#Epicfail: B2B Marketers Missing the Messages

According to a survey, 65 percent of B2B marketers think social media is critical for their business. However, 63 percent of B2B marketers are either only vaguely aware or not aware what is being said about their companies online.

In today’s social media environment, where business can be enhanced when traditional marketing programs are complemented with social media strategies, it's imperative for marketers to understand social media’s role, as well as that of its sibling - digital media.

Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube or an industry blog organizations, both B2B and B2C, must not only stay close to the conversations, but also engage in them. Social media provides companies an opportunity to cultivate very specific audiences -  and as a result, your messages, while being disseminated to the mass media, are reaching the people most likely to want, need and purchase your products and services, or look to your organization for expert opinions.  

While marketers are slow to fully involve themselves in social media, as the previous statistics suggest, they are quick to realize its growing importance, as 52 percent of B2C and 41 percent of B2B marketers are prepared to increase their social media budgets in 2013.

At Lois Paul and Partners, our staff includes former "traditional" journalists who work closely with social media-savvy team members who were born, so it seems, with Twitter handles adorning their birth certificates. As a result, we're able to help companies determine the right mix of PR strategies that include both traditional and social media, and successfully navigate the ever-changing media landscape.

So when we come across statistics like the following: 90 percent of B2B companies actively participate on Facebook, 53 percent of B2B companies actively participate on Twitter, 47 percent of B2B companies actively participate on LinkedIn, and 33 percent of B2B companies maintain an active blog or blogs, we're proud that we had a hand in helping companies leverage these tools for their own benefit to push their business forward.

You can find a full rundown of the advantages of using social media here - but a few of our favorites include:

• More than 56% of B2B marketers acquired new business partnerships through social media;
• Nearly 60% of B2B marketers saw improved search rankings from their social efforts;
• Close to 70% of B2B marketers are more able to gather marketplace insights from their social efforts.

Social and digital media is not a present-day trend, it’s the future of business. Does your company need a social and digital media refresh?