SEO Zeitgeist

Social Networking for B2B and B2C

Tuesday, 10. 6. 2009  –  Category: SEO

Social networking and the establishment and maintenance of relationships isn’t new to marketing. Businesses have been doing that for years. However, only recently have we moved to a new method of interaction – online participatory marketing.

Business to Consumer (B2C) and Business to Business (B2B) marketers still have to interact with their audience, but now they’re doing it in a much more personal way thanks to the proliferation of online Social Networks. They can now meet their potential customers on their own turf. Whereas, consumers used to only have advertising forced upon them through mediums like television, magazines and radio.

Roles have also evolved thanks to the Internet. For example, consumers now hold the trump card – the card of choice. Pop-up ads can be blocked, spammy emails can be filtered, and annoying Twitter users can be blocked. That has led to a marketing approach that requires authenticity, trust and transparency.

How B2B Marketers Can Take Advantage of Social Media

• Recruiting
• Evangelizing
• Lead Creation

How B2C Marketers Can Take Advantage of Social Media

• Support
• Announcements
• Providing Consumer Resources
• Lead Creation

Without the use of Social Networks, all of the above reasons would require face-to-face communication. There are now several Social Media sites you can use to engage potential customers. The list below provides just a few of the social networking options available to businesses.

• LinkedIn – Establishing and developing business connections (for all industries)
• GovLoop – Social networking for government employees
• LawLink - Social networking for attorneys
• Fohboh – Social networking for those in the restaurant industry
• Sales Spider – Social networking site dedicated to the small and mid-sized business owner and executive