Making Social Media for B2B Work

Think Differently — social media for B2B

A lot of clients come to us because they are struggling with their social media demands, but social media in general tends to haunt many small B2B (business to business) companies that come to us for advice.

We regularly hear things along the lines of: “We’ve tried so hard to increase engagement on Facebook, but nobody ever seems to like and share our stuff. Is there any point in doing social media for B2B?”

Social media for B2B will require you to think outside the box, but don’t ignore it — it’s strongly influenced by word of mouth and can be an invaluable way to source leads.

Social media for B2B doesn’t have to be scary

In fact, social media is just as important for a B2B as it is for a B2C, but that doesn’t mean that you should use exactly the same approach. You’re trying to target a different kind of audience for a start.

Take an IT solutions company for example — they use Facebook to post over and over about the same old technology services they offer and it goes unnoticed, much to their frustration. But, why, tell me WHY they ask? Because, the uncomfortable truth is it’s just boring sales blur that nobody’s going to be interested in, unless something goes seriously wrong with their computer.

Coming from more of a professionally focussed angle, the IT company would be better off setting themselves up on something much more serious and business focused like Linkedin. Ideal for B2B companies, Linkedin is less about funny cat pictures and much more about consumer education and business advice.

On Linkedin, the IT company could set themselves up as a bit of a thought leader and get involved in focussed groups and give advice to show off their specialist knowledge. Securing leads here would be much easier than on a platform where people are looking for instant entertainment. It’s important even on LinkedIn though to not come across too self-promotional.

Harness the correct social media channels for your business

Twitter can be another good platform for B2B as you can ride on the back of all the latest industry news and come across as a real person with personality and opinions, or a company with an ethos.

YouTube is also good for sharing business advice and giving your brand a human touch.

Many B2Bs struggle with showing a human element to their company and this is what makes it so hard to engage. People are interested in other people, rather than a faceless brand and this is especially true on a very visual and community based platform like Facebook, which works well for B2C. Content for B2Cs tends to be a lot more casual, visual, entertaining and humorous.

And even though Linkedin and Twitter might work for you better, if you’re a B2B company then don’t just give up on Facebook. You still need to be on it —  just approach it in a different way. Instead, post less sales led stuff and focus on humanising your brand by using humour, personality and writing in the first person. People want to engage with real people — especially when it comes to customer service.

And don’t put all your eggs in one basket, use the social media channels that fit with your business. After successful engagement comes brand awareness and leads so it’s worth being determined and patient.

With a little bit of thought and patience you can increase engagement

Talk to us at Not Greedy Media to see how we could take on your social media and help you develop a strategy that works. The beauty of using the expertise of an agency like us is that as well as our knowledge on social media, you will also be able to take advantage of a range of resources including: content marketing, blog creation, digital marketing strategy, video creation and imagery to help you engage on many levels. All you have to do is concentrate on doing business.