I got following emails so I thought let me do a blog post on it.

We are doing a study on social media marketing by which we aim to determine the need of social media marketing for B2B companies. We are coming to Kolkata on 23rd September, 2010 (tomorrow). It would be great if you could give us half an hour of your time tomorrow. Please share your contact number with us so that we can get in touch with you and fix an appropriate time for the meeting.

Social media is for people, P2P . Be it B2C or B2B or even C2C, Social Media can be used as everywhere the decisions are made by P2P. It is people who interact as individuals and company representatives. Now even in B2B, decisions are taken by people, so if company representatives of these businesses are there on social network they can be impacted. Let’s take an example:

One of our clients manufacture Linen fabrics, they don’t sell it directly to consumers, they sell it to distributors. They are using Social Media platform very effectively and creating a brand. But then it may not be the apt example, there are many others, some of the examples can be found at http://socialmediab2b.com/, like:

1. http://socialmediainfluence.com/2010/09/14/ups-launches-a-b2b-social-marketing-campaign/: The key to UPS online success lies in its ability to make its online social channels a center for discussing business-changing possibilities instead of logistic failures. This may prove to be a bit of a challenge considering the negative nature of the first customer post on the new Facebook page (see screenshot bellow), but it does give UPS the opportunity to directly respond to individual complaints through its social channels.
2. http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/cisco-social-media-product-launch/: As early as 2008, networking giant Cisco was well along in its social media evolution. Back then you could find the company on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

   Yet something was missing – the hard business case for social media. Like most companies, Cisco knew it was benefiting from social media, but it couldn’t prove it. The launch of a new router using only social media would provide the proof Cisco’s marketers were seeking. The results surprised even the social media enthusiasts. With this single project, the company shaved six figures off its launch expenses and set a new precedent for future product launches. “It was classified as one of the top five launches in company history,??? said LaSandra Brill, senior manager, global social media. “It was the crossing the chasm point for us in the adoption phase of social media and helped us get over the hump of internal acceptance.???

3. http://www.toprankblog.com/2010/02/b2b-social-media-winners/

Our take on Social Media for B2B

We feel it is good to create your brand irrespective of whether you are a B2B or B2C.

1. Social Media for B2B will act differently: It may use linkedin more effectively than facebook as company’s have presence on Linkedin than on Facebook.
2. Company can use social media like FB, Twitter, LinkedIn, Youtube to share knowledge. Informational marketing does help in creating a great deal of awareness.
3. Business is not all about sales, it is also about Career (use FB for getting right talent by showing your company climate and fun cum challenges at work). Business is also about market Goodwill, show CSR works on social media, involve interested people in it.
4. Sharing innovations, brand building etc
5. Brand reputation on social media can’t be avoid irrespective of whether you a B2B to B2C, we had many occasions when the company people got disappointed with another business and tweeted about it.

I am sure there is a whole lot to pen down and research. Also remember that web marketing is about providing different platforms and integrating it to make the best use of individual platforms. One platform or one media in not very effective if used separately but the same media can be powerful if used in proper integration with other channels. I recently answered a journalist who wanted my opinion about “YouTube as a marketing channel“, (Do read the last part of the conversation)