How B2Bs Should Use Social Media
When social media first started gaining momentum as an outlet to promote a business, the first companies that found success were the B2Cs. It makes sense if you think about it. B2Cs typically target a wider audience and since most people have at least one social media account it was a great way to gain exposure among the masses. B2Bs were relatively slower to the game and there are still plenty of B2Bs out there that have yet to get involved. This is mostly because there still seems to be that stigma there- “I’m a B2B company in a small niche, what’s social media going to do for me?” The answer is, it could be doing a lot for you. In addition to improving your exposure, social signals are an important part of the ranking algorithm. If your content gets shared in social media the search engines take note and favor that content.
If you operate a B2B and want to get active in social media but aren’t quite sure how to use it, follow these tips:
Integrate it with offline marketing
It’s important to look for opportunities to integrate B2B social media into every marketing strategy that you execute. For example, B2Bs are often active in tradeshow marketing. Businesses attending tradeshows can use tradeshow hashtags to provide information to attendees and live blog and tweet during the event. If a B2B uses direct mail, they can encourage mail recipients to go to the social pages in order to follow the company. It’s important to remind target audiences about your social media efforts whenever you have the opportunity.
Build relationships
B2B social media isn’t only about connecting with existing clients and customers. If you are using social media correctly it should be used as a tool to connect with industry leaders, influencers, decision makers, and even competitors. The greater your social network is, the more potential business opportunities there are. When making connections in social media, don’t limit who you reach out to. Connecting with a decision maker is great, but it’s also important to connect with those that work under decision makers and help to advise them.
Promote all of your content
One thing that B2Bs tend to have going for them (that not all B2Cs are successful with) is content marketing. B2B decision makers are typically more picky than B2C and it can take quite awhile to decide whether a product or service is the right fit. After all, business decisions have major implications. Therefore, B2B marketing departments are typically responsible for creating and distributing lots of informational content about everything from products and services to the industry as a whole. Social media is a great place to promote this content and make sure that it gets seen. There is almost no point in creating a great white paper that’s only going to hide on an interior page of the site without any promotion. Post links to social media anytime your business creates any piece of online content (blog post, guest post, article, white paper, video, etc.) or if your business is mentioned on another web property.
Categorized in: B2B Digital Marketing
LIKE AND SHARE THIS ARTICLE:
