B2B social media marketing is often let out of the spotlight in social marketing discussions, but the reality is that B2B social media is here to stay. According to market research, today’s average business-to-business (B2B) buyer is 57% of the way toward their purchase decision before even engaging with a salesperson.  If you think B2B’s social media platforms are only for users to share content and memes, then think again. In reality, 9 out of 10 B2B businesses make use of social media in their overall marketing strategy.  

But why do B2B businesses need social media? Each year, more and more consumers are using social media platforms to learn more about their favourite brands, discover new brands, give reviews, seek customer support and make their final purchasing decisions.   

This continuing trend means that social media marketing can be more valuable for a B2B company than a B2C. Here are some of the best social media platforms for B2B social media marketing. If you are a business looking to get started with B2B social media marketing, here are six reasons/benefits of using social media platforms to reach your customer base: 

It Builds Trust

There is a lot of competition out in the world, and not all of it is reliable or trustworthy. Therefore, anything you can do to build trust and prove your business’s worth is a plus. Examples of building trust include sharing testimonials, positive reviews, and accolades (e.g.: awards, customer milestones), and are a great lead-in for building trust. They’re easy for viewers to digest, are ideal for sharing, and help build up your reputation.  

Furthermore, so many customers are over the hard-selling sales pitch. Customers want to do business with reputable, trustworthy brands when they are ready to do business.  Keeping that in mind, B2B’s can use social media as a way to teach, entertain, start discussions, and provide expertise about their industry so they become thought leaders in their space. This helps move potential clients through a sales funnel but also shows that your business values being helpful and patient rather than pushy and salesy.  

Your Customers are on Social Media  

In 2023, 4.76 billion people are using social media worldwide. It only makes sense for your business to be where the consumers are. Using social media platforms can help bring authority to your brand by posting regular updates about your business what it does and how it can help resolve customer issues through its product or services.   B2B social media marketing will help your business become an authoritative figure around a specific product or service that you deal with in the industry. You can achieve this by sharing regular brand communication, industry news, innovations, and reviews from customers.   

Customers Need Support   

Facebook and Twitter are currently the best social media platforms for customer support.  Many big brands like Rogers and General Electric use these platforms to resolve the issues that their customers are facing and build positive relationships. 54% of customers prefer social media for customer service over the phone or email. Also, solving a customer complaint is 83% cheaper on social media than using a call center interaction.   

Customer Targeting   

Advertising on social media platforms offers an enormous amount of targeting options. You can narrow down your target audience based on age, industry, job title, location, interests, homeowners /non-homeowners, parent/non-parent, income, credit card holders, etc.    

Using real-time feedback from the analytics of each social media platform, you can adjust your targeting based on the data to ensure the highest possible impact.   

Increase in Website Traffic   

Every time a user clicks on your post on a social media platform, they are redirected to your website leading to an increase in website traffic. This increase in website traffic will build authority around your brand in the eyes of Google over time. Eventually, this increase in brand authority will help you rank better on the search engine results page without paying a single.   In simple terms, you will be getting free SEO through social media advertising.   

Also, if you have great content like blogs, on your website that will help with the user journey, don’t wait around hoping the right people read it. Send it through your social media platform and get it in front of the right people.   

Low Advertising Costs   

If you were opening a new business four or five years ago, it would make sense to go with traditional media. But in 2023, you have to be on at least one social media platform to promote your brand, product, or service and get it in front of your target audience. No matter what social media platform you use, Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn, advertising costs are a fraction of the cost of traditional media spend.    

Most B2B companies are even unaware of all the advertising options social media platforms have, from promoting clicks to your website to promoting fan base growth, your opportunities are countless.   

Need help creating a social media marketing strategy for your new or old business? Contact your local social media marketing experts at Design Thinking and we’ll get your business in front of the right people at the right time.