Social media has become a basic requirement for marketing communications programs. While B2B marketers may feel pressured to immediately be a part of popular communities and outlets, slapping Linked In and Facebook features on a web site and getting a few enthusiastic employees to tweet, isn’t a strategic way to begin participating. Many B2B marketers have jumped into social media with me-too tactics without thinking about strategic objectives and goals.

Although the hype is impossible to ignore, many B2B marketers are still trying to determine how to use social media to aid other established B2B communication channels. Researching and monitoring is an essential first step and can yield ongoing valuable information, (Download the Social Media & the Art of Listening White Paper PDF) but it’s not something that drives business and sales.
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Almost a year ago, I posted about how B2B marketers can use social media. Since then, 2009 social media growth has been exponential. Case studies of leading companies effectively using corporate social media, and the high adoption rates of business professionals using social media in the workplace, have helped squelch questions of whether B2B marketers should participate in social media. The challenge now is defining what their company’s social media strategy should be.
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Identifying upgrades and additions to your web site is a critical part of 2010 planning. Perhaps you are considering a complete re-design, or you’ve been told you need a “Web 2.0” version of your web site. If you’ve already added engagement and sharing elements to your b2b site and are participating in social media, you may be wondering what the rumblings about Web 3.0 (a highly debated term) mean to b2b marketers.

I don’t believe in web site “versioning,” but if you are uncertain as to which tools, technologies, and buzzwords fall under each label, here’s a brief overview of a huge topic with a range of opinions and theories.

Web 1.0 - One way information flow
Web 1.0 was the Web as an information portal. Content was owned. Everyone had their own little personal corner in cyberspace.
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I have been neglecting my blog. I’m not the only one. About 95% of blogs are abandoned—a number from Technorati based on the fact that only 7.4 million of the 133 million blogs have been updated in the past 120 days. But I have been tweeting. Not because the media has hyped it up or because everyone else is (not true actually, as the top 10% of Twitter users account for over 90% of tweets) but because in order to advise b2b clients on microblogging service, I had to experience it firsthand. After committing to it, I honestly see its value as a part of a b-to-b marketing communications strategy.

I talked about the ---More---

Tired of Twitter talk yet? Wondering why the micro-blogging service with a 140 character limit is getting so much text? The latest Twitter Talley shows there’s good reason b-to-b marketers are twittering. Twitter is the fastest growing member-based community site on the Web.

• As of February 2009, there were 7,038,000 Twitter users—an increase of 1,381%, up from 475,000 the previous year. (According to Nielson NetView.)
• The reported figures from Compete are higher, with over 14 million unique users in March 2009.
• In the blogsphere, talk about Twitter has
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B-to-B marketers are looking for the most efficient ways to use dwindling marketing dollars. As the economic situation worsens and marketing budget cuts continue, the tactics to survive are the ones that are highly measurable. And more importantly, show an ROI. It’s no surprise that search marketing and search engine optimization are still a part of b-to-b marketing plans.

In 2008, only online video ad spending grew faster than search. Recent reports show that search marketing spending is slowing, but still dominates marketing budgets. (U.S. search ad spending is predicted to grow 14.9% in 2009, compared with 21.4% in 2008.)

However, in this weakened economy, b-to-b markerters are still looking for ways to minimize their investment, even in search-related efforts.
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Facing limited budgets, and audiences with even more limited attention spans, more marketers are turning to social media. While sites like Facebook and MySpace are obvious choices for reaching young consumers, b2b marketers have been slower to embrace---or see the proven value in---social networking sites for reaching business-to-business audiences. Purely social sites might not be right, but community sites that provide valuable content are a viable vehicle for reaching btob targets--if approached with discipline.

The prospect of adding social media to your marketing mix may seem daunting. For some companies, it’s difficult to accept the loss of control, relinquishing the ability to manage how information is disseminated. But the control is already gone. In the blogsphere, in forums and communities, your business users are already talking. It’s just a matter of whether or not you want to listen and talk back.

By participating in social media, the
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You have to cut back your marketing budget. There’s no easy answer on what to keep and what to sacrifice. But by investing more time—not more money—online marketing can still be an effective part of your btob marcom program. Even in uncertain times.

Focus on content.
This is the first, and persistent, item on my list. You must commit to producing fresh and valuable content. Better content means a better site, search rankings, and user experience—which support better conversions. If you aren’t willing to commit to producing content then there’s no point in reading on.

Leverage social media.
More marketers are using social media,
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