I read a good article today on Mashable about how five top brands crafted their social media voices.
I thought that was a great way of defining the task. When you move your company into the social space you do need to "craft a voice" much the same way a good writer develops a voice. The basics of branding demand that you do this. It is how you develop a unique identity. There is no mistaking Hemingway for Updike. There should be no mistaking a post from Toys-R-Us and one from Victoria's Secret. Those are two "brands" with distinctive voices. Back to the article...
One thing all five of the brands had in common was that their tweets, posts, and other efforts were NOT marketing messages. They were personal insights about the "individual" who is connecting with the social public. They were "behind the scene" stories and quirky thoughts related to the brands, but they were not pushing product advantages or product sale. That's all in keeping with what I heard and read from many social mavens.
Another thing they all had in common is that they were all B2C brands.
This got me thinking about B2B brands. There are more and more of them entering into the social media. But I don't believe the same thinking applies to them. Do you?
I'm thinking that if someone from a client or potential client is following you on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, you name it, they are not really all that interested in the charming or amusing musings of your day, are they?
I'm thinking about some of the B2B brands that I follow. I follow a few local Tampa ad agencies. They will from time to time post photos about a staff picnic or quirky staff designer (most of them are pretty quirky!) and as someone who will probably never give them a bit of business, I find it amusing. But if I were a potential client of theirs would I be charmed, or puzzled? Don't know.
I follow Hub Spot, a company that so involved in social media and inbound marketing that you would think they know how to behave in this space. Their messages don't sell their services, but every one of them positions the company as a "thought leader" in the business. Nothing frivolous here. They all pertain to business without selling their services. They use the stage to present themselves as experts. They have developed a "voice" or a style in how these are all written, but they are all, from what I can see, business related.
You have to think about your customer. You have to know your potential customers. And you have to speak to them appropriately. I think Hub Spot proves B2B brands can effectively use social media. They also prove that you need to approach it strategically.
B2B or B2C, the bottom line is you need to post content that your readers (and you know who they are) are interested in and do so in a voice that makes your content distinctive.
But there is room for some creative thought. I once suggested to a local B2B brand that they should set up a web cam shooting out of their conference room window. That room was 12 stories up and looked out over Tampa Bay from the west. It would have captured some spectacular sunrises and views. Not at all related to their business. But who wouldn't mind starting out their day with a glimpse of that view on Facebook?
I thought that was a great way of defining the task. When you move your company into the social space you do need to "craft a voice" much the same way a good writer develops a voice. The basics of branding demand that you do this. It is how you develop a unique identity. There is no mistaking Hemingway for Updike. There should be no mistaking a post from Toys-R-Us and one from Victoria's Secret. Those are two "brands" with distinctive voices. Back to the article...
One thing all five of the brands had in common was that their tweets, posts, and other efforts were NOT marketing messages. They were personal insights about the "individual" who is connecting with the social public. They were "behind the scene" stories and quirky thoughts related to the brands, but they were not pushing product advantages or product sale. That's all in keeping with what I heard and read from many social mavens.
Another thing they all had in common is that they were all B2C brands.
This got me thinking about B2B brands. There are more and more of them entering into the social media. But I don't believe the same thinking applies to them. Do you?
I'm thinking that if someone from a client or potential client is following you on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, you name it, they are not really all that interested in the charming or amusing musings of your day, are they?
I'm thinking about some of the B2B brands that I follow. I follow a few local Tampa ad agencies. They will from time to time post photos about a staff picnic or quirky staff designer (most of them are pretty quirky!) and as someone who will probably never give them a bit of business, I find it amusing. But if I were a potential client of theirs would I be charmed, or puzzled? Don't know.
I follow Hub Spot, a company that so involved in social media and inbound marketing that you would think they know how to behave in this space. Their messages don't sell their services, but every one of them positions the company as a "thought leader" in the business. Nothing frivolous here. They all pertain to business without selling their services. They use the stage to present themselves as experts. They have developed a "voice" or a style in how these are all written, but they are all, from what I can see, business related.
You have to think about your customer. You have to know your potential customers. And you have to speak to them appropriately. I think Hub Spot proves B2B brands can effectively use social media. They also prove that you need to approach it strategically.
B2B or B2C, the bottom line is you need to post content that your readers (and you know who they are) are interested in and do so in a voice that makes your content distinctive.
But there is room for some creative thought. I once suggested to a local B2B brand that they should set up a web cam shooting out of their conference room window. That room was 12 stories up and looked out over Tampa Bay from the west. It would have captured some spectacular sunrises and views. Not at all related to their business. But who wouldn't mind starting out their day with a glimpse of that view on Facebook?
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