Harnessing Social Media for Business Growth

Social media has become essential for businesses to connect with their target audience, share valuable content, and drive leads and conversions. While social media marketing should not be expected to stand alone, there is no question that it can play a crucial part in your overall marketing strategy. Your customers and prospects are active on social media platforms, and you, as a business, need to be where they are engaged.

There are, of course, many aspects of a social media marketing strategy; creating your business profiles and pages, engaging with your target audience, and utilizing various content types, to name a few. Using social media and strategies, you can increase your brand’s visibility and grow your online presence. However, many small and midsized company leaders do not have the time or staff expertise to accomplish their social media goals. Please find out how we can take that burden and create or update your business profiles, find and follow your target audience, craft informative posts, and leverage social media to achieve your business goals.

Note: While we specialize in serving B2B organizations, we can also help those needing B2C social media marketing or other digital marketing services.

Table of Contents

Our social media marketing agency services

• Creating or updating Business Profiles and Pages
• Define your goals
• Research your audience
• Choose the right platforms
• Create engaging content
• Promote your page or profile
• Monitor and adjust

Supported Platforms

• LinkedIn
• Instagram
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Facebook

What does a B2B Social media marketing plan look like?

• A sample plan
• The cost of a sample plan
• Conclusion

Creating or Updating Business Profiles and Pages

Before choosing your social media platforms, you have some work to do; see the list below. Once you have done those tasks, you can select the social media channels that best address your target audience.
You cannot establish a solid online presence without creating and optimizing your business profiles and pages on relevant social media platforms. These profiles should include your company’s logo, a compelling description of your products or services, and contact information. You will also want consistent branding across all the platforms you will utilize. Consistent branding makes it easier for your target audience to recognize and trust your business. That sounds simple, right? However, there is a lot of research and thought behind this all-important task. Here are some key factors we address when choosing where you should be, and what tone you should set on your profiles.

Pro Tip: Look for unauthorized pages or the unauthorized use of copywritten or trademarked brand logos, product names, etc. If found, work on correcting them to preserve and protect your brand voice.

1. Define your goals

Before creating or updating your business’s social media profiles and pages, you must define your goals. For example, what do you hope to achieve by having a presence on social media? Do you want to increase brand awareness, drive traffic to your website, or generate sales? Once you have a clear understanding of your goals, you can create content and strategies that are aligned with those goals.

While it can take a while to be a significant source of direct lead generation, your customers and prospects are likely social media users. Therefore, you must use social channels to grow your social media presence. In a nutshell, you need to be where your customers and prospects are.

2. Research your audience

It is also essential to take the time to research your audience before creating or updating your social media profiles and pages. Who are your target customers? What are their demographics? As a business, you may be addressing C-level staff, purchasing professionals, engineers, or maintenance staff. You may even target C-level staff on LinkedIn and maintenance staff on YouTube with “How To” content.

Identify and follow potential customers or partners who fit your target audience profile (e.g., businesses, startups, entrepreneurs). Use platform-specific search tools, join relevant groups, and participate in industry discussions to find and connect with your audience. Engaging with your target audience helps build relationships and showcases your expertise in your niche.

Determine the interests of each of your audience personas. By understanding your audience, you can create content that appeals to them and better meets their needs.

3. Choose the right platforms

Of course, various social media platforms are available, so it is crucial to choose the ones that are right for your business. For example, if you are targeting a production or maintenance audience, you may want to focus on platforms like YouTube or Instagram. On the other hand, you may find that C-level staff hangs out on LinkedIn instead. Part of your choice also relates to your goals, if you want to generate leads or drive traffic to your website, then Facebook or Twitter may be more suitable. If you want to provide how-to content, then YouTube will be a focus.

4 Create engaging content

Once you have chosen the right platform(s), it is time to start creating engaging content. Interesting, informative, and relevant content to your target audience will likely capture their attention and encourage them to follow your page or profile. Try to mix up the types of content you post, such as videos, images, infographics, articles, etc., to keep things fresh and engaging.

You will also need quality and quantity to keep your social media marketing campaigns relevant. Remember those flowers you gave your significant other on their last birthday? Do you think you can just refer to them occasionally? In the same way, your social media posts get stale in about the same time frame as those flowers wilt. We suggest that two weeks is about as long as your old posts have an impact. A social media content calendar that you update monthly is an excellent way to ensure the content is always fresh. We can help you avoid being that company whose last post was about the 2016 company picnic!

Develop a content strategy that includes a mix of informative posts, images, and banners that resonate with your target audience. Focus on creating content that educates, inspires, or entertains while showcasing your products or services. High-quality visuals and compelling copy can help capture your audience’s attention and increase engagement.

