Social Media B2B

A while back I wrote a post about cases when social media wasn’t right for some B2B organizations. Today I want to address something different. It is one thing for your B2B business to be in a position to benefit by leveraging the social web. In fact, most could benefit, however the bigger question should be: “Is your organization ready for the social web?”

Too often the answer to the question above is a big NO. How do you know? Below is a check list of 10 situations that determine your B2B organization’s readiness for social media. If you can check them all off your list then you’re likely ready. If you can’t check them off then fix them first to ensure that your social media efforts have a better opportunity to succeed long-term.

1. Corporate Web Site Sucks – The title almost says it all. Before you take the next step on the web, it is important to have a good foundation. If your site needs a new design, has usability issues, doesn’t reflect your business, then direct resources there first. Social media can wait. Leveraging social media, comes with a new set of customer exceptions. At the top of that list is a usable and robust web site.

2. Under Staffed For Current Efforts – Many parts of social media are free, but they also take A LOT of time. If you are beating your head against the desk overwhelmed with your current work load, then don’t pile on social media. Not only will it take a lot of time, but it will likely take twice as much time as you estimate. Get the staffing support you need to make it happen.

3. Leadership Doesn’t Support Social Media – If you have to spend all of your time fighting with leadership about the role of social media, you won’t have any time left to achieve the results you want. This is one of the single biggest road blocks to making social media work. Sure you have to sell it in initially and prove value, that is part of any business function. If your leadership constantly makes you resell every little thing, then you have a big problem.

4. Haven’t Done Any Basic SEO – Search engine leads are of great benefit to B2B organizations. Social media can be asset in helping to improve organic search traffic. For social media to help impact organic search traffic, it is important that your organization already have done some basic optimization of your web properties.

5. Don’t Have Any Web site Metrics In Place – Going along with SEO it is vital to have some type of analytic software tied to your Web site and all other web properties. Additionally having staff that regularly looks at the visitor data for your site will help provide insight into how your customers use the web. With out this information your social media strategy is about as focused as squinty kid looking through milk bottle glasses.

6. Don’t Have A Clear Organization Communications Strategy – Remember that social media amplifies the good and the bad. If you don’t have a clear communications strategy, then this weakness will be highlighted by your social media efforts. Understand what you are trying to say before looking at new ways of saying it.

7. Don’t Believe In Transparency – Like it or not transparency is an important part of online culture. You don’t have to Tweet every business secret, but an expectation exists that you will be clear on who is representing your organization online. If you can’t do this then wait until you can.

8. Have A Crappy Product – If you product sucks social media will only help to tell more people that it sucks. Granted it will also provide feedback to make the product better, but you are likely better off focusing on your product.

9. Sales Funnel Is Broken – If your are looking at social media as a possible lead generation source then it is important to have a sales funnel that works. Missing a CRM system or a defined lead routing process? Than fix it first.

10. Don’t Care What Your Customers Think – The customer service implications of social media are constantly discussed and so are the pitfalls of companies who get blasted for poor service. If customer service isn’t a priority for your business then you are going to soon find that social media doesn’t help this issue. That being said your customers are talking about you. The best way to fix poor customer service is to get them involved in the process to make it better.

Many of these may seem obvious, but that is the point. Social media isn’t a magic cure-all. It can make bad things worse and good things better. It only make sense to get rid of the bad habits before you start.

What would you add to this list?

Kipp Bodnar is publisher of SocialMediaB2B.com. Follow Kipp on Twitter @kippbodnar.