You read a lot about the combination of B2B and social media. The search for (strong) cases continues, as Gitta Bartling explained in this article . Is this because these cases simply do not exist or perhaps because companies are reluctant to share them. The target groups for B2B are often more specific and smaller – certainly in IT, in which I am very active – than is the case with, for example, successful numbers such as KLM or Heineken.
Because of this, companies within B2B may quickly feel that their story is less worth sharing. But although I am convinced that the success stories are there, I also notice that there is still a lot of suspicion within B2B towards social media. And I think that is completely unjustified.
Avoiding criticism or missing an opportunity?
The pitfall of innovation is always the same: assuming the negative. Whether you are thinking about a new product, a possible prospect or a development such as social media; if you assume that it will not work out, nothing positive will ever come of it. In the case of social media, there is still a great deal of reluctance to be seen within B2B. Often heard is: “If I create a Twitter account, customers will complain there” or “if I post a blog online, a discussion will arise”.
And then of course the argument ‘time’. Where B2C teams are busy with social media all day long kuwait phone number list , companies within . B2B often do not experience communication and marketing as a priority. Who should respond when a complaint . A or question comes in via Twitter and how should people make time to actively engage in discussions? Then no social media. But do you avoid criticism by doing so or do you miss a huge opportunity? There is always time for customers and prospects, right?
Everyone is online
>Another argument that is that companies wonder whether their target group is on social media. Fortunately, I do see a positive development in this area: this argument is used less and less! And rightly so, because the IT Purchasing Goes Social study by Forrester and LinkedIn shows that 81 percent of IT decision-makers in France, England and Germany use social media for business purposes.