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Understanding the Importance of Social Media for B2B Relationships (Infographic)

With the digital era continuing to evolve, many brands are reallocating the money in their marketing budgets to create digital marketing campaigns and maintain social media platforms. It’s often more obvious for B2C marketers, but the question still remains just how big of an impact these platforms can have on your B2B brand’s success. Ambassador created an infographic laying out the raw facts of the business to business interactions that occur over social media, reminding us how important it is for brands to have an online presence.

It‘s clear that Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are the most crucial platforms for distributing content to generate leads. Having an active blog is very effective at getting your brand name and core values out there. More than half of content marketers surveyed are increasing their search marketing budgets, so maintaining a blog is a must to stay competitive. Social media can be the keystone to your company’s sales pipeline, so make sure you are not just digitally present but that you also offer strong, valuable content.

The Power of Reciprocity in Business

The power of reciprocation is one of the strongest human elements that affect our behavior. A simple act of aid or generosity goes a long way. Robert Cialdini, Author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, explains that even in circumstances where we are not obligated to give back, we still feel a need to do so, because of the power of reciprocation. This natural tendency that all humans possess can be effectively used to strengthen your internal and external brand.

Respect: As a manager, it is important to treat your employees as equals. Giving every person a voice and being open to ideas allows for a strong and effective team. In effect, allowing your team the freedom to try new ideas without judgment will encourage them to experiment because you have created a positive environment for innovation.   

Trust: Building trust with your staff is important. The more trust you show them (i.e. not constantly peering over their shoulder, giving them space to work and report back) will be recognized and returned through more open communication. Once they believe you trust them to perform their jobs without constant intervention, they will work harder to exceed your expectations over time. 

Share valuable information: Customers are always looking for additional value without the additional cost. Offering them insightful knowledge, such as best practices or industry research, is a perfect way to build a relationship with a customer. Once an individual has recognized that they have received something of value, they are more likely to strengthen the relationship by offering something in return. This could be opting-in to your newsletters, following you on social media, or agreeing to a product demo. 

Build a long-term relationship: Building a relationship with your customers will help to ensure they remain loyal brand advocates. Show that you care by consistently providing exceptional customer service, offer quality products or services, and give them an incentive to remain loyal through deals, special status or other rewards.

The power of reciprocation is subtle and  rarely a conscious decision, but it is very effective, especially in the business world. Strive to provide value to  your employees and  your customers, and they will be more inclined to reciprocate in kind.

Understanding the Technique Behind Successful Brands

When prompted, we can all provide a list of brands we love, or hate. As we progress throughout our day as consumers, we make choices that signal preference for one brand over another. Some of our choices are purely transactional; others however, are the result of specific brand preferences cultivated over time. David Brier shared an infographic in a recent Fast Company blog post that explains why we love some brands, and hate others. Take a look.

It comes down to three crucial elements: Help, Expectation, and observation.

1. A brand that provides great customer service shows that it cares and will put its customers first.
2. Expectation relates to a set of behaviors employees must exhibit to meet customer expectations. The more passionate your employees are, the better the customer brand experience.
3. For a brand to be observant it must remain connected and informed, and be willing to be responsive to changing customer needs or behaviors.
   Although the formula is simple, achieving it can be a challenge in a constantly changing business environment. The brands that maintain excellence in each of these categories have a strong internal brand culture, a community of employees who understand and are passionate about their role in the company, as well as its vision, mission and values. Brands that continue to be responsive to the changing environment are better able to meet or exceed customer expectations and gives your brand value. Without these important qualities, customers loose anticipation that the company listens to the consumers needs. Furthermore, a lack of initiative from the employees will negatively resonate on the brand as a whole. 

As Brier’s infographic suggests, brands that focus on providing good customer experiences, encourage employee engagement at all levels of the organization, and are responsive to the business environment position themselves for ongoing success.