HP Innovation Journal Issue 06: Spring 2017 | Page 13

PARTNER CORNER
How to influence purchases
and win friends along the way
Millennials’ social media activities exceed Baby Boomers’
by 150 to 250%. What are you doing about it?
by V
 incent Brissot, Global Head of Channel Marketing, HP
The HP Social Media Center, part of HP’s reinvented dig-
ital tools, is a reservoir of curated content that partners
can publish to their own channels. It spans four key areas
of focus: security, mobility, education, and healthcare.
Partners can draw from this content to share relevant
news and information through their LinkedIn, Twitter
or Facebook, helping them connect and engage with
their customers.
W
hen you’re already looking at too few
hours in the day to run your business, it
can be daunting to try to maintain a cor-
porate Twitter feed, Facebook page and LinkedIn
presence. The commitment to refreshing content
can slide right off the company radar without
fanfare. The HP Social Media Center in HP Sales
Central has emerged as a power tool for helping
partners generate vibrant, updated content that
drives online sales and customer engagement.
Active presence on social channels is no longer
merely a “nice to have.” Nine out of 10 buyers say
online content has a moderate to major effect on
purchasing decisions, according to a recent CMO
Council report.
This is hardly surprising: The new connected
customers are more informed and more available
for online engagement than ever before. They
can easily access all the information they need
to move themselves at their own pace through
the awareness and consideration cycles, and on
to purchase. Today, about 80 million Millennials
in the United States alone, spend roughly $600
billion. By 2020, their projected spending will
grow to $1.4 trillion. They compare prices. They
read reviews. They can decide for themselves
what the most credible information sources are.
In a single sitting, your customer or prospect
can call upon industry analysts, experts, product
and service information, the opinions of peers and
colleagues, customer videos, and more. B2B buy-
ers report that 67% of purchase decisions have
already been made before ever talking to a sales
rep, according to “The Digital Evolution in B2B
Marketing,” a study by the Corporate Executive
Board. In addition, “62% of millennials say they
are more likely to become a loyal customer if a
brand engages with them on social network.”
Meeting this customer where they live means
meeting them online, much of the time, and
trading the one-way noise of a sales pitch for a
conversational exchange. Social marketing works
when you are providing useful and relevant in-
formation tailored to their needs or interest.
Customers are clearly influenced by companies
67%
of B2B purchase decisions
take place before talking
to a sales rep.
62%
of Millennials become
loyal customer if brand
engages them on a
social network
Issue 6 · Spring 2017 · Innovation Journal 13