How To Create an Effective B2B Social Media Strategy
In our digitally focused world, a good social media presence is essential for any business. Scouring the internet for advice, however, may leave you feeling quite overwhelmed. Everyone — and their mom, too — claims to know the keys to social media success or the next big “viral” trend. Looking for a little guidance to get your social media presence on the right track? Stick to the basics.
Here are 5 basic components every B2B social media strategy needs:
- Posting Frequency
One of the most common questions we hear regarding social media is, “How often should I post?” You may have heard recommendations to post daily or possibly even multiple times per day.
When it comes to posting frequency, we recommend 2-3 times per week. The incremental value of any posts above that is small. More important, though, is consistency. Don’t skip weeks or months at a time. If you’re too busy, you might consider hiring someone to handle your social media pages for you. The key is steady and regular posting.
- Social Media Platforms
Social media has exploded in the last decade. We’ve gone from a few major platforms to a whole slew of social networks, all with their own niche market. There are dozens of platforms you could post to, but the only two that matter in B2B are LinkedIn and Twitter. Ignore the other platforms. They won’t generate enough ROI to make it worth your time or effort. For an example of a LinkedIn strategy in action, check out Chris’s page!
- Content
Does the idea of coming up with new content for posting to social media make you feel a bit overwhelmed? Good news! You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Posting to social media should not require new content to be created. You already have an entire library of content at your disposal.
When it comes to social media content, you should be repurposing and promoting content already created for some other purpose. Despite what you may have heard, it’s OK to recycle old content and promote it again.
- Tracking Results
Now that you’re posting regularly, you’re starting to see some likes and comments on your content. Hooray! Now, how do you track your results to know if it’s working? Nearly every platform — LinkedIn and Twitter included — has a page analytics feature allowing businesses to track reach and engagement. Here you’ll find information about the number of post likes, comments, link clicks, page views, people reached, etc. This gives you insight into how your content is viewed and interacted with by users on the platform.
Of course, you may not be interested in all the data provided. Establish the KPIs (key performance indicators) that are important for your business and focus on those metrics. Once you’ve gathered this performance data, be sure to review it with your team regularly. We track the number of views, likes, and comments and review the results monthly.
No matter the platform, it’s difficult to predict what content is going to get comments, likes, and engagement. So try different things, experiment, and see what works for you. In our experience, this can be quite random. We do typically see better engagement when using pictures of real people/faces. Dry topics and stock photos aren’t going to draw in as many likes and comments.
- There’s No Magic Formula
People tend to want a precise formula for managing their social media. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could give you a detailed strategy that will work every time? Unfortunately, with social media, you have to just experiment, track results, and adjust accordingly. What works for one business might not get the same results for another.
If you aren’t seeing the social media results you’re looking for, let’s connect for a brief discussion on growing your LinkedIn and Twitter KPI’s.