By now, social media has clearly proved its role in B2C marketing, but many B2B companies continue to question the rationale and practicality of participating in social media.

I recently co-authored an article in the September issue of O’Dwyers with my colleague, Steffen Ryan. It addresses this topic head-on and provides concrete, instructive insight for companies contemplating their first move into social media, or refining their existing social media strategy.

We outline six ways companies can become more social and increase advocacy for their brand:

1. Listen before you speak
2. Think of your website as a digital storytelling engine
3. Leverage video for storytelling, even if it’s not perfectly polished
4. Don’t get hung up on one format
5. Empower employees, then prepare them
6. Think about what you’d do in a crisis

For more detail, be sure to check out our article, “How social media has changed the B2B landscape.”