B2B Social Media Beats B2C: Let Us Count the Ways

I’ve written about the differences between B2B and B2C companies before, so I decided to do a little more research into how they’re different when it comes to social media marketing. From what I can tell, B2B companies have the edge over B2C’s when it comes to effectively reaching customers through social media.

1.  You can bet on it

Because B2B product lines change less frequently, you can bet that the social media content you’re producing today will be around a lot longer. The longer shelf life of B2B products means your marketing efforts will continue to create value longer, making them more effective and less expensive than their B2C counterparts.

B2B social media marketing is more reliable in another way, too. In general, fewer people are talking about B2B companies online than B2C’s, so you have more control over what is being said about your brand. It follows that B2B’s generate less negativity online as well, so you have less negative content to handle. Sure, buzz is great, but only if it is enhancing the value of your brand, rather than keeping you running in circles trying to put the lid on any negative vibes.

2.  You can’t beat the relationships

While B2C relationships are rife with impulsive or emotional buying decisions, B2B purchasing decisions are more relationship-driven. Businesses tend to interact directly with customers many times to educate prospects about their products and services. They can engage prospects throughout the entire sales cycle and can continue after a sale is finalized, through support, upgrades and continuing education.

The B2B buying process usually involves multiple colleagues and is reliant on recommendations, so it evolves over time, helping to solidify relationships. This emphasis on building relationships suits social media to a tee.

3.  The community is smaller and tighter

The B2B market is a smaller, more focused market, compared to the B2C. As a result, you can use social media to connect with prospects and start building relationships faster and easier. B2B buyers also tend to rely on recommendations and feedback from this smaller community. You can use social media to generate product feedback, helping to influence purchasing decisions.

B2B social media practices also create an opportunity for you to demonstrate your business value. Show the community you are reliable, responsive, and knowledgeable, and watch your sales grow!

In your experience, does B2B or B2C social media win? How have you found them to be different?

Image by Flickr user ivanpw (Creative Commons)

This entry was posted on Monday, August 22nd, 2011 at 9:00 am and is filed under Marketing, Social Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.


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