MORE social media trends?
Yes, it’s true – we’re more than halfway through 2023, and social media continues to evolve. New features, new tactics, and new results are driving the ever-changing face of B2B social media strategy.
And it’s essential to keep up with these trends so your social presence can continue to nurture leads and thrive. Especially because, according to CMI, social media is still the most common channel used by B2B marketers for both organic and paid content distribution.
Don’t worry; we’ve got you. When it comes to evolving B2B content marketing trends, we’ve always got our ear to the ground, and social media is no exception.
So, from us to you, here are 6 B2B social media trends to watch:
1. Social media data drives business strategy – when it’s used correctly
Social media platforms are bountiful when it comes to data – and the C-suite know it. 93% of surveyed business leaders cite social media analytics as their primary source of business intelligence, and even more agree their business must continue investing in social media marketing to thrive.
Because of this, 80% of those surveyed plan to increase their social media budgets in the next three years. More than 40% plan to increase it by 50%+.
Yet almost 70% believe their company is underutilising social media analytics, and nearly half said the major roadblocks were limited access to tools and an inability to integrate these successfully. Others cited a need for more time or qualified team members.
Action:
So, there’s a skills gap, and even though business leaders are investing more money in social media strategy, they need the tools and expertise to follow through.
Using analytics in the best way is the key to enhancing your social media. To lead in this area for your company, it’s worth looking at how you can upskill your team, invest in social media expertise, and explore the latest tools – there’s a fair amount out there!
2. The latest tools, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, will play a critical role
We know that tools are essential to B2B social media success. But which ones?
Well, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) are certainly making a splash in this area. 87% of surveyed leaders expect to increase their investments in both technologies over the next three years.
Three-quarters of B2B content marketing leaders already use generative AI, or plan to use it in the next three years. Don’t worry; there is and will always be a need for human expertise, although there is a knowledge gap to overcome if B2B marketers are to master this emerging technology.
Action:
Maybe it’s time to start exploring these new innovative technologies to build your expertise. Check out the free trials, or read about the four AI content tools we tested to learn more.
3. LinkedIn is still number one – but challengers are on the rise
LinkedIn is still top of the B2B social platform leaderboard. 82% find the greatest success with LinkedIn, and 77% get their best organic results through the platform.
It’s an integral platform to the B2B world and should claim a significant portion of marketing spend. By analysing your audience analytics and post performance, you can optimise your content and assess how dedicated target audiences receive it. LinkedIn is also a valuable benchmarking resource to see what your competitors are doing or to gather inspiration.
But don’t underestimate other social media platforms – particularly TikTok. With a surprising 61% of B2B marketers now using the app, it’s worth dedicating time and attention to.
Action:
TikTok is an excellent vehicle to expand your reach and diversify your content. For example, why not try a how-to video or a product demonstration? Research shows that TikTok is 1.7 times more likely than other platforms to be used as a tool for product discovery.
Or you can engage with trending jokes or formats you wouldn’t usually explore – check out our TikTok feed for some quality B2B TikTok content inspo – I promise we are hilarious entertainers!
4. Individual thought leadership is crucial to build brand trust
It’s no longer enough for B2B brands to focus on drumbeat content for their home feed. At a time when 75% of potential buyers agree that thought leadership helps them shortlist vendors, and almost 50% say thought leadership influenced them to do business with a company, active, personalised engagements are critical.
While staying engaged, reactive, and responsive on your company’s homepage is essential, the reach doesn’t end there. Influencers reign supreme on social media, even in the B2B world, and individual personas are thus on the rise.
For everyone in your organisation, a regularly updated and tailored thought leader profile is a huge contribution to the overall appeal of your brand. Buyers seek authentic, tangible humans behind each interaction – and they want to know that they’re dealing with recognised experts.
Action:
Getting people engaged with social media presence is hard – we know. But with a little strategy and some incentivisation, you can build a strong presence for many of your employees. Have you tried an ambassador program? Here are three things to consider to make it successful.
5. Live events on social media are gaining traction
For 68% of B2B marketers, live events generate the most leads.
And there’s a reason for that. Beyond videos, live events build engagement with your target audience, develop your thought leadership presence, and garner some robust leads based on their pain points.
Take LinkedIn Live, for example. Brands that livestream their events on here get seven times more reactions and twenty-four times more comments than regular videos. When you can build gated registrations directly on a LinkedIn page, you can collect some high-quality leads to nurture in follow-up email campaigns.
Action: See if you can find a way to bring live events into your social media strategy. Leverage brand, publication, and influencer partnerships to expand the reach and build excitement. And dedicate time and resources to the build-up content to garner as many registrants as possible.
Stay updated on B2B social media – no matter how much it changes
Social media rapidly changes with the rise and fall of trending topics, the optimisation of algorithms, and the introduction of new features. Don’t let the latest pass you by – stay engaged with the latest B2B social media trends to ensure you can continue to optimise your strategy.
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If you’d like to find out more about how we can help you shape your B2B social media strategy, get in touch at hello@isolinecomms.com
