Tag Archives: social media

Does Social Media Work for B2B Marketing?

The short answer to this question is sometimes. But when it’s an appropriate fit, this marketing tool can be extremely effective. The benefits of social media for B2B include spreading the word about your business and products, driving more traffic to your website and providing a forum to engage in an informal dialogue with your market, which can help you learn more about who they are and what their particular needs might be. Regular posts will also improve your website’s SEO ranking, critical to any organization.

When we say “social media,” we’re largely talking about blogs, creating a predictable stream of educational content that can be shared over the internet through channels such as Twitter and LinkedIn, and perhaps to a lesser extent, Facebook.

Certainly, if your business is technology based, social media marketing can be a boon as many of your clients and customers are online and looking for the latest and greatest information.

For any industry, blog posts are an ideal space to give an in-depth explanation of your product/service and its benefits and features. This establishes your company as an authoritative voice, and gives your business customers more insight into the ways your product can be used to simplify or improve their own work. Technical posts can be extremely useful to readers, and are likely to earn more shares and page views over time.

A blog can also be a great means to provide live coverage of a trade show, sharing information with those who can’t attend. We’ve also seen blogs where employees talk about their industry or work culture to humorous effect. These types of post can help bring personality and color to your marketing efforts. Or a blog can be used for news items that are not quite important enough to merit a press release, but still might interest readers and customers. Better still, mix it up and keep the content varied over time.

No matter what content you post, it’s very important to know your audience, and to frame your social media efforts accordingly. On which channels are your customers likely to read content? Where are they in the buying cycle? What are their barriers to purchasing your product or services? Also, just because your blog is primarily designed for a B2B audience doesn’t mean you have to only speak to that audience. It’s fine to use that space to occasionally address consumer concerns.

One closing piece of advice: If you do start a blog, it absolutely must be kept up to date. Don’t just slap up some posts and hope you’ll get into a rhythm. There should be a long-term plan to keep it fresh and active. We suggest posting at least once a week to ensure readers return.

Contact us to learn more about how Lion’s Share can help you with B2B social media marketing for your organization.

Finding Your (Content) Voice

Content marketing—that is, using media and content to create brand awareness and build your consumer or client base—is critical in a world where people have become immune to traditional advertising. It’s a way to reach out and communicate, engage customers in a dialogue, without giving the hard sell. Finding the right voice to do this effectively is critically important.

Potential customers are constantly looking for more information and quickly. The more value you can offer, through relevant and timely information, the more you become a trusted source. Strong, consistently delivered content can also help you reap better results from search engines. It goes without saying that there must be content in content marketing: valuable, savvy insights, and not just empty platitudes or sales gimmicks. The content should be strong enough to stand on its own, because if it’s something you wouldn’t read then chances are your customers won’t be interested, either.

Naturally, the content voice you choose will depend on your communications strategy and business goals. Are you trying to reach out to a new group of consumers? Are you looking for more B2B transactions? Would you like to inspire loyalty from existing customers? Or are you educating clients about the problems your services can solve? Who are you talking to, and what are they looking for?

It will also largely depend on the platform you’re using. Are you writing a blog with a series of informational but friendly posts? Are you communicating on less formal channels such as Twitter and Instagram? Or are you creating a series of white papers that are meant to establish your authority as a thought leader in the field? Every business has different needs, and most can use some combination of communications vehicles.

Each of these formats will dictate a different tone and vocabulary. You might adopt a more rigorous writing style in a case study, while relaxing your language on social media. At the same time, however, the messaging needs to be consistent across all communications. It should also be relatively distinct and memorable while serving your brand.

It’s your story to tell, of course, but you want your content voice to do it justice. Lion’s Share works closely with clients to develop content marketing materials that showcase their companies’ personalities while hewing closely to their communications goals.

These are sometimes subtle distinctions, but when it comes to setting the stage for sales, they can make a deep impression on a potential customer who will either see you as either the next great thing or another also-ran. Make sure you get it right.

Find out more about your content voice, and how Lion’s Share can help you connect with more customers. Contact us today.