B2B social media: dos and don'ts

Monitor Twitter for customer service inquiries or negativity directed at your competition – a good time to step in and highlight why you’re different.

Use social networks to track the behaviour of your customers’ customers. If your product can address these behaviours your pitch will gain strength.

Use Twilerts and Google Alerts to track industry keywords by e-mail to stay on top of relevant trends.

Neglect social media’s potential as a free market research tool. See what potential clients say on Twitter or Facebook to understand what they value.

Assume that increasing Twitter followers will help generate more traffic to your website (see http://dashes.com/anil/2009/12/life-on-the-list.html).

Fill your social media presence with advertising or plain branding. Use the advanced search feature on Twitter discover what your prospects and rivals are doing, and post informative, relevant messages. 

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