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62 The PCB Magazine • September 2016 a patronizing smirk to "get a grip; social media is for kids." Granted, social media first achieved its fame and Zuck fortune on B2C; however, when em- ployed relevantly it has proven to be an impor- tant driver to elicit voice of customer (VOC) for B2B companies. Even with limited use, partici- pation in discussion groups and commenting on your connections' postings further reinforc- es customer intimacy previously established in face-to-face discussions. Those naysayers that continue to deny themselves the opportunity to further differ- entiate their culture, capabilities and products, should consider the loss of not seizing the pow- er of LinkedIn to demonstrate the value of their organizations. Furthermore, some have become blind to their savvier competitors who are em- ploying LinkedIn to collect valuable intelli- gence, while surveying the mindset and pref- erences of the industry landscape, trends and emerging technologies. The savviest of your savvy competitors are regularly executing social media as part of their marketing plans, which includes dedicated personnel that have varying degrees of respon- sibility to administer, post, follow, and most importantly, interact with customers and pros- pects via discussion threads, messaging, and postings (individual, company, group). They are also regularly contributing content that is authored from within their organizations, as well as from third-party source materials that are often perceived as having higher credibil- ity. These folks have witnessed the power of this tool to drive qualified customers and pros- pects to their websites and blogs, which often includes the downloading of technical articles, process guides and manuals. This documenta- tion provides the compelling data and expert content that engineers and other professionals covet. As reported in the IEEE Engineering360 re- search report, "2016 Social Media Use in the In- dustrial Sector," 65% of engineers and technical professionals maintain at least one social media account. Of this group, 54% use social media to find product reviews; 52% use it to keep cur- rent on the latest company/product news/tech- nologies, and a surprising 43% use it to gain expertise [2] . As detailed within the report, social media is not preferred nor will it replace search engines and online directories that enable us- ers to more easily locate specific subject matter. Although many of us love to share, tweet, and link, the report rightfully recognizes that social media is not a marketing program unto itself, nor is it a substitute for face-to-face interaction. However, social media is a powerful supplement for many of the traditional and digital tactics your company heavily invests in, ranging from trade show participation announcements to the launch of a new website. Just creating a LinkedIn page or any other social media channel is an empty pasta shell without the tasty content that will make your channels part of your customers' daily nourish- ment. Enticing and satisfying the intellectual palettes of your audience is critical. This is espe- cially true of the under 30 crowd that increas- ingly rely upon social media to communicate and obtain work-related information. Unfortu- nately, there are far too many companies that launch a corporate page and watch it wither as there is little commitment to publish relevant and timely information that will engage their target audience—the whole reason for creating the channel in the first place. Silence is by no means golden, whereas the company's lack of social engagement may sometimes be extrapo- lated in a negative manner that expands well beyond our digital superhighway. On this last point, all I can say is, "Ouch!" I can hear my inbox pinging with disgruntled emails. I have the distinct feeling some of these missives may not be ready for prime time posting. PCB References 1. Wikipedia 2. IEEE Engineering360 Media Solutions Barry Lee Cohen is president and managing director of Launch Communications. To read past columns by Cohen or to contact him, click here. TAKE SOCIAL MEDIA SERIOUSLY