Beginner tips for B2B social media marketing

General advertising efforts just aren’t as effective as they used to be. Over the past decade, social media has emerged as a mainstay in the B2B marketing toolbox. As advancements in technology have enabled marketers to personalize their approach, consumers have come to expect customized marketing messages. Social media provides the perfect platform for sharing audience-specific content to create brand awareness and customer loyalty.

Small businesses, Fortune 500 companies, even government agencies have jumped into the social sphere. It’s clear that opportunities to effectively reach prospects and customers abound, yet some businesses hesitate to make the leap. Creating and delivering a social media marketing strategy can seem overwhelming. That’s why we’ve distilled the best advice for B2B social media marketing into a few easy tips to help you get started.

1. Know your audience

Throughout the course of your career, you’ve developed an innate understanding of your customers and the prospects you’d like to target. It’s time to put that knowledge to work. When determining which social platforms to use, consider your audience. Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are most common in business. Go where your audience is and keep it simple. For instance, in the IT industry, you’re unlikely to find your followers on Pinterest so skip it.

You may choose to segment your audience into smaller groups to further customize their social experience. You might use Facebook to engage with customers, LinkedIn to attract new prospects, and Twitter to contribute to industry conversations via hashtags. Using different platforms allows you to be even more specific with your messaging and that’s what social media marketing is all about. Just remember to use a consistent voice, regardless of platform, to retain your brand’s integrity.

2. Is it interesting, timely, and relevant?

In order for social media to work as a marketing tool, viewers must read your posts. No one scrolls Facebook hoping to see a companies’ sales pitch. Instead, they look for content that will enhance their businesses and their lives. By sharing thought-leadership articles or adding your perspective to industry news, you not only help your audience, but build your companies’ credibility. Insights into your companies’ culture can help humanize your brand. Instructional or product feature resources may help existing customers who are struggling. Don’t be afraid to be creative. As long as the content is interesting, timely, and relevant to your audience, you can look for topics beyond your specific service specialty.

Once you’re up and running, you can test your strategy. What content pieces work and which fall flat? How frequently can you post without losing engagement? As you learn from experience, you can tweak your social media plan until it’s a finely-tuned machine.

3. Get in the conversation

Social media provides a direct connection between you and your audience and allows for a two-way conversation. Take advantage of it! This is your chance to ask for product feedback, crowdsource participation, and brainstorm with your audience. By receiving input from the people you serve, you will be better equipped to provide for their needs. And, as an added bonus, they will appreciate you for including their input in the process.

From acquiring customer insights, to driving brand awareness, and building credibility, social media presents huge opportunities for B2B marketing. It’s time for your business to join the conversation and leap into the social sphere. Connectwise Campaign was designed to help you, ConnectWise Manage partners, to do just that. Try it now for free.