B2B OP TBS

This article sheds some light on on why B2B companies should use Facebook to engage with current and potential clients. I answer to the question "why B2b companies should be on Facebook" is pretty obvious really, who isn't on Facebook now-a-days? The real question is HOW should the companies be active on Facebook. 

1. Go where your customers are. If your customers have pages on Facebook, which they most likely do, you should to. However, where and how you interact with them on Facebook is critical. If the buyers are talking about work on Facebook, you should try to sell to them on Facebook. I think this is very true. If you are talking about it on Facebook, then it is relevant to see an ad or useful piece of information. If you are not talking about work and get this information however, it can seem annoying and more like spam. Really think about how and when you should target your audience, you don't want to get piled in with all the other annoying ads your client gets.

2. Understand that your client goes where their customers are. Again, most people are on Facebook, therefore it is more than likely that your customer and your customer's customer is on Facebook. This is why it is important to be active on this social media platform. 

3. Build 1-1 relationships. This is the one that I am not certain about. The article states that you should use Facebook to build one on one relationships with people within your industry and customers, but not with everyone. I agree with this, however I find it quite vague. I do agree that we are all people and we shouldn't hold ourselves back from making friends strictly because of our profession, however, it is important to be able to draw the line. Depending on the type of business relationship you have, it may always require a certain element of professionalism. Always keep this in mind. 

Additionally, you don't want to reach out to everybody. It is okay to connect with people and add them to your personal account, but don't ambush them with personal messages. And DON'T just try and add ALL your customers or potential customers at once. Really unprofessional. 

As I said, I think one on one relationships between customers and supplier are okay and can potentially lead to great friendships, but it can also lead to tricky situations. These friendships need to be handled carefully.