First, I must apologize for my brief hiatus. School has been quite hectic lately. Second, for those who don’t know the North Carolina State University WOLFPACK made it to the Sweet Sixteen. A friend of mine sent me this article the other day and I thought it was fascinating. “Why B2B companies need to up their communications game,” by Richard S. Levick.
The long and short of the article is how B2B businesses are moving further and further into the world of social media and what could only be called public relations. Mr. Levick thinks there are many things overlooked when B2B businesses do this but the most easily overlooked is the basic “who,” and “why,” questions. Mr. Levick puts it bluntly saying that “B2Bs need to act more like sophisticated B2Cs in their communication strategies.”
The article is then broken down into three parts. The first is about how B2B businesses are garnering more attention and how most of it ends up being negative. For example, the Walmart contractors, Apple, Victoria’s Secret, have all had supply chain related damage done recently. “Such instances should dispel illusions among B2B communicators that they still operate at a safe distance from the harsh media spotlight,” Said Mr. Levick. The second is about a strategy in which Mr. Levick calls the “poster child,” and how it can really bite you back. He says that consumers are paying closer attention to how their products are made and being more outspoken about it. This has blurred the wall between B2B and B2C communications. The third is about loyalty and how generating leads and sales if most important for B2B businesses. So most B2B businesses see social media as a “business tool” but Mr. Levick says that these businesses have missed the point.
Give the article a read and comment with your opinions.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1825195/why-b2b-companies-need-to-up-their-communications-game?partner=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fastcompany%2Fheadlines+%28Fast+Company+Headlines%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher
GO WOLFPACK!
Max Daniel
