The Evolution of Social Media in B2B Marketing

Historically, marketers have reserved social media for B2C interactions, where brands can engage directly with consumers. However, the landscape has shifted dramatically, opening up a world of possibilities for B2B marketing. Social media is now a vital tool in the B2B marketer’s arsenal, offering a unique platform to connect with other businesses, decision-makers, and industry influencers. This shift signals a promising future for B2B social media marketing.

With platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram catering increasingly to business audiences, the potential for B2B marketing has grown exponentially. Social media’s ability to reach, engage, and influence decision-makers at every stage of the buying process has made it indispensable for B2B marketing success.

B2B marketers should also read the blog on 15 steps to boost B2B marketing automation

According to current figures, 83% of B2B marketers use social media platforms, second only to search engines. This focused social media strategy offers many benefits to B2B organisations, from customer service to leveraging industry influence. By understanding and harnessing these benefits, B2B marketers can feel empowered to take their marketing efforts to the next level.

B2B Lead Generation
SEO And Link Building
Brand Voice and Awareness
Event Amplification
Reduce Recruitment Costs
Connect With Employees/Customers
Thought Leadership
Customer Service and Social Listening
Digital Marketing

LinkedIn: The Premier B2B Platform

LinkedIn stands out as the premier platform for B2B businesses. With over 700 million professionals using the platform, LinkedIn offers a fertile ground for B2B companies to reach their target audience. Here’s how to maximise your impact of B2B Social Media Marketing:

Targeted Content: Sharing industry-specific content on social media is crucial for engaging your LinkedIn audience. This content should address the challenges and pain points of your B2B buyer, positioning your brand as a thought leader. B2B businesses should use LinkedIn’s publishing platform to create long-form articles showcasing brands’ USPs.
LinkedIn Ads: LinkedIn provides robust social media ad options that allow you to target specific b2b audiences, including industry, job function, company size, and more. Sponsored Content, InMail, and dynamic ads can be powerful tools for reaching your ideal audience.
Sales Navigator: LinkedIn Sales Navigator is an invaluable tool for a B2B brand. It lets you identify potential leads, track their activity, and engage with them directly. Integrating Sales Navigator with your CRM can streamline your lead generation and follow-up processes, making your outreach more efficient and effective.

Here is a link to LinkedIn’s 2024 B2B Content Marketing Report.

Case Study: IBM’s Thought Leadership on LinkedIn

IBM, a global technology giant, has effectively used LinkedIn to establish itself as a thought leader in the tech industry. Thought leadership is a marketing strategy that establishes your brand as an authority in your industry by providing valuable, insightful content. IBM regularly publishes thought leadership articles on LinkedIn, focusing on emerging technologies like AI, cloud computing, and blockchain. According to LinkedIn’s 2022 B2B Content Marketing Report, 96% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn for content marketing, highlighting the platform’s importance for businesses like IBM. These efforts have resulted in a 25% increase in engagement over the past year, with LinkedIn followers surpassing 10 million professionals.

While LinkedIn is the go-to platform for B2B marketing, other social media channels also play a vital role in your B2B marketing strategy:

Twitter: Twitter is a dynamic platform allowing real-time interaction with your audience. It’s ideal for sharing quick updates, engaging in industry conversations, and responding to customer inquiries. Participating in Twitter chats and using hashtags relevant to your industry can increase your visibility and establish your brand as an active participant in your niche.

With over 300 million monthly active users, Twitter is a place to watch “what’s going on” and track distinguished brand voices. A CMI survey found that 87% of B2B marketers utilise Twitter for content marketing.

Case Study: General Electric’s Twitter Strategy

General Electric (GE), a multinational conglomerate, effectively uses Twitter to engage with a global B2B audience, particularly in the energy and industrial sectors. GE tweets about new product launches, project updates, and industry events. GE’s former CMO, Beth Comstock, emphasised the importance of real-time engagement, stating, “Twitter allows us to connect with our audience at the moment, turning conversations into opportunities.” GE’s use of real-time updates and hashtag campaigns like #DigitalIndustrial and #PoweringTheWorld has resulted in a 30% increase in engagement and a 40% increase in content visibility, connecting them with a broader B2B audience.

Facebook: Often considered a B2C platform, Facebook also has significant potential for B2B social marketing. With features like Facebook Groups, B2B companies can create communities around their brand or industry, fostering more profound engagement. Facebook’s targeted social media campaign allows you to reach specific business audiences with tailored messaging.

Case Study: Adobe’s B2B Community on Facebook

Adobe has successfully used Facebook to build and engage a community of creative professionals and businesses. Adobe manages several Facebook Groups, such as “Adobe Creative Cloud” and “Adobe Experience Cloud,” where professionals from various industries can share ideas, discuss challenges, and explore Adobe’s products. Facebook’s internal data shows that over 1.4 billion people use Groups monthly, underscoring their value in community building. Adobe’s Facebook Groups have become vibrant communities, with engagement rates increasing by 45% year-over-year. Their targeted ads have driven a 30% increase in qualified leads, particularly for their enterprise solutions like Creative Cloud for Teams.

Instagram: While primarily visual, Instagram can be effective for B2B influencer marketing, particularly for companies in industries with compelling visual content. Use Instagram to create brand awareness via behind-the-scenes content and customer success stories. Leverage Instagram Stories and IGTV to drive social commerce—provide quick tips, product demonstrations, event highlights, or bulk offers.

