Special Announcement: #PRStudChat April Session
Years ago, the Business-to-Consumer (B2C) brands were in the lead when it came to the use of social media communications to connect directly with their customers. However, today, the Business-to-Business (B2B) brands are finding opportunity and value by interacting with customers and other constituents in their social communities. As an emerging subject of interest, we thought that a discussion regarding the growth of B2B social marketing would make a great topic for our April 20th #PRStudChat session at 8:30 p.m.
What’s even more exciting is that we have the two authors who wrote the book on this subject. We’re excited to announce that Eric Schwartzman and Paul Gillin, the authors of “Social Marketing to the Business Customer” will be joining us for the April #PRStudChat session to chat about several of the hot topics in their book, as well as many of the questions asked by our community. A few of the topics that we will discuss that evening will include:
- The difference between B2B and B2C social marketing
- The best ways for B2B brands to use social media
- Determining the right platforms for B2B social marketing
- How B2B is profiting from social marketing
- What is next for B2B social media
For those of you who don’t know Eric and Paul, here is some background information on our special guests:
Eric Schwartzman:
@EricSchwartzman is coauthor of Social Marketing to the Business Customer, the first book devoted exclusively to B2B social media communications. He has been conducting monthly social media training programs for PRSA since 2006 and works as an independent online communications consultant to businesses, the US Military, government agencies and nonprofits. Eric specializes in online communications strategy, social media policy development and accelerating social media literacy within organizations. He is a frequenter speaker at professional conferences and has been producing the award-winning podcast “On the Record…Online” (@ontherecord), which focuses on how technology is changing the way organizations communicate, since April 2005.
Paul Gillin:
@PGillin is a veteran technology journalist and a thought leader in new media. Since 2005, he has advised marketers and business executives on strategies to optimize their use of social media and online channels to reach buyers cost-effectively. He is a popular speaker who is known for his ability to simplify complex concepts using plain talk, anecdotes and humor.
His award-winning 2007 book, The New Influencers, chronicles the changes in markets being driven by the new breed of bloggers and podcasters. It earned more than 100 favorable reviews from outlets that include The Wall Street Journal, the San Jose Mercury News and the BBC. His second book, Secrets of Social Media Marketing, has also earned wide critical acclaim. His third book is Social Marketing to the Business Customer published by Wiley in 2011.
We hope that you will join us for a dynamic discussion on B2B social marketing and how brands are fully taking advantage of social communities to enhance business and increase customer loyalty. If you have any questions that you would like to ask our special guests that evening, please post them on the #PRStudChat LinkedIn group. We look forward to “seeing” you on April 20th!
A Little More About PRStudChat:
It began with a simple question asked by Angela Hernandez, then President of PRSSA at Central Michigan University (CMU). “Is PR Right for me?” A follow up blog post by PR 2.0 expert Deirdre Breakenridge inspired a series of direct messages on Twitter between Breakenridge and fellow PR industry pro, Valerie Simon. This was an important question and one that should be explored beyond one student or one blog post. Why not build a community to help students across the country, and even the globe, learn from the experience and perspective of industry professionals… A community where everyone could learn and grow together. Read more
