Social Media Tips for B2B Marketers

Social Media Tips for B2B Marketers

by | May 9, 2018 | Business Development, Communications, Marketing

Social Media Tips for B2B Marketers

In a previous post Social Media for Business – which platforms work best? we outlined which social media platforms get the best results for B2B Marketers and why. In this post we would like to expand on this and outline some tips on how B2B Marketers should use these platforms.

 

Facebook Social Media Tips

According to Pardot Facebook’s algorithm for distributing content among followers includes more than 100,000 factors, including how often someone posts, how individuals interact with followers, the type of content, when it’s posted, and many more. The only real way to win the algorithm battle for brands is to post quality, shareable content that adds value to a follower’s timeline. Provide tips and tricks for your audience to help them drive more leads and sales. Also, videos posted natively will continue getting higher organic reach than video links posted from other social media platforms like Twitter, YouTube, Vimeo, and others

Tips:

·         Post content around company updates, new products or special offers

·         Use live video to show products and team

·         Post infographics on both product information and general fun

·         Balance content between promotional and non-promotional items

·         Share relevant industry specific articles that would be of interest to your audience

·         Show off your team and your company culture

·         Remember potential employees will more than likely check out your Facebook page before attending an interview

 

 

Twitter Social Media Tips

Twitter is a great platform for organizations to communicate to their followers in real time announcing company updates, new products and events using short pieces of content. Twitter is also a great place for you to establish yourself as a subject matter expert in your industry by posting links to relevant industry-related content, as well as your own content, which provides value to your followers

Tips:

·         Post vibrant images and video with text to standout in the Twitter timeline

·         Use relevant hashtags (#) to highlight area of interest

·         Engage with audience, partners and influencers using @TwitterHandles

·         Post links to events that your organization will be attending or supporting

·         Post links to press releases and blogposts

·         Retweet and Like customers and partners posts where relevant

·         Post 3rd party industry specific content that will show you as a knowledge leader in your field

.

 

 

LinkedIn Social Media Tips

LinkedIn is still the social media network for businesses and professionals. For B2B marketers, there’s not a better place for you to connect with your customers, and to confirm yourself as a subject matter expert or a knowledge leader. Graphics, quotes, and informative content perform very well on the platform and are very shareable. B2B marketers can and should use this to their advantage by providing as much valuable content as possible on a daily basis.

Tips:

·         Post content that established you and your organization as knowledge leaders in your field

·         Connect with like minded industry people and peers

·         Do not try to sell when establishing new connections

·         Highlight events you will be attending or hosting (tradeshows, presentations, webinars…)

·         Post company updates, new product releases, new partnerships, new appointments…

·         Post tips, tricks and how to guides on your products and solutions

·         Use platform to announce new vacancies at your organization and encourage your connections to share

 

 

Instagram Social Media Tips

Instagram continues to drive massive engagement for marketers and brands, as it tell its story via photos and videos. In 2016, Instagram launched “Instagram Live,” which gives users the ability to livestream from within the app. Most recently, Instagram opened up the ability for users to add up to 10 photos or videos in a single Instagram post. Instagram remains a great place for brands and companies to be, and should be included in your daily social media postings.

Tips:

·         Share behind the scenes look at your office or how your products are made on Instagram Stories or Instagram Live

·         Engage with customers and fans who post videos or photos of your products

·         Thank customers for posting photos of your products

·         Post fewer stock photos and more real photos of your team, products and solutions

·         Use new Instagram feature that allows you to post multiple photos and videos from an event your organization recently held or attended

 

 

Social Listening.

 Now that you have your social media accounts setup, one of the greatest tools available to marketers leveraging social media is social listening. Social listening is using commonly available tools to uncover and identify conversations that include your brand or company. This can be done as easily as using Facebook or Twitter’s native search functions, as well as Google and other search engines. There are also social-specific tools like Sprout Social, Hootsuite, and TweetDeck. Leveraging these tools to uncover customer service issues, conversations you should be a part of, and other opportunities for you to engage with current and potential customers is a very good reason you should make social listening an important part of your social media strategy. Search for usage of your brand’s name and company’s name, as well as product names. Also, search for opportunities to join conversations around your industry from people asking about features or advantages of your industry.

 

Blockchain Marketing – Get Paid to Perform a Search!

Blockchain Marketing – Get Paid to Perform a Search!

by | Jan 24, 2018 | Business Development, Communications, Marketing

Blockchain Marketing

Blockchain described here in a previous post is a data base or ledger that allows information to be stored and distributed, but not to be changed or copied. It is decentralized and is the sole system of record for any given transaction or set of agreed transactions.

Blockchain marketing, though yet in its infancy, has the potential to disrupt the search engine and online advertising industry (PPC, SEM, Banner Ads, etc..) because it will remove the need for third party platforms such as Google or Facebook. Currently businesses use these platforms to place ads and target potential customers. These platforms gain a great amount of personal data from the customer (person who performs the search) plus a huge revenue stream from the businesses that advertise. However, this may all be about to change. Blockchain marketing companies are focusing their efforts on search-data privacy, giving users full control over their data.

