Social Media B2B

Social media has changed the way all marketers, including B2B marketers, think about marketing. Everywhere they turn they are bombarded with messages about social media, and more specifically Twitter, Facebook, blogs, iPhone apps. How does a classically-trained Director of Marketing stop the currently marketing plan while the organization learns about social media? They don’t stop what they are doing, but the learning part is easy.

If you are running a marketing department, stop thinking about it like a cog within a large organization. Think about it like a community where everyone has a role. Within your department, there is likely to be a heavy Twitter user. A year ago other department members made fun of him for tweeting from his Blackberry several times a day. He has quietly become a Twitter expert in your midst and you can tap that knowledge. He can lead the first of your monthly lunch and learns about social media topics. And when you learn about Twitter, everyone needs to sign up with a personal account and tweet. It may feel unnatural, but over time you will discover your Twitter style. There are lots of blog posts about company Twitter accounts, but they all begin by suggesting you listen before you talk as a company.

The next month ask one of your Facebook aficionados to lead a session about the largest social network. It is not about teenagers and college kids, it is about people of all ages sharing the details of their lives. Businesses are joining to connect with their customers. Is Facebook right for you business? It depends where your customers are online. But before you can evaluate the appropriateness of a tool, you have to understand it. And there is someone on your team that is a heavy Facebook user.

Make sure that your department experts understand the nature and scope of their presentations. They might need to do research to find business examples of their favorite social network tools. These are not presentations about sharing pictures of your dog. This is a department learning environment where you can elevate team members to become experts in your community.

And if you don’t have experts within your team, you can go outside the walls of your organization to the local social media community. No matter where you are, there are people extolling the virtues of social media. They have events all the time where local people gather in a social environment and discuss social media. Sometimes it involves formal presentations, other times it may just be an informal gathering. Check with local marketing groups, advertising groups and even the local chamber of commerce for some of these groups. You can also search online for things like Social Media Club, Social Media Breakfasts, or Tweetups.

You will find people at these events that have a passion for social media, who can help your department learn about social media. Many of these people have been involved in the space for years, but there are always people at the events wanting to learn. The social media community is very open to teaching others about the next wave in marketing. Social media is not another channel through which to broadcast your message, but it is a way to engage with your customers. And, yes, you can engage with business to business customers. Our series with examples from B2B companies shows that others are already doing it.

And finally, as one of the volunteers who helps plan local social media events, if you find a group that is helpful and a good fit with your department, see if you can sponsor their event in some way. The grassroots social media community in your area will definitely benefit from your support. And if you help them, they can continue to help others.

Jeffrey L. Cohen is the Managing Editor of SocialMediaB2B.com. Follow Jeff on Twitter at @jeffreylcohen.