In a recent B2B technology content marketing report, 96% of those surveyed reported using social media content (other than blogs) as their go-to content marketing tactic in their organization. However, as B2B technology-oriented companies build out their marketing strategies and tactical plans, many CEOs and VPs of Marketing are still finding themselves asking the following question: Should our organization be on social media?

To help further ease your worries and concerns and help answer this question for you, here are three reasons why it¡¯s in your best interest to consider developing a social presence:

The Numbers Don¡¯t Lie

For starters, consider these statistics that show the growing usage of social media in a business setting:

• 76% of B2B technology marketers use social media to market their products. (MarketingProfs)
• 61% of startups use social media for marketing. (TNW News)
• 96% of small business owners/marketers use social media marketing, and 92% of those agree or strongly agree with the phrase, ¡°Social media marketing is important for my business.¡± (Social Media Examiner)
• 84% of CEOs and VPs say they use social media to help make purchasing decisions. (Lenati)
• 81% of B2B decision makers use online communities and blogs to help make purchasing decisions. 74% use LinkedIn, and 42% use Twitter. (Marketing Think)

These are just a few of the many social media marketing stats being gathered that prove that social media is here to stay.

Social Media Engagement Opportunities

As you begin to build out your audience by posting and engaging with users across your various social media platforms, you increase the chances of also converting potential clients, partners and influencers to join your business. As BMC Software¡¯s Head of Social Media Marketing, Carlos Gil, recently stated while speaking at Social Media Marketing World, ¡°There¡¯s no instant ROI in social media, you must build a community, nurture them, then you will convert.¡±

Your social media efforts should be focused on the following:

• Building your community by following influencers in your industry and participating in LinkedIn Groups and Twitter Chats
• Nurture your audience by creating and sharing interesting content that speaks to your directly to your audience¡¯s needs.
• By complimenting your social media efforts with blogging and content marketing, you will slowly gain your audience¡¯s trust which will lead to conversions.

Raising Brand Awareness and Thought Leadership

Another important benefit of having your company develop a social presence, especially for smaller and medium-sized organizations, is the opportunity to help increase brand awareness and establish your organization as thought leaders.

For some CEOs and Marketing VPs, raising brand awareness might seem like an afterthought, but did you know that out of the top three goals for SMB social media marketing programs 74% of SMBs report brand awareness as their top goal?

Posting social content such as company news, award announcements, photos that display your company culture, company videos, customer success stories and industry news articles are all great ways to raise brand awareness and establish your business as an industry expert and thought leader.

Now I know what you may be thinking ¡°All of this sounds great¡­.but how do I get started?¡± Well, in our next several blog posts we¡¯ll provide you with an introduction on getting started on each social media platform (Twitter, LinkedIn and other social networks)  for your B2B technology company along with some best practices. So, stay tuned!