From the beginning of time (or perhaps just the beginning of B2B but, same thing, right?) many companies have felt like social media just isn’t a place for them. Most businesses get caught up in the pre-prescribed notion that social media just isn’t where their target markets are playing. But according to Hubspot, about 75% of B2B buyers made use of social media to support their purchasing decisions. Your potential customers are not only on social media, but they are doing their due diligence and checking you out to ensure that you are too — and you’ll need the social proof to back up your brand promise. So, where to begin?
Find Channels That Will Work for Your Brand
One important thing to consider when planning out your social media strategy is that depending on your specific needs, some platforms may be more beneficial to you and your company than others. For starters, Linkedin is a must for a B2B company business development efforts as it allows you to generate leads, form relationships, establish thought leadership within your industry and so much more. Instagram is exceptional when striking visuals are used to strengthen your brand, the photo-centric design sets itself apart from all other social media platforms. Facebook is great for recruitment and Twitter is important for engaging within your industry. Facebook has the most users of any social media platform ever, giving businesses the option to connect with billions of potential customers and partners.
Determine Your Brand Voice
Whichever platforms you choose, it is important to determine your brand voice. Doing so determines your tone and what kinds of content your business will share. It is also important to familiarize yourself with the platform and ensure you are utilizing all of the tools that your profile has to offer. In today’s age of social media, you can go so far beyond just posting images and copy, create engagement through the use of features like the ability to create polls, going live, and adding robust video content.
Create a Plan of Attack
Creating a plan is a great way to coordinate your content, ensure you have variety in your posts, and get buy-in from your stakeholders. We love planning out our accounts ahead of time using this tool, but remember to use your account’s analytics to see what’s working and what’s not. It is very important to remain flexible and tweak plans accordingly.
We encourage you to make use of our social media plan template to aid you in engaging your audience, and if you have any questions our team is ready to help.
