passage require analysis and breakdown

Social media is often considered as an excellent option for business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing but does social media marketing work in the business-to-business (B2B) marketplace? Kotler & Keller state the newest and fastest-growing channels for communicating and selling directly to customers are digital. Social media platforms provide opportunities for greater interaction and individualization but why should this technology be limited to just the business to consumer side of marketing? In business markets, advertising still plays a significant role in introducing the firm and its products, explaining product features, reminding customers of offerings, generating leads for sales follow-up, legitimizing the firm, and reassuring customers about purchases (Kotler & Keller, 2016). So why should the organizations that do only business to business sales be left out?

The article I chose to review is How does social media compare to other channels for B2B Marketing by D. Chaffey. Chaffey states that not only can business-to-business (B2B) marketers benefit from social media, but it could be their most effective marketing channel of all. He goes on to say that B2B marketing has begun to shy away from traditional broadcast media and is transitioning towards social engagement (Chaffey, 2018). Businesses, whether B2C or B2B have a common goal which is to push traffic to their websites and social media sites such as Linkedin and Twitter have provided the B2B community with applications that allow potential clients, customers, and employees to do just that. Social media marketing is about creating connections that are centered on trust, knowledge, and an ability to deliver on promises. In theory these same fundamentals apply for both the B2C and B2C type organizations. In todays day and age getting your product or brand in front of as many faces as possible can be the difference between failure and success.

Thinking about how I would utilize B2B social media marketing within the Conscious Capitalism simulation to build relationships with business buyers the first thing that comes to mind is expansion and opening the brand up to the big box store retail market. As a new brand with not much brand recognition the use of platforms such as Twitter and Linkedin could be helpful. As a new brand that is considering taking their product to the big box store retail market sites like Linkedin may be useful as a means of reaching out to buyers for stores that cater to the outdoors enthusiast such as Dicks Sporting Goods or Gander Mountain. These relationships could be cultivated over this platform and may eventually lead to deals down the road that could increase brand recognition and market share within the sector.

Twitter is another interesting platform that could be used to cultivate relationships with business buyers. Business professionals rely on their mobile device to educate themselves with business-related content. As tempting as it may be to share product specifics, focus on sharing industry insights that will resonate with potential buyers. In a recent survey on how US B2B buyers thought content aimed at them could be improved, 96% of respondents said they wanted more insight from industry thought leaders and 92% said they wanted "less focus on product specifics and more focus on value" ("Data-driven tips for b2b marketers on Twitter," n.d.). Veer away from Tweeting sales pitches and focus on sharing content that adds value for the target audience. By doing so relationships can be forged and the potential for increased sales may follow.