Social media has been used by businesses to drive awareness and increase sales since the 1990s.. The evolution of social channels over the years has been drastic and how people use each individual platform has adapted over time as well.
With the relatively recent addition of the ability to shop on Instagram, Tik Tok, Facebook, Pinterest and more it may feel as though B2C would be the key accounts to see success on social media. However, you may be surprised to know that social media can be equally as effective for B2B companies as well, but only if they have the right strategy in place.
Here are our top four reasons why B2B should utilize social media:
1. Potential clients + partners are on social media
While a B2B company may not sell physical products that can be easily showcased, you still have a target audience that is active on social media. Clients, and partners alike, use social media to connect with brands; furthermore, to get a sneak peek into what a business stands for. Social media is an opportunity to express your values, promote your social responsibility, make connections with clients, and showcase your capabilities.
Social also serves as a business tool in the aspect that you can cross-collaborate with your business partners to drive awareness and develop meaningful relationships.
According to this B2B Social Media Marketing Research by Omobono, in a survey of 115 marketing specialists in B2B roles, Omobono found that 79% rated social media as the most effective marketing channel, with 38% noting that if they had extra budget for next year, they would spend it on social media.
2. You can build a personable brand that interacts directly with your consumers
As previously mentioned, social media provides businesses the opportunity to communicate directly with their consumers and partners. This means that your team can provide support to those who may have questions or issues and want to feel heard.
Having customer support readily available via social media allows consumers to immediately and directly interact with someone they know is going to help solve their problems and deepen their appreciation for the brand. This is just one of many reasons why companies should use social media to enhance the customer experience and support other areas of their business.
According to Richard Branson, social platforms are no longer add-ons to a business’s communication budget; they should be central to its marketing strategy, and used in coordination with other marketing efforts.
3. A social account drives awareness and sales
Social media gives your brand a voice; it has the power to set you up as a thought leader in your niche. Sharing your ideas and motivating your audience leads to new connections and partnerships.
It also leads to reaching a new audience altogether. Social media is one of the easiest ways to spread and create brand awareness. Which in return, also promotes sales. How, you may ask? Social can be used to identify prospects by tapping into platform data revealing users who have previously shown interest in what your company provides.
Another perk of social being how you utilize channels also allows you the flexibility to position your company; this tool should be used as leverage to develop your strategy based on each specific audience.
According to a Hootsuite study, 90% of brands want to build brand awareness through social media. 77% of them use it to maintain brand reputation, while 71% of them use it for building and managing an engaged community.
4. Social media can be used to drive traffic to your website
Another key reason why B2B companies should be active on social media is to encourage traffic to your website. Social profiles are used as a way to authenticate a business for some consumers so having a complete profile can be an encouraging factor to push a consumer to your website.
The strategy you implement here is significant as well because in order to maximize traffic, the content you push will occasionally need to correlate directly with your site. Some examples of this being sharing your newsletter or blog post and linking back to your website.
87% of marketers say a benefit of SocialMedia is to increase web traffic, according to Social Media Examiner via Content Marketing Institute.
So there you have it….
Is social media a relevant form of marketing and communication for B2B companies? Simply put, yes. The consumer reach and digital presence that is built for your business through social media makes this decision a no brainer.
Interested in building out a social media strategy for your B2B? We can help with that.
