Best Practices for Utilizing Social Media in a B2B Startup

Some businesses look at social media only as a tool for personal use However, social media can be a powerful tool for B2B’s, too. Keep reading to find out not only why you should use social media, but how to get started, and how to make the most of your company’s social media campaign.

Social Media Where Everyone is Doing Business

Your competitors are on social media

Look around. Social media is where everyone hangs out, now! Get a good idea of your competition by checking their social media accounts.

Your customers are on social media

According to IDG, 84% of C- and VP-Level buyers use social media as a part of their decision making process.

Don’t miss out on leads and sales

Ignoring a whole virtual marketplace will limit sales potential for your company. Social media offers a unique opportunity for customers to come to you.

Receive customer feedback

Social media offers an opportunity to engage and interact with customers, potential customers, and others in the community. Many companies will check reviews and testimonies on social media before making a purchase decision.

Start a social media campaign

The world of social media has many nuances, and is constantly changing. If a social media campaign feels like a daunting task, this would be a great item to outsource.

Find a results-oriented social media manager who understands the ins and outs of social media. They can work with you and your team to help get you started, or can continue to run your social media campaign. This will free you up to focus on your company.

To find a top-notch social media manager, start your search at the following sites:

Have a plan

Don’t just wing it. Just like any other aspects of a business startup, social media works best with a detailed, documented business plan. Don’t neglect analytics and reports. Use Google analytics to assess your market, and audience to create an optimized strategy.

This is when you may hire a social media expert. Look for someone who is not an expert in your niche, but someone who really knows social media.

Align goals and business objectives with your social media plan. What is your objective? How will social media help you achieve that? How will you measure success? How can you tell if you reach your goals, or if you need to change strategy?

As a part of your detailed social media plan, make sure to include Key Point Indicators (KPI’s) to track progress. Keep your KPI’s specific and include a timeframe. For example, a KPI could be to gain 50 new Twitter followers per week.

You’ll need a good strategy to track KPI’s. Find a good tool to track and measure progress. Here are some websites to help:

Make social media goals

Create company awareness. Let everyone know exactly who you are and what you have to offer.
Inform your audience.Most B2B customers will do independent research to make sure a company is credible. Use your platform to inform. Provide value by knowing what your customers want, and how to provide information just for them. Don’t just push your product, but attempt to engage, educate, and interact.

<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet”><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Fun fact: B2B blogs that create education content receive 52% more organic traffic than those that mainly publish content about their company? ? More stats in this B2B Content Marketing Report by <a href=”https://twitter.com/Backlinko?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@backlinko</a> <a href=”https://t.co/XwPrIaIvq5″>https://t.co/XwPrIaIvq5</a> <a href=”https://t.co/85I97vohxo”>pic.twitter.com/85I97vohxo</a></p>— Semrush (@semrush) <a href=”https://twitter.com/semrush/status/1357419420574965764?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>February 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>

Fun fact: B2B blogs that create education content receive 52% more organic traffic than those that mainly publish content about their company? ? More stats in this B2B Content Marketing Report by @backlinko https://t.co/XwPrIaIvq5 pic.twitter.com/85I97vohxo
— Semrush (@semrush) February 4, 2021

Build trust. Use testimonials and positive reviews to show potential customers that you are worthy of their business.

Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash

Find your audience

As a part of your marketing strategy create separate buyer and audience personas. Who do you cater to? Seek to entertain and educate those personas.

Who is your target audience? Speak clearly to your specific audience. Use common lingo that will be understood by your intended audience. If anyone asks questions, no matter the question, use it as an opportunity to connect.

You may eventually need multiple social media channels, each with a different focus as your company grows. Each channel would cater to different products, markets, or audiences.

Before your first post, stake out competitors. Conduct a social media competitive analysis.

Look at top companies, too. IBM is a top B2B user of social media. What are they doing on social media? Where are they succeeding?

Find your platform

LinkedIn is the preferred social media platform for B2B companies. 96% of B2B are on LinkedIn for advertising purposes. LinkedIn has 740 million users in more than 200 countries!

Twitter

Twitter use is on the rise! In 2020, Twitter reported 187 million monetizable daily active users. This is an increase of 29%!

Facebook

In 2020, Facebook still held the lead as the most used social media platform.

Create a profile

Create a clear, eye-catching profile, with quality pictures, complete bios, logos, and contact information.

Create content

The number one rule for content creation is don’t be boring! The average social media user has no patience for long, rambling content. Keep your tone conversational. Refine your voice to make your content relatable and easy to read.

Make content social friendly. Instead of posting an entire podcast, create a minute long snippet. Include eye-catching infographics and photos to add entertainment value. Create a twitter thread instead of using an external link. Remember, you need to design for a short attention span.

Even if your product is very specialized, and boring to most, find an angle that isn’t boring. Broaden your niche to broaden your audience. For example, if you are selling tools to geologists, pull in the general public with a brief explanation of how to use a compass.

Highlight the human side by featuring your team. Have your employees feature their writing and photos. Utilize first person writing with a distinct voice.

Find the optimal time to launch content. There are apps to help you launch content across multiple platforms at the optimum time. Check out Sprout Social and Hootsuite.

Don’t forget about personalization and tags! Proper use of these tools will broaden your range.

Engage with your audience

Use a customer-centric strategy as you work with your social media accounts. Twitter is a great way to engage with your audience with a back and forth communication. Respond to every @mention. Also, build rapport, and relationships with social media influencers. They may be willing to collaborate with you to build brand awareness.

Organic social media versus paid social media advertising

Go beyond organic social media with pay-to-play advertising. Linkedin advertising offers personalized advertisement messaging based off your audience’s recent history and interests. Hire a social media marketing specialist for help.

Final Thoughts

Social media is such a prevalent platform! Just because you’re a B2B doesn’t mean you can’t use this tool to advance your business! Have a solid plan for your social media campaign, understand the platforms, and engage with your audience. You should be able to see the results!

About AbstractOps

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