If you haven’t jumped into Social Marketing or are not achieving the results you’re looking for, you may be thinking “Is this right for me?”. I’d like to try to clear up some frequently asked questions to help you determine is Social Marketing is right for you.
B2B vs B2C
B2C businesses can have some huge successes with Social Marketing. If you think about Starbucks, Best Buy and PlayStation…big brands, well represented in Social Media and definitely know how to play the game. Then there is Naked Pizza in New Orleans. They currently have over 5,000 active Facebook fans that write in to tell them how good their pizza is and even thanking them for opening a store in their location. Liliha Bakery is Honolulu, Hawaii not only has 30,000 raving fans of their delicious treats, they also have other bakeries that comment on their “genius” concoctions!
B2B marketing can be slightly more tricky. This is when you really need to think about where your customers might be found. It may not be Facebook or Twitter. I worked with a company that develops plasma cutting tables, something I knew nothing about. Where on Earth do you find people interested in plasma cutting? After a week, I was clueless. I needed a way to reach their ideal customers, but how? Then it came to me. I found several forums where business owners were talking about plasma cutters and tables, I simply suggested my clients business and mentioned how wonderful their customer service was (if they don’t have what you’re looking for, they will find it for you). Within a week they had 4 new sales for plasma cutting units. A month later, they had orders for 15 more from 3 forum posts. Everyone was happy. “Shoretel or Avaya? Time for a new phone system very soon” – this tweet launched a big win for Avaya who happened to be “listening” at the time. 13 days and a $250,000 sale later, everyone was happy!
What to take away from this? No matter if your business is B2B or B2C, people are looking for your products/services. The more you put your name out there, the more you socialize with your customers, the better service you provide, your business will grow.
Four things to remember:
1. Size doesn’t matter. Whether you have 10 fans or a million. All it takes is just one person to say they like your product or enjoyed your service to bring you more business.
2. Be social!
3. If you’re not there, your competition will be.
4. Be consistent. Give people a reason to keep coming back!
