The other day I read a brief article in Harvard Business Review called, “Social Media Works for B2B Sales Too.” My initial reaction was of the “dog bites man” variety.
But that’s actually what grabbed my attention. Why would HBR be writing about something so obvious? B2B marketing professionals still need to be reminded of these basic marketing concepts? Apparently so. That’s both interesting, and a little scary.
Mark Kovac’s article drives home three basic points that serve as common sense reminders for every B2B professional with a toe in the marketing pool:
- In today’s world, the customer is way ahead of the marketer or salesperson, and may bypass them altogether on their buyer’s journey.
- Creating insightful, helpful content and making it widely available online via social media can help humanize your company and draw customers to you.
- Taking full advantage of social media can create customer engagement, good publicity, and even generate sales leads if done correctly and consistently.
The examples of Adobe, IBM, and Maersk Line are used to excellent effect to illustrate these points.
We wholeheartedly concur with Mr. Kovac’s recommendations. At this point, they should form a fundamental pillar of every B2B organization’s marketing strategy.
Taking the matter a step further, we strongly urge all B2B professionals: if the information in Mr. Kovac’s article struck you as surprising or unprecedented, contact us today because you could probably use a little help. And we’re here to help!
