I was so busy at this year’s SXSW, I am still catching up on what was showcased and discussed there. While I had the opportunity to meet tons of great people and learn a lot about technology for business, I missed out on one of the best B2B social media sessions.
In this article, I’ll share what I missed with you, so you can use the tips presented by the B2B social media panel in your own marketing strategy. So, whether you weren’t able to make it to SXSW this year – or like me, if you were just too busy to take it all in, you don’t have to miss out on these smart tips.
1. Allow Website Logins with Facebook and OpenID
The panel suggested showing the connection between social and sales by using social logins with your B2B website. B2B companies can be just as social as B2C’s, but the key is to start where your customers are. Find out where your audience is hanging out, and listen to and engage them there. You can also determine who your company’s best social citizens are, and encourage and empower them to become brand evangelists for you. Encourage customers to begin connecting with you on social media by using Facebook and OpenID to browse your website.
2. Get Employees Talking About Your Brand, Too
Companies like IBM understand that their employees must be aware they represent the company’s brand. Engaged and knowledgeable employees can be powerful brand ambassadors, even on social media. Cisco showcases real-time Twitter streams on large screens around its offices so employees can see what is being said about their company online. How can you encourage your employees to check out your brand on social media? Better yet, how can you encourage them to promote the company within their own social networks?
3. Reward and Incentivize With Gamification
Companies like IBM and Cisco are using gamification to build leadership skills in their employees. Rewards and recognition programs can easily be gamified to keep everyone motivated and staying on track. You can even use gamification to get employees active on the company’s blog, which would help with the previously mentioned topic. Cisco employees earn badges for reading, commenting on, and sharing the company blog.
If you enjoyed these insights for using social media in your B2B marketing strategy, you can follow the panelists on Twitter for more tips:
- Duane Schulz (Xerox Corporation) @duaneschulz
- Jeanette Gibson (Cisco Systems) @jeanetteg
- Shanee Ben-Zur (NVIDIA) @sbenzur
- Susan Emerick (IBM) @sfemerick
- Melissa Chanslor (Text 100) @chanslor
Image courtesy of conversionpipeline.com
Google+Web.com is now offering forums designed to support small businesses in cities throughout the US. Learn more about these forums here: http://Businessforum.web.com/
Tags: Branding, Facebook, gamification, Marketing, OpenID, social media
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