Social Marketing to the Business Customer : Listen to Your B2B Market, Generate Major Account Leads, and Build Client Relationships

The first book devoted entirely to B2B social marketingB2B markets are fundamentally different from consumer markets. Decisions are made on value, not impulse. Buying cycles are complex, often with many stakeholders involved. Relationships and support are critical. Bet-the-business decisions demand discipline, knowledge, and lots of information.This hands-on guide covers topics unique to this segment, including cost justification, prospecting and lead generation, matching tools to the sales funnel, building, B2B search engine optimization, social media monitoring, social media policy development, long-term client relationships, gaining stakeholder support, building a more transparent organization, and what's coming next. Features plentiful examples, case studies, and best practices Focuses on the channels that are most effective for B2B marketers Builds on the authors' more than 30 years of combined experience in the new media/social media space, as well as two previous successful booksLeverage the vast business-to-business potential of Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and many other social media platforms today with Social Marketing to the Business Customer!

PAUL GILLIN (www.gillin.com) is a veteran technology journalist, author, and speaker. In addition to his three books on online communities, he has written hundreds of articles and logged more than 200 radio and television appearances on media outlets such as CBS, CNN, the BBC, NPR, FOX, and MSNBC. Previously, he was editor-in-chief and executive editor of the technology weekly Computerworld and founding editor of online publisher TechTarget.

ERIC SCHAWARTZMAN (www.ericschwartzman.com) has advised Boeing, Johnson & Johnson, Southern California Edison, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Marine Corps on corporate communications, public affairs, reputation management, and social media strategy. He is also the creator of the Social Media Boot Camp, host of the award-winning podcast On the Record . . . Online, and founder of iPressroom.