Social Media for B-to-B Marketers

Of the three most popular social networking sites (MySpace, Facebook, and LinkedIn), LinkedIn appears to be the most popular site for business professionals. Boasting more than 20 million professionals around the world and representing more than 150 industries, it can be a great networking tool. But can social networking sites be an effective component of the IMC mix?

For marketers wanting to reach the IT community, LinkedIn can be a very effective site. According to a Network World reader survey, 41% of the respondents said they used the site to cultivate business contacts. MySpace, Slashdot and Facebook were the other popular sites for more than 1 in 5 IT professionals. Forrester analyst, Rob Koplolwitz, who reviewed the survey results noted that IT professionals who use social networking sites are typically looking to build business contacts and learn about technology. That is an interesting point for B-to-B marketers trying to reach a very technical crowd.

I have recently noticed this trend by reviewing LinkedIn’s Answers tool. Viewers can review segments such as Technology, Sales and marketing, as well as other areas of interest. The technology area, for example, posts a wide variety of questions from members wanting to know things from the best CRM programs for small businesses to how will the recent HP announcement to acquire EDS impact the market.

Another important aspect where social media is impacting the business community is in the area customer service. And while customer service is not in the same discipline and marketing, there exists a symbiotic relationship between the two functions.

According to a recent study published by the Society for New Communication Research exploring the link between customer care and brand reputation in the age of social media, over 59% percent of respondents said they use social media to “vent” about customer care experiences. 81% of respondents also believe that blogs and other forums can give consumers a greater voice but sadly, only 33% believe that businesses take their opinions seriously.

For marketers, social media can be viewed as a dual-edged sword. But to build an effective Integrated Marketing Communications strategy, B-to-B marketers would be well served to embrace social media and leverage its potential.