There once was a time when business-to-business (B2B) marketers didn’t know what to make of — or how to use — social media in their world. Social networking seemed tailor-made for new voices wanting to be heard or brands trying to relate to consumers.
But wait, there is a shift occurring. Just as Facebook morphed from a meet-friends-online social network to a $50 billion business, it seems that the Web is becoming less about friends and more about business.
This week Trendstream, social media consultants, released a report that shows that Web participation is shifting from a personal to professional content. Part of an ongoing study of the Web, called the Global Web Index, it’s saying your-claim-to-fame blog writing has gone down, while people are sharing news stories was up 10 percent. And people are making sure they’ve updated their social network profiles daily.
And there’s more. Hoovers is integrating LinkedIn with its database to get and give a better snapshot of corporations. FourSquare has moved forward with FourSquare for Business, capitalizing on business in any neighborhood.
Looks like B2B companies will be doing real time marketing just as easily as Brands started talking with consumers. Opportunity awaits.
