Using B2B Social Media Marketing To Build Your Brand

There are several ways to leverage B2B social media marketing. As one of the most well known social media venues, YouTube allows users to post videos and even have a company channel. A distributor can create custom presentations and set them to music, do a quick video demonstration of a new product or service, or even introduce new sales representatives to all of their subscribers or viewers.

Sharing manufacturer videos is an easy and professional way to establish a presence online. However, distributors should obtain permission from the appropriate groups when broadcasting manufacturer brands or likeness.

In order to expand B2B social media marketing through Facebook, social media coordinators and distributor sales reps should “Like” companies and organizations, such as their vendors’ pages, company pages, non-profit organizations, and customers’ and prospects’ pages.

It is expected that Facebook users will share fun things on both their own profile page and on their company’s Facebook page, but employees must use or change their privacy controls to target posts to appropriate audiences.

For example, a sales rep’s “Girls Night Out” should be screened from industry peers. It is fine to post an occasional family photo and to provide positive feedback to client “friends” that also do so. After all, the jan/san industry is a relationship business and we strengthen our relationships when we can engage and relate to people on many levels.

Company pages can feature posts such as customer events they are helping with or attending, with (approved) photos of customer staff members. Personal profile pages can do the same thing. The social media coordinator can also “share” his or her company’s and manufacturer’s YouTube clips.

However, one of the reasons a distributor develops and plans a social media team is so that it can help execute a marketing agenda. The distributor’s company page should post information about upcoming company events, current product spiffs, or recent personnel promotions. Members of the social media team should then share that post to increase the reach of the message.