Intersection: Impressions & Expressions

• January 19, 2012
• by Greentarget
• Posted in: Industry Trends
• Tags: communications planning & measurement, media relations publicity & social media
  

A recent Harvard Business Review blog post talks about how social media is closing the gap between mass media outlets and their audiences. Consumers today have wrested some of that control from programmers creating a compelling intersection between  impressions and expressions.

In the business-to-business space, many companies are struggling to find ways to use social media to engage their clients in the same way that mass marketers do. There’s a big difference between selling accounting, legal or other professional services and selling a bottle of Coca-Cola…or is there?

Even though professional services and other business-to-business companies may not use mass media in the same way a consumer marketer does, they are using business/trade publication advertising, media coverage and direct marketing to reach their clients and customers. The same rules and opportunities apply, but you rarely see B2B brands engage their clients for feedback in this manner.

The challenge for B2B marketers is to encourage clients to use social media tools as a way of providing perspective and feedback. In today’s global marketplace, in-person meetings are not always possible.  Social media offers another means through which clients can communicate how they feel about something said in the news media, a new corporate image campaign and so on.  It’s also a way to know that your clients are paying attention and they are truly engaged with what you’re saying in the business-to-business marketplace.

One could argue that purchasers of these services are behind the curve and not as active on these networks, thereby limiting the opportunity. But our research suggests otherwise.