Social media content creation and activity is not limited to B2C (Business to Consumer) companies as many think. More and more companies are researching the best social networks for B2B (Business to Business) marketing and investing in this field.
According to a report published by Social Media Examiner, 93% of respondents said that their social media activities have increased their brand awareness. Following the list, increased traffic, lead generation, and increased sales were also important points observed.
To have a successful social media strategy, you need to know which one is right for your business. Each one has its own characteristics and targets different groups. Therefore, being featured in everything may not be as effective as you think. In these cases, it is worth seeking the help of a B2B digital marketing agency.
Focusing on the medium and the ideal strategy may give you better results. If you want to know which are the best social networks for B2B marketing, read on. Why choose social media for B2B marketing? Searching for content on social media is part of many people’s activities. You’ve probably seen people checking their phone while walking, at an event, at work, or with friends. In fact, we spend more and more time on our smartphones, about 3.5 hours per day according to Hootsuite and We Are Social.
This tells us that the better the content strategy you have available, the more awareness your brand will have. It can also be observed that potential customers tend to give preference to companies with which they have good relationships on the Internet. In other words, negative reactions to comments on posts may not be well received.
According to a survey conducted by the Content Marketing Institute, 87% of professionals use social networks for B2B marketing in their daily work. In other words, relying on this medium can be a consistent and effective strategy for business success.
Moreover, strategies developed for social media can be very effective for brand positioning and also lead to conversion campaigns. Now that we know why it is important to invest in social networks for B2B marketing, let’s take a look at the most powerful social networks for this type of communication.
LinkedIn
LinkedIn is a very popular social networking platform among B2B users and is the most used in this field. The social network allows professionals to network, share their experiences and content, and engage with the general public.
According to a report published by CMI, 95% of B2B companies use LinkedIn for content marketing. With over 575 million users currently on the platform, this can be a very effective way to make a positive impact on your business. Selling to a B2B audience is harder than B2C as most of the stakeholders are decision makers. However, LinkedIn can be an efficient way to generate sales as B2B audiences are looking for opportunities that have the potential to be game changers.
LinkedIn not only makes it easy to connect with your B2B audience but also allows you to engage with knowledgeable experts in your field. This way, you can share your content and get relevant opinions on the topic.
From this, we have concluded that LinkedIn is one of the most effective social networks for converting leads in B2B marketing. In this social network, users are very interested in interacting with the proposed content.
YouTube
With more than 2 billion active users, YouTube is one of the most popular social networks on the Internet today. Many experts still wonder whether social networks also work in B2B. The answer to this question is yes.
When introducing a brand, several aspects are taken into account: B. Brand awareness. The brand is recognized in the market. YouTube is a very efficient platform for this.
Contrary to what many believe, potential B2B customers also join the platform and watch the various videos available. Social networks now offer relevant content for all target groups.
ContaAzul, a financial services software company, redesigned its entire strategy to explore the benefits of investing in video. The results couldn’t have been better: its first video achieved a 79.3% ad recall and a 38.5% increase in brand awareness.
The company used bumper ads, a YouTube video ad format up to 5 seconds long with no skip option. This format is short-term, making it more cost-effective than other formats and ideal for businesses that want to focus on brand building.
This means that YouTube is one of the social networks for B2B marketing that can effectively increase your market awareness and generate sales opportunities.
Instagram
You can’t talk about social media in B2B marketing without mentioning Instagram. This social network currently has more than 1 billion active users, which is three times more than Twitter. It’s a platform that allows you to create content in various formats, so it can be integrated very efficiently into any company’s B2B marketing strategy.
Instagram’s content categories are interestingly diverse and can generate audience engagement, such as:
Post unique photos, carousels with up to 10 images and videos in your feed. A great opportunity to showcase your products or services in detail
Stories, which allow for more spontaneous communication with a focus on reality marketing (or reality marketing)
IGTV: allows you to publish videos longer than a minute and delve deeper into topics to increase audience engagement.
Reels, the ability to create very short and interactive videos
Live, where you can interact with your audience in real time and answer their questions
The ability to sell products through a store on Instagram and generate e-commerce traffic
Developing an Instagram B2B strategy can bring great results for your business. Being a visual storytelling platform, it allows you to tell your story using images and videos, which is very effective. Moreover, the social network is integrated with Facebook, so the segmentation process is the same for both. This results in more efficient results.
Facebook
Facebook has around 3 billion active users worldwide. Users from all over the world continue to use the social network for both entertainment and business purposes. In fact, there is a theme for every audience.
Posting options allow you to increase user engagement and are not as restrictive as other platforms, so you can explore in many different ways. With Facebook you can:
Create and promote events
Create text content with extensive character limits
Post photos, videos and GIFs
Create groups on different topics
Organize live performances
In addition to all these possibilities, you can also push posts and create digital marketing campaigns using Facebook Business tools. Here you can manage your ad accounts and pages in one place for free.
Facebook is great for targeting your audience based on demographics, gender, interests, etc. All this is tailored to your business needs. In addition, it makes it easier to reach your target audience, as you can interact directly with their profiles.
WhatsApp
WhatsApp has also become a very effective strategy for B2B marketing. This tool is increasingly developing as one of the social networks for B2B marketing with great potential for success. The messaging application’s wide scope makes it a powerful ally in sales and of great relevance for communication and marketing strategies. WhatsApp is widely used in B2C strategies because it makes communicating with customers easy and flexible, but it can also be very effective in B2B. The difference is in the approach everyone takes.
WhatsApp can be used for B2B marketing in a variety of situations, including sharing content related to your brand or your industry in general. Broadcast lists work just like old email: messages are forwarded to a private list, and only your brand and your customers can see the interaction. WhatsApp also allows for transactions: according to a study by Google and BCG, two-thirds of purchases made in corporate environments were digitally influenced.
Another feature that can be very effective for a B2B strategy is using the application as a real-time communication hub. If structured properly, it can be a competitive advantage to enable immediate and closer service. You can also use WhatsApp Business to generate automated responses so that your customers don’t have to wait. TikTok
TikTok is a social network focused on fun and entertainment, but it is also possible to find a place for B2B on the network.
The most popular social network among young audiences has great potential for companies that want to expand their brand distribution. It is not often taken into account in corporate strategies, so it could be a great opportunity to increase brand awareness and innovate the concept of corporate communication.
Moreover, due to its emphasis on the human touch in relationships with customers, TikTok could be a support tool for success. Companies that want to improve their market positioning strategy can find TikTok as an ideal platform to offer users a differentiated experience. The best social network for B2B marketing is where your audience is
Choosing social media for B2B marketing brings several key elements to your business’ success. In other words, you need to know how to find out where your audience is and invest your resources in more aggressive campaigns. Wasting time and money on the unknown is not productive.
You also need to know how to develop strategic content on the right platforms. Every social network has its special characteristics. To achieve good results, it is important to know each one and work towards the ideal content.
