Why Instagram needs to be part of your B2B marketing strategy
In this blog we explore the benefits Instagram can bring for Marketing Managers looking to develop a PR strategy for B2B companies. We will show that Instagram isn’t just for B2C companies.
Background
Instagram is the 4th largest social media platform. Behind Facebook, YouTube and WhatsApp, Instagram sits at 2 billion users worldwide. LinkedIn ranks at number 20 with 250 million users according to Buffer – yet most B2B companies focus on LinkedIn in their marketing strategies, due to the corporate/business associations that the platform holds.
Although Instagram, like TikTok is mainly associated with younger people, the largest share of Instagram users is the 25-34 age group, comprising 30.1% of all UK users. 18–24-year-olds were next with 26.1% of the user share and 45-54 were 10.5% of users. Business decision makers still have lives outside of work, and many businesses forget this when trying to reach their target audience!
Instagram for B2B
Instagram is a goldmine for B2B companies, helping to distinguish your brand and build/expand your audience. The diverse content formats encouraged on the platform offer B2B companies a multitude of ways to promote their services/products – formats that aren’t necessarily as well thought out on other platforms.
Instagram began as a predominantly picture-sharing platform (with any text placed underneath the image, which is the opposite on Facebook). Since then, the platform has taken visual social media to the next level with real-time ‘stories’ and short-form video ‘reels’. Static images still have their place on the platform, but it’s definitely fair to say that these new content formats are encouraged by the platform.
By creating a mixture of content using all three formats, B2B businesses can really capitalise on the visual style of the app by sharing content with their customers/potential customers that has never been seen before! The ‘reels’ format is particularly beneficial for B2B companies, as these videos often reach a much wider audience than your followers, and could end up ‘trending’!
Building brand awareness
One of the many reasons B2B companies choose to create a presence on Instagram is due to brand awareness. Using visual content to reflect your brand values is one of the most invaluable ways to connect with your audience and create that long-lasting relationship.
You’ve heard that people need to see something 7-8 times before it’ll really sink in, right? Well social media is no different. Many businesses will tell you that social media doesn’t create sales leads, well, that’s not necessarily correct. In social media marketing you have to make sure your brand is always visible so that when customers have a need for the product/service, your company is the first place they think of!
B2B Instagram marketing isn’t all about driving immediate sales. It’s about building relationships with potential buyers. To prove your account is worth a follow, share content that really appeals to your potential customers. This could be images of your product in use, video case studies or customer testimonials.
Before you start posting
It’s very easy to start posting anything and everything on a platform to ‘just get started’, but as with any social platform, if you want it to work for your business, you need to create a strategy. That’s where Dragonfly PR come in. We can help develop a strategy for your business to meet your goals.
We start by considering:
- Who are you targeting? - This may be different to the other social platforms that you are using. There must be a reason that you are using Instagram to target them.
- Why are you targeting them? – Are they potential new customers? Are they current customers that you want to retain?
- How are you going to get their attention? - Post content that is going to educate, inspire or interest them. If it doesn't do one of those.... don’t bother! Post when they are going to be on the app. There's no point posting in the middle of the work day, unlike LinkedIn, it is unlikely that your audience will be using the app. However, early mornings and evenings are perfect!
- Why should people follow you on Instagram? - If they already follow you on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, what's the point? Bring them exclusive content! Reels and stories are content that they aren't going to be getting elsewhere. Encourage Facebook and Twitter followers to follow your Instagram account for that 'exclusive' content!
We use the responses to these questions to create an Instagram strategy designed for your business goals. That’s the difference between an Instagram account that is an important part of your B2B PR strategy and one that isn’t.
If you’re interested in broadening your social media presence and reaching new audiences, get in touch with our social media team for an in-depth conversation about how we can support you: hello@dragonflypr.co.uk / 0114 349 5345 – or you can take a look at our social media services here.