Here are some brief stats to illustrate how crucial social media is for both B2C and B2B companies:
87% of B2B companies considered social media to be a very successful component of their marketing mix, according to a survey by MyCustomer.com.
In a poll of 115 content marketing professionals working in B2B jobs, it was discovered that 79% of respondents thought social media to be the most successful marketing medium, with 38% saying they would spend more money on social media content if they had more money for the coming year.
Nine out of ten B2B companies use LinkedIn, making it the most popular social network for B2B marketing (if your B2B firm isn’t using LinkedIn, your rivals and clients almost likely are!)
Why then do so many B2B professionals consider social media to be one of the most efficient marketing mediums, and why is it so important?
Social media is important for B2B organizations for a number of reasons:
In terms of networking, it is widely used and ingrained in the workweeks of most professionals. If your rivals are on social media, then it is likely that your clients are as well. An effective content marketing plan that stands out from the competition, along with a strong social media presence, can position your company favourably in the eyes of clients and B2B social media users.
Another crucial indicator we track on Elevate is content, but we’ll go into more depth about it in another piece. One of the finest methods to share such articles, white papers, and blog posts and to increase website traffic is through social media networks. These kinds of efficient social media communications can bring potential customers to your website, which may be the first step in getting them into your marketing funnel.
It makes sense to use social networks to more extensively disseminate such material since for business people, the confidence created by high-quality content may frequently be a crucial component in making a purchasing choice.
As much as a website trip or, dare we say it, even a meeting in an office, your social media presence produces an immersing essence of “who you are” and “what you stand for” about a business. As a result, the tone and substance of each social media post may effectively contribute to your company’s branding, which refers to how you want B2B buyers, potential B2B consumers, talent, and investors to perceive your organization. A company’s reputation as a thought-leader in its industry may be built and maintained with the aid of a strong social media presence and thoughtful, focused, and pertinent content marketing strategy. This can be a very powerful B2B marketing tool.
Employee advocacy is one beneficial outcome of this if your business is known to be a fantastic place to work and is adept at sharing employee experiences on social media, it will be simpler to draw top talent to the organization. Since it’s preferable to work with individuals you know to be passionate about their professions, employee advocacy may also be a compelling element for business people when making a purchasing decision.
One of the most dynamic features of social media is that, regardless of your degree of engagement, customers may instantly and openly inform you when anything goes wrong with one of your goods or services. By using social media as a tool for customers to immediately contact and interact with the company in the case of a crisis, the business has the opportunity to take control of the issue, demonstrate the effectiveness and caliber of its customer care, and reduce reputational risk. Social media should be kept open and placed at the center of your PR, IR, and customer service functions since it is often the preferred channel for client assistance.
Even though every business, whether a B2B firm or a B2C company, should clearly try to prevent difficulties, it’s a huge advantage when a buyer sees how smoothly and rapidly a company deals with concerns through social media. Stronger client ties are forged thanks to good service and efficient issue solving.
Being high in search engine results is highly advantageous for business and a vital factor in its success, as we know from Elevate. Third party links, mentions, and demonstrating interest in a company’s content are all good for SEO. Again, since SEO is one of Elevate’s key criteria for how a business performs online, we’ll examine it in a separate piece. A firm may easily actively monitor, influence, and update many of the factors that go into high-quality SEO and maintain a position in the correct search engine results via social media.