B2B marketers are becoming increasingly conscious that having a social mediapresence is no longer an option. The following slide from the Content MarketingInstitute shows how far B2Bs have progressed in their acceptance of social media.

However, the same report reveals a disappointingly low number of B2B marketers who have a contentdistribution strategy in place:

Furthermore, the larger your company becomes, the less probable it is to have a strategy in place. Isn't it sad?

Furthermore, if you're one of the 6% of people who aren't sure if they have a documented content strategy, you probably don't.

Many B2B organizations lack an effective strategy since they don't feel it will help them boost their B2B marketing strategy.

So, what's the problem?

Let's start by discussing why social media should be a part of your B2B marketing strategy, and then we'll go over six simple strategies to get started.

Why Should You Include Social Media In Your B2B Marketing Strategy?

The bottom line is that social networking is effective.

To help you get started with social media marketing, here are some statistics:

Outbound marketing has a 100 percent lower lead-to-close rate than social networking.

Customers were acquired via Facebook by 77 percent of B2Ccompanies and 43 percent of B2B companies.

In terms of traffic, Pinterest is now the third most popular social network in the United States. (Experian)

The fact that your leads hang around on social media is possibly the most significant reason to use it. This is true regardless of whether you are a B2C or B2B company. Both groups are made up of genuine people who are on social media almost constantly.

6 Easy Steps To Putting A Social Media Strategy In Place

Rally The Forces

It doesn't have to be a one-man (or woman) show when it comes to social media. Many businessowners, in fact, take advantage of their employees' remote locations to give their brand a more global vibe.

You don't have to localize all of your postings just because you're based in the United States. Why not have your South African staff members submit beautiful photos to Instagram? This kind of social media activity humanizes your businessand stimulates interaction.

You don't want staff from all over the world blogging at will, though. This might lead to ten posts in an hour and none the next day. That gets me to the second point I'd want to make.

Decide On Your Ultimate Goal

Prior to establishing a strategy, you must first determine your social media objectives. Here are a few examples:

• To boost sales
• To increase brand awareness
• To generate leads
• To engage with prospects and customers
• To boost thought leadership
• To increase web traffic

Find And Use Your CRM!

Although it may appear to be a simple step, managing your contacts is one of the most effective strategies to make your social media plan successful.

Many firms still use their personal email to send out hundreds, if not thousands, of marketing emails, which is almost terrifying. This is not only against anti-spam rules, but it also does you no favors because you won't be able to track the success of your campaigns.

Hubspot is a favorite of ours at Marx Communications. It serves as a one-stop shop for all of your automated marketing needs. When you post to social media (which you can do ahead of time with Hubspot), you can see who is connecting with your content at a glance and track the results of certain campaigns.

A CRM program with analytics should be part of every social media strategy.

Remember:

You're unlikely to keep going if you're not seeing the results of your efforts.

Make Use Of An Editorial Calendar

It is necessary to schedule social media posts. Begin with the content creation. Determine who will develop your material, when it will be delivered each week, and how it will be marketed.

This is the one we use at Marx Communications, and we're pleased to share it with you.

Pay Attention To Your Audience

It's all about having a dialogue on social media. You don't want any communication to be one-sided, just like in real life. Reach out to your audience and find out what they need, what challenges they're having, and what makes their day brighter to avoid appearing like a brand-obsessed B2B company.

How do you go about doing this? Simply inquire.

Channel Your Audience

While humanized messages are vital ("Check out the view from my office/our headquarters today."), you also need to present yourself as an authority who can help your prospects thrive.

This means that a large percentage of your social media postings should link back to your website, where visitors can sample your thought leadershipvia a landing page. This is the process that converts a fan into a prospect, and then into a paying customer.

How To Begin Using Platforms That Are Right For You

Of course, jumping on every platform available isn't necessary. Why not start with the most B2B-friendly platform available: LinkedIn?

It's the place to go if you're a B2B company trying to enhance your marketing strategy. To that end, we've prepared Your Visual Guide to Creating the Perfect LinkedIn Company Page, with the help of our partner Hubspot.

You'll learn how towrite a killer company description, an eye-catching banner, and even some pro suggestions on how to get your firm recognized on LinkedIn in your free guide.

How Can Social Media Be Used In B2B Marketing?

Business-to-business is abbreviated as B2B. B2B social mediamarketing is the practice of promoting items or services to business clients and prospects via social media networks. B2C marketers utilize social media to reach out to consumers making personal purchase decisions. To reach decision-makers, B2B marketers must think more strategically.

12 B2B Marketing Strategies For 2024

Is Social Media Good For B2B Marketing?

Across a wide range of purposes, social media has emerged as the most powerfully effective channel.' Social media is effective in satisfying the objectives of 79 percent of the 115 high level B2B marketers that replied, ranging from thought leadership to developing client relationships.

Is Social Media Helpful In Increasing B2B Business?

With that stated, social media is unquestionably one of the most effective methods for increasing brand awareness and traffic, cultivating brand loyalty, generating leads and market intelligence, and improving sales.