Guest post by Larry Alton.
Social media can be a great business tool to use for marketing, sales, PR, customer service, and HR. However, most of what’s written about social media functionality on a professional level tends to be focused on businesses that work directly with consumers (B2C) rather than B2B enterprises.
But with the right knowledge and strategy, social media can be an invaluable part of a B2B online marketing plan. Here are three tips for using social media more effectively in your B2B marketing.
Employ Someone Who Knows Social Media, Not Just Your Business
When making hiring decisions, it often makes the most sense to employ someone who is either already familiar with your business itself or at least knows your industry. While this is helpful for many of the other positions you need to fill, this is not always the best approach to achieving social media success.
Because social media is such a unique area, Neil Patel advises B2B businesses to step outside their comfort zones and hire someone who’s a social media expert, even if they come from outside your industry. It will be much easier for someone to quickly learn the ins and outs of your business or market than to understand how to find success using social media.
Use Social Media As a Content Springboard
Social media is good for far more than just sharing cat videos and witty comments about trendy topics. To set yourself up for B2B social media success, consider that social media is really the perfect platform to help you launch your content pieces in a whole new arena.
According to Olsy Sorokina, a contributor to Hootsuite.com, using social media as a form of content promotion can get your topic in front of people who wouldn’t otherwise find your website. And keep in mind that this doesn’t only pertain to blogs, although creating a blog for your business and using social media to showcase that blog within the right communities is a great strategy. You can also create any number of content assets, like videos or infographics, that may work better for your industry and the professionals within it.
Understand that Using Social Media is For More Than Just Personal Connections
Some B2B businesses are hesitant to fully utilize social media for marketing because they view social media as mainly used for making personal connections. While this is definitely one of the benefits of social media, Allen Narcisse, a contributor to the Content Marketing Institute, shares that professionals also use social media to get their news, keep pace with the market, and learn about new developments in their specific fields. The right social media channels could be the ideal place for your business to market and advertise, even if you’re not looking to reach millennial consumers.
Social media can and should be one of the go-to tools in the box for your B2B business. Use the tips mentioned above to optimize this business potential today.
About the author: Larry Alton is an independent business consultant specializing in social media trends, business, and entrepreneurship. Follow him on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Acton Ace says
Nice list. social media marketing is the future of b2b marketing. This is quite extraordinary post.
Tom Pick says
Thanks Acton! Glad the post was helpful.
Mary Smith says
One of the Best Articles I’ve come across today. I always had a Special interest in Social Media, and this post just makes it higher. I use the Content Springboard which you mentioned which is quite remarkable. Thank you for sharing this post. This made my day.
Tom Pick says
Thanks Mary, great to hear!
Jennifer Jerome says
Loved the Article. I like the idea about the detailed explanation of the Social Media for B2B marketing. We really need to work carefully to think and analyze the right thing for Business marketing. Thank you for sharing this post. It was worth a while to read this article.
Tom Pick says
Thanks Jennifer! No question, strategy is key to B2B social media success.