Using Social Media for Complex Industries: 4 Foundational Tips
Learn four tips to help you effectively leverage social media for your B2B marketing program.
Social media is an essential tool in the B2B marketer’s toolkit, but is it being used correctly? The social media landscape moves fast, having blurred the lines between personal and professional lives. It’s not easy for B2B marketing to find its place in a sea of memes, dance videos and viral trends. To successfully market inside your complex B2B industry while navigating the waters of social media, keep your eye on these four tips:
1. Define Your Platforms.
Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube … the list goes on and on with social media platforms, especially as new ones emerge. However, just because all of these platforms exist doesn’t mean that your brand has to be present on each and every one of them. Evaluate the landscape of each platform and consider how it could enhance other marketing efforts. If it doesn’t align, that’s okay. There are other options out there that could fit.
2. Use Best Practices.
For the chosen social media platforms, ensure that best practices are being followed. If vertical video is being used, begin filming content vertically. Does this platform favor shorter copy? Tighten up that character count. Stay in the know on platform updates and new features that can be incorporated into your content calendar. Not only is this good for engagement within that platform, it can also help you keep your brand sharp and contemporary.
3. Find Your Audience.
Social media users have increased worldwide over the last decade. With so many people out there on social media, how do you connect with the people who are relevant to your industry? Hashtags are a great way to find and connect with niche audiences, using keywords for topics related to your space. Platforms like Instagram and LinkedIn allow users to follow these hashtags, which puts these posts or conversations in their news feed, even if they aren’t following that company page or account.
4. Be Personal.
The world of social media doesn’t observe the boundaries between B2B and B2C. Users are users, and they’ll experience the same feed from their couch as they do from their desk. The lines are blurred, so be sure to keep this in mind when developing content. These platforms were created to facilitate conversations, so use every post as an opportunity to not only market to those in complex B2B industries, but to also connect and engage with them.
As your B2B brand navigates the choppy waters of social media, there’s one good way to make sure you’re moving in the right direction: Keep it simple. There’s a lot of information for users to digest each day, but by selecting your platforms, finding your audience and creating personal content that fits in with the platforms, you’ll build a strong foundation for social media success.
Learn more in our Marketing to Complex Industries podcast episode, "Let’s Talk Social Media: It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint." Listen in as Emily talks with VP, Creative Scott Trobaugh about the latest B2B social media trends and what B2B marketers can expect in the future.
Emily Sponaugle - Social Media Director
A graduate of The Pennsylvania State University, Emily discovered her passion for social media while working in public relations. Now, as social media director at Godfrey, Emily works to execute our clients’ social media programs and develops and implements strategies on their behalf.
