Social Networking | SEO For Industry

Why is B2B social media different to B2C and why should you jump on board now?

There is no doubt that social media and networking sites are going to have a huge influence on the big picture of b2b marketing. Right now, the main concern for most companies is how important these sites are to short and long-term business and is the time we spend building accounts and relationships really worth all the effort?

A lot of the clients we chat to don’t really understand how b2b social media can work for them. They open a twitter, facebook, stumbleupon and LinkedIn account, add a few profiles and images and then wait for the whole system to work its magic. We are working with two main clients today on their social site presence and this needs to be constantly updated and added to. The problem is that is doesn’t just happen by magic and it does take time, effort and a certain amount of investment to make the whole thing work well. The fact is that around half of the Twitter accounts set up today have zero to low activity and this is generally because it is just one more thing to think about. People add an account, some basic info and then leave them alone.

The truth is that this is not a short term gain at a b2b level. When you look at b2c it is more about brand, price and consumer engagement on a very specific level. Fundamentally, people within a b2c environment are more concerned with what it costs, supply and the feel good factor – something that you can get across via social media very quickly. What turns on a ‘shorts and T-shirt’ is not the same as a ‘pinstripe suit’.The b2b business is very different. Here we need to look at building credibility in your brand, company and the associated products you offer and b2b social media is a very good way of doing this. However, it does take time and effort.

The best thing to do here is to think about it as a network marketing opportunity – remember those? You’d sign up to sell dish cloths and mops and then get your friends to do the same. Those friends would then sell to their friends and alos recruit them to do the same all over again. If you had great sales people and the really enthusiastic recruiters then you made it – most people didn’t. The thing is that b2b social media is like that. However, like network marketing, it takes a lot of time to create the right network of people. Some of those people are at tier one and are called influencers.

These people are those who will create and respond to lots of posts on blogs, forums and they will tweet regularly. So when you network with these people and create useful information in your niche, they are the first people to share it with others and show real enthusiasm. They also tend to have loads of followers on twitter and get lots of viewers to their posts. It is from there that you get recommendations from them (and their followers) and the whole network begins to work as it should. These influencers will re-tweet your tweets on twitter and pass on your comments to others in their circle of contacts on other social networking sites.

However, these relationships are not born overnight. They take a lot of time to establish and you should begin by generally (and genuinely) helping people. Commit a certain amount of time per day and post and reply to blogs and forums which are both high authority and quality sites in your niche. Create teasers and slightly controversial posts around facts and possibly even conspiracy theories- write posts and comments that will get people thinking and will then get your influencers to respond and get involved. Then send two to three tweets per day and respond to the same number. In time you’ll build up a good following from the right audience and you can scale your efforts as you begin to learn new social networking skills.

The whole picture of b2b social media isn’t a walk in the park and is not at all pretty. But to make it work for you, there is a need to step outside and create a masterpiece in the right public circles to get noticed!

When we say twitter seo, of course we mean using twitter for seo purposes. We have a lot of social media planning for a client today and the whole big picture of social networking includes twitter and how it affects your SEO structure.

First of all, you need to look at Twitter as a major opportunity. Not just in a short-term way by keeping up the appearance of being up to date with the concept and philosophy of social media sites, but also for the long-term benefits and all that entails. Don’t jump on board in a half-hearted way just because you think you should. If you are going to do it, do it well. So how can it help?

Well, for those of you still in the “Not sure if it works on a b2b level” camp, I think it is about time you probably stopped watching the tumble weed and actually pitched your tent a little closer to the city! You see, we are now part of a social networking revolution. This is such a hugely important area at the moment and the developments over the last few years have seen a complete shift in the way that many people share, communicate and act on the information they see. And you notice that I said ‘many’ and not ‘all’ here.

Over the last couple of years I have chatted to people of a certain age or generation (could be uncle Peter or old Charlie from the corner store) and they cannot see what the big fuss is about. To be honest I didn’t jump on the whole social train until about two years ago – it had been at the station for a while; just about at the time when the conductor was raising his whistle. But there is no getting away from the fact that people do take notice of what happens in the big socialsphere and (as importantly) so do google and the other search engines.

From a user perspective, it is an opportunity to communicate with like-minded people and to share ideas, concepts or just chat about what interests them – and this does include business! Even though Twitter only gives you 140 characters (and there are good reasons for this) it is an opportunity to build relationships with people. You can tweet daily and build up your credibility as a reliable source. In time you build up a very good following and people remember what you do and what you have said. When the time comes they are more than happy to recommend you. What’s more, every tweet you send will probably attract more followers through re tweets if the material is relevant to who is following your followers – with me? When you write interesting stuff, you will be seen as an expert in your niche and this is especially important when the economic climate is a little rough around the edges. In a recession, people are happy to get information for free, but they are also happy to pay and use those valuable resources when things get a little easier too!

Twitter is also seen as a valuable social tool for google and the other search engines and this is a clear indication of how social networking will continue to grow. At the very least, you should open a twitter account and then send 1-5 tweets per day if you can. You then follow people who are potential customers, influencers and people who may know other people who are potential customers and influencers. You can also have fun doing it and it is a great way to tell your followers about any exhibitions. meetings, webinars etc. In fact, if they respect you in any way your tweets will have much more weight – but you have to work at it.

It is also worth mentioning that this does not happen over night. Building credibility and a high quality following on twitter takes time and a lot of effort. If you are prepared to offer advice, answer questions (that’s replying to tweets from people you follow) and generally staying active every day, you should see the advantages of twitter as a good b2b social media channel for your business.

In terms of SEO, Twitter can be very good indeed. As well as the website address you’ll add to your profile, you can also build links naturally when people find you, view your profile and then link to your website. This is what the search engines want to see more of and Twitter is a great way to boost your external SEO presence and increase link popularity. It is also common knowledge that google, yahoo and Bing sees Twitter as a major contributor to the big social media picture and a link back to your site from Twitter is quite valuable in itself. There is also evidence to suggest that people who re tweet your messages with a link are showing support and a vote of confidence. This seems to be a major plus point – just look at what google is doing with the new +1 tool!

Of course, social sharing will now form a major part of the big social picture and you should add share buttons and icons to your website after you set up a twitter, facebook and LinkedIn accounts. These simple links will enable people to follow you and also share your pages with friends and colleagues. It is the way the internet is moving forward, so don’t let the train leave without you!