To add one additional thought to Russ Green's recent post on getting on board with social media, one possible source of hesitation might be that marketers aren't sure how or why to apply the new media. Here are a few thoughts about the ways the social media apply to the B-to-B environment:

• Networking: Many users find the new social media like blogs and social networking sites to be a great way to stay in touch with old coworkers or customers who move to another position. Losing a customer in one job may simply mean gaining a new customer, if you stay in touch. And beyond being able to wish people a happy birthday, social media may also assist your efforts to recruit top talent.
  
• Content management: Many companies have purchased global content management systems at huge expense, and still have not achieved their goal of involving more of their internal people in creating content for their web sites. A look at the list of Godfrey contributors in the right hand column shows that basic blog technology has achieved both parts of that goal: expanding our contributor list and creating valuable content that often fares well in searches. Blog technology is nothing less than a tool for getting new content from a wide range of sources, internal as well as external.
• Branding. Perhaps more importantly, the new social networks reinforce your branding. If being responsive to customers is one of your core values, you'll want to dive deeply into this new phenomenon, monitoring external blogs to learn what the audience is saying about you, and using the social media on your own site to give your market the opportunity to interact more directly with your people (who we'll need to train to become successful "brand guardians"). One of our clients, for instance, is a frequent contributor to industry blogs, and the company has learned a great deal about what's on people's minds. New product development has benefited as a result.
• Direct marketing. Being comfortable with the new media enables you to reach the growing number of users who are choosing to interact through social channels. It's a new form of direct, one-to-one communication, one that will reach a growing number of customers.

The exciting process of using these new media to reach B-to-B customers is just beginning. As we become more proficient and comfortable with the media, we can be sure the list will grow significantly.