Buying on behalf of a business is different than the everyday purchases we make for ourselves. For one thing, business buyers might take a lot more convincing, as it’s often not their money they’re spending.
But at the end of the day, we’re all just people selling to other people.
Social media can influence B2B buying decisions as well as personal purchases.
There are 4.8 billion social media users worldwide. Each social media platform has different capabilities and user bases.
From long-form video to microblogging, each social media network has a unique format and target audience. In order to choose the right social networks for your business, you’ll need to understand the differences.
In this article, we’ll discuss which social platforms are best for business-to-business promotions and how to use their unique features to grow your business online.
Editor’s note: Eye-catching visuals are key to getting attention on social media. Use GoDaddy Studio to design high-quality images for social posts, infographics and more.
Let’s start with the social platform best known for professional networking online.
Once just seen as an online CV, LinkedIn has become so much more than that.
LinkedIn is a professional networking platform where businesses and professionals can connect. This makes it the perfect place for business-to-business promotions.
The people using LinkedIn are already looking for professional conversations.
Setting up a LinkedIn company profile creates a dedicated space for business professionals to learn about your products, services and company culture.
Sharing high-quality articles, infographics and videos on LinkedIn can help you build credibility and establish your business as a thought leader.
You can do this by:
- Writing articles directly on LinkedIn
- Adding your thoughts and experience to collaborative articles
- Using carousels to present your content in easy to consume snippets
Look to the LinkedIn news section to discover trending topics to guide your content marketing efforts.
Beyond your company profile, LinkedIn is the place for your people to promote your B2B offerings. Take advantage of the networking capabilities on LinkedIn to foster personal working relationships and generate new leads for your business.
By fostering an environment where colleagues share their experiences and learnings, you can create more connections. Why? Because it can be much easier for people to remember an individual who produces interesting posts over a company.
This direct personal connection with someone who works for your company can ease the sales process and help drive growth for your business. When two products are comparatively the same, the relationship with the salesperson is often the final factor that makes the sale. So building this connection is a must.
TikTok
When it comes to capturing attention online, short-form video reigns supreme. And TikTok has everything you need to craft engaging short-form video content for B2B promotion, regardless of your skill level.
TikTok users come to the app for entertainment and discovery.
There’s less need to fuss over creating polished, overly rehearsed videos.
As long as what you put out there can make them smile or provide them with value, they’ll thank you for showing a more genuine side to your business. We put together a full guide on TikTok for business in a separate article.
Share tips related to your products
One way to do this is by sharing tips, tricks and advice related to your products and industry.
In doing so you can demonstrate your expertise and make your brand more appealing to potential clients.
This type of content may involve speaking directly to the camera, adding text overlay, and even including a voiceover.
Create product/service demos
Another way to provide value is to create demo videos of a specific feature of your product or service. These types of ‘How to’ videos help people learn more about your product by seeing it in use.
Collaborating with an influencer on these types of videos can work wonders by giving real-life examples of how your product is used by professionals.
A good example of this is project management software company Monday.com choosing to work with Ellie Middleton to show how their software can be used to get more done.
TikTok is growing as a platform for learning and discovery — so much so that it's giving Google a run for its money as a search engine. Make sure you optimise your videos for search by adding keywords in the:
- Video itself
- Captions
- Hashtags
In addition, audience and location targeting give you the best chance of appearing high up in TikTok searches for topics related to your business.
You don’t always need to be directly selling your product on TikTok to promote your business.
Creating engaging videos that feature text over a person who is acting out a relatable situation can help you connect with those most likely to buy your products or services.
Whilst these shouldn’t be relied on solely for your TikTok strategy, they can be an important aspect of building brand awareness and engagement.
Editor's note: Interested in creating videos for social media? GoDaddy Studio’s online video editor can help you out.
Facebook has more users than any other social media platform. The audience is not only large but spans many demographics.
It provides the perfect opportunity to target niche audiences with your B2B product or service.
With a wide range of features, Facebook offers plenty of ways to tell your story and start building a community around your business. You can also take advantage of Facebook Marketplace to promote your business.
Meta lead ads let you gather contact information from prospective customers directly through Facebook in exchange for something of value to them.
This may come in the form of a product demo or an eBook. Customers give their information in exchange for something they want, and you get to contact them about your products and services.
