Ferris Buller, Ghostbusters, Prometheus, and Dark Knight Rises Composite

What Movies Teach Us About B2B Social Media Marketing

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Whether your company is small or large, B2B social media marketing is no trip to a Pixar movie. For some brands, it’s more akin to watching a suspense-filled mystery. B2B companies know they have to use social media to stay in the forefront of peoples’ minds. Even though it’s called “business to business,” company decision makers are people and they use social media to participate in industry conversations. What makes B2B social media marketing a suspenseful mystery are the quandaries of where to start, which channels to participate in, and blah blah blah…

If you are a company getting started in B2B social media marketing, or are currently struggling, I have compiled a few thoughts for your consideration. So… #LetsGoToTheMovies

1) “Big things have small beginnings.” (Prometheus)

It is important to acknowledge that B2B social media marketing does not always feel natural to online users. These social channels were not created as a mechanism for businesses to interact with potential leads or push marketing messages. Rather, they were originally built to give users an optimal way to connect with friends or family. With that said, users are becoming more comfortable with B2B messaging on social media, but acceptance and engagement is still growing.

>>Lesson 1: Growth will be slow. If you have patience, you will develop an audience and engagement.

 

2) “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men.” (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory)

In social media, the messages, status updates, and tweets shared take on an informal tone. They abide by the relaxed vernacular and popular culture inherent to most social media channels. From a content perspective, this often causes anxiety for B2B brands, which typically employ a more serious, corporate tone. Let’s face it, B2B brands aren’t used to sounding “informal,” and this tone does not correlate with anything else they say or do. Everyday corp-speak can be interpreted as “boring” to audiences.

>>Lesson 2: Achieve a balance of formal and informal tone. If your content reads like mini press releases or has a review process of 60 days, you are essentially creating content that makes you THAT adult at the freshman college party. Let me tell you, you’re not “down with it.”

 

3) “You mustn’t be afraid to dream a little bigger, darling.” (Inception)

A recent study on B2B content marketing showed that companies who experienced the most success utilized six or seven different social media channels. This highlights the importance of being “everywhere” (pun intended) for your target audience and the need for a sound budget. Using a greater quantity of channels requires bigger budgets and more staff or agency support, which are not always the easiest things to obtain. The research study also found that LinkedIn®, Twitter®, YouTube®, and SlideShare® were all more effective in B2B content marketing than Facebook®. Yet, Facebook remains the equivalent of an online license or passport, meaning you simply do not exist to some people unless you have one, and the fact remains that many users search for businesses on Facebook.

>>Lesson 3: Set expectations from the beginning. Your business must use multiple social media platforms, and your executive leadership team must understand that having advertising dollars set aside for paid social promotions is essential, which is an expectation that not all ELT members share. Unfortunately, your executive team, who might not personally participate in social media, has no clue regarding the amount of time community management of social media channels actually takes. It is critical for you to set expectations from the beginning so you do not strain your team. Such strain could ultimately affect the content’s strength, which will lead to slow growth and low acceptance of the brand by online users.

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There are plenty of other B2B social media best practices, but as the Joker says in The Dark Knight Rises,

If you have additional questions, let’s get coffee, because our goal for our existing clients is to have them say…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) **Feel free to share this post, it will save Ferris. 😉

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Everywhere B2B Social Wisdom - November 2012

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The Everywhere team works with a variety of clients. We like to keep up to date on all things social and one of those areas that is less talked about is the B2B space. This week Everywhere takes a look at articles on B2B & social, Publications & social, or Platform related changes. This week we are taking a look at the B2B Social Media space and how companies are currently using social to boost relevance, measure conversation, and integrate social into their overall marketing plan.

 

 

 

Social Media B2B: 10 Reasons Why B2B Companies Are Failing With Social Media

“Too many B2B companies are flat out failing at social media marketing. It isn’t their fault. Don’t fall victim to these mistakes and situations. Instead learn from them and crush your competition.”

http://socialmediab2b.com/2012/10/b2b-social-media-failure/

 

Scaling Social: The Future of B2B Social Marketing

“We can no longer be happy simply responding to brand mentions and boasting about our likes, retweets and followers.”

http://www.cmswire.com/cms/customer-experience/scaling-social-the-future-of-b2b-social-marketing-018307.php

International Business Times: Trade Magazines Struggle To Stay Relevant: Why Digital May Not Be The Only Answer

“If all this points to a world where blogs replace trade magazines completely, some trade publishers contend that having a print product still matters. John Amato, chairman and CEO of the actors’ trade magazine Backstage, said his print publication is more than just a means to share information. It’s a promotional commodity that can’t be replicated with a website or blog. “


Net Magazine: Social Media for B2B

“Where the confusion sometimes arises is we are all simultaneously more than one audience. We are often both a consumer and someone who works for, or owns, a business. Even in a B2B world, we’re all still human beings and as such, bland corporate messages won’t connect with anyone.”

http://www.netmagazine.com/opinions/social-media-b2b

 

Economist Group: New study on millenials’ social media habits shows content isn’t always king

“While most magazines have realized the importance of having a presence on social media, many are still uncertain about how to convert online followers into avid readers and more importantly paid subscribers. Likes and retweets alone will not replace revenue from declining readership. So how important is social media for magazine publishers and how can it help increase revenue?”

http://www.economistgroup.com/leanback/lean-back-reading/new-study-on-millenials/


Business Insider: Facebook: Yes, We Changed Your News Feed

“Facebook said it’s been changing its News Feed. It’s been under fire from marketers who say they’ve seen a drop in the number of times their posts get seen by fans on the social network.”

http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-news-feed-changes-2012-11

 

Inc.: 5 Ways to Use Social Media At Conferences (Advice for attendees)

