B2B Social Media Best Practices

B2B social media can generate leads and produce meaningful business results. While most organizations may believe that social media is only for consumer brands, we know that isn’t the whole story. Social media is also important for B2B and technology companies.

Benefits of B2B Social Media

B2B audiences and influencers are active on social media. B2B social media can drive ongoing conversations, web traffic and sales conversions. According to our research, social media produces almost double the marketing leads of trade shows, telemarketing, direct mail or pay-per-click campaigns. Additionally, social media lead conversion rates are 13 percent higher than the average lead conversion rate.

B2B Social Media Best Practices

Social media best practices are different for B2B and technology companies versus consumer brands. We develop a customized approach to social media for your brand, but there are several basic best practices we adhere to in our social media strategies:

  • Identify Target Audiences: It’s impossible to be successful at social media without knowing your audience. Companies that fail to develop a clear understanding of their target audience’s likes, dislikes, pain points and favorite channels will be going in blind. At the beginning of every social media engagement, Walker Sands conducts extensive research and interviews to gain an in-depth knowledge of your key audiences. These customer personas serve as the foundation of our social media strategies.
  • Select Channels: Once you have a clear understanding of your audiences, you can select the social media channels that will reach them most effectively. Some outlets are better for driving traffic and others are better for building credibility. It’s important to find the mix that will drive the most meaningful results for your business.
  • Develop Your Voice: When you work with Walker Sands’ expert B2B social media specialists, we create a compelling brand persona based on your audience and goals to serve as the single voice of your company throughout all social media channels. This humanizes your company’s social media presence and enables multiple people to post on your behalf while maintaining a consistent tone.
  • Build a Following: After you’ve identified your target audience, the channels to focus on and your brand voice, it’s time to build a loyal following. You will need to follow and interact with prospects, journalists and other key influencers in your industry. Keep it natural and share relevant content on a regular basis. Be sure to share a mix of original content like blog posts, placements and press releases, in addition to useful third-party content.
  • Track and Monitor Results: Tracking and regularly assessing your results from social media initiatives is essential to maintaining a successful social media program that drives measurable business results. Monitor social shares, engagement and website traffic from your social media channels. This will uncover key metrics and gaps to help you adjust your strategy and add more value moving forward.

Strategic social media marketing can improve the effectiveness of your brands’ PR and digital marketing efforts. To find out more about our results-driven social media campaigns for B2B and technology companies, give us a call today.