-1.svg)
When we talk about social media, the common perception is that this form of marketing is better suited to B2C businesses, i.e., organizations that create products for individual consumers. However, with a massive 4.65 billion people on social platforms worldwide in April 2022, as reported by Kepios, an advisory firm, this channel is paramount for both B2C and B2B businesses, i.e., companies targeting other firms for their products.
The Future of B2B Sales. According to Gartner data, by 2025, digital channels will drive 80% of B2B sales interactions.
This signifies that social media platforms are today an essential bandwagon that connects businesses to businesses as much as they link them to end customers.
It also opens a wide range of opportunities for buyers and end users of B2B brands to interact with and become familiar with their offerings. Therefore, having a multi-dimensional presence and developing a social media campaign to target these customers is essential, as business clients need more convincing to understand the integration capabilities and the rate of return.
So, what is the best way to use social media for B2B marketing?
As business-targeted products come at a heftier price point, they require more information and persuasiveness during the sales cycle. Therefore, it becomes crucial for businesses to become vigilant and avoid frequent social media marketing mistakes.
Below are listed 4 common social media marketing mistakes that every marketer must avoid.
- Creating one content strategy for all social media pages: Many enterprises overlook the fact that each social media page—Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.—requires a distinct content strategy. Fuelling similar content across all channels is a narrow view and a red flag in B2B social media marketing campaigns, as it neglects the diverse target audiences on each platform. For instance, YouTube is an excellent way to optimize by publishing product details, reviews, customer testimonials, and highlighting product features. Alternatively, the audience that may see the campaign on LinkedIn will presumably be from an active user community and be aware of the company and its products. Thus, using the networking website to showcase the technical information will work well with its audience. Poll questions are another way to generate engagement on LinkedIn.
Employing the skills of both marketing teams and internal subject-matter experts is an effective way to build a robust content strategy. Repurposing content is another approach to securing synergy between platforms. According to Statista, B2B firms are recognizing the importance of content marketing and plan to increase spending by 46% over the next 12 months.
- Not being observant and making tweaks: Creating content for a social campaign is half the battle won. The real deal starts after it goes live. This is when digital marketers must be cognizant of what is being said, assess its impact online, and make the necessary tweaks. Furthermore, another common social media marketing mistake at this stage is giving up on a campaign early if it does not perform as expected. But give it time while remaining vigilant so it gains traction. Pulling it off may result in a potential campaign not performing as well as it could. So, wait and also make alterations to attract attention.
Alternatively, create engaging content and creatives for the audience to interact with and, if they do, respond promptly. This two-way communication strengthens relationships and emphasizes your brand personality. Don’t only focus on sales through the campaign. Follow the rule of 80% informational content and 20% promotional. For instance, if your campaign focuses on a newly launched automation product, use that product's benefits to their business and cost reductions as your conversation driver.
- Not investing in influencer marketing: Influencer marketing has been an essential part of marketing strategies over the years. We have seen it grow over the last five years, and it is expected to continue to grow. As a B2B brand, finding the right digital influencers can improve your online presence by connecting your company to their passionate followings and thereby extending the campaign’s reach. The influencers also play a pivotal role in boosting the brand's social media presence and building its inventory.
- Measuring the false metrics: The most suitable way to determine the success of your social campaign is through data analytics. Therefore, establishing and monitoring KPIs is a practical way to determine whether your strategy is effective. But measuring the wrong metrics will take the campaign down. For instance, increasing followers is a positive sign, but it does not indicate excellent performance. Hence, preserve the current ones and continue to add new ones. Another vital aspect is assessing clicks to review whether the post performs well. Furthermore, evaluate if the website’s traffic is driven by social posts. If so, delve deep to know which platform is working well and examine the kinds of posts that are gaining traction.
If the campaign is sales-driven, analyzing conversations and referrals becomes necessary. But if the emphasis is on increasing brand awareness, impressions, and reach are the metrics to focus on. With this data, you can dedicate your resources and optimize the social campaign. In summary, social media offers B2B firms an opportunity to highlight products, showcase differentiators, and position the company as a thought leader.
Therefore, it is essential to understand the campaign’s objective, target audience, and expected outcome when leveraging multiple platforms to avoid common social media marketing mistakes.
ROI Impact: According to HubSpot, adding each additional social channel to the social media marketing plan can increase ROI and effectiveness by 35%.
It also gives you eyeballs and increases brand awareness by opening a window of interaction between the end customer and the organization beyond traditional sales channels.
But be watchful of the errors mentioned above and avoid being tempted to purchase fake followers. They may make your campaign trend, but if reported, it will have a massive impact on your reputation and lead to account closure.
Additionally, review your posts and creatives; a skip can lead to embarrassing typos, and a broken link to the landing page will be a missed sales opportunity. So, stay attentive and be careful to avoid making mistakes.