Social Media B2B

In news that isn’t surprising to many, advertising pages in print B2B publications are down. In fact recent reports have them down nearly 30 in February of this year. That is a BIG drop and a major reason many B2B publications are shutting down. Though the number of B2B magazines is shrinking, the audience isn’t. So where is everyone going to get information ? Online

This is an issue impacting all media industries and raises the issue of the cost and impact of B2B content marketing. Two factors are leading to the decline of print B2B publications. The economy is not doing well and businesses are reducing advertising spending, but the larger issue is that the Internet offers a way to publish niche content that much cheaper than printing and operating a magazine.

Jeff and I started Social Media B2B for less than $100, because we thought that this was an important issue that needed to be addressed. To have do the same thing in print would have cost us thousands of dollars, great financial risk and months of waiting to get content in front of our readers. So as a B2B executive or marketer why should you care that magazines are having these problems?

Opening A New Door
B2B marketers need to take the problems the magazines are having and use them to their advantage. The magazines decline should tell you that your customers are getting more information online, want information hourly and daily instead of monthly, and many don’t have time to read entire magazines full of columns and articles.

Shifting Marketing Focus To The Web:

1. Invest- Take 20% percent of your print budget and add it to or create an online budget.
2. Focus On Inbound – Inbound marketing brings customers to you by helping them find your information on the web. Inbound marketing includes using: paid and organic search marketing, social media, and e-mail marketing.
3. Bring Existing Relationships Online – You have built your business on relationships, it is now time to get the most out off them. Connect with people you now  online on networks like LinkedIn. The Internet helps relationships scale and allows more introductions.
4. Understand Online Content - Good B2B marketing has always been about relationships and good information. However, content on the web is shorter, segmented and often listed. Understanding this helps your company become more relevant in a crowded space where information is free to publish.

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