In the past years, the prevalent belief that social media marketing only befits B2C companies has kept B2B brands from leveraging this discipline in their quest to reach more clients. For this reason, B2C companies were the only adopters of social media marketing.
However, times have changed, and the digital marketing game is becoming trickier than before. Brands have realized the potential of B2B social media marketing, incorporating it into their digital marketing strategies.
While there are some commonalities in how B2B and B2C brands integrate social media in their social media marketing campaigns, it is essential to note critical differences. These differences impact how the brands create content, strategies, and goals for social media marketing.
Read on to learn about the most common differences between B2C and B2B social media marketing.
How B2C Social Media Marketing Varies from B2B Social Media Marketing
B2C and B2B social media marketing practices vary in the following aspects:
Social Media Marketing Goals
B2C local social media marketing focuses on community awareness and engagement. In fact, the main objective of B2C marketing is virality. Thus, B2C marketers concentrate on creating viral content to increase their awareness through social media.
Conversely, B2B social media marketing focuses on generating more leads. As more B2B brands learn about social media’s marketing potential, they are adopting B2B social media marketing at an unprecedented rate. While at it, they use web traffic to measure the effectiveness of their social media marketing.
A recent study by Social Media Examiner revealed that over 50% more B2B brands are more likely to use social media to create partnerships and gain competitor insights than B2C brands.
Social Media Marketing Strategies
According to a recent CMI report, high-performing B2B content marketers always put their audiences’ informational needs first. Unlike B2C social media marketers focusing on driving awareness and gaining popularity, B2B brands focus on positioning themselves as thoughtful leaders in their respective industries.
B2C social media marketing focuses on creating unique content that stands out from its industry competitors.
In contrast, B2B brands stand out by offering better services than their competitors. For this reason, B2B social media marketers keep their content professional and informative.
Regarding the most popular social media B2C and B2B marketing channels, most B2B brands use LinkedIn and Facebook. Approximately 90% of B2B brands use Facebook, while around 80% use LinkedIn as their primary social media marketing platform.
Just like B2C audiences, B2B audiences respond better to more engaging content components like:
- Storytelling,
- Catchy headlines,
- Standout visuals, and
- Empathy.
To ensure proper lead nurturing, B2B brands should understand their target market well. Understanding your audience will help you empathize with them. With empathy, you can develop healthy relationships with your prospective customers, which will make your social media marketing endeavors more successful.
Unlike B2C companies, B2B brands should use social media marketing strategies that put information first while establishing thought leadership. However, they should still incorporate the more human aspects of communication utilized in B2C social media marketing.
Social Media Marketing Content
Regarding content, B2C social media marketing focuses mostly on visual content. Video content is king when it comes to B2C social media marketing. When creating a video, it is essential to consider how engaging and shareable your video will be. Ensure there are share buttons so that your audience can share your videos on different social media channels with just a simple click.
Content is constantly changing. Even messaging within a social media post is content marketing by itself. B2C marketers should give it a deep thought while keeping in mind who their target audience is. Social media marketing content for B2C is more casual and should include humor.
While B2C marketers have the advantage of being more casual in the type of social media marketing content they create, B2B marketers focus on creating “professional content.” This is because B2B audiences want content that keeps them abreast of the prevailing industry and business trends.
B2B Content Types
Here are some types of content B2B marketers can leverage:
Video
Humans are visual creatures.
Nearly 50 percent of our brain interprets visual information from the world around us. Although we have five senses, 70 percent of all sensory receptors are in the eyes.
In fact, people remember 10 percent of what they hear, 20 percent of what they read, and 80 percent of what they see and do.
It comes as no surprise the recent findings of a study by Hubspot that when presented with content with text and video on the same page, 72% of people will watch the video instead of reading the text.
Videos appeal emotionally to your prospects and clients, are noncommittal, and are easily digestible content formats.
Regarding B2B, video can be effectively leveraged for multiple objectives, including brand awareness, thought leadership, case studies, demos, training, and more.
Every stage of the sales process will benefit from video content. Craft a B2B video marketing strategy that considers your personas, their needs, queries, and goals throughout all the buying phases.
Infographics
Infographics are more beneficial to B2B companies than B2Cs since this visual medium is much better at transmitting complex data and information while having your target audience retain it.
B2Bs have a wide range of data and analytics that they can put in graphical form. Using your internal data to create unique infographics can help curate powerful market content for social media coverage.
Visuals
As a B2B marketer, it is time you tapped into the potential of visuals in content repurposing.
When it comes to incorporating visual content into B2B social media marketing, you are just limited to your ability and creativity.
Remember, customer engagement is the main objective fueling your digital marketing activities, and its benefits will surpass in-person communication with proper execution.
Among the key types of visuals to include in your B2B social media content include charts and graphs, illustrations, real-life photographs, user-generated content, handwritten quotes, and pre-recorded or live videos.
Webinars
Webinars are a great tool for businesses looking to tap into the potential of social media marketing.
Creating webinars allows B2B marketers to continue nurturing their leads until they convert to sales. Webinar content can aid in the creation of other types of promotional content like blog posts, podcasts, and case studies.
Whitepapers/Ebooks
Whitepapers are very helpful in lead generation for B2B. Since whitepapers offer readers in-depth business information, they will be more than willing to provide their details to access it.
Lead generation is essential for B2B marketers, so the extra effort you put in creating comprehensive whitepapers is more than worth it.
One-Pagers
B2B brands can use one-pagers to help their target customers understand their product and service offerings. Generally, a one-pager provides an overview of the features and benefits your company offers. To achieve the best results, create a stunning, precise one-pager. While at it, prioritize bullet points over long paragraphs.
Best Practices for B2B Social Media Marketing
Applying the best social media marketing best practices will help you convert more leads. Some of the B2B best practices include the following:
- Using the proper social media channels that best fit your audience. Additionally adjust the content style that fits the particular platform you are using.
- Keeping your brand tone consistent across all social media platforms
- Setting up workflows for engaging with influencers, welcoming new followers, and managing support requests.
- Pay attention to your analytics and make data driven decisions
Most importantly, as a B2B marketer, you should gain firsthand experience in different social media channels to identify the type of content that sparks attention and increases customer engagement. Exploit the analytics and insights available in different social media platforms to understand your audience more.
Remember to always prioritize your client’s needs and offer them content that will keep them updated with the latest industry trends.
Final Thoughts
Social media is an excellent platform that helps businesses build strong relations with each other. Your B2B social media marketing strategy differs from B2C social media marketing in terms of goals, content, and strategy. While B2B marketers create informative content that serves the client’s needs, B2C marketers create content to drive brand awareness and sales.
Incorporating attractive images, storytelling, convincing headlines, and empathy in your B2B social media marketing content will help keep your audience engaged, generating more leads in the long run.
With well-thought content, clear goals, and proper execution, your B2B brand can easily develop new relationships and generate leads through social media marketing.
At LocalBizGuru, we understand the value of B2B digital marketing and the intricacies it entails.
Contact us today to take the burden off your shoulders and make your business known in no time.