When publishing your posts, incorporate relevant hashtags to increase their visibility and reach. Hashtags help categorize your content, making it more discoverable for users interested in specific topics. Research and use trending hashtags related to your niche, but avoid using too many hashtags in a single post, as it may appear spammy.

5. Promote your page or profile

Once you have created an engaging page or profile, promoting it to attract followers is essential. You can promote your page or posts in several ways, such as through paid advertising, social media contests, or partnering with influencers within your industry. If you are in the “building a following” stage of your social media marketing program, you will most likely need to spend some money on boosting or promoting your posts or with social ads. There is little reason to go thru the effort of creating content if no one sees it. You can also target increasing your followers as a promotion, which will have the added benefit of lasting benefits to your social media footprint.

Cross-promote your content by sharing published posts on various social media platforms. This tactic can extend your content’s reach, attract new followers, and increase your chances of generating leads. Ensure your content is adapted to each platform’s requirements, such as image dimensions and character limits.

Send personalized messages to your target audience, introduce your brand and services, and offer valuable information or solutions to their pain points. This proactive approach can help generate leads and foster long-term relationships with potential customers. While the techniques differ from traditional marketing, paid social advertising will likely be part of your strategy.

6. Monitor and adjust

Finally, monitoring your page and post performance and adjusting as needed is essential. Are people engaging with your content? Are they following your page or profile? Are they clicking through to your website? By monitoring these metrics, you can better understand what works well and what needs improvement.

Social media has become an integral part of modern-day marketing, and businesses that want to stay ahead of the curve need to prioritize their social media strategies. Monitoring and optimizing your social media strategy is crucial to ensure your message gets across effectively to your target audience. Social media platforms are constantly evolving, and you will need to keep up and adapt to the changes to maximize the reach and impact of your content. A well-executed social media strategy can help you build brand awareness, increase customer engagement, and drive sales. So, monitoring and optimizing your strategies is necessary if you want to create a successful and profitable business through social media.

By implementing these strategies, you can effectively increase views, visitors, connections, and leads through social media. Remember, consistency and authenticity are crucial for long-term success. Stay true to your brand’s voice, engage genuinely with your audience, and continuously refine your social media strategy to drive business growth.

How to choose which social media platforms will best meet your needs

Social media influences the decisions of B2B buyers more than ever, with as much as 40% turning to social networks for guidance. In response, savvy marketing leaders are making sure their efforts reach this audience by investing 12.2%, on average, of their budgets into social channels, according to Gartner’s research.

That said, not all social media channels need to be part of your marketing plan. Please take a look at the chart below; it shows how many B2B purchases were influenced by each of the listed social platforms.

This study was aimed at software purchase decisions influenced by social media. However, our experience aligns with theirs for choosing the best social media platforms for your campaigns.

The order we list may not be the correct priority order for you… but your research and understanding of each platform’s strengths and weaknesses will help you hone your social media marketing strategy.

LinkedIn is squarely focused on the business community; it is a social media platform specifically designed for professionals and businesses, making it an ideal channel for B2B marketing. Linkedin has two primary use cases; one is recruiting, and we will not address that aspect here. Instead, we are focusing on the sales and marketing uses of LinkedIn. Here are some of the key benefits of using LinkedIn as part of a social media marketing strategy:

1. Targeted audience: LinkedIn has over 740 million users, allowing you to target your audience by job title, industry, location, and other criteria. This means you can reach the people most likely interested in your products or services. One of its strengths is targeting an audience by job function or industry. LinkedIn knows more about its users than any other platform.

2. Networking opportunities: LinkedIn is an excellent platform for networking and building relationships with other businesses and professionals in your industry. You can join groups and participate in discussions, which can help you connect with potential customers and partners.

3. Brand awareness: LinkedIn provides a platform to showcase your brand and share content that educates, informs, and entertains your target audience. By consistently posting valuable content, you can build brand awareness and establish yourself as an authority in your industry.

4. Lead generation: LinkedIn provides various lead generation tools, such as lead forms and sponsored content, which allow you to capture leads directly on the platform. This can help you build your email list and generate new business opportunities.

5. Recruitment: While not the focus here, LinkedIn is also a popular platform for recruitment, making it an excellent channel for B2B companies to attract top talent. You can post job openings, showcase your company culture, and connect with potential candidates.

Overall, LinkedIn can be a powerful tool for B2B social media marketing, helping businesses to build relationships, establish their brand, generate leads, and recruit top talent.

