Digital Changes Everything.

It is evident that the advent and continuous growth of social media platforms has increased the number of sources that consumers employ in making decisions. It’s had a disruptive effect on purchasing behaviors. Retail websites, rating services, online forums, social sites, peer reviews and blogs are all sources used by consumers to evaluate products and services. These behaviors have translated themselves to B2B buyers.

The benefits to B2B marketers of actively engaging in social media for marketing purposes are highlighted in the McKinsey article Demystifying Social Media, which identified the major functions of social media: to monitor, respond, amplify and lead consumer behavior.

• Monitoring and knowing what people are saying online, and what they think about your product is primary.
• Responding rapidly and in an honest, transparent way is vital to customer service and time-sensitive crisis management.
• Amplifying your content will occur by consumers who share it with friends and followers to produce recommendations and enhance brand advocacy.
• Leading with social media will play an early role in changing consumer behavior, creating buzz and providing time-sensitive deals for sales.

All of this results in relevant data that, with the use of a good marketing analytics platform, can be used to create more leads and close more sales.