5 Things Every B2B Social Media Post Should Accomplish
We’re all working around here, so why should your B2B social media be any different? One of the most important conversations I have with clients is a realistic expectation about the role B2B social media plays in the multi-channel marketing strategy.
And while social media will probably never close a multi-million dollar deal the same way it can help B2C businesses sell shoes and protein powder, social media can absolutely accomplish many business-objective-friendly goals for your clients.
Here are a few I recommend!
1. Exposure
One of the best uses for social media marketing in the B2B space is simply exposure for your organization. You can leverage platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and even (dun dun dunnnnn) Instagram to let audiences know who your client is, what they do and why they do it better. And while your content might not go viral like we see with more mainstream brands, getting in front of a few of the right people is better than getting in front of nobody.
Maximize This Function By…
- Leveraging hashtags for search functionality
- Posting on behalf of your leadership team
- Tagging partner organizations
2. Value
Another outstanding function of B2B social media for your clients is providing some type of value. This could be completed in a variety of ways, but I always stick to the three Es: educate, entertain and engage. Examples could be blog shares, asset downloads, defining common terms, answering questions and sharing industry insights.
Maximize This Function By…
- Sharing thought leader content
- Adding unique insights and thoughts
- Posting at least a few educational items without asking for a “sale.”
3. Brand
Your client social media should also reinforce your clients’ brand and core values. This means every piece of content should (at least in some capacity) be branded, on voice, have the right tone and ultimately show your clients’ audience who they are.
Maximize This Function By…
- Using consistent client branding in your posts and graphics
- Reflecting core values in the content
Mirror the organization’s - foundational function(s) in your posting
4. Engage
Yes, engagement is one of the three Es that we can use for a post, but every piece of content should also (attempt) to engage users or at least showcase that your client is open to conversations and communication. Bottom line: make your social content more of a conversation than a billboard.
Maximize This Function By…
- Encouraging engagement in your post captions
- Opening up topics for debate
- Encouraging client leadership to share and engage with the posts
5. Ask
One of my recommendations is to not ask for something with every single post you do. But I do recommend clear calls to action in most of your posts. The caveat is that some of those CTAs can be strictly value based (blog shares) engagement (answering questions) or something else of that nature. Only some of your “asks” should be to visit a sales page or schedule a demo/call.
Maximize This Function By…
- Including links to a landing or sales page with some of your posts
- Encourage readers to comment and share the content
- Create value-driven content that people will benefit from reading/seeing
