It’s hard to find social media standouts among business-to-business brands. In many cases, they’re playing catch-up to their more social consumer cousins. Still, Vivaldi Partners Group identified six in a new report that urges B2B players to embrace social, blogs and online video.
At the head of the pack are American Express OPEN, General Electric, Philips, Corning, Aon and SAP, the report found. And while B2B players generally trail consumer-facing brands in leveraging social media, that gap may close soon.
Consumer brands are “definitely ahead,” said Erich Joachimsthaler, CEO of Vivaldi Partners, a brand consultancy in New York. “But we are now in the midst of changing, where things become mobile, where data, big data, multiple data sources come together...In this next stage of social media development, I don’t think consumer is ahead, and there may be a level playing field between B2B and B2C.”
So, what made the Vivaldi Six stand out? Their social efforts translated into customer consideration, purchases and loyalty, explained Joachimsthaler.
Insurance giant Aon, for example, got influencers to create video testimonials that the company distributed across social channels, generating new leads. Likewise, Corning experienced double-digit growth in speciality glass sales after posting its “A Day Made of Glass” video on YouTube. In a little more than two years, the video, created by lead agency Doremus, has generated a staggering 21 million-plus views.
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