Written on 25 January 2012 at 11:31 by Allan Schoenberg

Is Social Media Central to Your B2B Communications Strategy?

Filed under Case Study, Discussion {5 comments}

If it’s not, where does it fit? One example of a company who thinks it is central isn’t one that comes to mind when you think of B2B communications companies. But they are certainly a leader and one to follow: The Economist. As told to BtoB Magazine, the media outlet demonstrates how important social is for content distribution as well as driving subscriptions.

In the maze of communication where does social media fit?

So back to my original question: Where does social media fit into a B2B communicators strategy?

Are we at the point now where it at the center and all channels feed off it? After all, most companies now use social media for news release distribution — Twitter, StockTwits, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Keep in mind that we also still rely on wire services for reaching the majority of our journalist contacts (or email distribution). There clearly has been a shift in the past two years and moving forward there is no doubt that we now think different.

What are your views? Have we hit the tipping point? Or have we tipped?

If you enjoyed this post you may also want to read:

Social drive growth, content for The Economist, others — B2B Magazine

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Allan Schoenberg tagged this post with: , Read 76 articles by Allan Schoenberg
  • http://twitter.com/apearson Aaron Pearson

    Allan, I think on social the answer is no, not yet. On digital, the answer is maybe. Marketing dollars are hard to come by and it’s tough putting a ton of investment into activities that are hard to measure. So there’s tremendous incentive to build a program around an effective website and content strategy supported by online media where activity and ROI can be more clearly tracked and established. But in many cases, you still need buzz to establish yourself it social is important but it may start with traditional media. And face-to-face events and conferences and just really important complements to online activity. 

  • http://www.brickmarketing.com/ Nick Stamoulis

    If social media isn’t part of a B2B marketing strategy yet, it should be.  Social media is used differently by B2Bs than B2Cs but it’s still important.  No matter what your industry is, your target audience members are using social media and it shouldn’t be ignored.  

  • http://twitter.com/allanschoenberg Allan Schoenberg

    Many thanks Nick and this is clearly a trend to watch. There is still plenty of room to grow for B2B marketers.

  • http://twitter.com/allanschoenberg Allan Schoenberg

    Some very good points Aaron. I think companies are still struggling with who “owns” social media. B2B companies typically already lack the resources of B2C companies, which I think puts more of an empasis on having an internal champion. But I can see this changing as more customers use these networks.

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