Why Social Media is Important for B2B ecommerce How social media can help your marketing and sales efforts One in seven people are deeply entrenched in social media, according to a study by Gartner Research. Social media is now more prevalent than ever. People use it to communicate with others, give their opinions on topics, and say how they are feeling, among numerous other things. Companies have realized that people are devoting more and more time to social media and are taking full advantage. Business-to-consumer companies use Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube to engage their customers like never before. According to the Content Marketing Institute, social media sites and blogs reach eight out of ten of all Internet users in the U.S. B2B companies are not missing out on the social media craze either. B2B companies use social media to market their company, sell their goods and services, and provide quality customer service. Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter According to Social Media Today, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter are the top three social networks that B2B companies use to share content. While Facebook and Twitter are more widely used in B2C ecommerce, LinkedIn shouldn’t be forgotten when it comes to B2B. Social Media Examiner’s Social Media Marketing Industry Report found that 33 percent of B2B marketers named LinkedIn as their most important platform. Business-to-business buyers seem to prefer using LinkedIn over Facebook for work purposes, and smart marketers use this to their advantage. Social Media as a Marketing Tool According to MyCustomer.com, 87 percent of B2B companies see social media as a very successful part of their marketing. B2B marketing teams use social media sites to release information and interesting content to their customers. Social media networks are a great way for marketers to engage with potential buyers like never before. Having a strong social media presence can present a B2B company as a thought leader in their field, which encourages buyers to do business with them. Social Media as a Sales Tool According to Gartner Research, 50 percent of sales on the web will occur through social media by 2015. Social media networks help sales people get leads connect with potential buyers. According to the Social Media and Sales Quota Survey, 78 percent of sales people that use social media outsell their counterparts than use traditional sales techniques. Social media can be a valuable sales tool that can help your sales team increase your revenue and acquire repeat customers. Social Media as a Customer Service Tool Customers are continually turning to social media to address their complaints and questions to companies. According to a 2011 Oracle survey, 46 percent of online customers expect companies to provide customer service via Facebook. Customers expect their issue to be resolved even if they only contacted a company by social media and not traditional methods like phone or email. Social media networks are also a great way to get feedback from customers. If a company wants to know how a certain marketing campaign went over or what their customers would like to see from them next, they can send out a tweet for their customers to respond to. This makes customers feel valued by the company, leading to greater customer satisfaction. Clarity Can Help Our marketing team at Clarity has helped numerous clients implement a social media strategy for marketing and sales, and our robust ecommerce platform is equipped with the analytics to measure the success of your campaigns. Our highly knowledgeable team would love to be able to help your business with any social media questions or problems you may be having. For more information about how social media can improve your sales, call or click to contact us today!