The most popular social media platforms for B2B PR are probably LinkedIn and Twitter. But a narrow B2B social focus would leave out at least one incredibly powerful social channel: Instagram.
Instagram has over 1 billion users, making it one of the most popular social media platforms. That’s right, over 1 billion people sharing photos of their families, pets, misspelled names on coffee cups, and more. The platform has made photo sharing easier than ever. While Instagram is considered an important part of a B2C social media plan, it can also play a role in a B2B social media plan.
Here are some ways Instagram can help enhance your B2B organization’s storytelling.
Bragging about your media presence
This one’s easy. PR people love to brag. Did you spend weeks writing a huge Wall Street Journal article about a new product launch and just wanted everyone to see it? Use Instagram to showcase this success. Why not take a screenshot of some quotes in the article and share them? At Crenshaw, we love all the results and are showcasing them to our Instagram followers. Our client, dynamic pricing company ActiveViam, commented in MarketWatch on how J.Crew’s bankruptcy filing will impact retail. While we can’t show you the actual technology, we can give you a glimpse into their thinking on the category.
Use images to showcase your products
Many of our B2B client companies don’t offer tangible products, and it can obviously be difficult to showcase a service company in an Instagram post. Take Slack, for example. Their Instagram is a showcase for Slack itself, and their posts are as fun as they are on brand. A recent post featured a short animated video about a new product update for Slack’s mobile apps. Even something as mundane as a product update can take on new life with an animated video.
Let your team’s personality shine
Compared to LinkedIn, which has a more professional feel, Instagram has a more relaxed and fun vibe. People want to see the people behind the brands you feature. Consider spotlighting key employees on your site on a weekly or monthly basis. Be sure to document company outings, too. Our client, DoubleVerify, did a great job posting updates about how their team is staying connected while working from home. They recently posted a two-second screenshot of their marketing team toasting their new website over their morning coffee break. Nothing personalizes a brand more than employee expression. Promote your case studies and white papers
B2B companies rely on creating content that generates new business leads. White papers and case studies are effective tools for this, some of which can also be shared on social media. If your company has a graphic design team, work with them to extract key header sections from your working documents and publish them. Including a link where followers can download the full report will hopefully lead to more business leads.
Tell your customer story
Like other platforms, Instagram makes great use of hashtags. If you’re a B2B company targeting startups and other early-stage companies, there are plenty of ways to use Instagram Stories to tell your story about #entrepreneurship. In fact, Stories are especially well-suited for behind-the-scenes videos, customer interviews, and special announcements that will interest heavy users of your business’ products and services. Shopify does this particularly well, using the hashtag #supportingindependents to tell the stories of the independent businesses their e-commerce platform supports in a series of videos. This is still inspiring content for their startup customers.
Don’t forget about influencers
Today, there’s an influencer for every topic. Another collaboration idea is to work with influencers to create relevant posts. Before COVID-19, American Express used the power of influencers, from Shaquille O’Neal to micro-influencers, to promote their Amex Platinum Card through a campaign called #AmexAmbassadors. Platinum influencers showcase the high-quality travel, products, and perks that customers can enjoy with the card. The brand has adapted to the pandemic by showcasing offers and discounts, but the premium vibe remains the same.
Instagram is a powerful social media platform that receives love from every business, both B2C and B2B. If your business doesn’t think Instagram is the right platform for you, there are plenty of reasons to change your mind.
