If you are a B2B, you need to be creating content for social media on a regular basis. Social media for B2Bs does not have to be daily, but it needs to be consistent, it needs to be engaging, and it needs to be focused on your target audience.
Here is the bottom line: when it comes to social media for business-to-business it is all about LinkedIn. In 2020, LinkedIn saw a 50% increase in user engagement. This is basically unheard of for a mature social media platform.
The problem is that while there are now more professionals than ever that regularly use LinkedIn, fewer than 1% of users are creating original content. That’s right, 99% of the people are just liking, sharing, and commenting on the content that a tiny fraction of the users are creating.
This presents a golden, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for B2Bs. So, where do you get started?
How to use social media for B2Bs
To begin with, think of LinkedIn as your elevator pitchman. You have less than 30 seconds to say something to your ideal customer. What would that be?
First and foremost, a good LinkedIn post has more to do with your target audience than it does with you. Let’s face it, no one cares about your product features – “Hey our widget is now smarter, smaller, and turbo-charged!”
Your target audience may, however, care that your new feature will make their job a little easier, allow them to produce more product, stay safer, reduce a major focus of pain, etc. So, it is really important to ask yourself, is what I am creating focused on us or them?
Next, when it comes to successful social media content strategies, sometimes the best approach is to do fewer things better. While this may mean creating fewer, higher-quality posts per week, it also means keeping each post short and sweet. Who has time to read the ramblings of a mad man (or woman)? Instead, if you have more to say, direct them to a blog on your website (more on the benefits of this below).
What makes a good LinkedIn post?
LinkedIn offers a number of options when it comes to content. You can create explainer videos, publish thought leadership pieces, and create eye-catching graphics. Oh, and the LinkedIn algorithm loves stats, so keep those numbers firing.
The fun thing about LinkedIn is there is no shortage of ways to promote your business to your prospective customers. Additionally, you can use the stats to see who is engaging with your posts, what types of content work best, and what days or times are people in your industry most likely to use LinkedIn. This allows you to throw the spaghetti on the wall and see what sticks.
Understanding how social media for B2Bs is different
B2B customers often need more education, insight, and nurturing prior to making a purchasing decision. So, the more technical or unique your product offering is, the more explaining you’ll have to do. Another great thing about LinkedIn is that it allows you to reach decision-makers easily and connect with them directly.
You should also look to add a call-to-action on some, but not all of your posts. This is a great way to drive people to your website or respond for more information. When people engage with you, you should do more than just respond with the additional info. Start up a friendly conversation, you know, be social!
Then comes the #hashtag… While some social media platforms are all about loading up on the #hashtageverything, LinkedIn has made it clear that any more than 4-6 tags will hurt your content with its algorithm.
As a bonus, use the platform to join groups that are laser-focused on your industry.
LinkedIn is budget-friendly
Let’s not forget posting all this great content on LinkedIn is FREE. The only budget that needs to be allocated for social media marketing is just the time it takes to create and implement the strategy and the content.
Social media has changed the way brands communicate. It allows you to skip the cold calls and emails and speak directly with your prospects. It is hard to find a more cost-effective way to build brand awareness, trust, and increase visibility.
Pairing PR and social media for B2Bs
Today, there have never been more channels to reach your target audience and the beauty of pairing social media with public relations is that one channel feeds the other. So, you create a feature article and it gets picked up by a trade publication.. Yes, tens of thousands of people will see it, but then you can increase that number by posting it to your social media account(s). Then have your followers share and comment on the news. It’s a powerful partnership.
If we take that one step further, you can also create feature articles that include testimonials from your customers. By doing this, they become brand advocates, helping communicate your differentiators and value proposition to other customers. This “word-of-mouth” approach is one of the most effective ways to provide social proof of your accomplishments.
As football great Walter Payton once said, “when you’re good at something, you tell everyone. When you’re great at something, they’ll tell you.”
People don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy
Another advantage of small businesses social media strategies is that they help develop your pipeline of leads. The businesses that have voiced a need for certain solutions or expressed interest in your products or services make it easy to identify high-quality prospects, foster relationships, and nurture potential sales.
With over 740 million users and over 46 million decision-makers, LinkedIn helps B2Bs grow revenues.
How to avoid content-creating fatigue
Finally, now that you are looking to create, create, create it is important that you don’t get bogged down trying to do too much. When it comes to developing content, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. When something works, find ways to breathe new life into it.
Marketing 101 tells us that people need to hear the same message at least 7 times to even absorb the information. We have all had that experience of seeing the same commercials 20 times before even realizing who the advertiser actually was.
This doesn’t necessarily mean continuing to use this same piece of content over and over, but you can often say the same thing in many different ways. Try turning your top-performing content into a video or infographic. If your audience has already shown interest in the message, see how you can present it to them in another digestible way.
A final note: LinkedIn Sales Navigator is one of the most effective ways to generate new leads. Unfortunately, the largest database of professionals is often difficult to navigate. However, Rankin PR is willing to show you the basics for free. Yes, FREE. Simply set up an appointment here and we’ll quickly show you how to find just about every possible person who would be interested in your products. What do you have to lose?