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There are many research and survey reports that have established the fact that social media does help in creating brand awareness and in increasing the traffic to corporate websites. By using automated lead tracking solutions, companies might also be able to track the leads that come from referral sites (social media platforms). The Marketing teams of these companies can then nurture them depending on the interest and intent expressed by prospects on the site. But then social media is not just about getting potential customers to a website and then tracking them, it’s more about interacting with them on a neutral platform, engaging them and educating them about the company and its offerings, in a setting that the prospects are comfortable with and like to frequent. In this context, social media takes a whole new meaning – a ‘like’ on Facebook fan page, a re-Tweet or follow on twitter, a comment on the LinkedIn group are all instances showing prospect interest. Here are some important pointers for B2B marketing companies about Social media marketing. 1. Social media marketing is successful only when it is designed to allow customer/user participation and dialogue, with little or no control by the organization. 2. Create assets that facilitate fans of a brand or company to promote it across multiple social media channels. Fan pages in Facebook or Groups in LinkedIn are ideal examples. 3. Create buzz for products and solutions – This means the company replicates a message, not through purchase of an ad, but through user to user contact. 4. Social media messages does not necessarily have to be about the product, but could be anything either relatively or remotely associated; many successful viral campaigns have gathered steam by focussing on the interests of the social media enthusiasts with a subtle presence in the form of a company logo or tagline included. 5. Allow companies to open up a conversation with their audience, allowing them to provide feedback and express their ideas and suggestions about their business in real time. 6. It is most likely for customers who have a personal connection with the business and feel as though the company cares about their feelings and opinions are more likely to return to the company when they need their services again. 7. For organizations trying to promote an idea or cause, social media allows them to have discussions with people, informing them about their cause and eventually winning their support. It can be considered as one of the best lead nurturing best practices as well. 8. B2B businesses should become involved in communities and social networks where their customers are present. 9. It would also pay to explore the opportunity to reach out to key influencers in their target market segment and optimize their content and social media applications for syndication. Creating effective social media presence can be a boon for the company’s lead generation process. Also read on – Marketing automation, B2B lead scoring
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lead nurturing best practices, lead generation, Marketing automation, B2B lead scoring,
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