With 85% of B2B buyers suggesting that businesses should present information via social networks, it’s a good time to be a marketing agency offering social media services. But with that mounting pressure, many in-house marketing teams are believing myths and making costly mistakes, hurting conversions and revenue.
Alerting your clients to the falsehoods starts with dispelling the myths for them well ahead of time. Here are some of the unrealistic — and just plain untrue – social ROI myths your clients might believe, and how your agency can counsel them otherwise.
Myth #1 – Social ROI Can’t be Measured
Your client’s in-house marketing team might not believe that social media ROI can be calculated. In fact, that task has been cited as a top difficulty among B2B marketers.
Why is this the case? Implementing social tactics without a social media strategy makes it impossible to define which metrics are most important. With such an unfocused approach, it’s hard to anticipate any impact on a company’s bottom line.
How to set the record straight: Let your clients know that social ROI can absolutely be measured and that it directly yields eager leads — but only if social is done right. Show them how a highly engaging, goal-driven social campaign, especially with the help of a social media marketing platform, will ultimately bring them more, happy customers. And, let clients know the results can all be tracked with social media analytics reports that dive directly into the most meaningful KPIs for each brand and strategy.
Myth #2 – Social is More Suited to the B2C Realm Than B2B
Those of your clients that do see the potential of social might think it’s all for B2C companies and not their B2B brands.
Of course, when prominent examples of social media marketing come up, it’s often in mass-media consumer ads that are interwoven with pop culture. Social also continues to carry a laid-back and informal connotation, with networks like Facebook and Twitter perceived as more of hub for superficial online friendships than for serious discussion and business.
How to set the record straight: Smart social marketing, of course, yields enormous rewards in the B2B space, without sacrificing professionalism or brand identity. Show your clients that through social selling and good engagement in social media communities, it’s possible to close the gap between the well-established effectiveness of social and the lead nurturing needed to win trust throughout long, complex B2B buying cycles. Being able to provide your clients with case studies of B2B brands using social media effectively can also help convince them.
Myth #3 – If You’re Going to be Social, You Have to be Everywhere
Finally, some of your clients might erroneously believe you have to have a hand in every social network available.
Some companies make the mistake of setting up profiles on every single popular network, with or without demonstrated popularity in their industry. This scattershot approach only drains ROI, as time can easily be wasted on a social presence that could be better invested in specific channels that target a self-selected audience ripe for engagement.
How to set the record straight: Show your clients exactly which social networks work in their industry. Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and especially LinkedIn are the four big in the B2B space, but your clients need to know the most effective channels for their brands. With a social listening tool that gives you a bird’s-eye view of brand mentions and industry discussions, it will be easier than ever to see where efforts should be spent the most.
Your clients might be falling for a lot of myths — and it’s your job to set them on the right path! By arming your clients with greater knowledge of the myths and realities of social media marketing, they’ll come to trust you as a true partner in maximizing their social ROI, and in taking their brand awareness and social lead generation goals to new heights.
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