What Types of Content Boost Brands?

Yes, customers are on social media channels. This is such a large (and detrimental) misconception in B2B marketing. From C-suite to admin-level positions; from LinkedIn to Instagram; and from a business to personal use standpoint, buyers are on social channels all the time. In fact, 22.7 percent of internet users use social media for work-related networking and research, according to Hootsuite. 

When it comes to what channels to focus on first, consider the following, placing more emphasis on LinkedIn. (See Image 4)  

Image 4

Content Still Reigns 

As with email, without good content, social channels are ineffective. For B2B online sales growth, distributors want a good mix of content that satisfies business goals and brand humanization aspects. Image 5 illustrates an example from Grainger. 

Image 5

 

People do not always want to be sold to; they want to engage with a distributor’s brand on a human-to-human level. Posts can include: 

• New product or service announcements. 


• Sales and promotions. 


• Product features and benefits. 


• Links to beneficial content on the company site (landing pages, blogs, FAQs, etc...). 


• Holidays. 


• Birthdays/anniversaries. 


• The staff, delivery trucks, etc. — even pets. 


• Curated articles. 


• Featured brands. 


• Testimonials. 


According to Gartner, roughly 46 percent of B2B buyers use social media to learn about available solutions. Therefore, product or service posts should focus on solutions for the target buyer. Image 6 illustrates an example. 

Image 6 

 

 

Leverage Video 

Video posts on social media can get almost 50 percent more views than text or single image posts. They do not have to always be professionally done. Use a mobile phone, as long as it has a good camera to take videos — just pay attention to the lighting and have a steady hand. Ideas include: 

• Product Demos 


• Customer Reviews 


• Helpful Tips 


• Staff Engagement 


• Hint: Use vendor/supplier videos and add your logo with a simple video editing tool 


 

Brand Advocacy 

Social is the best marketing channel to turn existing customers into brand advocates. The most powerful form of marketing is word-of-mouth, and social media marketing is just that — except done online. According to Salesforce, 92 percent of online consumers trust recommendations from people in their social circles, so get customers talking on the distributor social channels. 

No matter the online marketing strategy, always remember the three golden rules: provide value, build trust and establish industry authority.  

Jennifer Rae Stine is President & Founder of Fortune Web Marketing and Photobomb Productions, specializing in comprehensive marketing strategies, with a focus on digital, and video production. Fortune Web has been servicing the industry for 15 years. 

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Tips for Successful Social Marketing Campaigns