5 B2C Practices to Swipe for B2B
Do you ever feel like B2B and B2C marketing are like the Sharks and the Jets? Instagram and LinkedIn circling each other and snapping away? It doesn’t have to be like that!
My background is actually in B2C social media marketing, and even though I absolutely LOVE B2B, sometimes my roots show, and I slip into B2C mode. Which, as I’ve found out, is a good thing.
Using B2C principles in your B2B marketing can be an outstanding strategy. There are obviously some things that don’t work as well (can we PLEASE start limiting our emoji use? Pretty please). But applying the right tactics to your B2B social media strategy can:
- Help your clients differentiate in a sea of the same stuff
- Jump ahead of the curves with trends and get in front of more of your dream clients
- Humanize your brand and staff
- Be cool
I wouldn’t recommend using EVERY SINGLE TREND for your B2B clients. Don’t worry; nobody’s going to make you learn TikTok dances. So here are five B2C principles that I think most B2B businesses should adopt.
1. POST IN THE FIRST PLACE
Wanna know a dirty secret? Many B2B organizations don’t even post in the first place because they get stuck at the Tiky Tokys and can’t get past the whole “this is where my teenage daughter DMs boys I don’t know about” aspect of social. But that just makes it easier for the B2B brands that ARE on social media to shine. Especially if you’re doing all of the rest of the things on this list. So start with just doing something. We get the car moving, and then we steer
2. REMEMBER, YOU’RE JUST HUMANS SELLING TO HUMANS
Thankfully, buildings can’t buy from buildings, so ultimately, B2B marketing is still about people buying from people. That means that the more you humanize your clients’ brands, the easier it will be to build the connection that potentially leads to a relationship and a sale.
This means your marketing should still have a person in mind; we’re just addressing different pain points and emotions for business scenarios. So your client social media should sound human, but professional.
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3. JUMP ON THE SHORT VIDEO TRAIN
TikTok, reels, shorts, and stories are here to stay. Time to get on the train. We started posting TikToks recently for a luxury brand three times a month, and the videos garnered 9,000 views. I triple-dog dare you to get those results for a static organic post on LinkedIn for a small business. We’re just not seeing the growth opportunities with other media.
So you need to be working on how-to videos, get-to-know-you videos, behind-the-scenes videos, and more.
4. LOOK MORE REAL
We LOVE us some glossy professional headshots and slickly produced videos. Those are outrageously cool. Know what else plays super well? The quick cell phone pics of your team at an event, video footage of office shenanigans, or screen records of something fun. The less polished and glossy, the more real you look to your clients’ customers, which helps you build that connection.
5. IMPLEMENT HUMOR
Please, for the love of all that’s good, crack a joke on B2B social media. Make a pun. Implement irony. Access your sarcastic bone. Literally, any amount of a sense of humor in your B2B marketing gets you miles ahead in terms of attention, familiarity, connection, and kindred spirit. People LIKE people who are funny, so make that a part of your business model.
IF THIS SOUNDS GREAT, BUT DOING THE WORK DOESN’T SOUND GREAT, GREAT!
We eat this stuff for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Well, I fast so I don’t actually eat breakfast, but it’s symbolic, you know? Anyway, if your agency team can’t implement these B2B social media practices, the point is my team can. Start here!
