If you’re in the business-to-business (B2B) arena, are you using social media. And, if you are, how well are you using it?
Well, according to a November 11 report on Mashable.com, you are using social media to market your business but you’re not doing it very “effectively.”
Mashable reported that one study showed that “only 32% of B2B companies engage with their customers on a daily basis via social media,” while “another discovered that 46% of B2B marketers thought social media was relevant.”
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What’s more, Mashable reported that a different study “found that 60% of B2B firms have no staff dedicated to social media” even though “the vast majority (86%) of B2B companies use social media for marketing, it’s clear there’s considerable room for improvement.”
We find this incredible. Social media works! It gives you an awesome return on your investment. While it may take some time to see results, those results snowball (in a good way) exponentially over time.
Our takeaway? Even a little social media is better than none. It can feel overwhelming to think about engaging in all social media (Twitter, blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, RSS feeds, podcasting, etc.), so start slow. Pick one (such as Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn and really aim to “work it.”
The Mashable article quoted Forrester Research’s Michael Green saying that “[s]ocial marketing is great for building more intimate relationships with your clients and prospects. “But many marketers are diving into social marketing without a coherent social marketing strategy.”
So, start slow. Define what you want to get out of your social media efforts (more short-term customers now, repeat customers [who may take longer to buy and need to be “courted” longer via social media], do you want more media coverage, more positive media coverage, to build a list of prospects (or even all of the above)?
If you need help crafting a strategic social media plan, if you’d like help getting started using social media, or if you’d like to give it to someone else so that you can reap the benefits without having to do any of the “work,” contact GoiMarketing.com. We live and breathe search engine optimization and social media marketing and we can put work with you on your social media as much — or as little — as you’d like. Contact us today!