If people have already started showing interest in your offering but haven’t yet made a purchase, you can target them with remarketing on Facebook. This involves making ads that Facebook serves up to those who've already read your post or clicked on a link.
People aren't just buyers during office hours. By remarketing, you ensure your business is top of mind wherever and whenever they’re looking online.
Related: How to create and manage a Facebook Business page
Instagram is a visual platform, and visuals support every stage of the buying process for business-to-business purchase. Instagram users spend the most time in messages, then Stories, and then feeds.
Broadcast channels
One of the more recent features is broadcast channels, which allow you to send bulk messages to your followers.
When anyone follows your broadcast channel, they’ll get a notification every time you post a message there.
Broadcast channels can be used to create a community and give your loyal followers exclusive insider updates on your business.
This can work great for:
- Teasing new products
- Giving a behind-the-scenes view of your business
- Engaging with your audience in a more personable way through short snippet videos, voice notes and polls
However, use this feature sparingly to keep your followers engaged but not overwhelmed by constant notifications.
Instagram Stories
Next on the list is Instagram Stories. These allow you to post photos or videos that disappear after 24 hours.
Through the Instagram Stickers feature you can drive traffic to places such as:
- An event registration page
- Your website
- An appointment booking form
- Any other action you’d like them to take
Moreover, Stories can be saved and organised on your profile so users have easy access to relevant information about your business. You might have different Stories for behind the scenes, FAQs, product walkthroughs or meet the team.
Feed posts
The feed post should not be neglected. Posts can provide insights into your business, what you do and what you know. This in turn can help establish your business as a thought leader in your industry. Note that your caption can make or break your post.
Use trending keywords and hashtags to support your captions and make sure that your post is found by as many people as possible in the ‘discover’ feed.
YouTube
Video can often tell a story a lot quicker than a written post.
Given the demands on business owners, managers and company representatives, watching a concise 60-second video from your business may be more appealing than reading a white paper.
When it’s not immediately obvious how your product or service can benefit a customer, video can get the message across and make everything add up.
Using a mixture of vlogs, product demos, employee interviews and how-tos can all bring your brand to life.
What's also great about the long form content created on YouTube is the ability to repurpose it. Longer videos can be cropped down into smaller snippets and repurposed for TikTok, Instagram Stories and Reels.
Google places high value on video content from YouTube.
YouTube videos can rank in the main search results or in the video-specific search results.
Making sure you add relevant keywords to your video name, description and tags can help Google understand what your video is about.
Adding timestamps and outward links in the description makes your videos 10 times more valuable. Embedding your video in a blog post on a website with high domain authority can help push your video to the top of search results and reach more people.
Some top tips for creating video content on YouTube:
- Hook your viewers in the first few seconds with a compelling intro
- Keep your videos focused on one main idea
- Cut out the fluff — any silences, ums or errs can be edited out to keep the pace throughout (YouTube rewards content that keeps people engaged)
- Organise your videos into playlists to increase watch time
- Give before you ask by providing value before you plug your products and services
Reddit calls itself ‘The homepage of the internet.’ People post, comment, and vote via subreddits on topics of interest.
As such, it's the place to go to reach thousands of communities, engage in endless conversations and make authentic human connections.
For this reason, using Reddit for B2B promotions requires a thoughtful approach. Speaking about your product in an overly promotional or pushy way is a surefire way to get your post removed, or worse, get your account banned from posting in the subreddit.
The best way to use Reddit for B2B promotions is to get active in relevant subreddits.
This involves:
- Commenting on posts with relevant, well-thought-out responses
- Upvoting content
By providing value, you can get value back.
Browsing relevant subreddits can also be a great source of inspiration, as it allows you to see what people in your industry are talking about.
By understanding what your potential customers want to know, you can craft posts that help them and prime them for purchase.
Promote your B2B firm on social
Social media provides a whole host of opportunities for business-to-business promotions.
Stats, resources, how tos, tips and tricks — whatever you share needs to provide your audience with value in order for them to engage with your business.
For some businesses, it might be worth developing an in-depth content strategy to cover all of these platforms.
For many, however, focusing their efforts on one or two makes better sense. Establish your goals for what you want to achieve by posting on social media to keep your efforts on track and producing good results for your business.
Whatever your approach, use your voice to speak as a human behind the brand rather than the brand itself.
Remember social media is a two-way street. It's as much about engaging and interacting with your audience as it is about telling them about your product or service.
