“Social media works for B2C, but it is not effective when it comes to B2B businesses like ours.”
Have you ever said something like this? For most B2B businesses, social media has the unfortunate reputation of being an ineffective channel for engagement. Because of that, you may have ignored it. That should end today.
Whether you use it for reviews or for gaining insight into your company, don’t miss out on the opportunity. Take a look at this study featured on socialmediab2b.com.
Social media is clearly an effective content type in each part of the sales funnel, so make sure you aren’t missing out. Not sure how to go about it? Here are a few tips to use social media for B2B businesses.
Businesses Do Business with People
Once of the most common fallacies that prevents B2B businesses from participating in social is the belief that businesses don’t use social media. Individuals use social media, and a B2B firm isn’t selling to individuals. False. Never once has a business called you and asked you about your services. An individual representing the business does that, and, statistically, that individual spends (probably too much) time on social media.
Use this to your advantage. Find out what people in their position like to read/watch/hear, and post it on your social. You may get a lot of business because you have very competitive pricing models. Great, but at the end of the day that’s just one factor for the individual to consider – and they probably don’t even care that much, because they’re spending company money with someone. What they do care about, however, is the fact that you are known for being easy to work with. Your responsiveness and customer service is far more important to that individual, because that is what drives them crazy about “the other guys” day in and day out. Start posting about customer service awards you have won and client testimonials, and start catching their attention.
Use LinkedIn
While B2C businesses can afford to post cute cat pictures on Instagram, that is probably not where your prospects are (although if it is, we’re all for it). They are more likely on LinkedIn. According to a study researching B2B social media audience size by industry, the most popular B2B social media channel is LinkedIn followed by Facebook.
While these stats ring true for a majority of B2B companies, it is important that you do research for yourself. Talk to a few clients, or release a survey to find out where they are at and what interests they have. Go to where your clients are.
Establish Goals
At the end of the day, all of the work in the world is pointless if you don’t track it. Create a simple spreadsheet and record some basic social info on it. Things like followers, shares, and traffic from social are some of the essential metrics.
After a few months, go through the data and see for yourself if your strategy has been working or not. Look at successful posts and see if you can replicate them. Optimization is key, and with constant monitoring and vigilance, you can make social successful for you.
Remember: “Where performance is measured, performance improves. Where performance is measured and reported, the rate of improvement accelerates.” ~ Thomas S. Monson
These are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to social media for B2B businesses, but they are nonetheless a good start. Get your pages set up and get started! The best time to start was yesterday, the second best time is today.
And, if you want help with crafting an effective B2B social media strategy, get in touch with us. At New North, we offer social media marketing services, and while we’re based in Frederick, Maryland, we’re designed to help you reach the world.
