Pure Thinking

B2B vs. B2C Social Media

Too often, companies in the B2B space write-off social media as one of those tactics that is only useful for B2C companies. After all, executives don't have time for social media, right? Wrong.

• 67% of C-level executives cite the Internet as the most influential and important source for business information
• 7 out of 10 executives believe the web is the most important source of business information
• C-level executives prefer to access the web rather than reading the newspaper before starting their day.

But, reaching these key high-level decision makers online requires an approach that looks different than reaching consumers. In my opinion, the three main differences between B2B and B2C-focused social media are:

Adding value is your top priority. Establishing your company as a producer of authoritative, comprehensive and relevant content (podcasts, blog posts, videos, etc.) that is of interest to your audience is the most critical component of a successful B2B social media campaign.

Quality trumps quantity. For B2C companies, it's all about the number of fans on Facebook or Twitter followers. For B2B companies, it's about the quality of your followers or friends. Are your friends/followers your top tier sales targets or client prospects? You may only have ten Facebook friends but if they are your top prospects, then you have achieved success.

Target. Target. Target. Social media allows you to hone in on your key audiences and offer them valuable information throughout the sales cycle. Whether you're nurturing a prospect by providing them with relevant articles via Twitter or turning a customer into a brand evangelist by encouraging them to post a video to YouTube about their experience with your service, social media provides the opportunity to target the individual needs of your audience.

Interested in learning more about social media in a B2B environment? Check out this webinar presented to the American Association of Advertising Agencies by Pure's own Larry Holdren and Shannon Danitz (me).

-Shannon

 

For many, the new year brings a fresh start, a new diet and exercise regimen, or perhaps a new hobby. To marketing and advertising gurus, 2010 brings the census. The census is the biggest market-research project of the decade. The Census Bureau will spend more than $15 billion counting the U.S. population.

Despite the anticipation of new findings, many have their own predictions. Peter Francese, demographic trends analyst at WPP's Ogilvy & Mather, writes in 2010 America, a new Ad Age white paper, "the average American has been replaced by a complex, multidimensional society that defies simplistic labeling."

Let's restate that in a language we can all understand: Facebook

    Profile: The Average American

    Relationship Status: it's complicated

    Interests: iPhone, iPod, iTunes, and YouTube

    Hobbies: Tweeting and Googling

    Education: World Wide Web

    Work: From anywhere

    Hometown: I don't remember... moved too many times.

    Contact Info:

        email: willanswerimmediately@now.com

        Follow Me: @tweets

        Join my network: www.linkedin.com/in/networkingmaniac

        AIM: stuckinthe90s123

        Cell Phone: 555-5555

        Home Phone: ???

Needless to say, a lot has changed over the past decade. What new insights do you think the 2010 Census will reveal?

New mobile app lets you search without words

With new google goggles you can now search with images, allowing you to capture contact information, search businesses near your physical location and learn about a brand by taking a snapshot of a logo, among other benefits. More here. 

Do you hear what I hear?

Google's announcement today that it will start providing real time search results satisfies our greedy need for immediate access to information. Now, within moments of tweeting or blogging, the information turns up in Google search results. Talk about living in a world of instant information.

This is a grand development if you're trying to keep up on the latest buzz about Tiger Woods. It's not such a hot new tool when you are a company that has an angry consumer sharing his frustrations with the entire Twitter universe or an employee who shares confidential information via a blog post. In the blink of an eye, this information is turning up in Google search results and potentially spreading like wildfire across the web to the point of turning into a full-fledged crisis situation.

The dawn of real time search results underscores the need to listen to what is being said about your company/brand/product online. If you're not, you may be missing out on crucial conversations that may go viral faster now than ever before. Whether you're using a fee-based tool such as Radian 6 or a combination of free tools such as Addictomatic or SocialMention, it pays to spend the time and resources to listen so that if a situation occurs, you'll be able to respond in real time.

~ Shannon

Friday's Special Delivery

No Santa did not come to Pure early this year, but it sure felt that way on Friday afternoon! We had a little Christmas tree decorating party, complete with egg nog, Christmas cookies and Christmas music to get us all in the spirit. Once the tree was up and decorated, POOF! 5 sparkly, new cruisers appeared!

Once you reach 5 years at Pure, you are rewarded with a shiny set of customized wheels. How's that for a reward?

Glass half heavy? Pop a pill instead

I can't tell you how many times I've come home from a long day at work and started making myself a nice drink, only to realize that my glass is just too heavy to handle. Drinking is so hard... why can't they make it easier?

Introducing vodka powder in a pill! Never again do you need to suffer wrist pain, muscle fatigue or unnecessary labor. Russian professor Evgeny Moskalev of Saint Petersburg Technological University has come up with a way to solidify spirits into a powder form, then package it into a pill for an easy, portable party option.

Apparently it tastes eating a candle, and you lose the fun of beer pong, body shots, keg stands, etc., but you can't put a price on convenience. I think Professor Moskalev wraps it up best though. The best way to enjoy vodka is still in a shot glass, chased with a pickled cucumber.

The History of Black Friday

A day welcomed by few and feared by most, Black Friday did not always mean running a fellow shopper down with your cart for a chance at a discounted flat screen t.v., punching another mother for a chance at the last cabbage patch doll (true story - my mom witnessed it back in the 80s. To this day, I'm scared to ask how she managed to get mine) or hoarding this season's hottest toy on the market and selling it on eBay in mass quantity, ripping off parents desperate to fulfill their child's Christmas wish list. 

One thing that has remained the same since Black Friday's beginnings - America has pretty much always hated it.