There’s no denying that social media has gained momentum and is quickly becoming a key element for many B2B marketers when putting together their marketing strategies for the year ahead.
But with 2020 in full swing, how can you ensure that moving forward your social media strategy will ensure success?
We’ve pulled together five best practices for social media you should consider, in order to achieve optimal results from your social media strategy.
Identify the most effective channel for your audience
It’s important to understand that one social media channel may be more effective than the other. Identifying where your audience spends the most time, is important to ensuring that your messages are making an impact and being seen by the right people.
With LinkedIn leading as the most effective social media channel for B2B marketers (a staggering 92% of marketers were recently reported as leveraging LinkedIn over all social platforms), its crucial for marketers to recognize where their target audience is already engaged, and focus their budget and time on cutting through the noise on that platform.
Establish your social media voice and tone
How do you want your customers to perceive you? Creating a strong, and consistent voice is key to building a real relationship with your audience.
What does your company stand for? What makes your brand stand out? How are you unique? Make those elements of your business the inspiration for your online voice.
Be sure to share relevant, and informative content that encourages conversation. Social media provides you with a line to talk with your customers directly, so ensure your tone is conversational and relatable. You want your customers to interact!
Remember, your tone and voice must stay consistent across all social media platforms, you want customers to have the same experience no matter where they encounter your brand.
Personalise your brand with the showcase of employees
Several B2B companies already do a great job of showcasing their employees and success. By highlighting your employees, you allow the audience to put faces to the company and ultimately personalizes the brand.
This is important for both small and big B2B companies, as people are the heart of your business, and sharing this information creates a great perception of your company culture.
Showcasing your staff can also increase your reach and engagement. For example, instead of posting a photo of your product, why not post a photo of the developers behind it, a photo which would likely be shared on those developers’ social networks as well.
Experiment with content and posting times
Paying attention to what’s working and what’s not in terms of post timing, format, creative, and content, is the only way you can continually evaluate and enhance your strategy for success.
Experimenting with content and posting times is an important step in understanding what works for your company. Every audience is different, so you should run experiments and examine audience insights to figure out what works best for your brand.
By listening to your audience, and regularly checking the data of your performance, you can adjust your tactics quickly and efficiently for optimal success.
Keep an eye on the competition
Competitors can give great inspiration for your social activities and offer you an opportunity to learn from what they are doing and understand what you can do instead.
Competitor analysis can provide great insight into which channels or networks competitors are focussing on, which type of content gets the most traction from their followers, and their posting frequency.
This is all information you can use to your advantage, as remember, your competitor’s weakness can be your opportunity.
Conclusion
It’s fair to say there is no one ‘right’ approach to handling your social media strategy. As a B2B marketer, it can be challenging to find and connect with your target audience. Fortunately, best practices are in place to help you achieve the optimal results from your strategy.
If you have any questions, or want to find out how Napier can help you with your B2B Social Media strategy, why not get in touch, we’d be happy to answer any questions you may have.
