The power of 140 characters

@Responsys

Twitter has a total of 100 million users, all connecting with the friends, colleagues, causes and organisations that they like the most. However, from a B2B standpoint, social media is a whole lot more than conversations and engagement. When used properly it can be a great way to drive revenue and marketing results.

B2B marketers know all too well that for them, sales cycles are longer, many people are involved in the decision-making process and purchases are of much higher value. As a result, it is particularly important that their customers receive content that is relevant and timely. Social networks, such as Twitter, work great for brands reaching out to consumers, but they can also provide B2B marketers with the ideal opportunity to engage customers in real-time, targeting them in response to their individual behaviours.

As B2B marketers look for ways that they can integrate social media into their communication campaigns, we share our top tips on how marketers can become a master of the mystery that is Twitter.

• Know your audience – Although popular with the masses, Twitter isn’t relevant for every B2B organisation. Depending on your industry and audience, Twitter may not actually be a feasible method for engagement. By using the information you have on your customer or prospect, identify whether they already use Twitter and how they use the platform. From there you can decide the type of social campaign you would like to target them with to make sure it hits the mark.

• Communicate in real-time – By engaging with customers in real-time on Twitter, companies can provide relevant and personalised content to customers in response to individual behaviours, as well as respond quickly to issues. B2B marketers can also analyse the sentiment of posted tweets, and monitor hash-tags or links that drive traffic back to the company’s site.

• Focus on service – Instead of just broadcasting endless streams of information on their feeds, companies should respond to customer requests and questions as and when they appear in order to help develop relationships with those engaging with the brand. Twitter is the perfect platform for customer service, and by acknowledging customers on this platform, brands can increase engagement, boost their social media following, reinforce loyalty and drive traffic to other key channels including web, email and mobile.

• Email drives social – Today’s B2B consumers live in a networked economy and want information wherever they are, whatever the time, whenever they like. By incorporating features such as ‘join our network’ or ‘share with your network’ into company footnotes, or onto the official brand website, customers can constantly connect with their suppliers across Twitter wherever they may be.

• Adopt a cross-channel approach – For Twitter to be turned into the high-impact channel of engagement it can be, it should form part of a holistic multi-channel approach. By integrating the data from Twitter with other digital channels, marketers can engage customers in a meaningful dialogue as part of a co-ordinated approach.

There is no denying the impact that social media tools have on the way that we communicate online, and if you’re not using these platforms, your company may be missing out. The key to developing lasting online relations with customers is having a strong and knowledgeable social voice. At a time when social media is a buzz word, to remain competitive it is important for B2B brands to provide customers with interesting content across social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Google +. Only then can brands develop successful socially enabled campaigns to participate, talk and guide customers in an engaging and conversational manner across every touch point, digital or traditional.

About the author

Simon Robinson is Senior Director Marketing & Alliances EMEA at Responsys, helping the best brands in the world to effectively execute marketing campaigns across all key digital channels. Prior to joining Responsys, Simon worked for Vignette, NetIQ and Attachmate. With 22 years in the marketing industry, Simon has extensive experience building and driving brands, developing alliance partner relationships and delivering integrated marketing campaigns in the UK and across Europe.

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