Can Social Media Help B2B Sales? Vertical Marketing (Wimborne) Uses SM Platforms To Shorten Procur

Oct. 10, 2011 - PRLog -- For many in the world of B2B, social media platforms are seen as marginally effective, at best. The usual remark from directors is, “I don’t see how Facebook or Twitter can help increase business.” Fair comment. But after 23 years as a PR/marketing agency for technically-oriented companies, Vertical Marketing (Wimborne) has seen a lot of things come and go; and this time around, the specialist agency believes that social media just might be a lifeline and a boon for B2B.

“Over the past few years, traditional marketing outlets, magazines, trade shows, for example, have lost some of their clout,” explains Paul Barlow, MD of Vertical. “As marketers, it’s been difficult to find and to cost-effectively reach new ‘communities’ of customers that were once easily approached through the trade press. Then add the expanded global nature of many businesses. How do you get your message to potential customers in India, Brazil? Social media platforms might be ideal solutions: they’re inexpensive, easily targeted, easily adapted from campaign to campaign and ubiquitous in just about every corner of the world.”

But how to use these platforms effectively for B2B becomes the question. Can Facebook and Twitter, the two icons of social media, help increase sales?

“First, there are many more social media platforms than Facebook and Twitter, from YouTube channels to SlideShare to LinkedIn, for a start,” says Barlow. “Second, although the term ‘social media’ can be off putting to many CEOs, we keep in mind that there’s nothing more social than doing business. SM platforms, intelligently combined with traditional media, give us and our clients new weapons, if you like, in the battle for market presence and thought leadership, and new tools to deliver the technical solutions and support distributors and end users require.”

The ultimate goal of all marketing is sales, conversion, moving the bottom line. So for B2B companies that means making your way through the often-prolonged procurement cycle, which can take anywhere from six months to two years or more (for those working with the military). At each stage of the cycle, particular information is needed by specific people to move the decision process forward. Engineers need data that CFOs don’t – but both must be satisfied if the sale is to be made.

Here’s where social media can work for B2B marketers.

But first, it’s important to understand the expectations of today’s customer: expectations that have dramatically changed. Customers expect to have access to the information they want, and only that information, when they want it; and that’s a level of personalization, pioneered by the likes of Amazon, that’s the hallmark of today’s customer relationships. Companies cannot afford to disappoint.

“Sending financial people technical data about how to apply conformal coating is not only useless, it’s now seen as a sign that you’ve not paid enough attention to the customer, you haven’t done your homework, so to speak,” says Barlow.

“Selecting the best platforms from traditional and digital options, those that allow you to target specific groups to seamlessly deliver the information into various stages of the decision making process speeds the procurement cycle and demonstrates to clients an understanding of their needs.”

Simply put, the best way to complete the sale is to deliver the right information at the right time to the right person. Full stop.

And while many B2B marcomms directors might not fully grasp the value of social media, or traditional media, for that matter, they can understand the value of taking a 15-month procurement cycle and shortening it to, say, 12 months.

“That’s really the goal we set for our social media efforts,” says Vertical’s MD, “to help clients sell more for less expense and at a faster rate, while improving the experience for customers. This is not an easy task; but businesses, in general, and marketing, in particular, have never been easy, have they? We’ll use anything and everything available to help our clients. It’s our job take; we take it very seriously.”

About Vertical Marketing Ltd.
Vertical Marketing Ltd. (Wimborne) offers intelligent strategic and marketing communications services to B2B technology companies, be it electronics manufacturing or components, renewable energy or aerospace, wire and cable or military, security or specialty coatings. Vertical uses its knowledge, creativity and 23-plus years of B2B experience to develop intelligent 360° marketing strategies that make sense for each of our business-to-business, technology-oriented clients.
In every case, Vertical offers customised strategies with powerful flexibility so clients can quickly adapt their efforts from product to product, region to region, customer to customer, all backed by meaningful metrics and optimum return on investment (ROI).


Source:           Vertical Marketing Ltd.
              23d West Street
              Wimborne, Dorset BH21 1JS
Contact:    Carly@vertical-marketing.com
Web:       www.vertical-marketing.com
Phone:           +44 01202 842 250

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Vertical Marketing Ltd. (Wimborne) offers intelligent strategic and marketing communications services to B2B technology & manufacturing companies, be it electronics, electrical, renewable energy, aerospace, wire and cable, military, security or specialty coatings.
Our efforts are built upon an intelligent combination of traditional and contemporary marketing tools, online and print, social media platforms and conventional media that fits the realities of B2B. We're full service when clients need it, or a helping hand when an opportunity arises. In every case, we offer customised strategies with powerful flexibility so our clients can quickly adapt from product to product, region to region, customer to customer, all backed by meaningful metrics and optimum return on investment (ROI).

We use our knowledge, creativity and 23-plus years of B2B experience to develop intelligent 360° marketing strategies that make sense for each of our clients.