B2B companies moving online to enhance customer engagement

While business-to-business companies have historically needed closer relationships with their customers than business-to-consumer firms the goalposts are changing- online communities are the name of the game

Most B2B firms expend significant resources on relationship-building assets such as highly trained sales forces, lavish trade show exhibits and sponsorships, focus group research, private seminars, white-glove service and support, and glossy customer-oriented magazines.

More recently, a small but fast-growing group of B2B companies are using a new technique to nurture customer relationships: online communities. These firms, which include business information provider LexisNexis, enterprise software giant SAP, consulting firm Palladium Group and recruiting software vendor Taleo, are finding their virtual customer communities have significant impact.

These leading-edge firms help their customers get more value from their products and services; develop better new products and services; deliver better after-sale service; generate more effective marketing and selling programmes through educational content rather than promotional messages; and gain more control over what the market is saying about the company.