Case Study: Cisco’s B2B Branding on Instagram

Cisco, a global leader in networking technology, uses Instagram to enhance its brand presence in the B2B space. Cisco’s visual storytelling approach, focusing on the impact of its technology on businesses and communities, has been highly successful. Chuck Robbins, Cisco’s CEO, stated, “Storytelling is at the heart of how we connect with our customers—Instagram allows us to do this visually, making our brand more relatable.” Cisco’s Instagram strategy has led to a 50% increase in brand awareness and a 35% increase in engagement rates on the platform. Additionally, their employee advocacy program, #WeAreCisco, has helped strengthen their employer brand, with applications for roles at Cisco increasing by 25% following the launch of their Instagram campaigns.

Lead generation is a core objective of B2B social media marketing, and a social media platform could offer numerous opportunities to attract and convert leads:

Content Marketing: High-quality social media content is the backbone of B2B lead generation, including blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, eBooks, and webinars. B2B companies can offer valuable content that addresses the needs of their target audience and generates enquiries or warm traffic from those interested in their solutions.
Lead Magnets & Landing Pages: Use Lead magnets to capture leads. It is essential to create compelling lead magnets—such as free reports, eBooks, or access to exclusive webinars—and direct traffic to optimised landing pages. Clearly outlining the benefits of your offer, design these landing pages to convert visitors by making it easy for users to submit their contact information.
Nurturing Leads: Once you’ve captured a lead via social channels, encouraging them throughout the buyer’s journey is crucial — use personalised social media interactions, targeted email marketing campaigns, and b2b content tailored to their stage in the buying process. CRM tools and marketing automation platforms can help you manage and track these interactions, ensuring that no lead falls through the cracks.

Social selling involves creating social proof on social media platforms to build brand awareness, trust and connections with prospects, ultimately driving sales. Here’s how to excel at social selling in a B2B context:

LinkedIn Social Selling: LinkedIn is the top B2B social media marketing platform. For a B2b company, building a social media presence and relationships with prospects is crucial by engaging with their content, sending personalised connection requests, and sharing relevant insights. LinkedIn’s advanced search features allow you to target decision-makers within specific industries, making your outreach efforts more efficient.
Twitter Engagement: Twitter offers a unique opportunity for B2B marketers to engage with prospects in real-time. You can position your brand as a go-to resource by joining relevant industry conversations, answering questions, and sharing valuable content. Twitter lists can help you organise and monitor key prospects, industry influencers, and competitors, ensuring you stay on top of relevant discussions.
Facebook for B2B Sales: While Facebook is often seen as a B2C social media marketing platform, it can also be effective for B2B selling. By participating in industry-specific Facebook Groups, you can engage with a community of professionals who are interested in your offerings. Facebook’s advertising platform also allows highly targeted campaigns to drive leads and conversions.

Account-based marketing (ABM) is a highly targeted social media marketing strategy that engages specific accounts or individuals with personalised content and outreach. Social media platforms, especially LinkedIn, are ideal for executing ABM strategies:

Customised Content: ABM requires content marketing tailored to your target accounts’ unique needs. This might include personalised case studies, testimonials, or product demos that address the specific challenges faced by those accounts. The more personalised the content, the more likely it is to resonate with your target audience.
Direct Outreach: Social platforms offer direct channels to reach decision-makers at your target accounts. LinkedIn’s InMail feature, for example, allows you to send personalised messages to users outside of your immediate network, making it easier to connect with key decision-makers.
Retargeting Campaigns: Retargeting is a powerful social media strategy in ABM. Using social media retargeting ads like Google ads, you can stay top-of-mind with your target accounts, encouraging them to revisit your website and engage with your content. This repeated exposure helps to build familiarity and trust, increasing the likelihood of conversion.

Measuring their effectiveness ensures your social media marketing efforts drive value. Key metrics to track include:

Cost Per Lead (CPL): Understanding the cost of acquiring each lead through social media is essential for evaluating the efficiency of your campaigns. A lower CPL indicates that your social media efforts effectively attract leads without excessive spending.
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): CLV helps you estimate the total revenue you can expect from a customer throughout their relationship with your company. By comparing CLV with the cost of acquiring and nurturing leads, you can assess the long-term value of your social media investments.
Social Media ROI: Calculating the return on investment (ROI) from your b2b social media campaigns involves comparing the revenue generated against the total spend. This metric provides a clear picture of the profitability of your social media efforts and helps justify further investment in these channels.
Engagement Metrics: Tracking likes, shares, comments, and other forms of engagement on your social media posts provides insight into how well your content resonates with your audience. High engagement rates often correlate with greater brand visibility and influence, which can lead to more leads and conversions.

B2B’s social media marketing landscape is constantly evolving and is staying ahead of the curve. Here are some emerging trends to watch:

Video Content: Video is becoming increasingly important in B2B marketing. B2B social media platforms like LinkedIn and Instagram prioritise video content, and B2B marketers can leverage this trend by creating product demos, customer testimonials, and educational content that engages viewers.
Influencer Marketing: While traditionally associated with B2C, influencer marketing is gaining traction in B2B. Partnering with industry influencers can help you reach a broader audience and lend credibility to your brand.
AI-Driven Social Media: Artificial intelligence transforms how B2B marketers approach social media. From chatbots that engage with prospects in real time to AI-powered analytics that provide deeper insights into audience behaviour, AI is opening up new possibilities for b2b social media marketing.

Conclusion

B2B marketing on social media is a dynamic and evolving field that requires a strategic approach. By leveraging the right platforms, creating targeted content, and aligning your efforts with sales goals, you can drive significant results for your business. Stay ahead of the curve by continuously adapting to new trends and technologies in the social media landscape.