Category Archives: Social Media

How to Integrate Social Media into B2B Marketing

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. SantiMB . / Foter.com / CC BY-NC-ND

I came across some interesting peer research on recommended best practices in social media  integration for B2B marketers. The  study was conducted by the ITSMA (Information Technology Services Marketing Association) in 2011 but is still relevant today.

The research found B2B marketing campaigns are most successful when social media is integrated into the overall marketing strategy; emphasis is placed on customer relationships; and when social media is used to drive traffic to traditional marketing channels such as websites and events.

Read the excellent study findings and suggestions on how marketers can transform B2B marketing and social media within a larger, integrated marketing strategy  focused on customer relationships: Continue reading →

Tapping into the Groundswell

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Social media is turning the world of marketing upside down.  Companies can no longer simply “shout out” and have one-way conversations with their customers.  Today, dialogues are not only two-way, but also customers are reaching out to colleagues and trusted advisers on social networks for brand information.

Charlene Li and Josh Bernoff in their bestseller book Groundswell, describe this new shift in the relationship between customers and companies as:

“A social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations.”

In fact, most B2B buyers prefer to conduct their own research first to learn about a company`s product or service offerings than rely on a customer representative.  The vast amounts of content available online, along with ubiquitous Internet access and high bandwidth make information gathering and sharing standard practice today.  Buyers are simply more social. Continue reading →

Book Review: Social Media ROI by Olivier Blanchard

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Social Media ROI

As a former marketing operations manager, I naturally gravitated towards reviewing a book on Social Media ROI.  After all, business practices are driven by ROI and marketers are facing increased pressure to show accountability.  Olivier Blanchard’s book is helpful in integrating social media with business objectives and he brings social media to life with many interesting situational narratives.  Blanchard blends these worlds into a cohesive strategy and journey consisting of investment, action, and reaction—leading to nonfinancial and financial impacts. It’s a nicely constructed methodology that remains focused on ROI.

Organizations that embrace social media properly, Blanchard explains, will benefit from enhanced collaboration, increased departmental efficiency, cost reductions and business growth.  He instructs the reader on how to present a business case across the C-level executive suite in a context that matters to each stakeholder. Without securing buy-in, a social media initiative is dead in the water.

The book’s Table of Contents is well organized and broken out into 4 sections on how to become a social company: social media program development, program integration, program management, and program measurement.

Continue reading →