Nebraska SBDC Blog

New business owners are all in the business of spreading awareness and attracting new customers. Yet many B2B business owners skip social media in favor of outbound email campaigns and traditional advertising. The reasons for opting out of social are usually something like, “Our customers aren’t on social media or don’t care about it.” Yes, they are and yes, they do. Almost the entire planet (3.6 billion people) is on at least one social media platform, and they spend a LOT of time there (145 minutes per day).

Re-think social media as part of your B2B marketing strategy! Social media marketing is an easy and cost-effective way to get in front of your customers and build lasting relationships that translate into real revenue for your company. And the best part is that many of these tips don’t require any budget at all. Here are five of our favorite social media marketing tips for new B2B business owners that won’t cost you a dime to implement.

1. Focus on P2P, not B2B. It doesn’t matter if you provide cybersecurity consulting or medical devices, when you are on social media you need to interact as a Human first and a company second.

That means identifying a social media voice that is true to your company but resonates with customers. If you haven’t undergone a brand personality exercise yet, this is a good place to start. You want to make sure that every customer interaction — no matter if it’s on social media or your website or a sales flyer — is engaging and also looks and sounds consistent.

2. Be yourself. This makes a lot of B2B company executives… uncomfortable. They’re fine talking about their product or service, their company’s value proposition, and even the pain points that their company solves. But, see Tip #1. People like knowing the people they are in business with, and this is especially true in B2B.

If your SaaS company is video-game obsessed, don’t be afraid to toss in a few gamer references in your social media. Chances are you have a few gamers in your audience (especially if you market to IT leaders). Even if you don’t, people respond positively to brands willing to show off the things they love.

If you are a construction contractor and you absolutely geek out on the huge equipment you use to get the job done… show it off!

There is something unique about your industry that you love, and sharing that with your audience lets them love it too!

3. Tell stories. Think about it — when you go on social media, what kind of content do you want to see and engage with? Chances are the answer isn’t brochures, explanations of services, or location hours. Yet this is exactly what many small business owners post when they start social media marketing. They’re trying to take a shortcut from building an audience to gaining customers. Organic social doesn’t work that way.

If you are a manufacturing company, tell the story of how you make whatever it is you make. You probably think that’s boring, but people are fascinated by how stuff gets made.

One quick note about storytelling: Don’t make yourself the hero of every story. Instead, put your prospective customer at the center of your social! Yes, this works even if you are a B2B company. Let’s say you are a commercial insurance advisor. Your LinkedIn posts might feature stories of how clients found ways to save thousands of dollars after consulting with you. That’s a story and a testimonial all in one!

4. On LinkedIn, personal profiles rule. If you are a B2B business owner, you are most likely also your company’s most influential sales representative. LinkedIn is a great place for you to meet and build relationships with prospects and partners.

Make sure to optimize your LinkedIn personal profile. That means a good headshot, a background photo, a headline that is more than just a title, and an About section that is more about You than your company. LinkedIn has a profile optimization checklist you can follow to make sure your profile stands out.

5. Follow your audience, not best practices. Social media experts will tell you that you simply must have video in all of your posts, or that you just have to post on this day of the week or that time of day. With all due respect, the only thing you simply have to do is listen to your audience.

New business owners are all in the business of spreading awareness and attracting new customers. Yet many B2B business owners skip social media in favor of outbound email campaigns and traditional advertising. The reasons for opting out of social are usually something like, “Our customers aren’t on social media or don’t care about it.” Yes, they are and yes, they do. Almost the entire planet (3.6 billion people) is on at least one social media platform, and they spend a LOT of time there (145 minutes per day).

Re-think social media as part of your B2B marketing strategy! Social media marketing is an easy and cost-effective way to get in front of your customers and build lasting relationships that translate into real revenue for your company. And the best part is that many of these tips don’t require any budget at all. Here are five of our favorite social media marketing tips for new B2B business owners that won’t cost you a dime to implement.

1. Focus on P2P, not B2B. It doesn’t matter if you provide cybersecurity consulting or medical devices, when you are on social media you need to interact as a Human first and a company second.

That means identifying a social media voice that is true to your company but resonates with customers. If you haven’t undergone a brand personality exercise yet, this is a good place to start. You want to make sure that every customer interaction — no matter if it’s on social media or your website or a sales flyer — is engaging and also looks and sounds consistent.

2. Be yourself. This makes a lot of B2B company executives… uncomfortable. They’re fine talking about their product or service, their company’s value proposition, and even the pain points that their company solves. But, see Tip #1. People like knowing the people they are in business with, and this is especially true in B2B.

If your SaaS company is video-game obsessed, don’t be afraid to toss in a few gamer references in your social media. Chances are you have a few gamers in your audience (especially if you market to IT leaders). Even if you don’t, people respond positively to brands willing to show off the things they love.

If you are a construction contractor and you absolutely geek out on the huge equipment you use to get the job done… show it off!

There is something unique about your industry that you love, and sharing that with your audience lets them love it too!

3. Tell stories. Think about it — when you go on social media, what kind of content do you want to see and engage with? Chances are the answer isn’t brochures, explanations of services, or location hours. Yet this is exactly what many small business owners post when they start social media marketing. They’re trying to take a shortcut from building an audience to gaining customers. Organic social doesn’t work that way.

If you are a manufacturing company, tell the story of how you make whatever it is you make. You probably think that’s boring, but people are fascinated by how stuff gets made.

One quick note about storytelling: Don’t make yourself the hero of every story. Instead, put your prospective customer at the center of your social! Yes, this works even if you are a B2B company. Let’s say you are a commercial insurance advisor. Your LinkedIn posts might feature stories of how clients found ways to save thousands of dollars after consulting with you. That’s a story and a testimonial all in one!

4. On LinkedIn, personal profiles rule. If you are a B2B business owner, you are most likely also your company’s most influential sales representative. LinkedIn is a great place for you to meet and build relationships with prospects and partners.

Make sure to optimize your LinkedIn personal profile. That means a good headshot, a background photo, a headline that is more than just a title, and an About section that is more about You than your company. LinkedIn has a profile optimization checklist you can follow to make sure your profile stands out.

5. Follow your audience, not best practices. Social media experts will tell you that you simply must have video in all of your posts, or that you just have to post on this day of the week or that time of day. With all due respect, the only thing you simply have to do is listen to your audience.

And if you want to know something specific, like what your next webinar topic should be, just ask them!

There’s so much more to B2B social media marketing, but these 5 tips will get you started having real conversations and building valuable relationships with your prospective customers, all without breaking your budget.

Printed with permission from ASBDC. For the original article, click here.