Avoid B-to-Boring: Three “Must-Do” Social Media Tactics for B2B Brands

A recent study by the Content Marketing Institute reported that nearly 83 percent of B-to-B marketers use social media to reach and interact with relevant audiences. But, as more brands shift their marketing strategies to social media, the space is getting smaller – and competition is getting bigger.

B-to-B brands are often competing against large B-to-C companies, news outlets, and even family and friends, to earn likes, comments and website clicks of potential and existing followers. How can they possibly compete?

They can. In fact, it’s not just the B-to-C companies that get all the fun. Here are some quick tips to turn B-to-B followers into B-to-Believers:

1. Tailor content to each channel. Like you, social media audiences behave differently on each social platform, causing them to consume information in a unique way. For instance, users tend to be more casual on Facebook – interacting with family and friends – than LinkedIn. How many more puppy videos are posted to Facebook than LinkedIn? Content must fit the style, audience needs and format of each channel. Just because a company sells software to retailers, doesn’t mean they can’t stop and share a humorous industry meme or video. At the same time, companies can take advantage of LinkedIn’s professional setting to promote an industry article or e-book to earn follower trust. While style and tone may be unique to each channel, the call-to-action can remain the same.
2. Boost or your engagement will be reduced. Measurement reports don’t lie. Each year, organic reach continues to decline across major platforms. According to industry experts, organic reach dropped nearly 50 percent on Facebook throughout 2016, due to an increase in the number of posts being published. Facebook’s algorithm systematically tailors the amount of posts people see in their news feeds to fit their behavior. What does this mean for B-to-B companies?
   A content plan without budget for boosting posts isn’t going to deliver the type of results it may have in the past.Click To Tweet
   Brands must boost high-performing organic content to a targeted audience to increase engagement. Once people start interacting with boosted content, organic posts will squeeze their way into news feed, right next to pictures of Cousin Amy’s new baby.
3. Make your audience interact. Clickbait gets you every time. A headline might read, “Baby Ducks See Water for The First Time – Can You Believe What They Do?” and, before you know it, you’re 10 minutes into reading an article about Beyoncé’s twins. Just like these clickbait headlines, B-to-B companies can benefit from different media types to engage with their audience. Both Twitter and Facebook, for instance, offer polls that allow followers to answer a question. At the same time, the company is receiving usable information that helps the brand learn more about their audience. It’s a win-win!

Finally, as B-to-B brands skip off to fight the battle of the latest algorithm update, remember one thing: monitoring and engaging with your audience is key. Social media has evolved into the new customer service resource. Many followers rely on business pages to be the source where they can fire off questions and complaints. Brands can take advantage of this by listening and responding to followers’ needs to help build a healthy, engaging relationship for many posts to come.