Instagram is primarily known as a visual storytelling platform, and it provides an excellent opportunity for B2B businesses to showcase their story, connect with their audience, and build brand awareness. As a result, it deserves a place in your social media marketing plans. With over 2.3 billion users, Instagram ranks fourth among the most popular social networks, and your prospects will likely use it.

Here are some tips on how your B2B business can use Instagram:

1. Define your audience: Defining your target audience is essential before creating an Instagram account. This will help you create content that resonates with your audience and attracts new followers.

2. Use visual storytelling: Instagram is a visual platform, so use high-quality images and videos to tell your brand’s story. This can include behind-the-scenes glimpses, product photos, team photos, and images that showcase your company’s culture.

3. Share user-generated content: Encourage your followers to share photos or videos of your products or services and share them on your profile. This can help build a sense of community and social proof.

4. Use Instagram Stories: Instagram Stories is a great way to share short-form content that disappears after 24 hours. You can use this feature to showcase new products, behind-the-scenes footage, and share exclusive content with your followers.

5. Use hashtags: Use relevant hashtags to make your content discoverable to your target audience. Research industry-specific hashtags and use them in your posts to increase visibility.

6. Engage with your followers: Respond to comments and direct messages from your followers, and engage with other brands in your industry. This can help build relationships and increase your brand’s visibility.

7. Measure your results: Use Instagram Insights to track the performance of your posts and understand what kind of content resonates with your audience. This can help you refine your content strategy over time.

Instagram can be a powerful tool for B2B businesses to showcase their story, connect with their audience, and build brand awareness. By understanding your audience and creating engaging, visually appealing content, your business can establish a strong presence on the platform and achieve your marketing goals.

Twitter can be a valuable tool for your B2B marketing, as it allows you to connect with potential clients and industry influencers in real-time. Here are some ways that businesses typically use Twitter as part of their B2B marketing strategy:

1. Building brand awareness: By regularly posting content and engaging with other users, businesses can increase their visibility and brand awareness among potential clients and industry influencers.

2. Engaging with customers and clients: Twitter provides businesses with an opportunity to engage directly with customers and clients, responding to inquiries, feedback, and complaints in real time.

3. Sharing industry news and thought leadership: By sharing relevant industry news and thought leadership content, businesses can position themselves as experts in their field and build credibility with potential clients and industry influencers.

4. Promoting products and services: Twitter can promote new products and services, special offers, and upcoming events.

To find a relevant audience on Twitter, you can use hashtags and keywords to search for and engage with users who are interested in your industry or products/services. You can also leverage Twitter’s advanced search feature to find users based on location, interests, and other demographics.
When it comes to what Twitter users expect from a business on Twitter, they generally expect businesses to:

1. Be responsive: Twitter users expect businesses to respond quickly to inquiries and complaints, ideally within a few hours.

2. Provide valuable content: Twitter users are looking for content that is informative, entertaining, or useful in some way. Businesses should strive to provide content that adds value to their followers’ feeds.

3. Engage authentically: Twitter users appreciate businesses that engage with them genuinely and authentically. Therefore, companies should aim to be personable and approachable in their interactions with users.

By focusing on these expectations and consistently providing value to your followers, you can use Twitter to build relationships, generate leads, and grow your brand.

YouTube is a powerful platform for B2B companies to showcase their products or services, provide support, and promote their brand. While you may not consider YouTube one of the largest social media platforms, it is. It is also the number two search engine globally! Also, in our experience, social media marketers are unlikely to find a lower-cost way of promoting their content. It can be must less expensive to promote Google Ads than classic search or banner ads.

Here are some ways you can use YouTube videos or a YouTube channel as part of your social media advertising:

1. Product demos: B2B companies can create videos that showcase their products or services, highlighting their key features and benefits. This can help potential customers better understand what the product or service can do and how it can benefit them.

2. How-to videos: B2B companies can create how-to videos that provide step-by-step instructions on using their products or services. These videos can help customers get the most out of their purchases and reduce support requests.

3. Thought leadership content: B2B companies can create videos that provide valuable insights and thought leadership in their industry. This can help position the company as a trusted authority in its field.

4. Case studies: B2B companies can create videos showcasing how their products or services have helped their customers succeed. This can help potential customers see the real-world value of the company’s offerings. In the blogging world, we call these success stories, but videos are a great way to show off your success and give some exposure to some key customers. This video content also has a solid social relationship component, as many of your prospects may know and respect the opinions of their peers.

5. Live events: B2B companies can use YouTube to livestream events such as product launches, webinars, or conferences, which can help reach a wider audience and provide valuable content to those who can’t attend in person.

