At first glance, social media and B2B seem like two completely different worlds. After all, the end consumer is active on social networks. Not a relevant target group for B2B companies at all.

Nevertheless, there are good reasons to establish social media marketing in B2B as well. However, with B2B social media marketing you have to set different priorities and pay attention to different things than with B2C social media marketing.

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What is social media marketing?

Social media marketing is basically a type of online marketing in which social networks are the central marketing tool. The aim is to generate attention or website traffic via relevant channels such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and the like.

The ultimate goal of social media marketing is to create and share content where your target audience - in this case, other businesses - is located so that they interact with it to improve the reach and visibility of a brand or business on either Facebook, LinkedIn, Xing or other platforms.

Or, as social media expert Interview with Felix Beilharz at Content Marketing Club expressed:

"For me, content marketing and social media marketing are largely congruent. Both disciplines are very closely linked: In social media, I have to produce content that fulfills or awakens needs and then market it. That simply has extremely strong similarities to the daily business of the content marketer."

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Why should you do social media marketing in B2B?

It is a misconception that social media marketing is only worthwhile for B2C companies.

For B2B entrepreneurs, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Xing or LinkedIn are often just platforms where users share all sorts of things about their lives with the rest of the world - including the products they like or don't like.

And because B2B companies only do business with other companies that use social media primarily as channels to communicate with the end consumer, many believe they gain no benefit from marketing there themselves.

But this is not true!

• Customers on social media: Those who don't do B2B social media marketing leave the marketing of their products to B2C retailers. But they have little reason to highlight a particular brand. Social media marketing is therefore a real opportunity for B2B's to improve sales. It's your products and services. You shouldn't let marketing get out of hand.
• Business partners on social media: It's not just consumers who are active on Facebook, Instagram and the like. Business partners are also active there (with private profiles). B2B social media marketing can simplify and accelerate communication and collaboration with business partners. According to Facebook, entrepreneurs spend twice as much time on social media than the average user.

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Ideas for social media content in B2B:

The B2B target group prefers topics that inform them about industry trends and market developments.

Thereby function

• Blogs
• Testimonials
• Reviews
• Podcasts
• Infographics
• Webinars
• Videos

best. They search for information via social media almost as often as via search engines.

This should dispel any last doubts about B2B social media marketing.

B2B social media marketing should focus on sharing content across social networks that will help their customers become more productive and successful with their own business. This may well be a well-crafted article from a third party.

Content for a broad audience

B2B social media marketing should address as large a target group as possible. A small rule of thumb: The more diverse the business partners with whom a company works, the more varied the social media content should be. A certain common thread should remain recognizable so as not to alienate anyone.

By addressing different topics, you can give your social media contacts a sense of connection and belonging.

Because if you only focus on a certain group of customers, you could unintentionally exclude others. This could make them think they are unsuitable as partners, even though they are not.

The more people can relate to the topics a B2B company covers on social media, the more conducive they are to strengthening existing partnerships and forging new ones.

TIP: Post product news, guides and interviews with industry leaders.

Putting customers and partners in the spotlight

Showing off a bit on social media with business partners strokes their ego and promotes the trustworthiness or authenticity of a B2B company.

As a result, a positive brand image is created. Your customers and partners will be happy that you involve them. It shows them that they are important to you and that you support them.

TIP: Share a partner's successful blog post (not only) about products from your range. Re-post their social media content. Tag his account.

Stand out with colors and design

B2B social media marketing campaigns often lack originality in their postings. Especially visual ones. Social media is flooded with stock photos, meaningless designs, and overly serious content.

A unique, visual brand identity remedies this by making you stand out from the flood of ever-same B2B posts.

TIP: Give your social media presence a modern, fresh look.

Showcasing testimonials and user-generated content

Reviews and testimonials are very effective content to promote products. It proves that real people really like and use your products, and willingly recommend them to their friends and colleagues.

By giving such reviews and mentions space in your social media timelines, you also reach potential consumers who haven't bought your brand yet. At the same time, the users whose reviews you share also feel good. Last but not least, you also encourage others to share their testimonials on social media.

For you, that means more authentic reviews and, in turn, easily generated user content to repost.

TIP: Share regular posts on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Co. - also cross-media across channels - in which your brand is mentioned positively.

Inform and educate

Educational content in B2B social media marketing is similar to a content marketing campaign. You provide high-quality content that you hope will turn people who have seen it into customers.

TIP: Produce how-to videos, video guides, and podcasts or video streams about industry news.

B2B Social Media Marketing = Content Marketing?

B2B social media marketing is a marketing hybrid in more ways than one:

On the one hand, the end customer is not the primary target group, but with social media you inevitably come into contact with them. B2B brands can create an indirect B2C marketing funnel via social media, so to speak.

On the other hand, B2B social media marketing only works if the starting point is right. And this foundation is your content marketing. Only if you offer high-quality, interesting, well-founded content in your blog, case studies, eBooks, videos, and podcasts will you resonate in social media.

With contentbird you can research, write, plan and publish your entire social media and content strategy in one tool, from keyword research to social media post. And here you can test it for free!

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