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How B2Bs Can Create a Thriving Facebook Community [Slide Show]

by Christian Gulliksen |

August 16, 2012

| 18,122 views

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B2C brands have Facebook figured out. But B2B brands? Not so much. Yet, it doesn't have to be that way.

BrandGlue helped Eloqua—a provider of marketing automation and demand gen solutions—grow its community by 2,500%. And you can use lessons from their experience to help your B2B find its Facebook audience.

Start by stopping what doesn't work

You might be scaring prospects off—or annoying them—with uncool behavior that requires an immediate cease-and-desist order. Do you log in at erratic intervals? Perhaps you bombard fans with a repetitive message? Or you ignore referral traffic? That all needs to stop.

Attract and engage new fans

How do you build a community almost from scratch? Everyone likes to win something—and a sweepstakes is a great way to attract and engage new fans. Don't go overboard with communication, though, or you'll irritate your fan base.

Work over the weekend

Facebook often blurs the line between work and personal life: Prospects might not check their work email over the weekend, but there's a good chance they'll visit Facebook.

And if you're not there, you're missing an excellent engagement opportunity.

Show, don't just tell

Text-only updates are no way to engage your fans. Eloqua's engagement rates increased as the media it used got richer—from links to photos to videos.

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Christian Gulliksen is a writer who has authored several of the Get to the Po!nt newsletters for MarketingProfs. A former editor at Robb Report, he has also contributed to Worth, Variety, and The Hollywood Reporter.

B2B Marketing, Facebook, Lead Generation, Sales

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