B2B Social Media Is a Long Winding Road …

Dell says it’s worth the trip
by Meryl K. Evans, Editor, B2B Social Media Digest 

Article after article says social media works even for business-to-business(B2B) companies. But example after example claims to represent B2B, and is actually for business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing. 

Because Dell is a technology company, it walks the talk by always using technology and the Web to support its business. Dell has generated almost $7 million in sales from Twitter alone. Convinced? 

Dell’s social media strategy 

Dell believes that social media can be a very effective, indeed critical component for using the Web to business advantage and for connecting with customers. To drive this point home, think about eating at a restaurant. Granted, this is a B2C example, but stick with this. A person with an allergy requests an entree without an ingredient. Another diner asks to substitute fruit for the potatoes. Yet another diner requests a drink that was not on the menu, and as a result, the waiter runs to another store just to get a drink the customer requested. 

The smart restaurant learns from feedback. It adds the missing drink to its menu. It lists substitutions to provide choices so the customer will be more comfortable requesting a change. The restaurant would’ve never thought to change its strategy without customer input. If it had controlled its strategy, it may not have adapted to customer requests. This adaptation shows the company cares about providing customer service. Social media is the electronic form for the feedback process. 

The company uses social media for more than just marketing. Dell integrates social media with many areas of the business to connect with customers and to nourish relationships.

When Dell entered social media four years ago, its employees realized the impact it could have at the time. “Back then, it was all about connecting and responding to customers and just making social media work,” says Chief Blogger Lionel Menchaca. 

Richard Binhammer of Dell’s social media team reports that Dell’s key business customers say that social media is the most trustworthy online source for information. He quotes an IT Toolbox Study from May 2007, “When making purchasing decisions, IT professionals and executive decision-makers spend nearly 3.5 hours per week consuming or participating in social media — the highest usage profile of any IT audience.” 

Metrics measure success 

Dell learns from its customers and reviews the business objectives and measures based on those objectives. A major factor in the way the company defines success is in terms of helping customers resolve issues, identifying new product drivers, connecting with fans, sharing information about technology and implementing product suggestions from Ideastorm. 

On Twitter for example, Dellservergeek and Delltechcenter measure very different things than the folks involved with Ideastorm or Dell Home offer. However both are fundamentally rooted in Dell’s value of connecting with customers in a direct way. 

Advice to businesses 

“What customers have to say is vitally important to your business,” says Binhammer. If it’s overwhelming, start by listening before deciding where and how to engage, then take the plunge. 

• Listen to customers. Remember to listen to the blogosphere, not just the Twitters and LinkedIns of the world. Be ready to respond even if you don’t have the answers right away.
  Make it easy for customers to contact you. The more accessible a business is for its customers, the stronger the relationship.
• Thank customers for business. You don’t always have to find something to talk about. Just acknowledging them can make a difference.
• Ask customers for suggestions. Dell uses Ideastorm to encourage customers to share ideas and suggestions for its products and services. Don’t assume customers will come to you. Ask.
• Go where customers meet. Go wherever you can find your customers. Even if they haven’t found their way to a channel yet — such as Facebook — it doesn’t hurt to start something in case they do come later. Participate in these conversations.

“The key is to be yourself and avoid spamming,” says Binhammer. “Making genuine, direct connections with your customers in meaningful ways can only help you deliver what customers want at the end of the day.” 

Dell at a glance 

Goal: Dell has different business units that focus on reaching their target market and interacting online with customers and prospects. 

“We are reaching out to listen, learn and engage with customers because ultimately we want our customers to feel like they are walking the halls of Dell every day, and we want to continually improve and do better as a business for them,” says Binhammer. 

Social media tools: Dell relies on many different tools, depending on the business unit. It uses a multi-pronged strategy for joining and participating in conversations. You’ll find Dell using the following tools: 

1. Twitter: Dell has many different Twitter accounts to ensure it targets various customers and business types. The company has an entire page devoted to its Twitter activities at http://www.dell.com/twitter and explains the purpose of each account. @delloutlet has generated $3 million worth of sales from Twitter. 

2. Community forums: IdeaStorm gives customers an interactive forum for sharing their ideas for Dell products and services and seeing the ideas in action. The forum has over 10,000 ideas with almost 400 implemented. It encourages people to join conversations at www.dell.com/conversations. 

3. Blogs: Dell Blog Network covers Direct2Dell, Dell Channel, Dell Shares, Inside Enterprise IT, Education and Tech Center. It even has blogs available in different languages. 

4. Others: Dell has a presence in almost every major social media network ranging from Facebook and YouTube to Flickr and Slideshare. 

Results 

Dell has over 3.5 million people in its social media community including Twitter, Direct2Dell, IdeaStorm and others. It attributes almost $7 million of sales to Twitter alone. Direct2Dell is available in five languages and has 200,000 page views per month. 

“If you want to be successful in your use of social media, ask for suggestions, listen to customers in the blogosphere and wherever they congregate, and participate in conversations,” Chief Blogger Lionel Menchaca recommends. 

Binhammer says, “At any given moment, we can reach out to our customers to ask questions and get instant feedback. Being a part of those conversations has value, and it has been recognized since the days of chat rooms and community forums.” After all, these conversations will happen with or without you.