Whether you’re in B2B or B2C, promoting your brand and engaging with your audience through social media is marketing 101. It’s fast, free, and effective! Not only can you post updates about your company and employees to showcase the successes and personality of your brand but it’s an excellent way of sharing valuable content with key audiences. It’s no surprise that social media now plays a key role throughout the B2B buying journey. From discovering solutions and researching suppliers to evaluating expertise and building trust, buyers increasingly use social platforms to inform purchasing decisions and stay up to date with industry trends.
To help you on your social media quest (whatever stage you may be at), we have put together a handy A-Z index to keep in your back pocket.
A – Analytics allow you to monitor posts, followers, and engagement rates, helping you track performance against objectives and KPIs.
B – B2B (of course!). More and more B2B businesses are realising the value of social media and how it can complement other forms of marketing.
C – Comments. These should be monitored frequently as they can offer you vital feedback about your business, products, and services.
D – Demographics can help you understand your audience better. But don’t make assumptions. In B2B, job role, industry and business challenges are often more valuable indicators than age alone.
E – Engagement rates track how many of your followers are actively involved in your content. Top tip: take a look at who has liked and reshared your content – is it people within your organisation or an external audience.
F – Followers are key to making sure your content gets seen. Be mindful that quantity doesn’t translate to quality. You want your target audience to be engaging with your posts.
G – GIFs. Most people appreciate personality when it’s relevant. Used appropriately, GIFs, memes and visual content can help humanise your brand and increase engagement.
H – Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social and other scheduling platforms can save significant time while helping you maintain consistency across channels.
I – Inclusive social media humanises your brand and helps your customers see themselves in your messaging. Top tip: Think about the images you are using.
J – Judgement. If in doubt don’t post. Also, consider if there is anything sensitive that is going on in the industry or even the world that might impact the timings or tone of voice of your social posts.
K – Killer social campaigns will help you get noticed by the right people and if it’s super creative, it might even go viral. (The best campaigns aren’t always the loudest. They’re often the most relevant to their audience.)
L – LinkedIn remains the most important platform for many B2B brands. It is particularly valuable for reaching HR decision-makers, building thought leadership and amplifying PR activity.
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M – Metrics can help give you the bigger picture and are essential when reporting back to relevant stakeholders. Consider also sharing any positive insights to your internal network.
N – News should be shared across your channels. Third-party news, original research and industry insights demonstrate that your business understands the conversations shaping your market.
O – Objectives need to be set when creating your B2B social media strategy as they can help keep you focused. These should be developed in addition to KPIs to ensure you can measure your success and make adjustments when needed.
P – Platforms. Don’t throw all your eggs in one basket, but don’t try to be everywhere either. Focus on the platforms where your audience actively consumes content and engages with industry discussions.
Q – Questions are a great way to engage with your audience. Get them to drop an answer in the comments box.
R – Review each post before it is scheduled. Better yet, get a colleague to check for you. There’s nothing more embarrassing than a spelling mistake or poorly worded post.
S – Strategy is essential to ensure social activity supports broader PR, marketing and business objectives. The best programmes combine thought leadership, media relations and social amplification to reach the right audience. Check out our blog on social media strategy to learn more.
T – Thought leadership helps organisations build credibility and trust. Sharing expert insight, research and opinion can position your business as a valuable voice within your industry.
U – User generated content refers to the unpaid and unsponsored social posts that people across every network share when they are loving (or not loving) your businesses, its products and/or services. Types of content can include images, videos and comments. Employee advocacy is another powerful form of user-generated content, particularly in B2B organisations.
V – Video continues to dominate social media. Short-form clips, webinar highlights, podcasts and expert commentary are increasingly effective ways to communicate expertise and engage busy audiences.
W – Well-executed social media contributes to visibility, credibility and trust, helping brands stay relevant throughout long B2B buying journeys.
X – X-rated (don’t you dare!) or any offensive language should not be posted. We know it may sound a little obvious but think carefully about what you’re posting. Though it might not seem offensive to you it could be to your audience.
Y – YouTube remains one of the most powerful channels for educational content, webinars, product demonstrations and thought leadership.
Z – Zoom clips, webinars and virtual events can generate a wealth of social content. One event can often be repurposed into multiple posts, videos and thought leadership assets.
If you’re looking for some advice about how to best approach your B2B social media, head over to our service page to find out more.
