In the last 6 months, I have had multiple customers ask me about the importance of using social media for their B2B business. Common concerns: is it worth the time, are we posting on the right channels, and how do you measure success.
When it comes to the B2B marketing toolkit, social media is a very underrated and important component. With the right strategy, it’s an effective way to reach prospects outside of your database and to keep your business top of mind. In this post, I’ve outlined some of the main reasons your company should be utilizing social media and how it can help you grow your business (plus which channels you should be spending your time on.)
Social Media Platforms help with brand awareness – and build trust in your customers.
You want both potential customers and your existing ones to be familiar with your brand – and even more so, you want them to trust that you can deliver what you’ve promised. One of the best, low-cost ways to accomplish both these goals is developing a strong social media strategy.
So far this year, 54% of social browsers reportedly use social media to research the products they’re interested in – if you’re not active in social media, you’re missing out on potential customers.
By strategically using social media platforms, you can create brand awareness by sharing your own branded content or commenting on posts from industry influencers. You can also build trust and a rapport with your customers by quickly responding to customer inquiries via social channels. Increasing lead generation starts with meeting your customers where they are – today that mix includes social media.
B2B Social Media can build thought leadership.
No one knows your product better than you – make sure you are seen as an expert by your audience. While all social media channels can help accomplish this, LinkedIn is one of the preferred platforms marketers and business owners use to build thought leadership. With over 740 million active users in 2020 and lead conversion rates 3x higher than other major ad platforms, you can utilize LinkedIn to reach your target audience and get them to your website.
Your prospects aren’t in search of a sales pitch – they want valuable information that demonstrates your business’s expertise. Offer your insights on other industry leaders’ posts and share your own content, from blog posts to eBooks, webinars, and company success stories. With strategic social media outreach, you can reach a wider audience and position you and your business as expertise in your field.
Educate potential customers beyond your database about your products or services.
To turn a prospect into a qualified lead, they need to gain a deeper understanding of what your company is offering. While it’s possible to schedule 1:1s where you can provide an in-depth explanation of what your company does, many prospects prefer to do their own research during the decision-making stage.
This is where active social media plays a role. During a deep-dive discovery meeting, one of our customers made note of the dropping median age of their target audience. With younger managers and VPs at companies, the way they research possible B2B investments has changed. Sharing blog articles and page links back to your site gives your prospects access to information they need – right where they’re already looking.
Plus, each blog is a link that can be indexed by search engines and help improve your SEO – this means increased traffic to your site. More traffic = more leads which can lead to an increase in sales. Makes sense, right?
Start Generating More Leads for Your Business
Post the right kind of content to the right social media platforms.
Posting all kinds of content to any social media platform is like shouting into the void – it might feel like a release, but you aren’t getting much done. Each social media platform showcases your content in a unique way, and to get the most out of your social media outreach, you need to be cognizant of it.
Instagram – This platform is all about the visual representation of your products and services, or of what your company is up to. Visually appealing images should be the main focus of this platform – if your posts don’t contain a heavy emphasis on visual content, you’ll benefit from posting them elsewhere.
One of our customers recently ran a campaign to increase attendees during the first-ever L.A. Sandwich Week – his Instagram feeds were littered with images of the interesting sandwiches and local restaurants. He spotlighted what they were up to and offered visuals to support the goal of his campaign – driving Sandwich Week registrations.
Twitter – It’s rare to find a company that is using Twitter “too often.” With over 1.3 billion accounts on Twitter, you can share tweets every day without overwhelming your audience or clogging up followers’ feeds. Twitter is a great way to maintain brand awareness with your prospects by constantly pushing out your blogs, website pages, and links to company updates.
With Twitter, the recommendation is to post 1-5 times a day, making the most of the 280-character limit. Commit to hashtag research, use eye-catching language, and interact with followers or other experts in the field.
LinkedIn – As a B2B marketer, you know the benefits that come from using LinkedIn. This platform is filled with other like-minded industry leaders and prospects. With LinkedIn, you can target your audience in a platform where they are looking for educational and informative content.
You can create more long-form content that speaks directly to your prospects, with less limitations on character count. Since LinkedIn posts recirculate, it’s recommended to post once a day on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday between 8 and 10am.
Facebook – Whether or not you buy into the belief that Facebook is old news, you can’t argue with the numbers – the platform still has 1.85 billion people logging in daily. If you want your business to seem accessible, you should have a Facebook business page. On the platform, you have the advantage of providing more long form content, along with information about your business, like your location, hours, email, or the ability to chat directly via Facebook messenger.
Much like LinkedIn, you don’t need to post daily to stay relevant, but you should make sure you’re revisiting the app every few days. (Or give yourself one less thing to worry about by using a social media management tool like HubSpot.)
The important thing is to show that your business is always making moves – creating new content, weighing in on industry news, and acquiring new business. Social media is a platform where sharing this news is not only possible – it’s preferred.
By using all available options to reach potential customers, you can increase your chances to build quality leads.
Social media won’t often drive immediate engagement from prospects – but it is one more tool that you can use to make sure that prospects know what your business is about and how to find you. Stay top of mind with new and existing customers, share branded content and ideas, and communicate with your audience. Guarantee that no matter where prospects might be looking, your business will be there.
Questions on how to improve your social media marketing? Reach out anytime or click the orange chat button in the lower right corner.