The best B2B social media practices for generating leads

To see actual results and drive sales, you need to strategically plan your marketing strategy – here are the best B2B social media practices to help you generate leads

CREDIT: This is an edited version of an article that originally appeared on Ron Sela

Your social media marketing strategy must include an assessment of your current social media presence, your target audience, and the objectives you want to achieve. You can create a plan for how you will use social media to reach those goals.

Here are the most effective practices for social media marketing:

Set goals consistent with business objectives

Social media, done right, can and should be a key part of your business strategy, not an afterthought. Your business objectives should drive your social media goals, which should, in turn, inform your content strategy.

Monitor your competition

While it’s strategic to see what other companies in your industry are doing on social media, you don’t want to copy them. What should you look for when you’re monitoring your competition:

• The content they’re posting: Is it mainly blog posts, infographics, or something else?
• How often they’re posting: Are they posting once a day or more?
• The engagement they’re getting: Do people like, share, and comment on their posts?
• The tone of their posts: Are they serious or light-hearted? Professional or informal?

Share original high-quality content

The best social media practice for B2B companies is creating original, high-quality, and optimised content.

Here are three simple tips to help you get started:

• Write like a human, not a corporation. No one wants to read marketing speak or jargon-filled messages. Write like you would speak to a friend, using language that is easy to understand.
• Focus on quality over quantity. It’s better to have a few truly great content creation pieces than a ton of mediocre materials. Invest the time and resources necessary to create something that your audience will really love.
• Be original. With so much noise on social media, it’s essential to stand out from the crowd. Don’t be afraid to be different – chances are, your unique approach is exactly what will capture people’s attention.

Take advantage of multimedia

By using a combination of text, images, and video, businesses can create truly engaging content that grabs the attention of their target audiences. Businesses that use multimedia are seen as more modern and forward-thinking, which can go a long way in building trust.

Multimedia content is also more likely to be shared by users, which can help to increase brand awareness and reach.

Feature your employees

People connect with other people, not businesses. When you highlight employees in social media content, it humanises your brand and makes it more relatable. By featuring your own employees, you’re making your brand more approachable and likeable.

It also helps build trust. Prospects are more likely to do business with a company they feel they can trust, and seeing real people behind the scenes can help build that trust. If prospects see that your employees are happy and engaged, it’ll give them more confidence in doing business with you.

Be consistent

Being consistent on social media is key to success. But what does being consistent on social media mean?

To Ron Sela, it means:

• Being authentic, transparent, and vulnerable
• Showing up as yourself, not some persona or idealised version of yourself
• Being upfront about your successes and failures
• Being consistent with the frequency and quality of your content

If you commit one post a day, make sure you do it. And make sure that each piece of content is something that your audience will find value in.

Engage

First off, it’s important to realise that social media is a two-way street. You need to focus on creating content that will interest your future customers – from blog posts and infographics to helpful tips and tricks. The key is to provide value rather than just trying to sell something.

One more thing to remember is that social media is all about conversations. Don’t be afraid to reach out and start discussions with other users. Ask questions, give opinions, and generally just get involved in the conversation. It will help you build relationships with potential customers and give you a better understanding of the needs and concerns of your target audience.

Build brand voice and identity

Your brand voice is how you communicate with your audience, and it should be coherent across all channels. It should reflect your brand’s values and personality, and it should resonate to create a connection with your target audience.

On the other hand, your brand identity is the visual representation of your brand. It includes your logo, colour palette, and overall aesthetic. Together, your voice and identity work to create an overall impression of your brand in the minds of consumers.

Monitor and respond to mentions

To establish a successful social media presence, you need to actively monitor all of your channels for mentions of your brand. Any time someone mentions your company – whether it’s a positive review or a customer service issue – you need to be ready to respond.

Social media analytics

The most important social media metrics for B2B businesses include reach, leads, and website traffic.

Reach refers to the number of people who see your content. You can increase your reach by sharing your content on multiple social channels and by tagging relevant people and brands in your posts.

Leads refer to the number of people who click on your links and visit your website. You can increase the number of leads you generate by sharing valuable, relevant content that includes a call-to-action.

Website traffic refers to the number of people who visit your website after clicking on a link from social media. You can increase the amount of website traffic you generate by sharing compelling content that drives people to your site.

Tools

You need tools to manage all your social media accounts. A platform like Sprout Social can help you with tasks like scheduling posts, analysing your performance, and engagement.

How to ensure successful social media campaigns

A social media campaign is only as successful as its planning. The following are nine essential elements of great social campaigns.

• A clearly defined goal
• Thorough target audience research
• The perfect platform(s)
• Hashtag research
• Timing is everything
• Compelling visuals 
• A strong call to action 
• Measurable metrics 
• Consistent branding

These simple tips can help you create a social media marketing campaign that achieves your business goals.