Many of us have heard of ghost towns from Wild West movies. A ghost town is a town or city that, due to economic reasons or some kind of catastrophe, is abandoned by its residents. There are numerous ghost towns throughout North America; you may have even visited one at some point. But, today, I’m going to talk about a ghost town that hits a little closer to home – your company’s social media profile.
Everyday a Ghost Town is Born
Many organizations begin working with social media in the same way. They fill out a brief profile, post a few tweets or status updates and send it out in a company email announcing, “Social Media has arrived!”
A week and a daunting list of tasks later, the social media accounts created are already showing signs of neglect. The daily ins-and-outs of the organization have supplanted the need to keep the accounts compelling. Eventually, the accounts are more often than not, simply forgotten. Why does this happen, and how can a B2B Marketing Agency help prevent your social media account from becoming just another social media ghost town?
B2Bs Dig Social Media, Lack Support
Though a 2009 survey performed by Forrester Research confirms 91% of B2B decision makers use social media, videos, customer reviews and blogs to influence their own purchasing decisions, they are challenged when trying to use the same social media tools to influence the purchasing decisions of others.
For social media to be successful it needs to be consistent and engaging. A recent study by Accenture reports that 65% of B2B respondents identified social media as extremely or very important in 2011, but only a marginal 8% describe their social media use as extensive. The data may indicate that even though many B2B organizations acknowledge the growing importance of social media, they are challenged to support the venture fully.
Without a Content Creation Strategy, Social Media is Hard.
Many B2B organizations are also challenged to create the content that will make their social media programs more vibrant and engaging. Without a doubt, any content creation your organization is engaged in presently (white papers, blogging, etc) can help your social media profiles.
After all, what content will you share through social media? Tweeting and blasting repeated sales messages will not work to grow your accounts, nor will it help to transform your social media accounts into a platform for sharing company news. If you view social media as a broadcasting tool, you may pigeonhole what content you share from the start. Company news only stays news for a moment, while creative content that answers a prospects needs can be repurposed throughout your entire social media network.
Social media is a two-way conversation, but just because you’re talking, doesn’t mean that anyone is hearing you. Speak up. Be heard through the production of meaningful content.
Social Media Efforts Should Not Be Isolated
Social Media needs to be integrated into your overall B2B Marketing Strategy. As you create valuable content, you want to share that content through social media channels to build your reach and attract more qualified leads to your website. In addition, working with a B2B Marketing agency could help lighten the workload and keep your company’s level of interaction within social media consistent.
Here are just a few of the many ways a B2B Marketing Agency can help you avoid social media abandonment. Your agency can:
- Create an integrated B2B social media marketing strategy
- Create value-added content (whitepapers, videos, blog posts) that add value to your website, generate leads and also help engage individuals through social media.
- Tie social media into your lead generation efforts, creating more leads for your sales team
- Create social media accounts on multiple services
- Design unique, branded pages on social media sites, such as Twitter and Facebook
- Monitor social media discussions of your brands and respond to them in a timely manner
Find out more tips on how a B2B Marketing Agency can help your organization streamline your lead flow through social media. Download “Marketing has Changed. Have you?“
