Why Do B2B Companies Need Social Media?
Social media is mostly seen as a business-to-customer, or B2C, tool. But business-to-business companies can get a chunk of the social media pie, too. B2B companies can benefit from social media for a number of reasons. If you have a B2B company, but aren’t sure about whether you should dive into social media, read on to see if we can convince you to give it a go.
Demonstrate expertise with social media
All companies can benefit from being seen as an expert in their chosen field, and B2B organizations are no exception. Use social media to share industry news and to connect with other thought leaders in your industry. Create interesting and helpful content that solves a common problem that your customers have.
Creating content for social media
When it comes to creating and sharing content on social media if you aren’t sure where to begin, here are some suggestions:
- Write regular blog posts where you answer a common question members of your industry might have. Share these on your LinkedIn profile and other social media outlets for maximum exposure.
- On Twitter and Facebook share news articles and editorials from members of your industry. Help point your audience to thought-provoking or useful pieces so they see that you’re aware of industry happenings. These two tools can even be helpful for making new connections within your field.
- If you have the budget, white papers are an excellent piece of content to have on hand. Is there new technology in your field, or have you developed a software offering that makes a certain type of work easier or more accurate? Whatever your product or service, it’s likely that you can have a qualified professional create an informational white paper that you can use to show off your company’s knowledge.
Getting the most out of a white paper
If not promoted correctly, a white paper won’t be useful for your business. These marketing tools are most effective for lead generation when you combine them with a CTA, or a call to action. You’ll want to promote a white paper on your website, potentially even giving it it’s own landing page (potential readers, and potential clients, won’t dig through your website to find the white paper.) But, the true power of a white paper is in how visitors acquire it: they fill out a form, preferably on a landing page with no other distractions, and then they receive a download link. This is an excellent way to acquire leads, along with relevant customer data that you can utilize for future promotions. By using forms that visitors have to fill out before they receive your white paper, you’ll be collecting names, email addresses, and any other information that you’d like to request (just don’t ask for too much, as an over complicated form will deter viewers.)
As your Internet presence grows, so will your exposure. Customers will come to see you as the solution provider for their problems, and journalists might just reach out for your opinion as they write and research their own industry news.
Social media helps with SEO
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is an important part of our online lives, and we can’t overlook it. You want businesses to find your business, but they can’t do that if you aren’t doing anything online that would show up in a Web search.
A blog, LinkedIn, your Google+ page… it all contributes to your company’s SEO rankings in the search engines. Don’t worry about stuffing your content with keywords (the search engines are smarter than that), though. Focus on creating and sharing relevant, useful content. If you’re consistent, you’ll likely see results.
Select the best tools for your company
We already know that social media is a great way to make new connections and establish expertise in your field, and that it’s vital for SEO purposes. However, that doesn’t mean you have to use every social media platform available.
If you aren’t sure where to start review our suggestions for which social media platforms are best for your small business. LinkedIn is a good place to start because of it’s popularity amongst other professionals and singular focus on business. After that, consider learning more about Facebook and Twitter to see which one suits your needs best. Just remember to keep it simple to avoid social media burnout!
