It’s a common misconception that social media marketing is a B2C game. Mass engagement with your audience is an easy sell for exciting companies. In contrast, many B2B businesses stick to tried and true traditional lead generation techniques like cold calling and networking events. Similarly, there are few B2B social media accounts well known for the sort of sassy or comedic personalities that major B2C brands frequently adopt (see Wendy’s for instance).

So, are you when of the B2B folk who believes social media just isn’t the right avenue? We would respectfully disagree. The traditional techniques certainly work but we maintain there is still an important place for social media. Don’t just take our word for it according to a survey of B2B marketing specialists, more than three quarters see social media as the most effective marketing channel.
As an added bonus, the relative calm in the B2B social media landscape should make it easier for you to stand out. But how should you go about it?

Where to go?

It is true that B2B products require in-depth knowledge to evaluate and produce results in the long term. They certainly lack dramatic flair. However, there are billions of people online. Odds are good your niche has a dedicated following, you just need to find them! Twitter and LinkedIn will be a good shout for anyone in B2B social media but, beyond that, take time to research the platforms most frequented by your industry and focus on those.

What to post?

First and foremost: work out a strategy. Make sure you have the who, what where, when and how of your targets beforehand so you know exactly what benefits your social media campaign is providing and where you can improve.

As for the content itself? Don’t just post promotional stuff. Your most important task is to demonstrate that you understand the problems faced by your potential customers and how you help. Unlike B2C, you aren’t just using SM for good PR – the buzz generated by interesting, though leading content is great at driving business to your site. Make sure your posts establish your authority in the field!

Obviously you can’t produce a devastating reevaluation of the industry every hour on the hour, so to help build and engage your audience try targeting the other interests of those who would be interested in your product. Are you aimed at small businesses? Try including some posts with more general info relevant to entrepreneurs and startups.

Community Engagement

Like with B2C, B2B social media is great for customer interaction. You don’t need to be a comedy genius, just use a genuine and conversational tone. Responding like an actual human rather than a PR robot can do wonders to build a rapport with your audience and smooth over any problems or complaints.

Even better, that rapport with current users will also help convince potential customers you’re the one for them. A thriving community around a brand is considered an excellent indicator of a reputable company.