Last week a bold claim was made. Forbes online reported on a study which claimed that Twitter, all 140 characters of it, outperformed Facebook and LinkedIn in generating business-to-business leads. The research came from Optify, a company developing Inbound Marketing Software, looking at B2B online marketing trends for the year just passed – comparing breakdowns of traffic sources, and how many of those turned into leads. While Facebook ruled in generating traffic, it was Twitter that was the surprising leader of the pack when it came to generating a whopping 9times more leads.
Should we really be surprised that Twitter has this potential? Is it possible that Twitter has been underestimated in the B2B stakes? Or is the hype, really just hype and nothing more – is there really case for actively integrating Twitter into your Social Media Marketing Strategy?
Clients, the social media way!
When it boils down to it, Twitter provides undeniable potential for networking. Connecting you to your followers and allowing you to share, converse and follow each other’s activity providing added insight into your peers and audience. Of course it’s all going to come down to what industry you’re in. If your peers are active on Twitter, maybe you should be looking at setting yourself up too. With the number of businesses not on Twitter shrinking every day it’s safe to assume the amount of B2B communication through this medium is only going to increase.
It’s important to remember, while Twitter may seem like an impenetrable haze of white noise, and believe me, there is a lot of noise – there are people behind the accounts. Ignoring the human element of Twitter is a mistake all too easily made. Communicating and sharing on Twitter is giving you the chance to naturally engage in conversation; developing and nurturing relationships with existing clients and potential clients alike. It allows you to keep your name fresh in their minds. Incorporating Twitter into your social media marketing strategy could be giving it a whole new level of scope it hasn’t had to date.
Remember, you aren’t only communicating with your target audience of followers, you’re broadcasting to a potential audience of millions. Even your own employees are potential links in person-to-person chains of millions. Presumably the aim of your social media presence would be to reach as many people as possible, so why risk missing the opportunity for your business to snowball. Think of this, if something trends on Twitter, it can make it to news bulletins, online articles – there is considerable attention paid to what takes place on Twitter, and businesses have every opportunity to get involved.
Branding via social media
Furthermore – Twitter, as part of your social media marketing strategy, is also providing businesses with the opportunity to further build up their brand and their image. Social media can be tailored to reflect and promote your business’s ethos – make a further impression on top of the one you have already put out there. A good social media marketing strategy can be seen to promote the trustworthiness and professionalism of the brand. How a company behaves and reacts on Twitter can also be a positive reflection of the company.
So should we really be surprised that Twitter has seen the success it has had, and how it’s success has lead to success for the businesses who actively use it? In the end, it is just another tool in your social media arsenal but it’s potential is growing. The real question is whether it has gained more respect as a B2B communication platform or whether it still appears to be too “social”.
Social Media marketing can be tricky in B2B communications. Why not take advantage of SiliconCloud’s free Social Media Evaluation for your brand, company or products.