• SocialBull
• 2022-12-20 00:00:00

B2B companies demonstrate that every firm can be successful on social media. Why? Because they've converted a small business that isn't the most fascinating to a social content playground.

When I think of B2b businesses with strong social media presence, IBM, Google, HubSpot, and many more come to mind. These firms are so good at delivering material that attracts and increases their audience that they don't seem concerned with continually publicising their products or services.

To be effective on social media, a B2B company's content must balance engaging and not interfering with its audience’s experience. To adequately realise the benefits of social media, these businesses must first determine what their target audience wants to see.

B2B enterprises have changed the landscape of what it means to be a social media brand. Consider the following B2B-specific techniques to engage and attract your audience, which may lead to the success of your social accounts.

What exactly is business-to-business social media marketing?

B2B refers to business-to-business. B2B social media marketing promotes services or items to business clients and prospects through social platforms.

B2C marketers utilise social platforms to reach out to customers and influence purchases. Effective B2B marketing, on the other hand, necessitates a different strategy. B2B marketers must think more strategically to target business owners and decision-makers. They then cultivate connections with the potential to lead to significant purchasing commitments. A B2B social media strategy will seem different from a consumer-focused plan regarding content balance and type.

What role does content play in the social selling process?

When it comes to selling online, content is one of the essential weapons in any sales professional's armoury.

After all, 67% of top-performing sales companies use content to assist their sales enablement efforts, and 65% of buyers say it affected their final purchase decision.

This implies that businesses must give buyers and prospects timely, targeted, and relevant information. This can include blogs, guides/eBooks, infographics, and videos that can be shared and measured across social networks.

Unique content - marketing and sales coordination

Who should develop original material to complement your social selling strategy? It might be the sales or marketing teams or a combination of both.

The sales staff must collaborate closely with marketing to distribute and promote the correct sort of unique content. After all, they are responsible of developing content for lead generation and brand exposure.

On the other hand, the sales staff is closer to the client and will have crucial insights on the material that would best engage and aid them (and, by extension, build trust and develop the relationship).

Aligning with the marketing team and establishing regular meetings and a sustainable content strategy will assist in informing all sellers of both upcoming materials that they can share and existing information that may be useful for prospecting activities.

For example, if one of your sellers is in the early stages of discussions with a pharmaceutical company, any blogs or guides that highlight or provide insight into that sector can be used to promote discussion and assist a seller in providing solutions to a customer's pain points in a more natural and less salesy manner.

Social Selling and Content Strategy

Your content strategy should be centred on generating information that will pique the interest of buyers and prospects.

Although this may seem apparent, it is sometimes forgotten when building a content strategy. What you consider intriguing (for example, information about your product, service, and organisation) may not be so to your prospects and networks. So, plan your content strategy around their requirements.

As Lee Odden puts it, being the "best answer" to their inquiries and sharing this material with them at the time of need via the channels they're most likely to find the heart of social selling.

A needs-based content strategy presents you as a specialist and advisor to your prospects and clients. This entails playing the long game and prioritising their demand for relevant information over your goal to acquire the business.

If you put effort into this method, it will pay off. This technique necessitates two types of content: original material provided by you and adequately chosen content from other sources.

What type of content is most effective?

There are several social media sites through which to engage and influence clients.

From B2B platforms like LinkedIn to real-time networks like Twitter to visual platforms like Instagram and Vero, the key to social selling is knowing which channels give the most chance to target your audience.

The most effective sorts of the content may vary depending on your audience, industry, and where you share it, but here are a few to consider:

1.    Podcasts
2.    Infographics
3.    Relevant news stories
4.    Research reports
5.    Blogs and Articles
6.    Video
7.    Stats and facts

What exactly is content curation, and how does it function?

Customers nowadays (both B2C and B2B) are flooded with material; a phenomenon known as 'Content Shock.'

Many clients struggle to receive the data they need when they need it due to information overload. This implies they have a difficult time swiftly and readily finding answers to their problems (especially in the B2B market).

Business-to-Business Social Media Strategies for Any Sector
1.    Set smart objectives.
2.    Keep an eye on your competition.
3.    Provide Original content.
4.    Use the Media sector.
5.    Spotlight your employees
6.    Have a distinct brand voice.
7.    Offer customer support.
8.    Consistency is essential.
9.    Experiment with different material and publication times.
10.   Contribute to a discussion.

Final Thought

Selling is evolving. Competent salespeople understand that to create relationships with prospects; they must interact on social media. However, you must provide value - cold connecting on LinkedIn is the same as cold calling on the phone. The key to fueling your social selling is content.

Collaborate with your marketing team to develop a content strategy that will assist your customers and prospects with the issues that are important to them, and then generate and curate material to support them. Create a social selling approach that includes sharing the correct material with the right audience regularly. Through social selling, your business and team will increase engagement and opportunity.