As a mid-size business with a B2B focus, you might think you don’t need to be on social media. Since you’re not dealing with consumers, you might believe, you don’t have to worry about social media marketing at all. But just as B2B-focused businesses require a web site, they also need to be on social media and for all the same reasons you want to be there if your company has a consumer focus –because your customers are very likely there too and they’re talking about your products and services whether you’re there or not.
Social media marketing provides you the opportunity to share your expertise and open two-way conversations with your customers, which would be impossible or at least very difficult in any other medium. It works hand-in-hand with content marketing because the content drives people to your website and gives you a peg for your social media strategy. And it provides a way to listen to your customers and deal with issues before they get out of your control and take on a life of their own.
Each social service offers its own unique approach and you need to have a comprehensive strategy that incorporates all of them. Even Facebook, which has a consumer orientation should have a place in your social media arsenal. This infographic does a good job of outlining the different services and what they bring to your social media marketing plan.
Click twice to get a better view.
Infographic courtesy of Engage5w.com.
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet. I’ve been compensated to contribute to this program, but the opinions expressed in this post are my own and don’t necessarily represent IBM’s positions, strategies or opinions.
