For B2B marketers, the challenge of being the topic of conversation is a bit greater.  You want to be the topic of conversation in places where buyers go to look to make decisions about products like yours.  Like other elements of the marketing mix, it is critical to view social media as part of an overall communications plan directed by a marketing strategy.  But, as is too often the case - organizations move right to tactics that are implemented without a strategy or cohesive plan.  Social Media is no different than other elements of your communications plan.  "We need to get on LinkedIn, Facebook and twitter" is not a plan.

As with the entire marketing mix, it starts with your target customers.  How are they making their decisions, what information do they need, who influences them?  You want them to have all the information they need at the time they are looking to make a decision.  The ability to do this will be based on your ability to be viewed as a reliable authority.  Being knowledgeable and acknowledged as such by the relevant community provides that credibility.  This requires not just providing valuable relevant content, but being active in the conversation.

Delivering a consistent message in the right places, at the right times, with valuable content and active participation will all add up to success.  This requires having a supporting theme and a coordinated approach in all communications including: the company website, e-mail, blogs and social media, in such a way that they work together, complement each other and support one another. 

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Comments on this Entry:

(Dena at York Saw & Knife on Oct 30, 2009 7:09 PM) York Saw & Knife is an industrial manufacturer of cutting tools and we've carefully started using social media, however we've seen many B2Bs stay away. Is this a lack of result of a strategic plan, inability to see the benefit, or just ignorance? We recently published a poll asking "Why do B2Bs stay away from social media?" We'd appreciate your input and that of your readers. The poll can be found on our most recent blog post: B2B and Social Media: Take the Poll! Thanks.

(Chuck Rutledge on Nov 12, 2009 11:20 PM) I think the answer is "all of the above". But, I also think that social networking has now generated so much curiosity that B2B's are starting to explore. There are people who are not using social networking and are ignorant of the benefits, so this is certainly a factor. I think that many organizations, particularly today, have so much on their plate that this represents yet another new thing whose benefit can be viewed as uncertain, so they find it difficult to make time for it. To some extent, I think both of these issues are related to the lack of a comprehensive marketing plan. It is much easier to understand how twitter is going to be a valuable tool when I know how I am going to use it in conjunction with other components of the marketing mix. For example, people understand that a company's website should be dynamic and fresh. They understand that a continuous stream of new content makes the website a place to become informed and visit regularly. Social networking advances this effort. It now becomes a valuable tool in updating people on what is new - bringing them to the website to get the latest information. Even more important, the content on the website is no longer just outbound communication, it is opening the door to a discussion. I would be very interested in the results of you poll - let us know when they are available.

The service providers certainly are in the position to collect and mine lots of information about their customers.  Can this be packaged and provide to content providers allowing them to better target and access their target markets?  Are they able to use the information to enable the creation of unique services and applications that could generate additional revenue?

Service providers have always been key partners for enterprise and business customers that have complex communications needs.  As advanced communications is providing improved productivity tools, is there an opportunity for the role of the service provider to become an even more important partner - with more systems integration to bring together voice, data, mobile, and existing internal networks?  Will the complexity of the new communications networks with capabilities such as Unified Communication provide a greater opportunity for hosting solutions for businesses that do not want to manage the internal networks required?

Will they be able to leverage the ability to bundle communications services together - creating offers for video based services, internet and phone - both fixed and mobile?  Perhaps the value is in the customer experience rather than the content or applications?  Can the service providers create an ability to manage and interface with the variety of communications services in such a way that makes the experience easier and even fun - thus creating a unified experience that adds value that consumers and businesses are willing to pay for?      

Perhaps the most likely outcome is that we will see some of all of the above.  What scenarios do you think will dominate? 

What areas do you see as an opportunity for the service provider to generate additional revenue?                                                    

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Comments on this Entry:

(çiçekçi on Jul 9, 2009 7:46 AM) For sharing thank you very much good very beautiful work

The recession has had executives running for cover until the economic storm has passed.  They make short-term business decisions that manifest themselves in extensive cost cutting measures such as layoffs, furloughs, and typically near the top of the list - the marketing budget.  The uncertainty of the times strikes at the hearts of individuals' insecurities, so holding on to what you have becomes the behavior of both consumers and businesses.

