How to Choose the Best Social Media Platforms for B2B Marketing

Introduction

Digital marketing has grown tremendously over the last few years. In our B2B landscape, the significance of digital marketing has become paramount.

The reason? It has become a lot easier to communicate with prospects. There are also several channels that have come into existence, and B2B companies are now spoilt for choice. Be it SEO or email, there are plenty to choose from. However, social media seems to have won the race when it comes to popularity.

With more than 88% of B2B companies marketing on social media, there is no better time to be on social media.

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According to a study conducted by Mashable, 81% of small and medium businesses use some kind of social media channel for marketing.

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Want to write effective content for social media and generate more leads?

If you’re considering social media platforms for business, you’d be making the right choice as the numbers don’t lie. But where do you start? With so many social media platforms to choose from, the task to find the right one may become a daunting task!

Fret-not! That’s why we’re here to help. Identifying the right social media platform for your business can be easy if you know exactly what and who to search for. Before learning about which social media platforms for business work best for you, there are three things you should keep in mind:

1. Know your audience

Without a clear definition of who your target audience is, your business is going nowhere.Not knowing your audience will prove to be a massive hindrance.

How you prepare content and develop your social media campaigns will be greatly affected by this. When you have a clear idea of who your target audience is, it is easier to deduce where they are and what they are looking for.

There are various ways by which you can find out who your target audience is.
You can conduct a Google keyword search to assess which network they are most likely to be active on. You could even watch your competitors closely to gather that information.

2. Define your objectives (for being on social media)

Before you figure out which social media platforms for business are right for you, analyze your objectives.

Ask yourself – what’s the purpose for you to run a social media marketing campaign?
Is it to grow your audience or to keep your customers informed about a new product/service?
Are you looking to boost traffic to your website or conduct market research before
developing your product?

By defining your objectives clearly, it becomes easy to find the right channel for your business. When you align your business objectives with your social media marketing strategy, positive results are usually the outcome.

3. Assess your resources

What resources do you need to invest in if you’re looking to execute a successful social media marketing campaign?
Each social media platform is unique, and as such, employs different tactics to engage their audience. Each of these platforms requires the implementation of a specific set of skills and resources to execute a superior campaign.
Your aim should be not only to assess the right platform for your business but also find out the right resources needed.
Now, with appropriate allocation of resources and an extensive idea of your target audience, how do you determine which social media platforms for business are the best fit for you?

Kick Start Social Media Marketing for your business

Here is an overview of the most popular social
media platforms for business, namely -

Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Facebook

Overview

Demographics

How Facebook works for your business

What works for Facebook

Overview

Has 2 billion active users
70% of marketers choose Facebook to feature their ads
The platform has 65+ million listed local business pages

Demographics

Most Facebook users are 25-34 years old

How Facebook
works for your
business

It connects you with prospects from all around the globe
The platform includes live streaming
Facebook is the most targeted digital advertising platform

What works
for Facebook

Long-form content in the news feed
Videos get more views than any other form of content
Live streaming is prevalent and generates a lot of engagement

The B2B Sales Rep’s Guide to Facebook

Overview

Demographics

How LinkedIn works for your business

What works for LinkedIn

Overview

Has a total of 590 million users out of which 290 million are active every month
This platform performs 277% better compared to Facebook and Twitter when it comes to generating and converting B2B leads
80% of B2B leads on social media come from LinkedIn
73% of B2B companies use this platform to connect with clients and prospects

Demographics

61% of users on LinkedIn are 30 to 64 years old

How LinkedIn
works for your
business

It connects you with decision-makers
LinkedIn is the best place to be active for businesses
It helps create brand awareness
It is effective to conduct digital advertising on LinkedIn

What works for
LinkedIn

A range of content including whitepapers, eBooks, case studies and videos
Sharing other people’s content that already has a fan base
Any written content linked to your profile

Twitter

Overview

Demographics

How Twitter works for your business

What works for Twitter

Overview

Gary Vaynerchuk refers to Twitter as the “water cooler of our society.”
There are 326 million active users
Everyday more than 500 million tweets are tweeted
It provides businesses a real-time channel for communication

Demographics

32% of Twitter users are 18 to 29 years old

How Twitter
works for your
business

It is easy to connect with other businesses and decision-makers from all over the globe based on trending topics
Twitter provides features for real-time customer service

What works for
Twitter

Each post’s time span is short, so experts recommend to put up multiple posts throughout the day
Tweets with videos and images have higher levels of engagement
Tweets that have two hashtags perform better compared to posts with none or multiple hashtags

Instagram

Overview

Demographics

How Instagram works for your business

What works for Instagram

Overview

Has 1 billion active monthly users
2 billion likes occur on the platform daily
Thursday is the most suitable day to post on Instagram for all B2B brands
Follower growth for Instagram grew at a rate of 33% by the end of 2018

Demographics

55% of users on Instagram are 18 to 29 years old

How Instagram
works for your
business

You can showcase your product/service using visually appealing images and videos
Direct messaging allows you to connect with businesses from all over the globe with ease

What works for
Instagram

High-quality images are the USP of Instagram
Motivational quotes related to business witness high levels of engagement
Using hashtags increases engagement levels
You can give a more detailed description of product/service with Instagram stories

Grow your
Business on Instagram

YouTube

Overview

Demographics

How YouTube works for your business

What works for YouTube

Overview

Has 1.9 billion users.
2nd most popular search engine after Google.
Businesses upload more than 100 hours of video on YouTube every minute.
With the rising popularity of video marketing, YouTube has become one of the best platforms to host video content
The platform is free, and marketers can add as many videos as they want to.

Demographics

More than 33% of all internet users are active on YouTube.

How YouTube
works for your
business

Unlimited video hosting features.
High traffic and viewer count.
Proper use of keywords will allow you to rank on Google as well
Your business can earn money from YouTube. For 1000 ad views, a channel can earn $18. Whereas, a channel can make $3 to $5 per 1000 video views

What works for
YouTube

Quality video content that educates viewers about a product/service works best
Engaging and vibrant thumbnails get more views compared to lackluster ones
You can use hashtags to optimize engagement

To Conclude

When looking for social media platforms for business, you need to keep in mind that each of the networks has its own USP. You need to evaluate your audience, their preferences, and their needs.

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Experiment with these social media platforms for business purposes to determine which channels work best for you. The key here is to continually expand your reach. Optimal use of networking in business will only allow your brand to grow bigger! Looking for more articles related to social media marketing?

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Rachel was a former journalist who found her true calling as a content editor at ReachStream. Her previous experiences have allowed her to develop strong organizational skills and excellent research expertise. Rachel loves traveling when not whipping-up a storm in the kitchen.