Media'ZBiz!

B2C versus B2B – is there really any difference when comes to using social media?

It’s a question we hear a lot. And for good reason: either way, you’re still marketing to a human being – right? That’s the advice given:  Instead of thinking B2B vs B2C, just think “human” said Chris Brogan.

In B2C social media marketing, companies are advertising to and ultimately selling to the end-users.  The user makes the buy/no-buy decision based on whatever criteria the business has determined. The smart marketer will understand these decision factors, and position the business product appropriately. For B2B, the purchaser is rarely the end-user.

Traditional B2B marketers resist social media because it doesn’t work when they use it as another outbound marketing channel. They will often say: “We’re a B2B operation! We don’t have social-savvy customers like B2C companies.”

In the latest research report from Business.com, Business Social Media Benchmarking Study (an online survey conducted between August 11th and September 4th, 2009) results show that among both B2B and B2C companies managing a company or branded profile on at least one social media site, Facebook is the most popular site.

B2B companies, however, manage profiles across a greater number of social media sites than do B2C companies and are much more likely to manage one or more Twitter accounts or LinkedIn Groups, manage their company listing on LinkedIn and have a presence on YouTube.

The report shows as well that companies can use a wide variety of tools to monitor company, brand and/or competitor mentions across blogs and other social media sites. Among B2B companies, Twitter Search, Google Search and Google Alerts are the most popular choices, and B2B companies are significantly more likely than B2C companies to use Twitter Search and Google Alerts for monitoring online mentions of their company or brands. B2B companies are significantly less likely to use Yahoo! Search than B2C companies.

No question, social media grew out of the consumer space, and B2C examples of social media success are easy to find. But, as shown in the report above, B2B companies have since acted the value they can get out from social media, which if we look at it closely is not specific for B2B or B2C companies. Benefits any marketers benefits from social media is, listening, reach and nurturing, as explained on the Bubspot blog:

Listening — Every company needs to listen. Doesn’t matter if you sell solder paste, CRM software or fencing supplies. You need to listen to your competitors, your customers, your prospects — your community. Social media sites like Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook make this easier.

Reach — Reach is important to any marketer. It’s the number of people you can communicate with directly via email, telephone, or any other channel. You need this whether you’re selling to consumers or businesses. Social media tools media it easier to build.

Nurturing — Nurturing is another critical marketing task for all companies. Regardless of what you sell, you need to build trust with potential customers and educate them about your company and your products. Social media facilitates the development of personal relationships at scale. This makes it an ideal tool for nurturing in any business.

Today, whether you are a B2C or B2B company, with the advent of social technologies, you can now enjoy direct and real-time relationships with the consumer throughout the whole supply process.

The 10:90 ratio is flipped on its head.

Now the willing consumer can join in with ideas, provide feedback through out their development and help market the end product to his peers.

This can deliver a never-ending feedback loop of improvement, innovation and efficiency.