The Need to Improve the Social Media Game

In any kind of business, the need for better marketing tools has become even more important. Indeed, this can make all the difference between success and decline in the company. While B2B lead generation services has proven itself very useful, what with telemarketing techniques used to improve their performance, the advent of social media marketing has forever changed the way we do marketing today. This calls for a better way of managing this new marketing medium, maximizing its ability to generate the needed B2B leads. It also means that managers must change or alter their leadership style to match it.

The main point of contention here is that managers may have too much of a problem in their hands. Social media calls for collaboration and collaboration has a system of its own that many current managers may find hard to handle. Social media marketing needs a different set of managerial style that borders more on looseness, encouraging growth through networking. This natural method of product promotions may be a good fit for many telemarketing firms, especially those looking to improve the numbers. Still, this creates a dilemma for the manager assigned to the task. How are they supposed to manage a campaign that can only grow by, technically-speaking, not being managed at all?

To sort things out, managers must learn to consider the three P’s of social media marketing: participation, purpose, and performance. Anthony J. Bradley and Mark P. McDonald wrote an article about this, and how this can help companies understand the inner workings of the social market.

1. Participation – this is a central element in social media. Managers must be aware that this will only work if all the elements involved (the prospects, the movers, and the company) all works together. This means letting the prospects speak for themselves, instead of being told what they need to do. Prospects in the telemarketing business are more receptive this way.

2.Purpose – This is considered as the force behind the participation. Without a purpose, an activity would practically have no reason for being. Managers must be able to impart the vision to the participants, letting them reach the goal in ways that only they will know best.

3.Performance– this is basically the transfer of a community-generated idea into the framework of the business. This means letting the results of the campaign take form, shaped to suit the company’s structure, and then proceed to use it.

To simplify the idea, and what both Bradley and McDonald have pointed out, it is best to understand that the role of the manager is not as a leader, but rather, as a guide. A guide is someone who knows the way, but will not force the people following his way of reaching the destination. When put under the context of lead generation services, this means not forcing the prospects to accept the proposed business solution outright. They must be provided with enough leeway to decide on their own whether this will work for them or not. This is about building relationships now, not just another point of sale transaction.