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2. B2B marketers have seen their effective traditional media choices dwindle. Without SM platforms, where and how are you going to attract new business in your own region, much less in other parts of the world?

3. Corporations, brands, products no longer control their messages as they once did… Internet has opened information, criticism and comments to everyone, everywhere.

4. Clients/consumers no longer accept (to any significant degree) old style advertising – what’s been called ‘broadcasting’ and/or interruption marketing: sending a single message to consumers whether they want it or not. Clients want an individualised message; they want it at their pace, when they need it, not before; they want to receive the message in a format and a style that matches their expectations; no longer can you broadcast one message to a monolithic market… there are many niches requiring many messages.

5. Most importantly: you, as the company, no longer seek clients/customers… they seek you. Nothing is more important to understand than this: 70% - 80% of your customers come to you, seek you, when they are in need of a product or service. And they come to you AFTER doing a bit of research, mostly online word of mouth. They come to you with a predisposed notion of how good your products are, what type of company you are to deal with, how good is your customer service, etc. It follows then…

7. The heart of your message is its content: you still need a good story and a compelling argument to alter consumer perceptions. What’s really the difference between distributing a hard copy White Paper at a trade show, having it published in a magazine, sending it as a pdf via email, making it an ebook, putting it as a PPT on Slideshare, linking to it on Facebook? As a marketer there is no difference? Cost and access are both improved via SM.

8. A decade ago, you didn’t randomly place articles in trade magazines; rather, you had a strategy: articles here, lectures there, press releases first, then advertising, etc. You had an integrated plan. Same as now. Replace trade magazines with LinkedIn, lectures with webinars, PR with Twitter presence. So what has changed? Nothing, really.

10. ‘SM is great for B2C but not B2B.’ On the contrary, B2B needs SM, is desperate for it. As we’ve stated, without SM the options for B2B marketers are severely limited. B2B markets are generally tighter, more niche than B2C, and niche markets are what SM serves best: small, defined segments that can be addressed inexpensively in their own language, style and information needs.

11. There’s no way to gauge ROI! See above. You couldn’t measure ROI with magazines and trade shows – you thought you could but the numbers were spurious. Yet, these traditional outlets worked for years… and have only declined as your best clients changed their preferences as to how they wanted to receive info and in what form. And let’s be honest: an ad in a technical magazine could run £5000 a month or more, much more. What’s a LinkedIn company page cost? A Facebook page? Putting a technical article online? You’re spending less to reach more people. Finally you can afford to try different messages in various market segments without breaking the bank.

12. Don’t be dazzled. Social media are various platforms you can use to reach customers, have them reach you and help direct the tone of the discussion… just like magazine articles and a booth at Productronica.

14. Your traditional marketing options are less effective; ROI is untenable.

16. trade shows have followed the same patter as magazines

17. industry organizations are less important

19. web initiatives are less effective

21. Offer insight into your expertise through well-written and meaningful articles on your corporate blog.

22. Establish your position as thought leaders and the proven experts as it increases customer confidence.

23. Any organization that embarks on a social media campaign needs to actively participate in conversations relevant to the brand and its goals.It’s important to remember that the organizations that succeed using social media are transparent and genuine with their reader base. They offer information that has value for their consumers and welcome the participation of these consumers on how to better improve the products and services offered as compared to the brands competitors. <br />(ADD STEPS TO GETTING STARTED)<br />Conclusion<br />Social media for B2B marketing continues to evolve, so quickly that it sometimes seems that what we knew yesterday is no longer applicable. It takes diligence to stay current. The good news, however, is that nothing has had the time to be set in stone. <br />There are some right things and wrong things – you shouldn’t broadcast a single message to everyone, you should engage clients not lecture them – but most of what lies ahead for B2B marketing and SM has yet to be developed. <br />But what is clear is the growing role social media will play in B2B marketing. The direct engagement model it encourages is set to transform relationships between businesses and customers. No longer will businesses hide (whether they wish to or not) behind quot;
marcomquot;
firewalls. <br />Transparency and clarity, sincerity and speed, will become some of the hallmarks of these rejuvenated B2B relationships. <br />