Stepping Away From The Social Media B2B Hype

I met with a client recently who called me in for an “emergency” meeting. This fellow was the marketing director for a regional B2B company.

“Mark, are you a Twitter expert?” he asked me. “Well, who really is … but I suppose I know enough to answer your questions!” I said. “I need to get on Twitter right away! I need to begin Twittering immediately!” “Well, who are you trying to reach with these messages?” I asked. He rattled off the names of five C-level executives of major  industrial corporations in our state. “Do you really think these folks are hanging around on Twitter?” I asked him. “Don’t you think there might be a more effective way to reach them?” “You need to get WITH IT!” my friend said. “This is where it’s AT today! We need to do social media marketing right away!”

Although my friend is an experienced business professional, he’s obviously not thinking very logically. He’s come under the spell of the social media hype hurricane and the frenzy to carve a space on the social web before competitors gain advantage.

This might seem extreme, but this conversation really happened, and continues to happen, in offices around the world. There are a few lessons for us all here:

1. Start with strategy. I know that seems so fundamental but it’s the number one problem I see with customers today. They “fire” before they “aim.” If you don’t have a comprehensive marketing strategy, you are wasting a tremendous amount of time and money.
2. Twitter is NOT a strategy. What are you doing to truly differentiate yourself in the minds and hearts of your customers? I seriously doubt it’s Twitter or Facebook. Twitter and the other social media platforms can help you communicate but it is rarely a strategy in and of itself.
3. Integrate. For heaven’s sake, don’t abandon your tried-and-true marketing tactics just to jump on the social media bandwagon. Blend.
4. Leverage. The social web is a fantastic way to get more use out of your existing marketing materials. This is a commonly-overlooked cost benefit of social media.
5. Adapt. The biggest difference between social media marketing and traditional channels is the reactive nature of the opportunity. Ideas and data and feedback are going to be flying at you but value will only come to your business if you can assess it and respond quickly. Are you ready?

These are a few ideas to help you bring a little rationality to the social media discussion.  What are some of the symptoms of the hype you’re seeing?

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About The BtoBblogger: Mark Schaefer is the Executive Director of Schaefer Marketing Solutions. Mark has more than 25 years of global sales and marketing experience and advanced degrees in business and applied behavioral sciences. He is an award-winning business writer, university lecturer and innovator, and blogs daily at http://businessesgrow.com/blog.