As B2B companies are continuing to cut costs and streamline their operations, in some cases Marketing is taking a back seat. Yet, an increasing amount of case studies and success stories is showing that B2B marketing cannot be successful today without a Social component. Historically, B2B companies generated demand, and leads, through a carefully orchestrated strategy and tactics involving direct mail and e-mail campaigns, public relations, event management, lead generation, and some online presence. Today, many corporations are discovering the power of conversation and augmenting their strategies with more interactive and conversational elements, allowing B2B brands to listen, observe, engage, and participate.

Clearly, all this ‘listening and conversations’ must lead to results, hence recent success stories from Siemens, British Telecom, Cisco, Teradata, and many other B2B brands, suggest that indeed, ‘Socialization’ can lead to sales.

And because more corporate clients are spending their time on Social Media channels (Netpop Research LLC study), B2B brands have an opportunity to engage potential prospects and existing customers on the same mediums.

And as recent Forrester and MarketingProfs B2B Marketing Budget Study suggests, B2B brands are spending more time and resources on Social Media outlets, giving Blogs and Social Media more attention than traditional marketing and advertising approaches, such as Print Advertising, Conferences, TV and Radio.

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