I got my start in marketing writing content for a B2B database for industrial products (thrilling work, indeed). During that time I remember people talking about Google as a B2B tool, but nobody was talking about social media; it was viewed as something exclusively for the consumer market, not for the serious world of industry.
I got my start in marketing writing content for a B2B database for industrial products (thrilling work, indeed). During that time I remember people talking about Google as a B2B tool, but nobody was talking about social media; it was viewed as something exclusively for the consumer market, not for the serious world of industry.
However, I just finished reading a great article in BtoB Magazine, “Content Marketing Comes of Age” where they discussed a recent study where they interviewed people based on their perception of content marketing, including white papers, blogs, case studies, and, of course, social media. To summarize, companies which are either “very” or “fully” committed to content marketing has risen from 18% to 34% over the last year and is projected to increase to 66% in 2013. People site the main reasons as improving engagement, increasing trust factor, making more relevant touch points in the market, and improving their SEO.
B2B companies are learning that social media can be “serious” too. And, not a moment too soon.
So, let’s say you’re a B2B company that wants to hop on the bandwagon and dive into the world of social media. You might be tempted to take whatever strategies you’re currently using for your B2B marketing and apply it toward social media or, even worse, grab whatever B2C social media tactics you can and hope for the best. Unfortunately, neither of these would be a good idea.
The only effective strategy is to take the two and combine into a unified, holistic approach to content marketing that effectively utilizes social media to further your B2B sales. Here are a few of my tips:
Use Social Media as a Tease: When it comes to social media, brevity is the soul of wit, but business demand details. Obviously you shouldn’t make a Facebook post go on for seven pages, but you shouldn’t try to fit a white paper in a Tweet. Therefore, split the difference and tease a title and, hopefully, an interesting tidbit, but then link to your study. This way you get the best of both worlds.
Be Serious! Be Shareable: It’s no secret that most B2C social media strategies try to engage in conversation by being light-hearted and fun. However, this voice really doesn’t work in the business world, where people want to take your seriously. Therefore, you should use other tactics to make sure that people read and share what you say: lists, white papers, samples, surveys, and studies are all interesting pieces of content you can use on social media that remains serious, unlike things like funny photos or witty sayings which could cause your potential clients to view you as somebody who doesn’t take them, well, seriously.
Be Informative: Even more so than B2C social media, B2B social media can’t just be advertisements; you need to position yourself as a thought leader in the field. Petition and answer questions people might have about your field. Even if you aren’t mentioning your product, being seen as an information source will cause people to come back to you again and again, establishing yourself as a leader in your field.
Do you have any thoughts or tips on how a B2B company can effectively use social media? Leave them in the comments!
If you’re interested in B2B services, please call Digital Marketing Agency fishbat at 855-347-4228.
