Smaller businesses are starting to use social media more actively but are still reliant on their websites for the bulk of their online activity, according to a recent study by SMB-focused analyst company Techaisle. In addition, these companies would like to do more with social but are limited by their lack of in-house expertise, funding and clear strategies for how to leverage social media to create more business, the study indicated; 45% said they were “not sure how these technologies would help our business.”
Social Media Marketer asked Techaisle CEO Anurag Agrawal to explain SMB social media opportunities and how b2b marketers in particular should be using it in their marketing mix.
Social Media Marketer: What's the biggest benefit for smaller companies using social media?
Anurag Agrawal: It depends upon the type of reach these companies want to have. For example, instead of resorting to an email process, a small retail organization may create a Facebook fan page where it can reach out to multiple subscribers easily and effectively by offering certain sale items or new announcements. Using social media also is enabling these companies to be in touch with what their larger competition is doing because they themselves become part of the social network of these large organizations. However, that being said, these companies still are finding that websites drive better revenue than social media, at least for now.
Social Media Marketer: What are the main challenges that face SMBs when they begin to think about using social media for marketing purposes?
Agrawal: The key challenges include determining what social media platform to use, how often should they be updating that platform, who should be updating and above all how can they effectively use social media to generate revenue.
Social Media Marketer: Can SMBs do social media themselves or do they need some help?
Agrawal: SMBs definitely need lots of help. Unlike enterprises where social media groups are formed within both IT and non-IT departments, SMBs are strapped for cash as well as manpower to effectively use the same strategy. SMBs use their channel partners as their trusted advisers, but these partners, small businesses themselves, are in a trial stage of creating their own presence in the social network. To compound the problem, there are too many startups and technologies trying to help small businesses take advantage of social media.
Social Media Marketer: What's different for b2b-SMBsc versus those focused on consumers? Should they use different social channels or take a different approach?
Agrawal: Smaller companies that are consumer-focused are able to attract a larger subscriber base and therefore more connections by way of higher traffic volume, forums and discussions. The typical b2b company, however, has a limited audience. Its key objective is to be able to connect with vendor partners as well as with customers to grow their business. They're not large enough, nor are they equipped, to use solutions from Yammer or similar tools. Facebook is good, but the problem is how to attract the necessary connections. There are newer companies that have recently formed such as GageIn that are helping bridge that connection gap.
THE CONVERSATION (add your response in the comments): What social platforms are best for small-to-midsized b2b companies?
