By Jackie Gustner and Steffen Ryan
While social media is seeping through most sectors of the economy, B2B companies struggle with what exactly “being social” means. If large numbers of customers aren’t on Twitter or Facebook talking about a relevant B2B product or service, many companies rightly question whether they should have a presence on these platforms.
Others succumb to perceived competitive pressures and jump into social media without fully considering their strategy and the investment needed for success.
Becoming more social ultimately means being more transparent. It’s less about the technology and platforms, and more about creating ways to authentically engage with clients and prospects –building a community where like-minded people can connect with each other. The ideal outcome is increased loyalty to your brand and advocacy on its behalf.
There are many ways to accomplish this. Below, we give you six we find valuable.
1. Listen before you speak
The first step in any successful social program is uncovering what resonates with your audience and listening to how they talk about your content, as well as how and where they interact with each other. Information offered in the wrong way, in the wrong place to the wrong audience is no doubt a waste of resources.
2. Think of your website as a digital storytelling engine
People gravitate toward online destinations where they can have conversations around shared interests. Sometimes conversations are sparked with a thought-provoking idea or opinion; other times the spark is a piece of content.
Beyond providing the basic information about your company, products and services, your website should be a platform for news, opinions, images and data – a launch pad for content that can generate or contribute to conversations online.
3. Leverage video for storytelling, even if it’s not perfectly polished
Video is a great tool for social media engagement, but companies sometimes fall into the trap of over- thinking video production – emphasizing polish over authenticity. Production costs and time-consuming editing or branding requirements can add up, and good stories may end up not getting told at all.
People often just want genuine and timely information. A low-tech, in-the-moment interview with a company expert can be immensely valuable even if you don’t have a great studio, ideal lighting or perfect acoustics.
When our U.S. Army client hosted a surgical tent exhibit at the 2010 American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress (also a client), they used a simple handheld video camera to capture Lieutenant Colonel Dwight Kellicut, chief of Vascular Surgery at Tripler Army Medical Center, explaining the role of the forward surgical team in combat. The video was then syndicated via the widely read Army Strong Stories blog and on its corresponding YouTube channel. This was a quick and easy way to help people experience the exhibit from anywhere.
4. Don’t get hung up on using one format
Presenting audience-relevant information in a variety of formats encourages visibility through multiple access points. For example, a lengthy white paper can be repurposed as an infographic, video, and other online or mobile-friendly formats to accommodate the various ways people consume and share information.
Other, newer formats up the ante on interaction. One brand built a simulation game that allows participants to play the role of CEO and solve business challenges with its products. This type of “gamification” is a nascent trend that leverages the mechanics and psychology of social gaming so customers can interact with a company’s brand, products or services in a way that’s socially connected and personally rewarding.
5. Empower employees – and prepare them
A company’s greatest asset is its employees. They’re the ones who come up with the ideas, build the products, sell and support them. Your goal should be to facilitate access so they can share knowledge and expertise. Consider allowing certain employees to do guest blog posts or video interviews.
But also realize that while you have some level of oversight when giving employees the spotlight on your official channels, they have the editorial control when broadcasting to their own social networks. Company leaders may worry about what employees say online, and rightly so. It’s a drastic change from having only designated PR or marketing spokespeople speaking for your organization. That’s why it’s important to have a social media policy in place along with adequate training. Be sure to provide specific examples of what’s appropriate to say or do with social media, and what’s not – and explain how such guidelines are simply an extension of ethical behavior and common sense.
6. Think about what you’d do in a crisis
There’s nothing like a crisis to make companies realize the importance of social media. What do you do when something erupts and people begin talking about it on Twitter and Facebook? How do you react when facts go out the window as the conversation spins wildly out of control?
The best way to prepare for a crisis is to create one that feels uncomfortably real. Our FireBell social media crisis simulator puts company leaders in the middle of such a “crisis,” complete with incendiary posts and comments from fictional personas we control from behind the curtain. Real-time dialogue defines crises today, and a company must practice in order to be prepared. These simulations help identify deficiencies or gaps in a company’s current crisis procedures.
Even if you don’t go through a FireBell drill, you can still think through what might happen during a crisis and how you would respond. Are your current communications tools adequate? Do you have a procedure for monitoring and analyzing issues as they arise? Does everyone know their role? Do employees understand your social media policy?
A successful social media strategy depends on adapting to new standards of openness and engagement. Don’t be afraid to experiment as you build on your natural strengths to best tell your stories.
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Jackie Gustner, APR, is a vice president in the Financial Services practice at Weber Shandwick. She helps organizations tell their stories through digital and traditional media channels.
Steffen Ryan is a digital strategist at Weber Shandwick. He helps companies distill information and ideas into content that is accessible and sharable. |
