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Is Your B2B Company REALLY Ready for Social Media?

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Social media holds tremendous opportunities for B2B companies looking to drive new business and increase revenue, but only if you first develop a solid foundation and an understanding of what makes the world of social media tick. Even those who have already started should review to see if their efforts are receiving the attention it should be making sure they have the right pieces in place.

Here’s a checklist designed to help you determine if your organization is ready and, if so, how to make your efforts successful.

1. My company has clear goals for social media. Be as specific as you can (e.g. increase lead conversion rates, increase the number of qualified leads, build awareness measured by online traffic, decrease the time needed to resolve customer service issues, etc.) and keep these objectives in mind for every initiative you execute.
2. We have the human resources to commit to social media. Before you start a corporate blog or Twitter account, ask yourself if you can allocate the resources needed. Social media is about real-time response and continuously updated information—both of which require commitment and dedication.
3. We produce enough quality content to sustain social media conversations. Content feeds the social media beast. Audit your existing marketing assets and identify the educational pieces—these perform much better in social media than traditional sales collateral.
4. We know which social media sites are popular with our prospects and customers. Do your research and focus your energy and investments where your audiences are.
5. Our company website is prepared for social media attention. Before you set up multiple social media profiles and pages, make sure your own website is in good enough shape to handle the attention (i.e. you’re proud of the way it looks and works). And be sure you have a plan in place to market to the leads generated.
6. We’re ready to incorporate social media strategies throughout the buying process. Social media is not just for the top of the demand generation funnel. It’s important to monitor and track your prospects and customers throughout the revenue cycle.

Is your checklist compete? Now you're ready for full social media participation! Learn how in the new Definitive Guide to B2B Social Media. It's a free, 48 page guide made specifically for B2B marketers so they can get the most out of their social media programs. Check out the B2B Social Media guide now.

Learn how to qualify and prioritize prospects, nurture qualified leads, align marketing with sales and optimize results.