Last year the average internet user was a member of 8.9 social channels. Admittedly a lot of these were probably personal, but not all of them.
Social media makes sense for business. Can you think of any other way to reach millions of people quickly, effectively and more importantly, without having to spend a lot of money?
Social media is about patience
Most people in marketing understand the benefits of social media. Their challenge is that the ‘powers that be’ often don’t see it as a serious marketing tool so fail to understand its value.
I think the problem is that people expect to see immediate results. Social media is about playing the long game. If you persevere, you will reap the rewards.
Why is social media good for B2B businesses?
Social media isn’t just for personal use or B2C marketing, it’s a great tool for B2B companies as well.
Here are just a few reasons why I think social media is a great marketing tool and should be part of your marketing strategy:
1. Increase your brand awareness – I know it’s stating the obvious, but online activity has gone mad over the past year.
According to the latest report from Datareportal, there were 53m active social media users in the UK in January 2021 and 28% of these used social media as a main source when researching brands.
Interacting with people and posts and sharing relevant, engaging content will help to raise your brand's presence online.
2. Establish yourself as a thought leader – thought leadership is a great way to build trust and to become the ‘go-to source’ for information on your industry.
By sharing content such as whitepapers, research and blogs and commenting on issues, you can demonstrate that you understand your industry and the challenges your customers face.
3. Remain in front of your audience – people check their social media feeds several times during the day so posting regularly keeps you in front of your existing and potential customers.
When they need your type of product or service, they'll remember you and contact you instead of your competitor.
4. Increase your website traffic – you can share content from your website on your social media channels or use social media ads to drive traffic to your website.
This additional traffic can generate leads which in turn means more sales.
5. Engage with your audience – social media is a two-way conversation and allows you to interact directly with your customers and audience, and vice versa.
Engaging with your audience builds up a rapport and increases trust in your brand.
6. Understand your customers – you can get a better insight into your customers and target audience by seeing what they’re saying about your brand, the industry and your competitors.
Understanding what matters to your customers and what they engage with will help you to anticipate their needs, provide them with the service and products they want and increase customer loyalty.
7. Nurture your prospects – social media allows you to build a relationship with potential customers by showing your human side. Share their interests, likes, dislikes, understand their pain points and start a conversation with them.
People are more likely to make a purchase from a person they have a connection with.
Your customers and prospects are on social media
If you’re not on social media, or just dabble in it, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity.
You don’t need an exciting brand, product or service to make social media work for your company. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling fixings and fittings, power tools, safety railings or plaster, there will be people on social media who are interested in what you do.
Have a clear strategy, be consistent and patient and you could raise your brand awareness, position yourself as an authority in your sector, connect with customers, nurture prospects and generate sales.
Not sure if you should be on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or even Clubhouse?
If you need help with your social media strategy or don't have the time to post regularly, get in touch or connect with me via Twitter or LinkedIn. I can help you decide what social networks are best for your business and write engaging posts for the different social platforms.
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