When most B2B marketers think of social media marketing, the first thing they think of is LinkedIn. That makes sense, given that just about 90 percent of B2B marketers use LinkedIn as part of their social media campaigns. But a failure to go beyond LinkedIn could leave you behind your competitors, who have figured out a way to reach new customers and new demographic groups. Here are five things to keep in mind for B2B social media marketing:
TIP 1: Don’t underestimate the power and reach of Facebook
While Facebook is a place where people love to post funny photos and leave witty comments about the weather or their pets, it’s also a place that’s trusted for peer recommendations. If a product or service is being mentioned on Facebook, it’s usually for a good reason. And if it’s being mentioned by a social media influencer, then all the better. People trust what they see on Facebook.
TIP 2: Understand the pay-to-play nature of social platforms
Due to all the content that’s being created on social media platforms like Facebook each and every day, it’s no longer the case that users will see all that content. Instead, Facebook has a proprietary algorithm that will determine what you will see, based on factors like things you’ve read in the past, and how popular or viral a certain post is. In order to guarantee that your company or product appears in someone else’s newsfeed, you have to pay to promote that post. The more you are willing to pay, the more people who will see that post.
TIP 3: Narrow your focus to 1-2 social media platforms
There are so many new social platforms out there – think Pinterest, Tumblr, Snapchat and Instagram – that some people assume that you have to have a presence on every platform. But that’s simply not true. Pick 1-2 social media platforms that you can do really well and focus on those. If you have enough resources, then you expand further. But it’s really only the biggest B2C brands that can afford to have a social media presence across each and every platform.
TIP 4: Create content that users are going to trust
At times, social media can feel like a volume game – create as much of it, as fast as you can, and hope that some of it can stick. But a better way of thinking about social media is that you are in the business of growing relationships, and the key to any long-term relationship is trust. Thus, think about ways users are going to trust and respond to your content. It needs to be practical, usable advice, rather than just a lot of blatant sales pitches.
TIP 5: Look at what your competitors are doing
Yes, when it comes to social media marketing, you absolutely have to benchmark your competitors. At the very least, you need to understand what they are doing well, and what types of messages are resonating with customers. Using a platform like Audiense (formerly SocialBro), you can track and benchmark your performance over time.
In many ways, social media marketing is just like any other form of marketing – focus on the customer, deliver a quality experience, and take steps to nurture a deeper relationship based on trust and respect.
Image: Designed by Freepik
Dane
Dane Cobain is a published author, freelance writer, book blogger, poet and (occasional) musician from High Wycombe, UK. Before going freelance, he worked as a social media marker, now specialising in writing about publishing, technology and marketing.