In my last article, I presented a few reasons why your organization needs a social media presence — especially if yours is a B2B brand. That’s because B2B customers tend to be savvier and require more information to make decisions. For marketers, that means social media is the place not only to find buyers but also to educate them and establish expertise. When a prospect finds value in the content you offer, the decision to follow and subscribe becomes easier.
So, assuming you’re all in on building a social media strategy and plan, here are some considerations and tips to help maximize your efforts.
A good rule of thumb is that only about 20% of the content your brand produces should be related to sales, marketing, advertising or other promotional activities. The bulk of what you post should be focused on creating value for your audience — whether it’s knowledge, advice or simply entertainment. To find the right balance for your followers, study your analytics and observe how peers and competitors engage their audiences.
Ideally, you’ll want to create as much original content as possible to stand out as a leader in your category. But if it comes down to a choice between posting original content less often or sharing lots of curated content more frequently, remember that less can be more.
The goal is to become a credible, reliable source of relevant content for your followers. That means getting to know them and understanding what they care about. What interests them? What problems are they trying to solve? Put yourself in their shoes: Would you read this content yourself?
Even B2B companies have personalities, because they’re made up of people. So, a great way to humanize your organization is to feature actual humans — whether that’s your founder, a sales and marketing executive, a frontline worker or even an outstanding customer.
Social media is not the place for stilted, jargon-filled biz-speak. A friendly, conversational tone of voice will go a long way toward building rapport and trust with audiences.
The same people you showcase on social media can also help distribute content from behind the scenes. Platforms like LinkedIn offer tools that encourage team members to share content with their own followers. Plus, you can identify people in your organization who are already active on social media and ask them to consider creating some “insider” content.
Social media works best when it’s a dialogue, not a one-way conversation. And the best way to get to know your audience is simply to ask them about themselves. Create polls to gather feedback and encourage conversation. Pose questions or topics for discussion. And be sure to check pages regularly and respond to comments in a timely fashion.
Each social platform works differently to serve up content and engage users. To maximize each channel, think about the audience and the message. What’s the best way to communicate with this audience, on this platform? Do you need to write a blog article when you can communicate the same info with a short video? Would an infographic work better? Most users can only process one or two types of content at a time — whether it’s words, video, sound or static images. So, consider the user, their preferred platform and their attention span, and then package the content accordingly.
Most users access social content on mobile devices. Keep the copy short and sweet — and then take advantage of tools like “link in bio” to direct followers to more detailed content on your blog or website.
Every audience is different, so experiment with what you share and when you post it. Find out what platforms your ideal customers use most often and direct your resources accordingly. It’s all about matching the right content with the right user at the right time.
Like any other communication, social posts should align not only with your company’s values but also with your brand identity. Make sure everything is on-brand — from colors and imagery to the tone and personality of the captions.
The key to winning social media is bringing the right message to the right audience through the right media on the right platform. Data is your friend to help you see what’s working. Once you find the right combination, you’ll know, and chances are your audience will grow.