So a couple of weeks ago I got the opportunity, with my team, to visit one of IBM's suppliers. We spent the day at the Ogilvy offices in Canary Wharf discussing the issues around social media and digital marketing. Ogilvy are one of the biggest marketing agencies in the world so you can imagine how excited I was to spend the day with the IBM account team and to visit their UK HQ!
The office for a start was amazing! Set in Cabot square in Canary Wharf- it was my 1st visit to Canary Wharf but it is definitely somewhere I can see myself working! The office was a really creative, modern and stylish setting (much different from the IBM offices...)
We discussed the importance of content on social media and how it shouldn't just be a selling page, delivering content to your target audience means they will use your owned media sources as an information source and this will therefore enhance their experience- meaning your brand is a) a trusted source b) in the forefront of their mind c) not thrust upon them in a sales perspective and therefore they feel as though they are making an informed decision rather than being sold to.
A problem that arose was that HOW can this content be created by a marketing team alone? Especially in high investment/involvement purchases where a great deal of inside knowledge, expertise and specific information is needed, how can a small, specific marketing team manage a social media presence? We also considered how difficult it is to measure the effectiveness of a social media presence, especially in terms of return.
Aside from these issues and concerns, there was an understanding from the day as to the relevance of social media in a B2B environment. Most people consider social media essential in B2C marketing but don't often associate marketing with B2B, however we were given the idea that it is not a new concept in this market. Networking has been a key part of a B2B organisation for a long time, this is just a shift in how key decision makers connect with their peers.
When marketing in a B2B context, the focus must be on a peer-to-peer basis, rather than brand-to-consumer.
This was the key concept that I recognised from the day, a quote from one of the presenters, "social is a behavioural reality, not just a channel". This gave me a lot to think about...
For example; key decision makers in an organisation who are invited to attend numerous events are more likely to accept an invitation if they are invited in a person to person invitational context.
This brings about the key rule when using social media in B2B: Make it personal
After discussing these issues and concepts, we had a presentation from someone at IDG, a technology media company- they publish magazines and online media all focused on technology throughout the UK.
We then heard a presentation from Linkedin who showed us some interesting stats about how much reach Linkedin can provide when trying to target other businesses. Social media has provided an interesting platform, you may think that "stalking your ex on Facebook" is purely for entertainment purposes, but in reality- how much better to understand your customer's likes, dislikes, interests and connections than to have it written plainly in front of you on Linkedin?
Linkedin presented us with this idea and explained how the increasing use of Linkedin means B2B marketing teams can tailor their marketing messages based on their individual target recipient's behaviour, connections and experience.
The presentation was interesting and reinforced the idea of personal, direct, individual, relationship marketing which I believe is fundamental in any B2B environment.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day and can honestly say I felt at home in the Ogilvy offices- I would love to work there! It was one of the best days working at IBM that I have had so far!!
Views and opinions are entirely my own- Stephanie Clark
