Social Media B2B

Every day you meet people in real life and on the web and you tell them what your B2B company does. I recently heard a study that Americans are more likely than people from other countries to define themselves by their job, so it is very common to answer the question “What do you do?”. Visitors to your social profiles and web site are also asking that question by reading your company’s social profile descriptions and the about page on your company website. People usually call their description of their company an elevator pitch, but I want to expand the definition of it and show the importance of this in more instances.

Start with Keywords
You already know what your company does, but can you describe it succinctly? And can you describe it using keywords that would others use to describe it. You can call this the Googlization of the elevator pitch, because like any good marketing approach, it is about consistency and repetition. What terms do customers and prospects use in searching for your company? Incorporate those keywords into the description of the company. It is not about jargon or buzzwords, but using real words that real people use. Once you know how others describe you and how they find you, you can create a real statement that describes what your company does.

Share it Internally
If you ask 10 employees to describe the company, you are likely to get 10 different answers. This doesn’t help your company build its consistent awareness in your industry and local community. Your employees are the ones marketing for you every day when they attend conferences and networking events. “What do you do?” is the first question every one asks when they meet someone new. I do it too. It is the easiest way to start a conversation because everyone has an answer. And that answer matters. Would you describe yourself as an account manager for Kansas City’s leading innovative provider of customer-focused printing solutions? Or would you use words that make sense in conversation? Once you develop your company description, make sure to share it with employees so they can be clear in describing what they do.

Home and About
A company website still provides the definitive description of what a company does. The consistent message, using the keywords so prospects can find you find in search, but that still makes sense when people read it and say it, needs to be on the home page and the about page. Too many times, long-winded copy describes processes, solutions and other details on these key pages without ever providing a concise description of what a company does. If your company does something remarkable, or even blog-worthy, someone is going to come to your website for a short phrase that describes what you do. Bloggers and speakers are always looking for examples and they rarely contact a pr person or look at a press release. If they can’t find a description easily, they may change their opinion of the company or not bother writing about it at all.

Don’t Get Cute with Twitter
The Twitter bio field can hold 160 characters. Make sure you use them wisely. Already have a description of your company that describes what you do concisely? Put it here. If you are big brand and everyone knows what you do, this is less important. But no matter how many people know what your company does, there is no reason to have a bio like, “Keeping it real from inside the walls of our place.” Sure, there’s a link to your company website or blog (or at least there should be), but don’t make someone click that link to find out what you do. You want them to click the link because they want to find out more, not to find out the basics, because they probably won’t.

Google Searches Facebook?
B2B companies are still finding their way on Facebook, but there are definitely examples of successful pages on the world’s largest social network. Since these pages have always been public and searchable, there has never been any question about privacy and the sharing of personal data. Businesses are on the web to be found. In addition to the title of your page, the most searchable spot on a Facebook page is that box in the upper left below your logo. Put your company description in that box so everyone understands what your company does, including search engines.

Represent Your Company on LinkedIn
And since all B2B social media approaches need to include LinkedIn, make sure you use this consistent description on all employee profiles and on the company profile. If you have read this far, I don’t think I need to tell you why. You already get it. Consistent message, search benefits, multiple outlets.

Have you worked to update your company description and make it consistent across all web channels? What have your biggest challenges been?

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