To promote their YouTube content, B2B companies can:

1. Share their videos on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

2. Include links to their YouTube channel or specific videos in their email newsletters or marketing campaigns.

3. Optimize their videos for search engines by including relevant keywords in the title, description, and tags.

4. Collaborate with other YouTube channels in their industry to cross-promote their content and reach a wider audience.

5. Use paid advertising (video ads ) on YouTube or Google Ads on respected publications associated with relevant content to promote their videos to their target audience.

Using YouTube as part of your marketing strategy, B2B companies can provide valuable content to their audience, establish themselves as thought leaders, and generate leads for their business.

Facebook can also be a valuable tool for B2B marketing, as it provides you with a platform to connect with potential clients and your community. Here are some ways that businesses typically use Facebook as part of their B2B marketing strategy:

1. Building brand awareness: By regularly posting content, sharing news, and engaging with other users, businesses can increase their visibility and build brand awareness among potential clients and their community. (While Facebook is not a recruiting tool, potential hires will often check a company’s Facebook page to learn about its reputation, etc.)

2. Engaging with customers and clients: Facebook provides businesses with an opportunity to engage directly with customers and clients, responding to inquiries, feedback, and complaints in real time.

3. Sharing industry news and thought leadership: By sharing relevant industry news and thought leadership content, businesses can position themselves as experts in their field and build credibility with potential clients and their communities.

4. Promoting products and services: Facebook can be used to promote new products and services, special offers, and upcoming events.

To find a relevant audience on Facebook, businesses can use Facebook’s ad targeting tools to reach users based on location, interests, demographics, and behavior. They can also join industry-specific groups and participate in discussions to connect with potential clients and their community.

When it comes to what Facebook users expect from a business on Facebook, they generally expect businesses to:

1. Be responsive: Facebook users expect businesses to respond quickly to inquiries and complaints, ideally within a few hours.

2. Provide valuable content: Facebook users are looking for content that is informative, entertaining, or useful in some way. Businesses should strive to provide content that adds value to their followers’ feeds.

3. Engage authentically: Facebook users appreciate businesses that engage with them genuinely and authentically. Businesses should aim to be personable and approachable in their interactions with users.

In terms of boosting or promoting posts, businesses may want to consider this strategy if they have a specific campaign or event they want to promote or if they want to reach a wider audience beyond their current followers. However, it’s essential to have a clear strategy and track the results of boosted or promoted posts to ensure they provide a positive return on investment.

What does a B2B Social media marketing plan look like?

A sample plan

When we work with a customer on their social media marketing, a number of activities are always part of the mix, and some may or may not be needed. Typically we will meet with you via a Zoom call every month and develop a content calendar for the coming month. In addition, we will discuss any needed graphics or other required multimedia assets, such as videos. Each month’s meeting will also set goals for the coming month, monitor your KPIs, and look at your social media performance for the past month.

• Create Business Profile(s) and Page(s). (One time item if needed)
• Find & Follow the target audiences on 4 social platforms, more or less may be selected.
• Write informative posts and create images & banners. (Qty per month)
• 18 post content creations per month
• 17 banner images with platform modifications
• 1 infographic
• 18 scheduled posts with hashtags on 4 social media platforms
• Send posts to the target audience groups.
• Find & Follow new target audience groups (Business, Startup, Entrepreneurs, etc., related to your industry and products)
• Publish posts with hashtags as above
• Send messages to the target audience related to services.
• Monthly social media activity and performance report
• Monthly 1/2 hr zoom call

Notes:

Customer staff responds to messages on your properties.

The cost for boosting or promoting posts, if desired, is not included in the cost below.

The cost of any purchased target lists is not included in the price below.
Your cost could be higher or lower depending on the number of monthly posts and platforms.

The cost of a sample plan

The monthly cost of the sample plan above is $995/month

Conclusion

Social media has become crucial to a business’s marketing strategy, allowing them to connect with its target audience, share valuable content, and drive leads and conversions. As customers and prospects are active on social media platforms, businesses need a social media presence to increase their brand’s visibility and grow their online presence. Unfortunately, small and mid-sized companies may struggle to accomplish their social media goals due to insufficient time or staff expertise. However, social media marketing agencies can help create or update business profiles, find and follow the target audience, craft informative posts, and leverage social media to achieve business goals.

The services provided by us as a social media marketing agency include:

• Creating or updating business profiles and pages
• Finding and following the target audience
• Writing informative posts
• Creating images and banners
• Publishing posts with hashtags
• Sending messages related to services
• Sharing published posts on other social media platforms

The supported platforms include LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook. A B2B social media marketing plan can be tailored to the business’s specific needs, and the cost of the plan may vary depending on the services provided by the agency.

If you would like to explore getting help managing your social media marketing strategy, please contact us for a free consultation.