Twitter ... Seriously!

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Author: Nancy Beth Guptill
Founder of Sweet Spot Marketing Canada
Digital Marketing & Social Media Training Consultant
http://www.SweetSpotMarketing.ca
http://www.SweetSpotInternetAcademy.ca
http://www.SweetSpotMarketingAcademy.ca
Twitter: @SweetMarketing
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SweetMarketing

About Sweet Spot Marketing: Sweet Spot Marketing is a new media marketing training and education company that lives by the motto "It is better to know than to think you know, there is power in knowledge". We have a host of education programs in the areas of digital technology, new and social media, marketing automation, creativity, commercial innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. To learn how we work with government, business organizations and corporate clients, please book a complimentary assessment appointment: http://sweet-spot-marketing-canada.genbook.com

Sweet Spot Marketing Club

We're Looking For Agriculture Social Media Leaders In Atlantic Canada

Are you an Agriculture Producer using social media for business?   It's time to .....

We are looking for local producers in Atlantic Canada to share their social media stories to be included in a presentation that will be delivered in front of an audience of 200 people in January 2013.

We are looking for the good, the bad and the down right ugly ... but mostly the good so we can share success stories.

In return, we will give each producer who submits an entry by November 1, 2012, a complimentary life time membership to our Sweet Spot Marketing / eLearning Marketing Program. http://www.sweetspotmarketingacademy.ca/

If you are interested in getting some free promotion, being recognzied as an agriculture social media leader in our region, and a free life time membership to our Sweet Spot Marketing Club - go to the top of our Facebook Page and send us a Facebook message for more details.

Should businesses ignore Facebook for B2B marketing?

We came across this article on Social Marketing Forum and give full credit to  Nancy Verbrugghe.

The first social network that comes to mind when thinking about B2B marketing is obviously LinkedIn. However, what about Facebook? Is it suitable for business-to-business? Of course it all depends on your market, goals and target groups.

Business buyers are people and they also use Facebook. Although Facebook is generally less used in the buying process than blogs or LinkedIn, it certainly shouldn’t be ignored.

While many strictly distinguish between Facebook as the ‘consumer environment’ and LinkedIn as the B2B place-to-be, in many countries and demographics Facebook is so popular that professionals use it both for personal and business reasons. They simply know how to distinguish between friends, family and professional contacts.

Furthermore, there is a new generation of B2B buyers: the social ones. They are more used to social platforms and can be compared with the ‘connected consumer’.

Differences between Facebook and LinkedIn

In total, 93% of all business buyers believe that social media presence is important and necessary, 85% believe interaction and engagement is important.

Facebook of course has way more users and people spend much more time on Facebook then on LinkedIn. However 41% of all companies that used Facebook for B2B marketing did acquire new customers via this network as LinkedIn reaches a more professional audience by definition and is built for business networking.

Also remember that the B2B buying process is a group process so, even if the final decision maker is not on Facebook, those that influence him might be. Tip: only request to connect on Facebook if the buyer already knows you from a blog, Twitter, LinkedIn or in real-life.

Some goals you can use Facebook for as a B2B marketer according to a survey of B2BOnline.com:

• Focus on thought leadership (done by 60% of respondents).
• Generate leads (49%).
• Solicit feedback (46%).
• Use Facebook advertising but only when the goal is clear (35% of respondents do it).

More goals you can serve using Facebook for B2B marketing:

• Branding: being more personal and transparent by interacting in a more human way.
• Customer support.
• Creating communities (Groups).
• Relationships: showing who you are and what you do in an engaging and more ‘fun’ way.

Should you advertise on Facebook as a B2B marketer?  It really depends on your goals and target group. In integrated marketing activities, it surely helps. One reason might be reaching more people although that often goes hand in hand with other tactics such as sponsoring.

Why did the $100m companies sponsor the Olympics 2012? Because the reach was phenomenal. So is the reach of Facebook.
So listen, watch and learn.. but don’t forget to be prepared for criticism too.

http://www.socialmarketingforum.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/facebook-in-B2B-marketing-infographic.jpg

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author: Nancy Beth Guptill
Founder of Sweet Spot Marketing Canada
Digital Marketing & Social Media Training Consultant
http://www.SweetSpotMarketing.ca
http://www.SweetSpotInternetAcademy.ca
http://www.SweetSpotMarketingAcademy.ca
Twitter: @SweetMarketing
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SweetMarketing

About Sweet Spot Marketing: Sweet Spot Marketing is a new media marketing training and education company that lives by the motto "It is better to know than to think you know, there is power in knowledge". We have a host of education programs in the areas of digital technology, new and social media, marketing automation, creativity, commercial innovation and entrepreneurial thinking. To learn how we work with government, business organizations and corporate clients, please book a complimentary assessment appointment: http://sweet-spot-marketing-canada.genbook.com