Interested in the social media space but unsure if it’s right for your company? While most B2B companies have begun to pay some attention to social media, many are still not utilizing it for one reason or another.
We want to help break down some common barriers that keep B2B companies from engaging in social media or reaching their full potential in this area. Here are some suggestions for overcoming five common obstacles.
Solution: Many companies face questions regarding privacy and confidentiality, especially those in the healthcare and financial services industries. To alleviate concerns, work internally to craft a set of guidelines and policies for what kinds of content are appropriate for social media, as well as hot buttons to avoid. Anyone responsible for posting online content or interacting with followers would be trained on these guidelines. It’s also a good idea to outline a system for monitoring social media pages on a regular basis to reduce the chance that any questionable content is shared.
Solution: Time and talent is not always available for additional marketing projects. For a company who’s looking to expand its efforts into social media, this means stretching the current team’s capacity—just a little bit.
Get creative by looking at content that is already produced or could be easily customized for social media. Integrate social media into larger marketing plans so it becomes an organic extension, rather than a separate to-do. Designate key team members who are interested and experienced in social media to update your company pages in order to tap into their expertise and share the responsibility.
Solution: While social media may seem very different from other forms of marketing (and in some ways, it is!), there’s no need to be intimidated. Think of it as a channel for engaging directly with your target audience. To start, take a look at other B2B companies who are in the social media space and see what types of content they are sharing. Who’s doing a good job? What kinds of posts seem to generate responses? A benefit of the social media space is its potential for two-way communication.
On your page, share news, updates, product/service information, employee profiles, or any of your current marketing messages. Feel free to include relevant content from credible outside sources too. But remember to keep things short and sweet, interesting and informative. And mix it up! A constant stream of sales-y posts is a turn-off, so be authentic and consider what your followers want to know or learn.
Solution: The first step is to determine which social media networks your target audience is using and how they are using them. If you find that they are active members and in the right mindset while on a specific site, you have a great opportunity to build a dedicated audience of followers. Even better, as followers, these people have raised their hand as supporters of your brand, and they are open to receiving information. Here’s your chance to interact with them!
Solution: It takes some time and effort, but social media is a unique channel for reaching an audience of “opt-in” followers and engaging in a two-way conversation. Tap into that potential by building a relationship, providing valuable content, and answering questions promptly. When the time comes that your followers are in the market to work with your company, they will already feel connected through your ongoing communications. To sell in social media marketing to skeptical members of management, check out some recent data and case studies or look into how past spikes in social media buzz have contributed to sales and revenue.
What barriers does your company face when it comes to social media? How do you overcome them?
Photo Credit: Jennifer C.
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