Standing out from the crowd is hard, and it can be even harder on social media. But for B2B, it’s become essential. In 2021, social media became the top channel used in marketing, surpassing websites, with Facebook coming out as the top channel for garnering ROI.
Most B2B companies have understood this by now, with 89% of B2B content marketers using social media to distribute their content. But being on social media is one thing, doing it right is another. Simply posting a link to your landing page isn’t enough. You need to garner people’s attention and make them want to read your posts and share your content. Treat social media like you would any other channel. It needs time, energy, and, most of all, creativity.
Not sure where to start? Here are six ideas to add to your B2B social media campaign
1. Interactive content
If you want people to engage with your content on social media, make it interactive by adding polls, quizzes, or questions that people can respond to in the comments. People are more likely to engage with your content if you give them a reason to do so. There’s a reason pub quizzes are so popular: we love competition and being right. Harness this on your socials and watch your engagement grow.
Looking for inspiration? Check out this recent post by Hootsuite. They ask a broad audience of small business owners a question that most will be able to respond to. It’s also a topic likely to get people interacting with each other in the comments as well. This post is simple, getting people to interact doesn’t have to be overcomplicated.
2. Videos
TikTok is proof of video’s power; people love watching fun content online. But this also stretches to other platforms, with tweets containing videos getting 10x more engagements than tweets without. Today it’s easier than ever for businesses to jump on the video trend, even without editing skills, with tools like Canva meaning you don’t have to spend hours creating a campaign-ready video.
Looking for inspiration? If you’re already quite social media savvy, don’t be afraid to jump on popular trends. In 2019 Shutterstock created a series of videos, all hitting on trending topics at the time to advertise their own footage. The tongue-in-cheek videos parodied videos parodied Stranger Things and Fyre Festival to showcase the high quality of their stock footage.
3. Share your knowledge
Don’t underestimate the power of helpful content! By sharing resources that answer FAQs or make users’ lives easier, you offer something useful to people rather than just a link to your homepage. If people are consistently asking or searching for something, and you can provide the answer, then do it!
Looking for inspiration? Hubspot created a LinkedIn account dedicated entirely to their academy with free online courses, which now sits at nearly 125,000 followers. If you can offer free expertise, people won’t hesitate to snap it up.
4. Behind the scenes
Everyone is on socials now, simply being there isn’t enough to stand out. One way to make your business recognisable is to personalise it. Showing off your team lets people get to know you and helps them feel like they know you. If they can see who’s behind the scenes, they’re more likely to trust you.
Looking for inspiration? Consider social media takeovers with your team. This means pretty much what it says on the tin, a team member gets control of a company social account and shares insights on their day at work, commute, interact with interesting content and more. This is something we’ve recently started here at Isoline. Check out the latest from one of our Account Directors, Claire. From that one week of takeover, we saw the same amount of engagement and impressions as we did for the entirety of the previous month!
5. Share trusted sources
This really is the ultimate B2B social media life hack. You might initially be hesitant to share other sources. Surely it looks like you can’t create your own content? Wrong! When mixed in with other posts, sharing trusted sources that people recognise can make them trust you more. It can also relieve some pressure on your team to create new content. Keep a note of cool things you come across so that you have items ready to share when you need them
Looking for inspiration? In this post by Mailchimp, they kill two birds with one stone. They share an interesting podcast in which the guest is their Senior Director of Partnerships, thereby promoting others whilst they also promote themselves.
Up your social media game
Your social media campaign should reflect how you want to be seen. But don’t be afraid to go a little outside of your comfort zone. Hit two birds with one stone – find new ways to present your content whilst improving your social media and engagement. Who knows? Before you know it, you could be going viral.
Can’t tell your Instagram reels from your Twitter Spaces? Not to worry! We’re here to help outline the perfect social media strategy for you. Get in touch at hello@isolinecomms.com
