While social media adoption is on the rise, many small
business-to-business companies still view it as a marketing vehicle reserved
for large consumer brands or too vast a medium to be tackled effectively by a
small entity. A recent study by the Center for Media Research and the University of
Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business looked at the relationship between social media
and small businesses and found that the technology adoption rates in the U.S.
have doubled in the past year from 12 to 24 percent and that one
in five small business owners
are integrating social media into their business processes.

With economic uncertainty causing executives to tighten
marketing budgets, social media can be a highly effective and cost friendly
marketing tactic and customer service tool used by all businesses.  In fact, 45% of
the small businesses surveyed in the University
of Maryland
study believe their social media initiatives will pay-off financially in 12
months or less.

At Articulate
Communications we encourage clients to embrace social media as a fully
integrated component of their strategic communications program.  If social media is adopted with a targeted,
strategic approach aimed at delivering the right message, to the right audience
and the right time, a small business-to-business company can see immediate
return.  Here’s how:

·        
Low cost
– It’s free to join LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, etc.  Social media is filled with inexpensive or
free tools that marketers and public relations practitioners can use to engage
with key constituents, energize the client user-base and promote product and
corporate news.  The manpower required to
write 140 character Tweets or post a question to a LinkedIn group are minimal –
even on a small business budget.

·        
Improve
customer service and encourage word-of-mouth referrals — Happy, vocal
customers are always an effective sales tool. 
By cultivating these relationships online and establishing a two-way
dialogue with customers, businesses can shrink the emotional distance between
the company and the consumer.  By
actively listening, observing and participating in social networks, companies
can not only use social tools to sell directly to consumers but to help
consumers sell to each other by turning their most active customers into advocates
and encouraging them to take action i.e., product reviews, shared stories,
general word-of-mouth activity.

·        
Engagement
with target journalists and analysts – Journalists and industry analysts
who follow your company are probably entrenched in social media – in fact, most
media outlets today feature blogs penned by beat reporters and columnists.
Companies can gain valuable insight into their market and competition through
monitoring what journalist and analysts are saying.  Further, PR practitioners are given a direct
view into the story development process. 
Often, journalists will use social media tools like Twitter to solicit
expert commentary and secure interview subjects.    

In today’s 24-hour news cycle,
journalists don’t have time to seek, schedule and then wait for interviews to
happen. They need real-time sound bytes and commentary when news breaks and are
increasingly turning to blogs and micro-blogging sites to gathering this
information.  For this reason, it’s
important for companies to realize the importance of establishing a corporate
blog as a primary thought-leadership tool, and for PR counsel to use the blog
to support media outreach efforts and press release activity. 

·        
Dissemination
of news and events – Want to distribute a new white paper? Educate users on
a new product upgrade? Tout new Web content? Drive Webinar attendance? For
announcements that might not warrant a traditional press release, social
networks offer a venue to promote corporate and marketing activity and
distribute information users crave. 

By embracing social media, companies can meet their near
and long-term business goals by keeping costs low and focusing on where social
media tools and tactics can add the most value.