When talking about social media marketing, the assumption it is only effective for B2C companies, as that’s what we mostly see. B2B companies tend to ignore social media and they definitely miss out on some opportunities. Social media can be an amazing tool for B2B businesses because it helps to build a buyer’s interest and trust over some time. B2B business can get much more value from social media rather than from more traditional marketing techniques, such as cold-calling. Some challenges may prevent B2B businesses from using social media, such as planning content, creating social media strategy, and marketing campaigns. Understanding the importance of social media in the industry will help to overcome these challenges. That’s why I want to highlight some social media marketing benefits so that more B2B businesses can start using them as channels of business communication.

Social media is a tool that can help businesses support sales and customer retention as well as engage with more customers and business partners.

In this article, I would like to answer some questions that might come to the mind of business owners, who want to start using social media as a marketing tool.

How B2B businesses can engage with their customers via social media?

Social media gives a great opportunity to be closer to your customers and build a community of people who are interested in your brand. You can use social media as a platform to get feedback from your customers to better understand their preferences and needs.

Another great way to utilize those communication channels is to create educational content about the products a business sells. This plays a great role in the buyer’s decision-making process as well. Educating customers through social media builds trust and a good brand image online.

Also, social media can be used for B2B loyalty programs, so that the business can grow social media engagement. Especially, when the holiday season is coming up, it’s a perfect time to nurture buyer relationships by creating unique loyalty programs and offers.

B2B businesses can use social media profiles to promote their social responsibility and show off the unique features of the products they offer. Use the opportunity to interact with your audience, answer their questions, solve problems they might have with your products. Most importantly, let your audience know that your business cares about them and pays attention to their needs.

How does social media marketing influence online brand awareness?

As I mentioned above, social media marketing can be used for engaging with potential buyers. Also, social media as a great distribution channel offers an opportunity to build an enterprise’s reputation in the industry as a thought leader. By sharing useful educational content with the company’s values, ideas, and offers, B2B business can build a community of brand advocates and loyal customers. They can create even more exposure for your brand by sharing their reviews, feedback, and showing their loyalty to your brand.

Social media platforms can definitely improve your website’s SEO by having more third-party links and mentions as well as increased interest in the brand’s content. Your brand visibility will also improve because of social media, as more and more people get to know your company through social media profiles.

Communication through social media will definitely play a great role in your B2B business long term success. Your brand’s market value can be determined by the buyers and their perception of the brand. That’s why communicating the right message and establishing good brand awareness through social media is essential.

The way you interact with your audience on social media clearly shows the type of business you are for your clients.

Here are some tips to have a successful exposure of your business through social media:

  • Frequently post unique, high-quality content that is relevant to your customers;
  • Stay consistent with your brand values and goals;
  • Reply to comments/messages and encourage discussions on your business pages to have more interaction;
  • Create valuable content, that your audience can share with others and increase your online exposure.

Also, you need to make sure your brand is authentic because it makes it more likable and approachable for your audience.

Can social media help you engage with business partners?

Not many B2B business owners understand that social media can be used not only to attract new customers but also potential business partners. Using social media marketing will help B2B enterprises to collaborate with their current business partners as well as reach out to the new partners.

LinkedIn has proven to be one of the most effective platforms for B2B businesses to engage with their business partners. Along with LinkedIn businesses can use Facebook as it is a platform used by many professionals.

Social media platforms are perfect for building important connections and supporting strong relationships with business partners.

Can social media help you drive more sales?

Social media will not drive sales to your business immediately, however, you can get new leads into your funnel.

It is important to understand that B2B businesses have a smaller customer base and the sales require a longer sales cycle. Customers of B2B enterprises need much more support, information, and trust before they decide to buy anything. That’s why businesses can use social media channels to educate their potential customers. Information about your products plays a key role in B2B customers’ decision making.

Creating compelling content for multiple channels will help your business website to get more traffic. The increase in quality leads is more likely to appear as well. If you want to attract the right customers to your website, you need to make sure you use social media to establish your brand trust.

Of course, the success of each platform is different and for B2B business the more effective lead generator has proven to be LinkedIn. This platform is mostly used by businesses and professionals in different industries, that’s why it gives you a great opportunity to get the right audience for your business. You can use LinkedIn to target your potential customers and improve brand awareness online. Also, your business’s LinkedIn profile can become a source of useful information about the products and services you offer.

What are some other benefits of using social media for B2B?

B2B businesses can also use user-generated content, even though it is not as common for B2B as for B2C. Still, there is a way B2B businesses can use this type of content as well. For example, consumers can use branded hashtags to share their reviews and thoughts on your products and get some perks from the company. This will help others to show that your products are of good quality and how the company interacts with its customers, which will drive more interest from potential clients.

There are so many channels you can use for your B2B business. LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook have proven to be the most effective, as B2B buyers reports show that more than half of buyers turn to social media while making their buying decision. Your business should not miss out on the opportunities social media has to offer!

B2B businesses need to see the potential and understand the key role of social media in their long-term success so that they can use it to build brand awareness and a good community of brand advocates. It will help to create effective marketing campaigns and increase sales.

Innovative and revolutionary digital marketing trends set the pace for the digital marketing industry. Don’t make the mistake of falling behind! Contact WSI Digital Path today and trust your social media marketing to the industry’s leading professionals.