The Social Shift in B2B Marketing: How To Successfully Set Strategy Amidst The Groundswell Laura Ramos Vice President, Principal Analyst Forrester Research October 29, 2009

Successful social strategy focuses on what you want to accomplish.

Agenda State of social media use in B2B marketing Three reasons to use social technology in B2B Objectives you can achieve by engaging customers in social activity

State of social media use in B2B marketing

Three reasons to use social technology in B2B

Objectives you can achieve by engaging customers in social activity

Web sites and email dominate marketing mix Which of the following marketing tactics does your marketing organization use? Source: Forrester Q1 2009 B2B Marketing Budgets And Tactics Online Survey with Marketing Profs

For branding: PR, TV and Web deliver results How effective are the tactics you use at building brand awareness? Source: Forrester Q1 2009 B2B Marketing Budgets And Tactics Online Survey with Marketing Profs

For lead gen: Face-to-face events close the deal How effective are the tactics you use for generating leads? Source: Forrester Q1 2009 B2B Marketing Budgets And Tactics Online Survey with Marketing Profs

Tide changes: digital tactics gain favor in 2009 How will the importance of each tactic change in 2009 marketing mix? Source: Forrester Q1 2009 B2B Marketing Budgets And Tactics Online Survey with Marketing Profs

While some emerging and traditional tactics lose ground How will the importance of each tactic change in 2009 marketing mix? Source: Forrester Q1 2009 B2B Marketing Budgets And Tactics Online Survey with Marketing Profs

Agenda State of social media use in B2B marketing Three reasons to use social technology in B2B Objectives you can achieve by engaging customers in social activity

State of social media use in B2B marketing

Three reasons to use social technology in B2B

Objectives you can achieve by engaging customers in social activity

Reason #1: Social interactions require new marketing approaches Pre-Web or Web 1.0 interactions Web 2.0 interactions Source: May 7, 2008, “Community Marketing: A New Discipline For Business Technology Marketers” Forrester report

Reason #1: Social tactics help move prospects through the funnel Reach Interest Desire Convert Enrich Retain Lifetime customers Sales qualification Large audience Poorly qualified Smaller audience Highly qualified

Community adoption flips the funnel around Source: May 7, 2008, “Community Marketing: A New Discipline For Business Technology Marketers” Forrester report

Reason #2: Communities thrive online :-) :-) 010101001011101011100010101010101010010101010010101010001011101101101100101010101010010101010110101001010010100101010010100100101010010101010100101001001010100101010010100101111001100110011010111101101001010010101100101001100 010101001011101011100010101010101010010101010010101010001011101101101100101010101010010101010110101001010010100101010010100100101010010101010100101001010100011111010101010010010101

Quality and expertise drive participation

Reason #3: Business people love social tech Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly. Creators Critics Collectors Joiners Inactives Publish a blog Publish your own Web pages Upload video you created Upload audio/music you created Write articles or stories and post them Post ratings/reviews of products/services Comment on someone else’s blog Contribute to online forums Contribute to/edit articles in a wiki Use RSS feeds Add “tags” to Web pages or photos “ Vote” for Web sites online Maintain profile on social networking site Visit social networking sites Read blogs Watch video from other users Listen to podcasts Read online forums Read customer ratings/reviews None of the above Spectators The Social Technographics ® ladder

Groups include people participating in at least one of the activities monthly primarily or in part for business purposes. Technology buyers are a socially active crowd Source: Forrester Research B2B Social Technographics Survey, North America And Europe, Q1 2009 *North American Technographics Interactive Marketing Online Survey, Q2 2009

What does this mean for you? B2B marketers struggle with the marketing mix – social tactics complicate mix choices further Marketers must accelerate the digital shift: Buyers control the process B2B buyers are becoming more socially active Communities supply wanted interactions Successful strategy must look beyond the technology

B2B marketers struggle with the marketing mix – social tactics complicate mix choices further

Marketers must accelerate the digital shift:

Buyers control the process

B2B buyers are becoming more socially active

Communities supply wanted interactions

Successful strategy must look beyond the technology

Agenda State of social media use in B2B marketing Three reasons to use social technology in B2B Objectives you can achieve by engaging customers in social activity

State of social media use in B2B marketing

Three reasons to use social technology in B2B

Objectives you can achieve by engaging customers in social activity

groundswell.forrester.com

Definition Groundswell A social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations

Groundswell A social trend in which people use technologies to get the things they need from each other, rather than from traditional institutions like corporations

Social strategy in four steps People Assess your customers’ social activities. Objectives Decide what you want to accomplish. Strategy Plan for how relationships with customers will change. Technology Decide which social technologies to use. P O S T

