Engaging customers on social media is a little different for B2B brands than it is for B2C ones. You’re talking to a professional audience, perhaps one that spans many different industries.
Pitching the tone and content just right can be tricky, but it’s definitely worth it. Research by Whittington Consulting has found that 54% of B2B online marketers have generated leads by using social media. Of those, 40% generated revenue.
Here are 8 useful tips to help you get started on social media marketing for a B2B audience:
- Define your strategy. If so far you’ve just been posting on social media without a proper strategy in place, it’s time to step back and think about what you actually want to achieve online. Define your USP, your target audience, your message, your goals and your mechanism for measuring progress towards those goals.
- Create a content plan. A week-to-week plan ensures that every marketer knows exactly what will be posted, how this fits into the strategy and what the key objectives for each campaign are. It helps you stay on track and manage your time.
- Put someone experienced in charge. There’s no point having either of the above if your social media marketing is being run by an intern with no experience. You need insight, experience and skill to ensure your strategy is effectively executed.
- Spread your net wider than just LinkedIn. While the Whittington Consulting research showed that 80% of social media conversions come from LinkedIn, this isn’t the only way to get results. The same study showed that 39% of B2B marketers generated leads from Facebook, and 30% through Twitter.
- Know where your audience is. While as above, it can be a good idea to reach out to clients on other platforms, there is always the danger of spreading yourself too thinly. Go where your target customer is, and drop platforms which don’t get results.
- Post at the right times. The time of day you post on each platform could have a big impact on the outcome. You don’t even need to do your own research on the best times for each platform, as handy blogs such as this one from CoSchedule have done the hard work for you.
- Experiment with paid social. If you have the budget, using sponsored posts, ads and targeting tools on social media platforms is a great way to expand your reach. It is becoming increasingly harder for businesses to make headway organically on social media networks, so paid social may be the way forward.
- Measure, analyse and improve. One of the most crucial ways to get ROI from social media is to analyse the essential data that comes out of each campaign. What produces the most engagement and which campaigns are creating conversions? Do more of what works and drop what doesn’t, as it’s only costing you valuable time.
For help developing a winning social media strategy for your B2B brand, get in touch with the experts at Ambos Digital.
