Why business to business companies need a social media presence


For the decade or so, social media has become an increasingly important part of businesses' marketing campaigns.  However, some companies are still not actively engaging in social media.

Platforms, such as Twitter, Linkedin and Instagram, help businesses to engage with customers, increase awareness of their brand and generate more leads and sales.   However, you don’t have to know every single thing about hashtagging or @mentions to start building your social media profile.  We can get you started right away.

Here are six reasons why investing in social media is a sensible business move.

  1. It boosts your awareness

Social media makes you more instantly visible to potential customers, which means you can reach a large audience relatively quickly.   None of the social media networks currently charge you to set up a business profile either. 

First of all, take a few moments to think about what you want to achieve by being on social media.  Is it to create more awareness of your products and services in order to influence a sale?  Is it to encourage others to share good experiences about your brand?  Whatever the reason, it is important to determine which social media channels will work best for your business.  Linkedin is usually an obvious choice for business to business companies. Twitter is a great platform too, for sharing information and generating more visitors to your website. If you’re not sure which social media channels would work best, why not check out those which your competitors are using.

  1. Demonstrate your authority

Research has shown that 37% of business to business companies check out the social media accounts of their potential suppliers before making a buying decision.  If they find the company doesn’t have an account or one that is not updated regularly, then it will be seen negatively.  If you have a social media channel that is up to date, then it adds credibility and it is a great way to spread messages to show your business is well informed, technology-savvy, as well as trustworthy, professional and approachable.

  1. Get across your businesses’ personality

Customers aren’t interested in businesses that publish dull, corporate-style social media posts that are overly ‘salesy’.

Instead, a business needs to let its personality shine through. Getting across the human-interest stories within the business and what people’s achievements and success stories are, is really important. 

When you first start out using social media, or indeed when you review your channels, it’s is important to have a relevant tone of voice.   Establish whether you set out to be formal and friendly.  Try and retain a consistent tone of voice that keeps visitors and followers engaged – see how some of the most successful brands do it

  1. Encourage employees to share content

Social channels evolve, constantly releasing new features, and this rapidly changing environment can be intimidating for some business owners.  You may find that the recent graduates to your organisation or the apprentices that understand how to use some of the tools best of all!  It is important that employees are encouraged to engage with a businesses’ social media channels and to share content, such as that via Linkedin.  There are many ways that you can involve employees, for example, by giving a behind-the-scenes tour of the office or host a Question and Answer by Twitter or Facebook Live.

As your social media channels grow, you will get a better understanding of your audiences’ preferences through the number of Likes you gain.

  1. Respond to complaints

Social platforms can help to break down barriers between companies and their customers.  At one time, customers had to call helplines to get the answer to a query or to solve their problems.   Some companies think it is a risk that customers can now complain on their social media channels – but what they may not realise is that they could complain anywhere, if you are not on Linkedin, Facebook or Twitter, it would mean you just wouldn’t know about it!

If customers choose to complain or alert you to an issue via your social media channels, then don’t make the mistake of deleting their post.  Respond in a quick timely manner and go out of your way to be positive and helpful.  It is important to make the customer feel they are being heard.  Wherever possible, issues and complaints need to be dealt with directly, it is advisable to take the customer over to private messages and continue with one to one contact.

  1. Attract and grow followers

It is important to make efforts to grow your followers organically.  Start

out by following industry bodies, local support organisations such as councils and chambers of commerce, newspapers and trade media.  You will start to see your followers growing and your content being shared.  If you set targets for number of followers, then it is something to work towards.  Competitions and sharing video content can boost followers, for a short time, but be aware that you could just be attracting followers who want to win something, rather than be engaged with your company.

As a PR and social media agency, our role is to assist b2b companies with enhancing their presence online and generating traffic to their website and enquiries. If you need help with generating a social media content plan or ensuring that  you are making the very best of your channels, please give our social media team a call on 0114 349 5345 or email: hello@dragonflypr.co.uk.

 

Call us on: 0114 349 5341