Ask PHD: What makes a B2B social media campaign truly engaging?
One of the most effective ways for a business to communicate with potential customers and the wider industry is through social media marketing.
From humanising Facebook posts that put a human face to the business, through to targeted LinkedIn campaigns designed to drive clicks and revenue, social media is one of the most accessible channels for external communications. However – it can also be one of the trickiest to get right!
The realm of business to business (B2B) communications is further behind its business to consumer (B2C) counterpart as a result of starting later – but as brands realise that today’s key decision makers are the generation that grew up digitally native, this is changing.
A social media channel often acts as a company’s ‘shop window’, in many cases it’s the first touchpoint a potential customer might have with the business. So, with that in mind, it’s essential to leave a great first impression, and crucially, engage with an audience. When all is said and done, a corporate social media channel that can’t capture the audience’s attention is destined to fade into the background amidst a sea of ‘me-too’ businesses.
At Marketing by PHD, we’re proud to support our clients across many different marketing disciplines and channels, which in 2022 means a strong focus on relevant digital channels!
We asked some of our talented digital marketing team members to share their top tips for supercharging B2B social media marketing and generating that all-important engagement.
PHD says:
Jess, Account Executive
“It’s essential to find that ideal middle ground between product and service promotion, and letting your audience see the real people behind the business. Nobody wants to believe in large, faceless corporations, so that human story is fantastic content for social media.
This balance is different for every business, but when you find that sweet spot – and this varies from one brand to another – you’ll find your employees engaging just as much as your customers!”
Jordan, Account Executive
“I’m always a fan of using movement and colour to engage with an audience! Across B2B, we tend to talk a lot about sustainability but then fall back on just greens and browns when it comes to digital imagery – and I think we’re all tired of the same old ‘plant growing from cupped hands’ stock images! It’s time to put a more creative eye on it.
When it comes to generating greater levels of engagement, sometimes the simplest solutions are the best. Don’t be afraid to supplement content with gifs, animations and simple typography videos; movement and kinetics can bring a lot of energy to posts.”
Dan, Digital Marketing Apprentice
“Always keep a clear ‘Call to Action’ (CTA) in mind with brand posts. You could have the most engaging posts in the industry, but without a measurable outcome, such as a link you want the user to click, its value could be limited!
I think it’s also important to be brief and to the point. Social media is fast-paced, so a wall of text, no matter how interesting and relevant the content, is not going to engage as many users as possible. For longer content, transform it into an onsite blog and use social media as a tool to drive site traffic instead! Also consider shaking up the formatting – posing questions as well as information is a great way to make a post instantly more engaging.”
Poppy, Account Executive
“As well as understanding the demands of your own customers, social media channels have needs of their own! The platform is at its best when brands and leveraging social media by meeting prospective clients on their own terms. Prospects are not necessarily on social media to see brand message, so there is additional noise to cut through if we aim to be relevant and add value for potential customers.
We’re all social media users, and we instinctively want content to be shareable, whether it’s large B2B corporations, SMEs or start-ups. This may mean framing news or information slightly differently for digital channels and being able to see it through the customers eyes. Information is not the same thing as content, and this is one the ways we make this transition.”
Ben, Senior Account Executive
“Never underestimate the power of high-quality imagery in social media strategy! Always ask the question, in a busy social media feed, what’s going to make your brand stand out? What’s going to make people stop scrolling to view your post?
By necessity, B2B social media marketing can sometimes be quite dry in its content, but it doesn’t have to be! Fantastic imagery makes all the difference. Read this blog on five key reasons why imagery and iconography is so important for B2B brands on social media, written by yours truly!”
Oliver, Digital Marketing Apprentice
“To add to Ben’s point, always make sure that your imagery and message are aligned! Visual content is fantastic, but it should always be working in tandem with the copy.
We never recommend using images purely for the sake of it, there has to be a purpose in supporting the narrative. If the image isn’t adding anything, it may be that the content needs fresh perspective or a new angle!”
James, Account Executive
“Make the best of the testing and analytics made available on social media platforms. Today, they go into fantastic depth – this used to be something you could only access in detail with third party software.
A great use of this is in switching up the content you’re publishing. Try a mix of video, infographics and articles of varying length, then gaining insight through onsite analytics tools. You’ll soon get a fantastic picture of what content your brand audience is connecting with, and use this knowledge to shape your future direction.”
Russell Moore, Head of Digital
“We definitely recommend accounting for social media paid advertising in the annual marketing budget! In terms of reach, it often outperforms many traditional marketing channels, and it’s infinitely more measurable! B2B has historically shied away from this advertising channel, but as more brands are seeing the advantages, it’s definitely soaring to the top of the business-to-business marketing agenda!
One of the most attractive features of paid social media advertising is that it’s not fixed as it would be in a magazine, for instance. Firstly, the audience targeting can be incredibly specific, and the campaign can flex, adapt and change through the lifespan of the advert. As a general rule, when budget season comes around, we recommend accounting for just as much social media advertising as physical publications.”
Looking to uplift your brand’s social media performance through the art of a consistent brand voice? Let the experienced PHD team demonstrate how the perfect blend of organic and paid social media content can make all the difference!
To learn more about the benefits of working with Marketing by PHD for your brand’s marketing and communications needs, speak to our friendly team today at [email protected]