This presentation is for the many B2B companies that still wonder if Social Media Marketing actually works for them. This presentation outlines the key benefits from using social media for enterprises selling to other enterprises.

1. Building the B2B business case for Social Media
10 BENEFITS

2. Make no mistake:
”Social” Media is
Business media.

3. Yet many B2B are
not convinvced that
these game-
changing media
demonstrate
significant benefits
for their business
sectors & unique
challenges

4. This attitude is
costing them
Potential profits,
busniness leads,
industry relevence...
and market share to
their smarter online
competitors

5. 10
benefits
The need of the hour?
A better understanding of the tremendous B2B
business case for social media

6. B2B branding is High Touch and is
#1 mainly established through directly
interfacing with customers and
relationship building
Extend Branding And (vs. Ads & campaigns in B2C)
Relationship building
Efforts Social Media provides an array of new touch
points for B2B brand executives to interact
with prospects and customers.
• Due to two-way, real time attributes, social
medial tools enable a highly personla
branding experience for B2B customers and
prospects.
• The convenience if social medai allows more
B2B executives to build relationships with
current and prospective buyers...and
building relationships is core to all B2B
marketing and sales efforts.

7. B2B professionals actively
network online to find jobs,
share knowledge, solve problems
#2 & build their network of industry
contacts
• B2Bs can build professional communities
Tap professional centered on knowledge sharing &
reducing challenges that professionals face
communities every day – AND leverage these
interactions to build brand, reputation and
prospects
• Company’s can participate in existing
communities and networks to share
insights and help solve problems
• Through the value of thier community
participation, Companies can increase
their standing and improve the potential
of positive third party referrals

8. The B2B market seems smaller
than the B2C market thus,
expanding reach is imperative for #3
recognizing and creating new
business opportunities
Grow Reach
• With social media, companies now have access to a
world of new markets...and new business leads
• Through monitoring online conversations, B2B
executives can learn of changing needs and
emerging opportunities that can fuel new offerings
and practice areas to drive new revenues for the
organiuzation
• With their newfound reach, B2Bs can also identify
companies with which to establish revenue
generating partnerships

9. B2B relies on thought
leadership to communicate,
#4 differentiate and position
their offerings
Support Thought
• Through text, audia and video, social media
Leadership Programs gives thought leaders a dynamic new
platform to demonstrate their expertise
and gain exposure
• Companies can create rich, in-depth
conversations, professional forums and
knowledge exchanges around thier unique
ideas, articles, perspectives, reports and
methodologies
• Can ”rejuvenate and repackage” their
existing thought-leadership content in new
ways for these new channels – and thereby
maximize the ROI from existing content

10. B2B buyers are heavily influenced by
third-party feedback in their
purchasing decisions – both to
identify solutions and to limit risk to
#5
their organizations
Increase Third-Party
Influencers
(Word Of Mouth)
• Due to providing objective, third party
experiences and feedback, favorable WOM
(word-of-mouth) reduces buyer-side risk of
big-ticket B2B purchases
• Programs implemented through social
media help to facilitate brand advocates
that can help sell B2B offerings through
spreading positive mentions and
endorsements

11. Unlike impulse-driven, low-risk
purchases, B2B sales cycles are far
#6 longer, with buyers doing lots of
research and reference checks
• Educating prospects through out the
Dramatically purchasing cycle is a core role of B2B
shorten sales marketers, with social media
providing them tremendous new
cycles outlets for knowledge sharing that can
facilitate faster sales cycle
• Social media tools and paltforms
provides new ways to communicate
information and answer buyer
questions about their offerings much
more quickly
• In providing two-way
communications, companies not only
inform prospects, but also build trust
and credibility that can work to
increase sales in shorter periods.

12. Social Media is the MOST
cost-effective media. Ever.
#7
• While social media requires an
investment of budget and professional Decrease
resources, it’s nowhere near the cost Marketing Spends
associated with other media
• Even in tough economic climates, B2Bs
can afford social media programs and
use these initiatives to gain competitive
advantage
• As the cost of each sale acquired
through social media is significantly
lower, ROI and profit margins can
increase

13. B2B offerings are often very
#8 complex and necessitate a
learning curve for buyers, both
pre – and – post purchase
Minimize
Complexity of • The information exchanged, and
relationships built, through these social
Services channels helps to decrease confusion and, in
turn, increase the purchasing rates of B2B
products and services
• Informing and helping prospective buyers
through social media can help position B2Bs
as trusted advisors and decrease the
concerns associated with high learning
curves

14. Companies must identify ways to
strengthen and improve their
competitive advantage – of both
#9
their offerings and their marketing
Creating competitive &
strategies sustaining advantage
• B2Bs must remain relevant with existing &
potential clients - they must be active in the
media that their markets deem relevant and
actively uses
• Since many B2Bs are slower to adopt social
media, many companies can leverage first-
mover advantages within their industries
• Due to the insights gleaned through
monitoring online conversations, companies
can identify new offerings and needed
improvements around which to strengthen
their competitive advantage

15. Due to smalller market size
and higher-priced offerings,
the value of each B2B
customer is much greater
#10
than B2C customers
Intensify
CRM efforts
• Social media technologies enable
new CRM methods for B2Bs to
improve their customer
communications, extend customer
service and share knowledge
• Social media tools and programs,
B2Bs can not only inform but involve
clients in every step of the brand
development process and in return,
deepen these relationships

16. What to learn more about
Social Media Marketing
for B2Bs?
Contact Details
Siddharth Hegde: Founder & Director
Email: siddharth.hegde@ethinos.com
Mobile: +91 98202 17252
Website: www.ethinos.com
www.ethinos.com/blog
@siddhegde
www.facebook.com/EthinosDigital