5 Steps to Avoid Common B2B Social Media Marketing Mistakes
In B2B social media marketing, relationships matter as much or more than the content you create. Get started or reboot your social media presence for success with these 5 steps!
We hope you find these 5 steps helpful as a reminder checklist regardless of your level of experience.
Yes, content matters on social media. And, relationships matter more.
If you’re approaching LinkedIn, Twitter, or other social platforms as channels to push content, you’re making a common mistake.
Social media requires social engagement. It’s a give and receive situation. Successful marketers participate on social media like they’re at a networking event.
B2B companies—small, mid-sized, and large—will benefit from following these 5 steps when setting up, or re-booting, your social media presence.
5 Steps to Social Media Marketing Wisdom
Keeping the social part of social media in mind, we recommend that you do these things to set (or reset) your brand presence on social media:
1. Pause and observe. Pay attention to the social media norms and standards for your industry.
How many hashtags should you be using?
What level of formality seems to be expected?
How do people tend to interact on the platform?
When does humor get used?
What categories and topics come up often?
2. Form connections on social media platforms. Take an interactive approach to optimize your B2B social media success.
Hold back from spamming the feed with posts about your company.
Prioritize relationships first.
Do your research and find groups to join and influencers to follow.
Get connected with your real-world network online.
Investigate which topics and types of content make your audience respond!
3. Read social posts, replies, and comments by customers, competitors, industry influencers, and others in your target market.
Pay special attention to social media content that receives a high level of engagement. Likes and other responses matter, but comments and shares matter more.
When you notice shared content, consider what about the content motivated the share.
What made the person sharing the content want to get behind it with their endorsement and spread it wider?
Try your hand at creating shareable content and measure results.
Getting started at gaining shares can be hard. That’s why building connections (step 2) matters so much!
4. Reflect on your own reactions to what others post on social media.
What landed well?
What did you find off-putting?
Use these observations to guide your own social media actions.
5. Consider what unique contribution your company can add to the conversation.
Listen to your target audience and pick up on their needs and desires.
Then, offer something valuable to meet those needs.
Find your brand voice and convey your value proposition as it relates to the customer problem.
Next Steps for B2B Social Media Success
These five steps for B2B social media marketing wisdom apply to all B2B companies. Where you go from here will depend on your specific goals. Watch for more about selecting social media marketing goals that fit your business goals in a future post!
What practices do you find most effective on social media? Connect with us on LinkedIn or Tweet us. We’re always happy to talk.
With over two decades of experience, Parin leads an expert demand-generation agency, StratMg, that helps industrial manufacturing clients achieve unambiguous and quantified organic sales growth across the US, EMEA & APAC.
Parin has built & positioned StratMg to be a value-added marketing services provider that strives to create a culture of quantified sales-driven marketing initiatives leading to sustained business growth through channel management, diversification, new customer acquisition and retention strategies and tactical execution.
