B2B Social Media: How to Waste Money Fast

I have had more than one conversation like this in the last few years:

Marketing manager (MM): "Can you set up a Facebook page for us?"
Me: "Sure. But why do you want a Facebook page?"
MM: "The CEO wants one. His 14-year old daughter asked him why we didn’t have one and now he says we need one."
Me: "Do you have any specific objectives in mind? Customer service? Traffic driving? "
MM: "No. I just need to get something up to get the CEO off my back."

Sound familiar at all? My example may see a little facetious but this has been the quality of decision making in many B2B businesses when it comes to social media. Because many people felt like they came to it late, they decided to jump in with both feet, without really understanding why they were doing it. This approach never ends well.

Unfortunately most agencies are all too willing to jump to this sort of task when asked: it takes backbone to argue the case with a client, especially when money is being offered to get something done. When the orders have come down from on high, the argument is even more difficult.

But argue we must, because in most respects social media is no different from any other marketing channel. Successful campaigning via social media requires careful planning, dedicated resource, and well-thought out metrics. Do it without these things and you will waste money - at best.

At worst you will become yet another case study in social media disaster. These are not as high profile in the B2B world but they exist: companies that have waded into online debates with high-handed corporate messaging without listening to the debate and understanding the tone and etiquette. Companies that have taken a brash and abusive approach to introducing themselves on LinkedIn, essentially spamming invitations. Companies that have tried to promote sprockets and widgets to a disinterested audience through inappropriate channels, showing a much less forward-thinking character than they intended with a leap into social channels.

In most cases where I have worked with a B2B organisation on social media strategy they completely changed their approach once they start to consider the objectives. Instead of pages and profiles on this, that and the other, managed by external agencies, they have placed a small number of tools in the hands of their own salespeople and marketers. They have started by listening, researching the tone and behaviour of their prospects and influencers online. They have created appealing messages, content and assets around which to build engagement and conversation.

This is not the easy approach: it requires training, policies, behaviour change and monitoring. It rarely delivers instant result and it’s not necessarily any cheaper than outsourcing once you count the time involved.

Take this approach and you can’t tick the social media box overnight. But you do have a much higher chance of getting some return on your investment.