Social media & B2B

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Transcript of Social media & B2B

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Why Social Media for B2B

Social media is a valuable tool for lead generation

• B2B companies are finding that social media sites can be useful for prospecting research and lead generation.

B2B companies showcase their expertise and thought leadership on social media sites

• Social media sites provide a forum to share insights and advice with customers. By creating original and exclusive content, the company can become an important information resource.

Integrated campaigns can be more effective than single, stand-alone initiatives

• B2B marketers ought to consider adding social media initiatives to traditional campaigns to boost their effectiveness

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By The Numbers

• 78% started with informal info gathering

• 59% engaged with peers who addressed the challenge

• 48% followed industry conversations on topic

• 44% conducted anonymous research of a select group of vendors

• 41% followed discussions to learn more about topic

• 37% posted questions on social networking sites looking for suggestions and/or feedback

Source: DemandGen Report and Genius.com

How B2B is using social media:

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CHANNELS

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5 Most Effective Channels for Lead Generation

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Source: eMarketer

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BENEFITS FOR B2B

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Benefits of Social for B2BThe top two benefits of social media marketing are increasing exposure and increasing traffic

Source: 2012 Social Media Marketing Industry Report - SocialMediaExaminer.com

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Increase Exposure

• Social media provides an array of new touch points for B2B brand executives to interact with prospects and customers

• Due to two-way, real-time attributes, social media tools enable a highly personal brand experience for B2B customers and prospects

• The convenience of social media allows more B2B executives within respective organizations to build relationships with current and prospective buyers...and partici9pate in building the brand

#1

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More Web Traffic

• New content through blogs aimed at helping B2B buyers with solutions generates good will and increased web traffic

• Traffic from social media sites is increasing in importance, especially with Google’s new search algorithms

#2

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Better Insights

• Social media can shed light on what your competitors up to, what do customers and prospects think of your brand and how people are responding to your company's products and pricing

• Insights from social can also influence your research and development initiatives by providing real-time information enhancing the decision making process

• Find more data on your target prospects’ interests, preferences, motivations, behavior, etc., enhancing the information you already have

#3

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Lead Generation• 61% of U.S.

marketers use social media to increase their lead generation

• Publishing and sharing content online is the single biggest lever to increase lead generation

• social proof + strong ties = social conversion

#4

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Increase Loyalty

• B2B communities are niche and tend to be about passionate experts who can create quality user content if incentivized properly

• Programs implemented through social media help to engage loyal customers and facilitate brand advocates that can help "sell" B2B offerings through spreading positive mentions and endorsements

• Improve customer service by addressing problems quickly and efficiently while also demonstrating to potential customers your attentiveness to their issues

#5

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Search Engine Optimization• Social channels can increase

inbound links – people coming to your site through a social media campaign provide numerous new inbound links to your site, which is key to influencing search engine rankings

• When consumers are exposed to both search and social media the overall search click-through rate goes up by 94%

• Search engines pay close attention to social media rankings and sometimes it is easier to get noticed through social media outlets than search engines, which then pick up on social media activity as a secondary effect

#6

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Strengthening Partnerships

• Through the value of their community participation, you can increase their standing and improve the potential of finding valuable partnerships

• With their newfound reach, you can identify companies with which to establish revenue-generating partnerships

#7

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Reduce Marketing Expenditures #8

• While social media requires an investment of budget and professional resources, it's nowhere near the cost associated with other media

• Even in tough economic climates, B2Bs can afford social media programs and use these initiatives to gain competitive advantage

• As the cost of each sale acquired through social media is significantly reduced, ROI and profit margins can increase

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Sales (Cycle)• 65% of a salesperson's time is spent

not selling. Social selling tools can speed up sales research

• Educating prospects throughout the purchasing cycle is a core role of B2B marketers, with social media providing them tremendous outlets for knowledge sharing that can facilitate faster sales cycles

• Social media tools and platforms provide B2B's with new ways to communicate information and answer buyer questions about their offerings much more quickly.

• In providing two-way communications, B2Bs not only inform prospects, but also build trust and credibility that can work to increase sales in shorter periods.

#9

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TOOLS

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Social CRM Solutions

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Social Management Solutions

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Monitoring Platforms

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STRATEGY

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Setting a Strategy

80% of success in social media is getting you or

your organization ready --only 20% is about the

technologies

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Objectives

• Building better relationships with partners, prospects and customers

• Attracting prospective customers and compressing sales cycles

• Monitoring competitive positioning and ensuring you’re ahead

• Establishing thought leadership in your industry

• Building brand awareness and preference among decision makers

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Creating a Plan

• Align objectives

• Listen to the conversation

• Establish resources

• Select channels

• Set specific goals

• Join the conversation

• Integrate with off-line efforts

• Measure

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Measuring Success

• Reach

• Frequency & traffic

• Influence

• Conversations & transactions

• Sentiment

• Customer service resolution

• Lead generation/conversions