Get Paid to Search!

When users perform a search using blockchain marketing technology, they can select the amount of data they want to be released to advertisers. Then, unlike what happens with other digital marketing services, users can be compensated for their data. So, instead of a third party selling your data to advertisers, you’re selling it to them directly – yourself, and being rewarded with cryptocurrency or tokens.

According to Entrepreneur Magazine one such emerging blockchain marketing company is Bitclave. BitClave’s search engine uses Ethereum blockchain technology and eliminates the need for third party online advertising platforms, creating a direct connection between potential customers and businesses. This is the hallmark of blockchain technology, i.e. it eliminates the need for third parties in all transactions.

100% Data Accuracy for Marketer

Another benefit to the marketer/advertiser is that blockchain can verify that every user is genuine with 100 percent accuracy and therefore the advertiser is only charged for genuine clicks through to their site. Blockchain potentially presents a big threat to Google and Facebook’s future advertising revenues.

For help with your marketing or online advertising requirements contact RML Marketing & Business Development Solutions today.

Social Media for Business – which platforms work best?

Social Media for Business – which platforms work best?

by | Nov 10, 2017 | Business Development, Communications, Marketing

Social media for business has become a very important marketing tool, offering organizations opportunities to increase brand awareness, run targeted campaigns, increase leads and build community relationships.

Like everything in life, not all social media platforms are equal; some will appeal to B2C markets, others to B2B organizations, some to younger generations, others to more mature audiences and so on.

Here is a brief list of some of the popular Social Media platforms used in business today and to which types of business they may most appeal:

SOCIAL MEDIA FOR BUSINESS

 

1. TWITTER

 

What is it?

Twitter is an online news and social networking service where users can post and interact with messages called “tweets”. Until recently a tweet was limited to 140 characters, however, Twitter has just recently doubled this limit to 280 characters.

What type of business is it suitable for?

Twitter is suitable to all businesses from the Sole Trader to the Multinational Corporation.

What should it be used for?

Organizations should use Twitter to highlight upcoming events, new product launches, important company announcements, customer service and much more. Due to its brevity, you can ‘link’ your tweet to a web page with much more detailed information, you can shorten the web page link address for your tweet by using services such as bit.ly and goo.gl. A great Beginners Guide on how to use Twitter has recently been published by WebClare.

When to use?

Businesses should post on and interact with their Twitter accounts on a daily basis.

2. LINKEDIN

 

What is it?

LinkedIn is a business oriented, professional networking social media service.

What type of business is it suitable for?

LinkedIn is one of the most popular social media for business platforms and is primarily suitable for businesses that operate in B2B (business to business) marketplaces and Recruitment.

What should it be used for?

Description of company and services provided, individual’s professional profile, new job postings, company and product announcements, highlighting upcoming events. LinkedIn prioritizes relationship building amongst members, do not lead with a sales pitch to a new connection, but rather build a relationship built on mutual interests or industry sectors.

When to use?

LinkedIn should not be over used as your connections may view this as spam. Posting a couple of times a week may be sufficient. As well as posting on your company’s profile you can also post on relevant LinkedIn user groups for a wider audience reach.

3. FACEBOOK

 

What is it?

Facebook is a popular free social networking website that allows registered users and businesses to create profiles, upload photos and videos and post messages. With over 1.6 Billion active users worldwide, it is the world’s most popular social media platform.

What type of business is it suitable for?

Like Twitter, Facebook is suitable for all.

What should it be used for?

Facebook can be used for increased brand exposure, targeted offers, communication platform, building a loyal brand following and community. As part of your social media for business strategy your organization can use Facebook Ads to target selected demographics, geographical locations and much more. The Marketing Crowd offer wonderful courses on best practices for Facebook Marketing

When to use?

Post on a daily basis. Try to make posts interesting and encourage audience participation, including likes, comments and shares.

4. INSTAGRAM

 

What is it?

Instagram is an internet based photo sharing application that allows users and businesses to share pictures and videos on their accounts.

What type of business is it suitable for?

Luxury brands, fashion, food and lifestyle product companies.

What should it be used for?

Sharing visual content and short videos. By using the same filters consistently your organization or brand can establish a style that will become instantly recognizable to your followers. Using appropriate #hashtags is also very popular on Instagram.

When to use?

Organizations should aim to have at least one post per day.

5. PINTEREST

 

What is it?

Pinterest is a free website that requires registration to use. Users can upload, save, sort and manage images which are known as ‘pins’ through collections known as ‘pinboards’.

What type of business is it suitable for?

Mainly suitable for Fashion, Food, Travel and DIY businesses.

What should it be used for?

This platform should only be used if your organization has great images to share. According to The Next Web Pinterest favors most recent content, pinning and re-pinning should be done on a regular basis.

When to use?

Frequently, many times a day.

6. YOUTUBE

 

What is it?

