As a former classical studies major, I’m fascinated with etymology, the study of linguistics. The word that is the focus of so many marketing books – conversation – has its origins in the Latin word conversari, which means "to dwell, to keep company with." And this is entirely appropriate in the name of social media marketing, since having conversations requires spending time with people – namely, customers.

Too often in B2B marketing, we see the definition of the more personal "customer" devolve into the distant and cold "decision maker." Decision makers are relegated to the sales cycle, engaged in research and in need of information and education. The prevalent attitude seems to be that marketers develop the message and decide which information to share with decision makers. This is command and control, with unidirectional messaging at its core.

Is it any wonder then why B2B companies are slow to adopt social media as a marketing channel?

It's not that B2B customers are steering clear of social media. On the contrary, they use blogs, message boards, podcasts and online communities in their research for business solutions as well as in their personal lives. But B2B marketers don’t seem to be aware of – or worse – care about conversations that are taking place within the social media space about their brands.

Brands are being discussed, both positively and negatively; now marketers can follow the conversations and join in. Ignoring it won’t make the problem dissipate; indeed, businesses that continue to put off the decision to join the conversations will find themselves at a disadvantage.

But – to return to our etymology lesson – marketers need to spend time with their prospects and begin to embrace bidirectional conversation. A simple way to start is to listen. Keep listening. And listen some more. Take the time to explore the sites. Look around. Follow the conversations with RSS feeds.

Above all, resist the temptation to jump in until you understand the context. Businesses that attempt to harness the power of social networks or new media sites without realizing the generally accepted etiquette will find themselves unwelcome. It is only by listening and learning that B2B marketers will be able to start talking with their customers.

Note: this post originally appeared as a chapter in The Age of Conversation.

Labels: age of conversation, b2b, conversation, customer relations, Join the Conversation, Marketing, social media

 Comments

 LINKS TO THIS POST

 Comments:

At 2/25/2008 10:31 PM,  Warren Whitlock said...

B2B customers are people.

The conversation is happening, the smart marketers are learning to listen

Yes, conversation is the word!

 

At 2/25/2008 10:37 PM,  Mari Smith said...

Excellent point here, Scott. I think there's going through the motions of listening, and then there's *really* listening. I understand Dell computers demonstrated their skills at the latter after listening to a complaint site.

And, I'm a raving fan of 3gstore.com/evdoinfo.com and the excellent customer service they offer due in large part to closely monitoring their evdoforums.com!! ;) (As profiled in Seth Godin's latest book, Meatball Sundae). I live a totally mobile lifestyle just now traveling in an RV & would be lost without my EVDO and router and antenna, thanks to 3gstore!!

 

At 2/27/2008 11:41 AM,  Debra Murphy said...

Scott, when I first started to study social media marketing, I realized immediately that there was a culture associated with it that needed to be observed and understood - advice I've given many. Jumping in before you understand the context and etiquette, as you put it, is analogous to forcing your business card on everyone you meet at a networking event instead of engaging people by asking questions to get to know them. The reputation you get will be similar in nature.

 

Social Media for B2B Marketing: Don't Monkey Around

As a former classical studies major, I’m fascinated with etymology, the study of linguistics. The word that is the focus of so many marketing books – conversation – has its origins in the Latin word conversari, which means "to dwell, to keep company with." And this is entirely appropriate in the name of social media marketing, since having conversations requires spending time with people – namely, customers.

Too often in B2B marketing, we see the definition of the more personal "customer" devolve into the distant and cold "decision maker." Decision makers are relegated to the sales cycle, engaged in research and in need of information and education. The prevalent attitude seems to be that marketers develop the message and decide which information to share with decision makers. This is command and control, with unidirectional messaging at its core.

Is it any wonder then why B2B companies are slow to adopt social media as a marketing channel?

It's not that B2B customers are steering clear of social media. On the contrary, they use blogs, message boards, podcasts and online communities in their research for business solutions as well as in their personal lives. But B2B marketers don’t seem to be aware of – or worse – care about conversations that are taking place within the social media space about their brands.

Brands are being discussed, both positively and negatively; now marketers can follow the conversations and join in. Ignoring it won’t make the problem dissipate; indeed, businesses that continue to put off the decision to join the conversations will find themselves at a disadvantage.

But – to return to our etymology lesson – marketers need to spend time with their prospects and begin to embrace bidirectional conversation. A simple way to start is to listen. Keep listening. And listen some more. Take the time to explore the sites. Look around. Follow the conversations with RSS feeds.

Above all, resist the temptation to jump in until you understand the context. Businesses that attempt to harness the power of social networks or new media sites without realizing the generally accepted etiquette will find themselves unwelcome. It is only by listening and learning that B2B marketers will be able to start talking with their customers.

Note: this post originally appeared as a chapter in The Age of Conversation.

Labels: age of conversation, b2b, conversation, customer relations, Join the Conversation, Marketing, social media

blog comments powered by Disqus

Home