However, economic growth will return, and the recession offers a potentially excellent opportunity for companies to significantly improve their market position.  This may also be a great time to pick up ground on the competition.  They may be hiding from the storm like so many other companies led by fair weathered captains of industry.  What if you were to continue to invest in your business?  Get more aggressive with development plans to build additional differentiation against the competition that has cut its R&D.  Avoid layoffs of the people needed to operate the business so that you don't find yourself hiring new untrained individuals who need to learn your business at the same time the economy is recovering.

Marketing may appear to be a sensible place to reduce expenses since fewer people are buying and those who are typically are spending less.  Everyone else is cutting back on marketing, why not do the same?  The problem is that your partners, customers and prospects may also notice this, and the message it sends is not one of reassurance. 

This economy provides an opportunity for those who have some financial strength to improve their market position.  The opportunity is actually twofold for marketing: the noise level is lower and the cost of delivering your message louder is greater.

This is a great time to deliver your message while the overall advertising noise level is substantially lower.  Advertising is reduced everywhere, as are the publication of whitepapers, etc.  Any company delivering its message in this environment will have a lot less noise to compete with and thus are more likely to be heard.

The cost of reaching the customer is also lower.  Like in many industries, advertising revenues have been reduced for all media outlets, making it a great time to negotiate deals.   Advertising costs are lower.  The ability to negotiate packages and lower long-term rates is greater.  The competition for on-line ad words is lower, thus the cost per-click through is lower. 

For those who have the financial strength to maintain their marketing programs, it is to their advantage, as they are able to get their message out more often and in more places at a time when the competitive noise is reduced.

What if you were to be so BOLD as to INCREASE the marketing budget during the recession?  Buy more advertising and more opportunities to deliver your message when the noise is the lowest.  How might this impact the position of your business as compared to the competition?  How might this impact the revenue of your business as compared to the competition - particularly during the recovery when projects that have been on hold are restarted?

Instead of focusing on what your business looks like during the recession, imagine how you would like your business to look as the economy improves.  It might be the best time to think about how to take advantage of your competitors' short-term behavior to gain long-term market share.

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Comments on this Entry:

(JLowy on May 21, 2009 12:18 PM) You make excellent points. And, if CEOs had marketing background, they'd be wise to follow your advice. Sadly, many companies are run by CEOs with financial backgrounds, or by a management team comprised mostly of financial types...and to them it is just a matter of dollars and 'sense'. I agree it is a very shortsighted view and one that will ultimately cost more in the end both from having to recoup market position and by having to bring in highly experienced/expensive marketers to make up that ground.

(Ink on Oct 13, 2009 3:27 AM) Yes i am agree with all your points in this article. Recession is really increase the market position but what about the people who wants job in this hard time so the government must do somthing for overcome this problem.

Now, Market It - what does this mean?  As a high tech marketing person, I am always interested in how high tech companies utilize marketing.  Though much has been written about marketing in high tech companies, I have found the spectrum of views on high tech marketing remarkably vast.  In some companies marketing is core to its strategy - and in others it is the organization that manages the website and trade shows.

In high tech industries there is so much focus on the technology that I don't think marketing is always an integral part of the strategic planning process.  Often marketing is thought about when it is time to bring a solution to market.  The technology has been transformed into a product or service - "Now, Market It".

As with so many things in high tech businesses, marketing has unique challenges.  Marketing is both a science and an art - it requires an understanding of the analytical and the creative.  It is complicated by the fact that different marketing strategies are required based on a variety of factors including where the technology is in the Technology Adoption Life Cycle.  Marketing is dynamic and multi-dimensional.  It requires continual adaptation and an understanding that markets are both global and local. 

Marketing is appropriately a key component to strategic planning and for supporting innovation in any high tech company.

Convergence technology has developed into a very dynamic industry that covers a wide variety of applications being pursued by both established players and start-ups.  I am interested in generating an ongoing discussion about how marketing is practiced and how it differs from marketing theory.  

How is marketing viewed at your company?

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Comments on this Entry:

(JLowy on Apr 30, 2009 7:35 AM) It has been my experience that marketing in a high tech arena is very different from that of marketing in a consumer products arena. The difference is often one of strategy vs. 'messaging.' I have always said that engineers should come with subtitles. Technology often drives the product roadmap and the strategy that goes along with it. Marketing wants to have a strategy that pulls all the 5 Ps together. Marketing wants to translate the product's technical features into benefits and a value proposition that is delivered in common language that the layman would understand. Conversely, consumer products marketing includes everything from strategy to end of life! Marketers own the entire process.