Social Media for B-to-B

In my job I work with a wide variety of clients, including a few b-to-b businesses. One thing that has always puzzled me is how many people assume that social media either won't work or will have to work completely differently in a b-to-b context.

My view of the issue may be simplistic but I have learned that simpler is almost always better. Do b-to-b companies not have customers? Are those customers not people? Do those customers not have something in common? Social media is about connecting with people, sharing ideas and information that is valuable to those people, and building relationships. All things that b-to-b companies already do with their customers. There is no reason that social media can't work the same way for them. Maybe your audience won't be quite as large as say a Starbucks. But you can definitely strengthen relationships and drive business outcomes with the right strategy and execution.

A recent post by Mark Wallace on SmartBlog On Social Media summed it up pretty neatly. As Mark points out, there will always be differences in how each business uses social media. But the difference is not whether they are a b-to-b or b-to-c business.

Retweetable ads? We are missing the point.

This is a very insightful article. The ability to make an ad portable via social media does not make the campaign social. The point is that a solid social media strategy is rooted in valuable content. As long as we slap "social" onto ads that come from an old school way of thinking, we are totally missing the point. Don't advertise to me, give me something of value. Then I will value your brand, product or service and do what you really want me to do, buy more of it.

Bob Garfield's 'Chaos Scenario'

I heard this interview with Bob Garfield this weekend. I was nodding my head through the entire thing. Definitely worth a listen.

What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later

I saw the first version of this presentation by Marta Kagan a couple of months ago. Yesterday I came across this updated version. I think it is brilliant in it's simplicity, sense of humor and powerful statistics. If you are wondering what all the fuss is about social media, or are just trying to figure out if it is something you should get into, then this presentation will help.

What the F**K is Social Media: One Year Later

View more documents from Marta Kagan.

EyeWonder Takes Takeovers To Another Level. Really?

EyeWonder Takes Takeovers To Another Level is the title of a MediaPost article I read the other day. EyeWonder, a rich media advertising provider, has developed a product that takes a screen shot of the page on which an ad is running, then manipulates it to reveal the advertisement. So you can make the page peel back, crumple up, or any other visual effect to reveal the creative.

Is this really a new level? To me, it seems like a glorified pop-up ad. The issue is not finding a better way to be disruptive, it is that advertisers need to find a way to make their ads facilitate the users goals. In an age where technologies allow consumers to opt-out of marketing messages it should be clear that the creators of those messages need to be building destinations, not disruption.

Admittedly this is more the responsibility of the advertisers not EyeWonder. And pushing the technology to allow more creative executions is a good thing. I just hope we use it for work that enhances the user experience, and not just interupts it like we have always done.

It aint easy being green. This might help.

Ever wonder what is in the products you buy every day? Or if it was manufactured in a sweatshop? Or what it's impact is on the environment? GoodGuide is a Web site and iPhone app from the San Francisco company started by Dara O’Rourke, a professor of environmental and labor policy at the University of California, Berkeley. According to the site, "GoodGuide provides the world's largest and most reliable source of information on the health, environmental, and social impacts of the products in your home." The site has rated over 70,000 products including food, toys, personal care and household products.

Making this ratings system available via the iPhone is a powerful way to put information in the consumer's hands at the time they are making a purchase decision. How would this impact your buying habits? Personally, I suspect it would cause me to switch a few brands. We will find out. I just downloaded the app and can't wait to use it.

For more info see this article in the New York Times, or visit GoodGuide.com.

'Food, Inc.': Attention Must Be Paid To Food Supply

NPR recently did a story on the film Food, Inc. If you missed it, you can listen here. Steve Inskeep interviews the film's director Robert Kenner and food advocate and author Michael Pollan. You can also check out the Hungry For Change blog here (sponsored by the film).