YouTube is a video sharing website that allows users to upload, view, rate, share, comment and subscribe to other users. YouTube is owned by Google, so when it comes to SEO, videos are more likely to appear in search results than other websites.

What type of business is it suitable for?

Any organization that has video content to share.

What should it be used for?

Product promotions and demonstrations, ‘how to’ guides and client testimonials.

When to use?

Organizations should try to post a new video at least once a week.

 

 

The above is a brief overview of some of the most popular social media for business platforms used today. Other platforms such as Yelp, Google+, Snapchat, Quora….. should also be considered depending on your organizations target market and demographics.

If you would like help with your social media marketing and which platforms will work best for your business contact RML Marketing & Business Development Solutions today.

How to Create an Inbound Marketing Strategy to Capture More Leads and Ultimately Sales.

How to Create an Inbound Marketing Strategy to Capture More Leads and Ultimately Sales.

by | Sep 29, 2017 | Business Development, Communications, Marketing

inbound marketing strategy

Hubspot defines an Inbound Marketing Strategy as an approach focused on attracting customers through content that is relevant and helpful — not interruptive. With inbound marketing, potential customers find you through online channels like blogs, search engines, and social media.

Unlike outbound marketing, inbound marketing does not need to fight for potential customers attention. By creating content designed to address the problems and needs of your ideal customers, you attract qualified prospects and build trust and credibility for your business.

To establish a successful inbound marketing strategy Marketo recommends the following steps be taken:

  • Identify your target audience and learn all you can about them. Your content must be specifically targeted at their needs.

Your audience will be the prospects that will benefit most from your solution or product. Try to put yourself in their shoes and think why would your solution be a good fit (or not as the case may be) for your targeted audience. Will it solve a problem, reduce time and resources currently required by your target base?

  • Determine your unique, compelling story. Why should your audience listen to you?

This is where your content marketing should shine. Content marketing has been defined by the Content Marketing Institute as a strategic marketing approach focused on creating and distributing valuable, relevant and consistent content to attract a clearly defined audience.

  • Choose your delivery platforms. Will you Blog? Tweet? Use Facebook? LinkedIn or a combination?

Social media platforms are a wonderful way to deliver your content and create a loyal community following. Like most things in life, social media platforms differ greatly and play to different market audiences. For example, if you are a B2B marketer and wish to get a serious, somewhat technical message across you may find Blogs and LinkedIn Articles and User Groups work best. If you are B2C marketer with a young targeted audience you may find Pinterest and Snap Chat work best, whereas Twitter can be great for new announcements and highlights of specific events or shows.

  • Create and execute your Inbound Marketing Strategy calendar.

It is important to create a schedule that will consistently turn out fresh and relevant content that continues to engage your audience. Remember that all content should be targeted at solving a particular need of your customer and not a hard sell of your product or solution.

Having a well-oiled inbound marketing strategy should see audience participation and leads grow significantly over time (a recent Hubspot survey found that organizations who adopted an inbound marketing strategy reported an increase in leads of almost 84% within the first 7 months). Once these leads are harvested and qualified they can be forwarded to the sales team for conversion to new paying customers.

If you would like help with creating an Inbound Marketing Strategy for your organization contact RML Marketing & Business Development Solutions today.

What does Social Media bring to the B2B Marketers Table?

What does Social Media bring to the B2B Marketers Table?

by | Sep 14, 2017 | Business Development, Marketing

With 93% of B2B Marketers stating that Social Media is their number 1 tool for content creation and distribution, we take a look at what it offers the astute B2B Marketer. Here is a list of some of the benefits that we believe Social Media platforms bring to B2B Marketing:

Content Distribution

Platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, etc., are wonderful tools to highlight and promote your organizations products and services through case studies, customer success stories, webinars, white papers, upcoming shows and events.

Engage with Customers and Prospects

You can use tools such as Twitter to engage with customers and prospects and even offer customer support. Setting up User Groups on LinkedIn is another great way to grow an active, loyal following for your brand. It is essential that these accounts are constantly monitored and responded to in a timely manner.

Social Media can Improve your Website’s SEO

According to Kissimetrics social media profiles will influence the content of your search results and, in fact, social media profiles are often amongst the top results in search listings for brand names.

Use Video as a Lead Generation Tool

Developing product overview and customer testimonial videos can help drive leads and enquiries to your organization.

Keep an eye on the Marketplace and your Competitors

Hootsuite suggests that you can use Social Media very effectively to keep an eye on your competitors. Known as social listening, your organization can see what your competitors are offering, what is being said about them and any big industry news that may just have been announced.

Drive Traffic to your Website

Make sure to list your homepage URL on all your social sites, this can drive traffic back to your full site from the social media platform that your organization has been found on.

Tradeshows and Events

Using the recognized Tradeshow and Event hashtag (#show2017) can help highlight your organizations participation and drive traffic to your booth or speaking engagement.

If you would like help with planning a Social Media Campaign to help your organizations B2B Marketing activities please contact us today.

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