6th Jun 2019

Social Media for B2B Brands | Modern Calgary Marketing

Most businesses looking to increase their bottom-line and grow their brand have turned to social media to accomplish their mission. This is especially the case for business-to-consumer (B2C) brands whose target audience is active on social media.  But should Business-to-Business (B2B) brands engage in social media too? Today we are going to discuss how you can use social media for B2B brands.

Before this time, social media marketing appeared to be suitable for only B2C brands since most consumers had a social presence. B2B brands were known to use broadcast media marketing strategy to create brand awareness. However, things are changing. Social media is now one of the most effective channels for meeting the marketing objectives of many brands including the B2B brands.

Customers often make decisions based on their social experiences. If they like and trust a particular brand, they will be willing to buy from the brand. But if they don’t, chances are, they will go to a brand that they feel more comfortable doing business with. B2B firms need to build and strengthen customer relationships if they want to drive sales. In B2B markets, people often check out a company before they do business with them. The most common means of finding out about the company is their website. And, social media is one of the most reliable means of getting people to your website.

The Role of Social Media for B2B Brands

Boost customer engagement:

Customers always prefer a personal approach regardless of the kind of marketing you are engaged in. Connecting with clients in B2B sales is especially important to show the customers that you value them. Social media allows B2B brands to build relationships and demonstrate value for their clients. It also allows them to reach out to potential clients in different parts of the world while saving on cost and time.

Drive traffic to your website:

Social media allows you to drive traffic to your website organically. It is advisable to include a URL to your company’s official website in your social media profiles. Although increased visits to your site may not always translate to immediate sales, it will help your clients learn more about your brand and motivate them to do business with you in the future.

Promotion of contents:

Most B2B marketers include content in forms of videos, articles and photos in their marketing strategy to help their audience have a better understanding of how they work and what they offer. Social media offers B2B brands an avenue to promote these contents. Depending on what you hope to achieve, there are different social media platforms that can help you reach your target audience.

Increase brand visibility for third-party sites:

When you put out interesting content on social media, third-party sites such as news outlets, professional associations and industry watchdogs may come across your post and feature it on their news site. This will give credibility to your brand’s content, helping clients see your business as trustworthy.

 

Find inspiration for great content:

It can be difficult to come up with content that will thrill your audience and motivate them to do business with you. Having a social media presence helps you to find inspiration on what to post. Social media gives you access to different content that has worked for different brands. You can always use these ideas to come up with something that will interest your audience.

Keep track of competitors

If you want your brand to continue to compete favourably in the market, you need to keep an eye on rival brands. You need to be aware of their value proposition, so you can know the best ways to satisfy your customers. Tuning in to the social media channels of your competitors and monitoring their activities will help you determine areas where you need to make improvement.

Showcase new partnerships

Social media allows you to unveil new partnerships and help your clients know how this can benefit them. Social media also gives you an opportunity to show support to your partners. This s a great way to foster new relationships and build trust.

Increase brand awareness with paid social

The paid social marketing strategy is only available to brands that have a social media presence. Paid social messaging allows you to be visible to the right audience. You will, however, need to spend money on promoting your post across your social media channels.

Integrating Social Media Into Your Traditional Marketing Strategy

Social media marketing offers many benefits for B2B brands and that is why you should not be skeptical about using it as a part of your marketing strategy. However, you need to accept the fact that not all social media platforms are advantageous to B2B brands. It is advisable to choose a social media platform that works for your kind of business so that your message will get to the right people.

Once you find the platform that suits your brand, you need to focus on how to help your audience see your company as one that understands the issues confronting them and can, therefore, help them solve the problem.

While traditional tactics like attending business networking breakfasts and cold calling might be effective in finding customers for B2B brands, they do not offer as many benefits to your business as social media does especially when it is used properly. To create an effective social media marketing strategy, you need to decide your goals and see how social media can help you achieve them. You should also create a plan to help you know what to do in each of your social media accounts. Show off your values and what your brand has to offer. Make other businesses WANT to work with you.

Creating Content That Will Benefit Your Followers

It is one thing to have a social media account and it is yet another to create content that will encourage internet users to click on your post. Your content needs to be personable and easy to digest. You need to give your visitors a reason to come back. Here are some suggestions on what you can do:

> Incorporate videos and photos
> Write down your content marketing strategy
> Stick to a calendar to efficiently track and manage your content
> Get the right team to deliver valuable content.

You have to put yourself in the shoes of your customers to be able to produce content that will arouse their interest. Avoid the sales pitch that most brands are known for. Consumers have heard enough of it and would appreciate something different.

Don’t forget to develop a voice and own it. Your customers and prospects will see you as an authority if you do. Your brand’s voice will help differentiate you from the rest. You need to be conversational. Ask your followers and customers for feedback and reviews. A little humour can also add spice to your conversation with your customers.

Conclusion

The use of Social media for B2B marketing campaigns have changed the way brands interact with their clients. Since the B2B world centers on finding solutions and solving problems, social media can help your brand reach out to the desired audience. Ensure you create content that will captivate your followers and make them build trust for your brand.