Are You Serving the Wrong Customer?
A hot topic on the web is whether social media can work for companies who work B2B. Of course it can. Social media tools are simply tools for connection. Like email and the telephone they don’t discriminate about connecting people who at businesses to people who run businesses from connecting people at businesses to people who are considered to be end users of the products we build.
A good part of my career I spent building products for a B2B2B kind of market. The textbooks we made were mandated by politicians, sold to schools, used by teachers and students. It was a complicated sales and marketing process filled with “adoption” scenarios, standards documents, and presentations.
In the early years, I did a lot of looking in the wrong direction. Are you doing that too?
The Biggest B2B Marketing Mistake
The biggest marketing mistake B2B businesses make is considering the business they sell to as their customer. It works in these ways:
- I build something for Larry’s Business to sell to Larry’s customers. I listen to Larry and make Larry my customer.
- Everything I build is for Larry’s approval.
- Larry is the only one looking out for Larry’s customer. He’s left to do all of the thinking.
That worked for me until I got to be Larry. Then I realized I should have been looking at Larry’s customers. I would have been so much more valuable to him if I had been participating in evaluating what I was doing from the point of view of the people he served.
and What It Means to Social Media
So what does that mean to social media? How can social media work in a B2B world?
If we understand that our role in working with businesses who sell to other businesses is to help them grow their businesses, then we can use the tools that the Internet gives us to
- uncover and discover information that better defines what those customers value — what irritates them, what is essential to them, and what they consider more important than lower prices.
- connect our business clients build networks with people in other industries who want to solve similar problems
- offer information, research, and case studies via webinars and seminar about the latest tools and processes for serving their customers
- show them how to use the social web to see and serve the customers of the businesses they serve.
Social media tools and models work the same for B2B as they do for B2C if we realize that that B2B businesses want networks and information.
Network Solutions and Radian6 do B2B well.
What other great examples of B2B social media come to mind immediately?
–ME “Liz” Strauss
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Liz, couldn’t agree more.
“show them how to use the social web to see and serve the customers of the businesses they serve.”
The social web has created one of the biggest and most understood opportunities for B2B organizations.
Great thoughts here!
Katie
NetProspex
Hi Katie,
It never ceases to surprise me how Big Brands and entrepreneurs in the B2B space don’t see the opportunity to use the tools to serve their customers in these ways. Once I say it out loud, they’re off and running. I never have to say more than … look at what makes your customers’ customers happy. 🙂
Hi Liz – This is brilliant advice and something that’s so easy to forget, when you’re trying to please your “immediate” customer.
Hi Cath,
Whenever I want a good blog post, I just look back at what I’ve done wrong in the past. I have lots to work with … heh heh
Uh-huh, totally agree. Social media has allowed me to connect with the design and agency market. I’ve learned they are the ones who really can drive the sales of my products and services although they will probably never use them. I’m educating and learning from my agency and design friends on Twitter and it’s both fun and rewarding. Thanks for putting what I do into works. Very helpful and so glad I met you as well Liz!
Jim,
The internet has helped me connect with so many great minds. I was just talking about that this afternoon. What a pleasure it is to be able to talk about ideas and process so often. It’s exciting to be sharing so much knowledge and learning. 🙂
What I have found is different types of social media interactions work for B2B vs B2C companies.
I like Facebook for my B2C clients. This is where they can be a bit more personal with their interactions. The informal nature makes many of my B2B clients uncomfortable. For them, I suggest joining groups and forums where the conversations tend to be a bit more business focused.
For this crowd LinkedIn is a great place to start.
Lorraine,
I’ve found the same things. I’ve also found that the B2B space energizes me because it’s more layered. You’re insightful to see the difference the two present. 🙂
Liz,
Great article. I am filing this one under the “I wish I had thought to write that” category. It is so true and I deal with it every day with some of my internal stakeholders. It is easy to get focused on the immediate goal and forget what drives our customers. Thanks so much for the insights.
Hi Michael!
Welcome and thank you!
I have a category like that too. 🙂
It is so easy to focus on what’s on our desk rather than the people where working for. I struggle with that some days more than others. oh yeah.
Hi Michael!
Welcome and thank you!
I have a category like that too. 🙂
It is so easy to focus on what’s on our desk rather than the people where working for. I struggle with that some days more than others. oh yeah.
I agree with this, too. Unfortunately, too many corporate types become too close and forget to consider what WILL make their customers happy. So Larry might be the only guy to please if he’s not considering his own customers. If you can show Larry how, he’ll be a believer for life.
Nice read, Liz. Thanks!
well yes.
One element of B2B is that there is often more than one person involved in the decision making process.
Unlike perhaps the mom or dad who buys the cornflakes business have several tiers or matrices of interested parties. Sometimes to direct your message to all of them is very difficult if not impossible. Neverthelss my fellow marketers that is your job and if it was easy it certainly would nto be worth doing!