help build thought leadership, increase the reach of events, or strengthen your brand. But social media can also foster action and engagement. Used right, the social tool kit can help you leverage advocates and influencers to spread your message, generate content for you, and even generate leads.

When a B2C campaign goes viral, you are likely to hear about it. When a Global 2000 company manages to increase reach, action, and engagement with their target audience, they either keep it quiet, as a competitive advantage, or it simply is not an entertaining enough story to get much coverage.

Social Media Becoming a Dominant Part of Marketing Strategies Throughout the Internet

Businesses are seeing social media as a more significant part of their marketing strategy than they did in the past, partially because of the numerous ways that social media can be utilized. In the last few years a frenzy of both SEO innovation and social media marketing has been in seen in Internet marketing hot spots like Southern California.

The popularity of social media websites is continuing to grow among adults nationwide. Facebook is still the most popular social media website among young adults and seniors, while Twitter is much less popular among seniors. One of the fastest growing ways that people are accessing social media websites is through their mobile phones. For this reason, it is crucial that businesses make sure that their social media outlets are mobile-friendly.

For businesses counting on Facebook for their social media, a multitude of apps already make it easy for people to access Facebook.

Businesses are better off mastering these new social media technologies. New marketing tactics like the ones offered by new innovative San Diego marketing firms make it clear–innovate or stagnate. While traditional forms of advertising continue to work, businesses will want to interact with their customers through the methods that their customers prefer the most.

Customers Influence Each Other More Than Ever 

Customers are much more likely to purchase a product when they see that other customers like it. For example, when a Facebook user ‘likes’ a consumer page the customer’s friends are much more likely to trust a review they read about it.

Social Media is Becoming More Integrated Into Traditional Marketing Methods 

For this reason, businesses are increasingly seeing social media not as a separate form of marketing but instead a part of their toolbox of marketing strategies. As a result, businesses are increasingly integrating social media into their corporate websites and their online advertisements and content marketing. Businesses are starting to discover that the distribution of high-quality content through multiple social networks can lead to an attractive return on investment.

However, when marketing and creating content within the social media sphere, businesses must remember that they are making their company available for customers to interact with and a company might lose control of how customers perceive its brand. For example, on the Nestle Facebook page, customers began altering the Nestle logo in creative ways, which lead to Nestle threatening to delete posts that contained the altered logo. This lead to a customer backlash.

Social Media is Being Used In Multiple Ways 

One of the benefits that businesses are beginning to see is the multiple ways in which social media can be used outside of marketing. For example, social media is becoming another channel through which businesses can provide customer support. While interacting with a company online, customers can ask questions about available products. Company representatives can quickly give customers technical support and also can guide customers toward making certain decisions.

Overall, social media is starting to build a community discussion where customers can discuss purchasing decisions with other customers and also can receive input from the company itself. As businesses see a larger return on investment from social media marketing, they are beginning to invest more money into social media.

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