When you hear the term social media most people immediately think about Facebook and Twitter and consumer focused campaigns and conversations. But what doesn’t come immediately to mind is that Social is a very powerful channel for B2B organizations.
What is interesting is that 86% of B2B firms are using social, compared to 82% of B2C. And how they are using it is surprising as well.
59% are focused on Thought Leadership
48.9% are focused on Lead Generation
45.7% are interested in Feedback/Reviews/Recommendations
34.7 are interested in paid advertising on social sites
Linkedin has proven to be an incredible asset for B2B Social Media Strategy & execution. With Hubspot defining Linkedin (45%) as the most effective B2B source for lead generation followed by Facebook at 33%.
With Today’s Linkedin announcement that they are now enabling company status updates, they are taking another step forward in further allowing organizations to connect directly with potential targets.
Here is an example of the new Company Status updates
With the ability to outline services, drive recommendations and now adding a voice to the brand, it will be interesting to see how organizations capitalize on yet another avenue to interact with potential clients.
Cintas & RackSpace are maximizing the Linkedin platform to further drive engagement with their brand by outlining their products & services and driving recommendations for their offerings.
Here is the RackSpace example
Because B2B social is generally more targeted than B2C social, the ability to drive targeted interaction in one location while also providing a comprehensive footprint throughout the channel is key. Brands can engage via groups, Q & A in Linkedin answers and use the inherent tools in the platform to drive targeted interaction.
Philips Linkedin Group Example
Organizations can also purchase PPC Ads as well as targeted rich media to further drive their acquisition strategy.
With so much attention given to Facebook, B2B organizations should maximize their Linkedin experience. Whether it is to further amplify thought leadership, drive acquisition of leads, or promote feedback/reviews & recommendations, Linkedin’s latest changes can further enable an organization to meet and exceed it’s goals & objectives.
Follow Tom Edwards @BlackFin360
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