“You can buy attention (advertising). You can beg for attention from the media (PR). You can bug people one at a time to get attention (sales). Or you can earn attention by creating something interesting and valuable and then publishing it online for free.” – David Meerman Scott

Social media marketing has always been a B2C orientated strategy. The main reason being that the B2C market is enormous, and with the help of social networks, you can reach a significant portion of them. On the other hand, B2B companies don’t see much potential in the strategy and have decided to stay a few steps away from it.

However, this trend has seen a massive shift! Since LinkedIn emerged into the world as a platform for all professional and corporate users, it has been labelled as a place where buyers meet sellers. B2B marketplaces have benefited a lot from this social platform. But that’s only the tip of the iceberg!

With digital marketing beating traditional techniques in all aspects of the war, we can say that any online B2B marketplace can focus on social media marketing to generate potential leads and gain an online presence. However, since B2B companies aren’t familiar with how to initiate their approach to becoming socially active, we have compiled a list of six essential tips.

Post content at the right place and right time

Your timing and choice of a social platform play a vital role in its performance. Even if you have to most engaging content in your hands, failure to use it adequately can lead it to go down the line as another unnoticed post.

By place, we mean the right social platform for your content. For example, if you wish to post images of your latest summer collection of clothes for men, then the best place can either be Instagram or Pinterest. On the other hand, if you plan to share your experience as a digital marketing expert, it’d be better to publish the content on LinkedIn.

Wondering where Facebook stands? Facebook is an all-round platform perfect for all types of content. However, even this network has observed ups and downs with the timing of your publications. According to HubSpot, the best time to post on Facebook for the highest click-through rate is, 1-4 p.m.

Note: Time and place may differ according to your target market. Therefore, research is necessary before initiating any campaign.

Connect with your potential customers

Social media marketing is a great way to connect and build a relationship with your target audience. By following them on social platforms, you’ll be able to evaluate their interests and type of content they absorb. Keep a close eye on your news-feed and analyse all the activity your potential prospects reveal.

In addition, when you follow someone, there are strong chances that they’ll follow you back. After that, all you have to do is maintain a healthy profile by posting engaging content to entertain your followers. Once you have their attention, even a small sales pitch can convert them into potential customers.

Be unique

If you are planning to sell the same old product that other B2B marketplaces are selling and promoting on social media, I’m afraid it might not work out for you all the time. In order to edge past your competitors, you need to focus on promoting a unique quality of your product that makes it stand out.

On the other hand, you always have another way out by introducing a new product. With the help of social media, B2B portals can research and analyse what users are looking for. You can join many groups where users simply discuss about the latest products. You can also get involved in the conversation to understand what you need to produce next.

Become an influencer

Some of the most influential people rose to fame with the help of high-quality content published on various social media channels. You could also choose that path! With informative content, you can become a market leader and stay at the top. When you are done with that, you can always maintain a soft corner for your B2B organisation by posting content to promote it in the most non-commercial manner.

Once you become an influencer, people will look up to you and trust you. You can use this relation in your favour by attracting your followers to start doing business with you.

Paid advertisement

I was saving this for later, but now is a good time! All social networks allow B2B marketers to run paid ads on their platforms. Wonder if they are useful? Of course, they are! In fact, paid ads are the most effective way to attract potential customers to click-through.

The only problem with running a paid campaign is that it isn’t free. Many small businesses or startups may not have the budget to go with this expenditure. If you do, there is no holding back!

However, one factor that all B2B social media marketers need to understand is that not all paid content will perform well. It strongly depends on your product, the quality of your content and the social platform you choose to spend on.

Take your time and plan accordingly. If you ever feel lost, you can always use A/B testing techniques to test if your campaign has enough potential to perform well.

Evaluate your performance

Last, but not least, the most important tip that every B2B social media marketer needs to follow is, analysing the performance of every post. If the numbers that come up aren’t pleasing, you are probably doing something wrong. A smart move then would be to regroup and come back stronger with another approach. However, this time with better planning!

Wondering what will happen if you don’t evaluate your performance and merely focus on posting new content? You’ll end up with a poor reputation for being unprofessional. And that’s the last thing you’d wish for on social media. There are several analytic tools and metrics you can use to create a monthly or quarterly report on your performance. – A great way to make your next step worthwhile!

Wrap up

It’s true that digital marketing has taken over traditional techniques, but what are you doing to support this statement? If nothing, we’ve just provided you with an easy-to-follow road-map. Use these B2B social media marketing tips to become a well-known organisation online.