7/8/2010
How Can B2B Firms Use Social Media?
B2B firms can make tremendous use of social media – so much so that initiatives get stalled because so many possibilities cloud the strategy. Lately I’ve been trying to categorize social media objectives to help companies isolate where best to deploy their resources.
Here’s what I’ve got so far – what would you add or change?
Social Media Objectives for B2B Firms
Transactional
- Orders
- Qualified leads
- Build email list
- Webinar signups
- Referred site traffic
Market Intelligence
- Gather new ideas
- Evaluate customer sentiment
- Monitor competitors
Corporate Image
- Brand awareness
- Thought leadership
- Reputation management
- Community building and conversation
Company Services
- Customer service
- Technical support
- Customer eductation
- Event promotion
4 Responses to How Can B2B Firms Use Social Media?
Brad, this is an excellent way to help companies clearly define their objectives in advance of setting strategy. This combined with a clear understanding of their internal strengths will help them to formulate a strong and productive strategy.
Hi Karen, Thanks for the feedback. We just had a 2-hour meeting with a potential new client and my head is spinning with about 5 things to add to the list!
Brad,
Today’s businesses can use social media in so many ways. Great idea delineating them in a list to let businesspeople know what areas they may be missing in their social media strategy. A few other objectives I’ve thought of to add to the list would be these (with categories in parentheses):
Gather market research (Market Intelligence)
Spread goodwill (Corporate Image)
Improve customer relations (Corporate Image)
Demonstrate responsiveness to consumer concerns (Company Services)
Troubleshoot existing customer service issues (Company Services)
Troubleshoot existing PR issues (Corporate Image)
Of course, there’s always some overlap, but I think each has a more-or-less unique main focus.
Jeanne, Excellent additions. With all the emphasis on communication in social media, we easily forget how useful these platforms are for pure market research.