The necessity of a social media presence isn't debated anymore, no matter what kind of business you operate. Potential clients for companies that operate in the B2B sector are being reached via social media, so if you aren't taking advantage, you are putting your business at a disadvantage.
There are some pesky ideas that seem to be haunting the B2B community when it comes to social media. Many company directors still cling to the idea that somehow social media marketing isn't necessary for their business, just because they don't operate in the B2C sector.
What is happening in social media is very exciting. With an effective social media presence your company can create leads in ways that were unimaginable just a few years ago. There are some great ways to use social media, but you have to be smart about how you implement your strategy. While B2B strategies share many things in common with B2C approaches to social media, there are a few factors that need special attention.
No matter what kind of social media campaign you have to put together, it is all about content. Traditionally B2B promotions have been very technical, and this is something that doesn't really fit into social media based marketing.
Galvanised screws don't go viral, unless Lady Gaga is throwing them at a flaming robot monkey on stage.
But that just means that you have to find ways to make your galvanised fastener company interesting to a wider audience. In many ways companies in the B2B sector have to adopt the branding practices that B2C companies have been using since the dawn of modern marketing. But they have to leverage them in a different way. B2B social media content has to be far more targeted and value-driven than its B2C counterpart.
When you want to use content to your benefit, it all revolves around your image and message. For most companies in the B2B sector their traditional image goals were concepts like “reliable” or “on-time”. While these are the qualities that make a company successful, the attributes that would be expected from a chartered accountant don't create a lot of “likes” on Facebook.
In the world of social media, using engaging content to create interest is how you market your company, regardless of its sector. In some ways B2B businesses have it easier than their B2C counterparts, because they tend to deal in a higher value product or service that will have a much smaller demographic. You can therefore afford to ‘be niche’ and address a very specific need with your content.
Social media allows you to target your message to the people you think will be interested, so make sure that your message isn't so broad that it gets lost in the noise on social media. A consistent flow of valuable, well thought out content is also necessary. People expect you to deliver good content regularly, so don't just re-post the same kind of thing for a month. No one will look at it.
Your social media brand image should emanate from a place that is interesting and inviting. A good way to think about this in personified form is the sales person that somehow doubles sales whenever they work. They are fun to be around, and make people feel like they are understood.
When translated into the world of B2B social media content creation, this means content that people love to give their attention to, and can connect with at an emotional level.
How are your galvanised screws going to be emotionally relevant?
Instead of talking about how long they will last, companies that operate in the B2B sector can use brand association with positive causes to create emotional interest, and create a public image that will be desirable to their niche market.
People are likely to share a Facebook post from your fastener company about an upcoming fun-run to benefit a cancer charity, especially when your donation to the charity is based on a multiple of the “likes” the post receives. This kind of thinking is new in the B2B sector, but it certainly isn't revolutionary.
Regardless of how you feel about rolling out a social media campaign, the time has come to get one together. If you are wondering how to best spend your marketing budget, there is help available. The kind of content that your company needs to create can be synergised with other online promotions, like email marketing and AdWords advertising.
Getting in touch with an agency like JDR will help you get up to speed quickly and focus on the best-performing content for your type of business. It is very easy to waste time and money in social media marketing, so working with a team of professionals is money well spent. To find out more about social media content creation and how it fits in with other aspects of a marketing strategy, get in touch with one of our marketing specialists today.
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