If you have been wondering how to get started with b2b social media marketing strategies, you may already have some idea of how b2b differs from b2c.
Perfecting Your B2B Social Media Strategies
Unlike consumer-focused strategies, business-focused strategies require an approach that is often more subtle. Trying to target b2b leads with a generic strategy seldom gets you anywhere. Instead, you need to ensure that your b2b social media strategies are aligned right from the very start.
Get your b2b social media strategies in line with these simple yet effective steps.
Step 1: Define your objectives
Before you do anything else, you need to set clear objectives. What are you hoping to achieve with your social media campaigns? What are your primary goals – increased traffic, lead generation, reputation building, awareness, brand positioning or a combination of all of these? Once you have defined your objectives, it will be easier to know how to proceed.
Step 2: Define your audience
While you cannot fully control who follows you, you can position your content to your ideal audience through sponsored posts, targeted content and other strategies. Knowing your audience for each channel that you integrate into your broader strategy will make it easier to craft the type of content that appeals to your core target groups.
Step 3: Define your metrics
How will you measure growth? Will you focus on shares, likes, comments or followers? Focusing on followers alone is not always ideal, but focusing on a combination of factors that allow you to see the bigger picture will give you a far more realistic idea of whether your campaigns are hitting their mark or not.
Step 4: Define your content
Finally, it is always useful to have a plan in mind when it comes to social media content. This is where your social media strategy really begins to come in useful. Each channel requires a highly targeted content plan that is geared towards that specific channel. For example, your YouTube strategy may look very different to your Twitter or LinkedIn or Facebook strategy. Knowing what type of content to use for each channel is vital to your success.
These steps should make it a lot easier to begin crafting b2b social media strategies that are designed to help you grow your business online in a way that delivers results.