I have talked to many B2B companies who are struggling with how social media fits into their business model. Meanwhile, many B2C companies are deepening brand engagement and increasing revenue with social media. Actually, some B2B companies are achieving great results with social media as well, the buzz just isn’t as loud.
My theory is that social media is about building and maintaining relationships. For B2C companies, the customer relationship void has been deep and wide. Companies and brands had a long way to go to meaningfully connect and build trust with consumers. In contrast, B2B has always been about the relationship. It’s a bit more complicated as the formal relationship is between two companies. Bottom line, though, is that people work in those companies. And people still want to do business with other people that they trust and respect. Since the relationship void is smaller in a B2B environment, the movement into social media won’t be as dramatic and groundbreaking. It will flow more naturally and will receive less attention. Nevertheless, there is real value in social media for B2B. Here are some case studies I’ve found.
Lured in by Social Media: An unofficial B2B case study
B2B Case Study from Media Awaken
Tags: B2B, B2C, Social Media
Reason # 1: They won’t let me.
For the last week I have been searching for the perfect car at the perfect price. Since car sales have been slow, I thought this would be a good time, and I could take advantage of the Cash for Clunkers program with my trade-in. I started my car search with the Internet sales guy at Nissan who still insists that the invoice he gave me is actually his cost. Come on! Everyone knows dealer invoice isn’t dealer cost. Internet sales guy’s response – “Are you calling me a liar?” Can’t believe he went there.
Since Nissan refused to budge and then tried to upsell me, I decided to explore other options, maybe upgrade my search to a luxury brand. Meanwhile, I’m getting negotiation advice from my co-worker and husband who both claim I could not be a worse negotiator. Apparently they are right because here is what happened at Lexus. I test drove the IS250 then sat down with the sales guy in his office to talk numbers. I told him I wanted to do the Cash for Clunkers deal. His response: “Lexus decided not to do that. It’s too hard.” So, I asked what they would give me for my car as a trade-in. I realize I should have done this after negotiating the price, but I wasn’t ready to buy and was curious if it was worth trading in my car. I sat in his office for about 30 minutes playing on my iPhone. He finally came back with a piece of paper and ran through numbers so fast it was a blur. Trying to apply all the good negotiating advice I was given, I threw out a low ball counteroffer thinking he would then come off his price. Then we would go back and forth blah, blah, blah. I guess that is not how it works at Lexus because the sales guy said he didn’t want to waste either of our time and escorted me from the building. It all happened so fast that it wasn’t until I got to my car that I realized that I had been politely thrown out of the Lexus dealership. I called my friend Julie and said, “I think Lexus just bounced me out of their dealership.” To which Julie responded, “I have never been prouder.” That’s why I love Julie.
So, now that I’m a dealership crasher. Tomorrow, I think I’ll hit BMW. Then, maybe, for fun I’ll terrorize Infiniti. Then, watch out Audi, here I come.
However, I will not be returning to Lexus. I have my pride which is reason #2 why I can’t drive a Lexus.
Update: Why I drive an Infiniti
It’s cool. They were nice. I got a good price.
Update #2:
I received an email from the Lexus guy asking if I was still interested in the Lexus. I explained to him that my experience was not so positive and sent him a link to my blog. He responded with an apology that he had failed to make me feel like part of the Lexus family. I responded with a list of family counselors. (OK, I didn’t really send a list of family counselors. I didn’t reply, but I really wanted to send the list. Doesn’t that count for something?)
Tags: Cash for Clunkers, Lexus, Nissan
If I were a blog post, what would I say?
Would I let fear and self-doubt stand in my way?
Or would I be bold, writing words of import?
Would I woo all my readers with a witty retort?
Would anyone read me or would I be lonely?
No visitors, no comments, just simple and homely?
Or maybe I’d sail through the great webosphere
Being tweeted and fed, digged, delicious and revered.
Or maybe it’s less about recognition and fame
And more about the value you bring to the game.
So, hard I will try to stick to what matters.
Throw in humor, inspiration and not just chatter.
Thank you for reading. I hope you’ll be back.
I use Google analytics, so I’m keeping track.
Want to find other professionals in your industry to follow on Twitter?
Next time you attend an industry event or association meeting, conduct a Twitter search for the event hashtag. You will see who is tweeting about the event and can then follow them. You may even be able to find and network with them at the event since people usually post their picture in their Twitter profile. At the last few marketing events I have attended, event organizers provided the official event hashtag so that everyone at the event tweets with the same hashtag, making the tweets easier to find i.e. #AMAHouston.
We used to call this stalking, but now it’s called social media and perfectly acceptable.
Tags: hashtag, Twitter, twitter search
On September 17, 2008, I was temporarily living in a hotel room in Austin with my husband and two Chihuahuas, having evacuated Houston for hurricane Ike. I woke up that morning at an ungodly early hour (apparently dogs, like children and my husband, are early risers on vacation) bleary-eyed, fumbling the leashes on the dogs in preparation for the ritualistic morning trek through the lobby to the arboretum. I opened the hotel room door, stepped on the USA Today, only to notice the two top headlines were Ike devastates Houston and AIG is tanking. Good news. By the way, I work for AIG. So, all I could think was - What the bleep is going on? I need Starbucks NOW! The total bill for my double shot latte and a yogurt was $6.66. Not a good sign.
The next day was my birthday, and no, I am not telling you which one. I marched promptly into the spa for an hour and half massage followed by an obscenely expensive, romantic dinner with my husband. Not practical, but very therapeutic.
When I returned home to Houston, not knowing how long I would have a job or the condition of the city, I experienced what seemed like a ghost town compared to the place I evacuated with very few working traffic lights, a house with no electricity and a pool that looked like a swamp. Now, let me say before I continue that I was very fortunate that we had very little damage, and my heart goes out to those who lost their homes and/or members of their family. Back to the story. We were some of the last to get our electricity back. I will never forget sitting outside in the backyard with my husband, wearing very little more than a camping led headlamp in 85 degree heat and 80% humidity at 9 o’clock at night thinking - what do we do now?
So, what do you do when your life turns into a pineapple upside down cake? I’ve found this is usually the time to put on your big girl pants, find your sense of humor, and handle things one bite at a time. I know many of us are experiencing similarly traumatic events in this challenging economy. So far, I still have a job and have, along with a great team, been able to maintain the sales and profitability of our unit. I can only tell you what has helped me get through it (and it’s not over by any means) in the hopes that it might help you too. Here are a few tips.
- Focus on what is within your control. Fix what you can.
- Be flexible and adaptable. Times like these require you to quickly change your course of action.
- Be positive and surround yourself with positive people. Go through the grieving process. It’s necessary. But then more onward and upward.
- Start or enhance your exercise program. Trust me. You need the endorphins and you will feel better about yourself.
- Avoid the rumor mill. In the absence of good information, don’t make up your own.
- Shine on. This is the time to be bright and stand out. Be part of the solution. Don’t contribute to the problem.
- Be sensitive. Help your fellow co-workers and friends find their happy place.
- Stay relevant. You are never too old to learn new tricks, so take this opportunity to learn new skills. Find something to be passionate about.
- Build and utilize your network. Go to those association luncheons and meetings you didn’t have time for in the past.
- If you haven’t already, start building and enhancing your personal brand online.
Tags: AIG, Ike, personal brand