A lot of people are asking me about the value of social media for business to business opportunities. They hear all the hype about SM, but they are having a hard time seeing the benefit of it, especially in that B2B setting. The first thing I want say is that I am not going to try to prosthelytize you on social media, like its a magic bullet. You need to look at it from a clear and un-hyped perspective. A business to business approach to social media SHOULD look different from a mass market consumer approach. However, that doesn’t mean that there is no value in it for you. Some simple facts remain, despite any hype you may have heard that makes it sound like snake-oil:

1) Social media sites are very popular. There are lots and lots of people spending lots and lots of time on them. This means that some of your customers, influencers, decision makers – and competitors – are there.

2) People are turning to their social networks more and more for answers. They are looking for solutions, maybe solutions that you could provide.

3) There is more to social media than just Facebook. I am not saying that there isn’t a place for your business on Facebook. But there may be other sites out there that are more influential in your industry. New social sites are popping up every day, and industry sites are developing a social side.

4) People want to interact with people online (not just online brochures or ads). Like it or not, social media looks like it is becoming the new phone, the new email. Would you say “I don’t see a use for the phone in a B2B context”?

The shift to social media requires a new way of thinking for many businesses. Don’t be discouraged or put off if you don’t fully understand it – it is changing all the time anyways. In it’s most basic form it is simply interpersonal communication moving more into the online world – and we all like to do business with people we know and relate with. Your companies SM strategy won’t look like Pepsi or Coke’s strategy – that doesn’t mean that there is no value for you in social media.