“Social media tools empower me to accelerate networking, make higher-quality connections, and feel less awkward in the process. Not bad for an introvert! Here are five tips to get the most from your conference time and dollars”

http://www.inc.com/eric-v-holtzclaw/five-ways-to-use-social-media-at-conferences.html

 

Marketing Nutz: How to Integrate Social Media into Conferences and Events: 24 Tips to Increase ROI (Advice for hosts)

“Events are the perfect medium to fully embrace the power of social media. Social media is really one big conversation. Social networks simply serve as a platform for communication to help you build community, generate brand awareness, increase customer intimacy and loyalty, and the list goes on.”

http://themarketingnutz.com/2012/10/how-to-integrate-social-media-into-conferences-and-events-24-tips-to-increase-roi/

WednesdaySocialWisdom

B2B Wednesday Social Wisdom from Everywhere - June 27, 2012

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Everywhere works with B2B companies to integrate social media into their overall marketing plans. Here are some articles that we found helpful this week.
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Social Media B2B: B2B Companies can Target LinkedIn Updates - “If you have various lines of business, you can now focus those updates to the right people. If you have content created for certain industries, functions or seniority, LinkedIn updates can be directed to those who are in those segments. And remember, only company page admins can post company status updates.”
Social Media Examiner: 7 Pinterest Tips for B2B Companies - “A recent study by SteelHouse shows that ‘Pinterest users are nearly twice as likely to purchase than Facebook users.’ However, many B2B businesses are still wondering how to promote themselves with Pinterest.”
Business Insider: Creative B2B Social Media Marketing Ideas - “Many companies and B2B marketers are realizing the impact social media can have on an overall marketing strategy driving brand awareness, increasing new business, and building community.”
B2C: Social Media: Avoiding Squirrel Syndrome - “Many small business owners have what we call “Squirrel Syndrome.” This means a pathological attraction to everything new that darts through your field of vision. While this far-reaching gaze can help build your business, it can also distract you from focusing and doggedly pursuing a single goal.”
Social Media Today: 4 Tips for Using Google Plus with B2B Sales - “B2B Sales and Google Plus haven’t been talked about together much over the past 10 months. When people chat about B2B sales strategies and social media, usually LinkedIn, Twitter and Content Marketing dominate the conversations. It’s funny…..We ALL USE Google….including your prospects.”
Small Business Newz: 5 Secrets Behind a Strong B2B Content Marketing Strategy - “In B2B social media, the best results come with great content. With this content, you can showcase expertise and provide helpful insight; you can attract attention and make clients and customers interested in you and your company’s services.”
WednesdaySocialWisdom

Wednesday Social Wisdom From Everywhere - March 28, 2012

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Radian6: Using B2B Social Media to Create a Nation of Brand Advocates [CASE STUDY] - “Wanting to interact with brand advocates on social media, Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), the global aerospace leader, and digital marketing leader, w.ill.am/, came together to create an online community of PT6 engine enthusiasts.”

inBlurbs: How B2B Marketers can do Social Media Lead Generation the Smart Way - “Any B2B business can use social media as a source of unfiltered information and as powerful business intelligence tool to predict trends, for support and product development. Social media has proved in the past years that it can bring positive ROI when done right.”

Business 2 Community: 4 B2B Social Media Networks You Should Know About - “This week, we’re sharing 4 B2B networks you may not know about…but could potentially benefit from.”

Search Engine Land: 4 Examples of B2B Content Marketing Executed with SEO Best Practices in Mind - “According to the 2012 MarketingSherpa Search Engine Marketing Report, of all SEO tactics available, “content creation works the best, but takes the most work,” says Kaci Bower, Research Analyst, MECLABS. B2B Internet marketers need new content to enforce and build upon keyword strategies, acquire links, and attract attention in social media.”

The B2B Guide to Social Media: 22 Google Plus Statistics - A look at Google Plus by the numbers.

HubSpot Blog: 63% of B2B Companies Don’t Generate Leads from Social Media [New Data] - This means that, while these companies were generating traffic from social media channels, they were not converting that traffic into leads for their businesses. “So why might this be? The biggest disconnect is between content and social media. It’s important to routinely publish content in your social channels to send qualified traffic to your website — but how does that turn into lead generation? How B2B marketers can generate more social media leads…”

 

WednesdaySocialWisdom

Wednesday B2B Social Wisdom from Everywhere - January 25, 2012

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Last week, our team attended a PRSA function focused on managing high-profile social media crises within the high tech community. Near the end, one attendee asked whether social media served as a relevant tool for B2Bs. Below we’ve rounded up another week’s worth of social advice and blog posts for B2B marketers, which helps to support and answer this question.

Hubspot: 9 Common and Costly B2B Social Media Marketing Mistakes - “In a world in which 60% of the sales cycle is over before a lead ever talks to a salesperson, it has never been more important for marketing to be involved early in the buying process. Social media, when used for B2B lead generation and education, can help attract, educate, and qualify leads.”


Radian6: 10 Biggest B2B Social Media Challenges - “We asked attendees to share their biggest challenges using social media for their B2B companies. Below are the top 10 responses.”

B2B Online: On Social Sites, Tune the Message to the Medium - “The key to making social networks work for you is to speak the language of the audience, invite discussion and get people to share what they learn. Let’s look at an example of how this might work in a b2b context.”

B2B Voices: A History of Disruptive Innovation in B2B Marketing [Infographic] - “An excellent infographic by the team over at Eloqua looking at breakthrough technologies and processes that forever changed one segment of the world: B2B Marketing professionals.”

The Lawyer: The Role of Social Media in the Legal World - “Whilst the use of social media sites clearly has many advantages, it comes with a big sign saying, “User beware”. The apparent anonymity of live media often leads its users to feel untouchable to the usual legal parameters.”