Can Social Media Generate B2B Leads?

Many B2B businesses are skeptical of the value of social media to build  leads.  Some say they tried it and it didn’t work.  I have heard,  “I blog and get no response” or “We set up a Facebook page and only have 50 “likes.”  Usually when I look into their efforts I see several common mistakes.

When Social Media Doesn’t Work for B2B it may be due to:

1. Posting infrequently, going weeks or months between posts

2. Using social media to broadcast marketing messages instead of engaging in a dialog with prospective customers

3. Providing little or no value to readers that actually solve their businesses problems

If any of these describe your social media efforts, then you haven’t given social media a fair chance and may be turning your back on a valuable marketing channel that can and will generate leads if utilized effectively.

Simplify your Social Marketing Strategy:

1.  Start with Blogging. If you only have the time and resources to invest in one social media channel, I would highly recommend blogging.  Blogging is the best 1st step in social media because it offers multiple benefits in both engaging with customers AND in the SEO benefits of generating new content and links – both things that Google values highly and will benefit your Search engine rankings.

• Tips for success: Provide value to your target audience, focus on solving customer’s problems

2. Go where your customers are. If your customers use LinkedIn more than Facebook, then concentrate your time and resources there in the beginning.

• Tips for success:  Be sure you have a company profile as well as a personal profile in Linked In. Link your blog to your social media profile so blog postings appear in Linked-In updates

If you still don’t think social media will work for you, consider outsourcing your social media strategy to an internet marketing company that understands B2B on-line marketing and can help you develop a strategy and content calendar to help you build leads with Social media.

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