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The B2B Social Marketing Shift | Take our Quiz to Find Out How Your B2B Ranks in 2023

B2B brands: It’s time to elevate your social media game.

It’s no secret that you’ve likely felt that you should play it “safe” on social media. Professional-talk, plain, dull graphics, and corporate-like copy. But the current reality is, ebooks and whitepapers just don’t cut it anymore. The social marketing space is a competitive realm. B2B brands must compete daily with other B2B brands, as well as with B2C brands, conducting their own social marketing efforts .

How can B2B organizations stand out against their competitors and alongside B2C brands?

 

You’re Only Human, Your Brand Should Be Too

Let’s face it, humans want to buy from humans – not bots.

While B2B and B2C differ in their offerings, B2Bs should keep in mind that everyday people are behind their prospective customers’ buyer journeys – just as they are during the B2C buyer journey. Their personal buying journey and experience should be just as meaningful.

B2B buying conversions are not as immediate as they are in the B2C world, since there typically is no “Add to Cart” option. Therefore, incorporating a strong social strategy into your marketing efforts is even more so essential. The B2B Institute’s ‘Advertising Effectiveness and the 95-5 Rule’ report, in collaboration with the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute, highlights that 95% of B2B buyers are not in the market to buy today or immediately. This makes it essential for B2B brands to create a lasting impression in buyers’ minds so that when they are ready to buy, your brand is top of mind.

Creating these lasting impressions in buyers’ minds takes impactful social marketing that taps into the human condition and takes great care of the audiences within them. A brand with its own unique personality is one that others want to connect with and eventually invest in.

According to LinkedIn as of 2022, more than 69% of B2B marketers agreed that B2B purchasing decisions are just as emotionally driven as those of B2C. This certainly calls out the need for B2B brands to be outside-of-box, channel creativity, and be bold. 

Social media is an incredibly powerful tool for B2Bs to connect with their customers on a deeper level. However, many B2B organizations find it challenging to develop a cohesive social media strategy that can enhance their online presence and generate leads, while also building that audience connection that is becoming increasingly important as we move through 2023.

 

The 3 C’s

Below are my foolproof ways to humanize your brand and get you started in taking your B2B to the next level on social media.

1. Be Conversational – As you build your social media content and create your digital tone of voice, stop and think, is this how I would speak to a prospective buyer if we were face-to-face? While remaining professional, you can still have some fun and be yourself. More often than not, followers don’t know about the inner workings of your B2B services as inherently as you do. You wouldn’t buy a product or service you know very little about, so it’s your job to explain your product or service in a way that your audience will understand and in a tone of voice that is relatable and receptive. 

LinkedIn agrees and found that 39% of B2Bs said they are increasingly implementing storytelling, emotion and even humor to help make their creative campaigns stick. 

2. Be Consistent – Remember the lasting impressions we talked about above? Leaving lasting impressions in your buyers’ minds can only be built with consistency. On-a-whim, one-time decisions, will not build long lasting relationships with your audience nor will they yield lasting results. Build a social strategy that you believe in and plan to stick to. 

3. Build Camaraderie – One of the most important steps in humanizing your brand, especially your B2B, is to build trust and camaraderie within your audience. Who is your brand and why should your audience trust you enough to buy into your services? 

Ways you can implement this is on social media is by incorporating the people behind your brand within your content, engaging with your page by replying to comments on your posts or leaving comments on relevant content that apply to your industry, and proving that if a customer invests in you, not only will they receive your service, but they’ll receive a real team of people working together towards the same goal.

 

The social media landscape is ever changing and B2Bs need to compete with one another, and with B2Cs for engagement and audience growth, now more than ever. Understanding the importance of humanizing your B2B brand and keeping the 3 C’s in mind will allow you to stay ahead of your competitors on social media to ultimately build audience connection and grow your customer base.

Is your B2B in need of an organic social refresh? Take our 4 minute quiz to find out and see how you rank!