Recently, there has been a lot of talk about social media. But does it work for B2B companies? It seems anytime social media is mentioned in B2B circles, people scoff because they have this preconceived notion that social media is all about teenagers and Facebook. Wrong!
Little do they know, studies have shown that B2B companies with an extensive social media presence report ROI more than four times that of companies with no social network engagement. Think LinkedIn, online communities, surveys and YouTube demos.
With these kinds of results, you would think more B2B executives would be on board—but they’re not. In fact, almost 43% of B2B CEO’s never even considered social media.
Why not? Maybe it’s because B2B buying decisions are bigger than most B2C decisions. Maybe it’s a risk-averse reaction to reputational concerns and online relationships. Clearly extensive research must be done before any major purchase is made.
Ironically, social media can aid those B2B decisions. Social media allows for engagement between individuals and it humanizes a company—it can help establish and deepen relationships with customers and vendors. Having the power to receive instant feedback and answer questions or concerns with a potential client should be reason enough to give it a try.
Not to mention, all of the different social media platforms will help improve your search engine rankings on Google. I would say that’s a serious perk.