How does social media deliver value? Social Objectives Functional Alignment Success metrics LISTENING Research Customer insight Improved segmentation Reduced pain; alignment of offering with need TALKING Marketing, education Changes in reach, impressions, brand awareness Increased share of voice Higher quality of responses to offers ENERGIZING Sales Increased velocity of messages in market Increased recommendation, promotion, advocacy Higher trust, brand trust perception SPREADING Professional services Faster deployments at new customers Existing customers create new business capacity SUPPORTING Customer service, technical support Reduced support costs Higher customer satisfaction Less churn EMBRACING Development, product marketing Deliver products faster to market Increased loyalty, increased advocacy

Customer insight

Improved segmentation

Reduced pain; alignment of offering with need

Changes in reach, impressions, brand awareness

Increased share of voice

Higher quality of responses to offers

Increased velocity of messages in market

Increased recommendation, promotion, advocacy

Higher trust, brand trust perception

Faster deployments at new customers

Existing customers create new business capacity

Reduced support costs

Higher customer satisfaction

Less churn

Deliver products faster to market

Increased loyalty, increased advocacy

Listening Learning from what your customers are saying

CDW listens to customer advisors

Intuit listens to customer feedback

Talking Two-way conversation, not just shouting

A blog about factory automation

Tibco’s video generates leads

Eloqua’s Conversation talks with marketers

Energizing Helping your best customers to recruit others

IBM uses social tool to energize event attendance Source: IBM and YouTube (http://ibm.com) and (http://youtube.com).

Constant Contact energizes SMB customers

Supporting Enabling your customers to support each other

Intel lets customers choose how they want to engage

Intel leverages social tools to help users self-support

Cisco delivers key content and asks partners to critique/vote on it

Spreading Helping customers implement new business capabilities and adopt them internally — or within a community

Microsoft encourages Office users to share templates

Citrix customers spread product certification tasks and speed adoption

Embracing Involving customers in your product development

Salesforce.com embraces improvements

Archer embraces its e-GRC community

What is your social strategy? What’s your business objective? Where will social tools have the biggest impact on your business? Who is your audience? What do you know about how they engage socially? How do you want to engage them? What do you want to accomplish? How will you do that? What does success look like? Which tactics or tools make the most sense to use to achieve your strategy?

What’s your business objective? Where will social tools have the biggest impact on your business?

Who is your audience? What do you know about how they engage socially?

How do you want to engage them? What do you want to accomplish?

How will you do that? What does success look like?

Which tactics or tools make the most sense to use to achieve your strategy?

Social technology for B2B marketing Your business customers are people – and people with a lot in common Concentrate on objectives, not technology Use social media to complement a robust online presence that invites – and delights – prospects Social technology focuses all your departments better on customer needs

Your business customers are people – and people with a lot in common

Concentrate on objectives, not technology

Use social media to complement a robust online presence that invites – and delights – prospects

Social technology focuses all your departments better on customer needs

Visit our extensive research library June 17, 2009, “B2B Marketers: Tap Into Social Networking Sites To Energize Community Marketing” April 24, 2009, “The Down Economy Pushes B2B Digital Tactics Ahead” February 23, 2009, “The Social Technographics ® Of Business Buyers” February 19, 2009, “Community Marketing Boosts B2B Marketing's Value During Tough Economic Times” January 15, 2009, “How To Avoid B2B Marketing Obsolescence: Community Marketing Transforms The Marketing Role” October 6, 2008, “Lessons From The Groundswell” May 7, 2008, “B2B Marketers Fail The Community Marketing Test” October 21,2008, “Making Social Media Work In B2B Marketing” October 9, 2007, “Objectives: The Key To Creating A Social Strategy”

June 17, 2009, “B2B Marketers: Tap Into Social Networking Sites To Energize Community Marketing”

April 24, 2009, “The Down Economy Pushes B2B Digital Tactics Ahead”

February 23, 2009, “The Social Technographics ® Of Business Buyers”

February 19, 2009, “Community Marketing Boosts B2B Marketing's Value During Tough Economic Times”

January 15, 2009, “How To Avoid B2B Marketing Obsolescence: Community Marketing Transforms The Marketing Role”

October 6, 2008, “Lessons From The Groundswell”

May 7, 2008, “B2B Marketers Fail The Community Marketing Test”

October 21,2008, “Making Social Media Work In B2B Marketing”

October 9, 2007, “Objectives: The Key To Creating A Social Strategy”

Thank you Laura Ramos Phone: +1 650.581.3830 Email: [email_address] Twitter handle: @lauraramos My blog: b2bmarketingpost.com www.forrester.com