Social media strategy for B2B companies

Episode 1:

Current results of the study “B2B and social media – still tactical banter or finally a strategy?”

On our blog, we would like to let you benefit from the latest results of the 5th study “B2B and social media – still tactical banter or finally strategy?” by the First Working Group on Social Media in B2B Communication. We have summarized the essence of the results and would like to present the highlights of the study to you in the following weeks and give you tips on what our findings mean for B2B companies in practice.

This week starts with the question of the extent to which social media strategies have arrived in B2B companies and how they are implemented.
Decision-makers in the B2B environment have long understood this: No matter which company is involved, if you want to use social media, you need the right strategy. Otherwise, a company’s position will be lost in the jungle of different channels and the communications manager will quickly lose track.

The key finding in this context is that 92 percent of the B2B companies surveyed already have a social media strategy or are in the process of implementing one.

7 steps to a social media strategy for B2B companies

We offer you a checklist with 7 points that you can use to check whether you are on the home stretch to a successful social media strategy for B2B companies.

1. Goals: As with almost all business activities, the first step in implementing a social media strategy is to formulate specific objectives.
2. Milestones: Set specific milestones. Choose achievable goals and adjust them as necessary if you realize that your goals are not in line with reality. Once you have formulated and thought through your goals, communicate them to the entire team.
3. Measurability: Decide on a tool with which you can constantly monitor the success of your social media activities. Set times at which the data is regularly evaluated and react!
4. Target group: In the next step, it is important to define your target audience in more detail. Try to get to know them exactly. One method that is as effective as it is fun is the creation of personas. This allows you to become aware of which social media channels your customers are using, when and with what goals, and how you should ideally address them.
5. Social media platforms: Once you know who you want to address, take a close look at where you can best reach your customers and with what content. Our study “B2B and social media – still tactical banter or finally a strategy?” shows that despite the widespread use of social media strategies, the majority of companies still use all channels with similar content. However, this scattergun approach should be avoided. Each channel is used slightly differently and should therefore be treated differently.
6. Accuracy of fit: Clarify which rules apply to which channel and which content is particularly well received. You may even find that certain platforms do not fit in with your goals and that you can do without this channel completely.
7. Content: “Content is king”. The fact that content is one of the most important success factors for a successful social media presence remains undisputed. While this phrase is now used in an almost inflationary manner, the scope of its importance has not yet reached all companies. Good content is not necessarily what you find interesting, but what your audience finds exciting. So think about what content your company can provide, how you can prepare it for your target group and, above all, who is responsible for it. The content exists, but preparing it correctly is the challenge.

In our opinion, these 7 points are central to a successful social media strategy for B2B companies. Of course, they can – and should – be adapted. For example, it can be useful to first look at and analyze the competition in order to find ways to differentiate yourself. Furthermore, social media is a living, fast-moving phenomenon and should be treated as such. B2B Marketing’s latest “Social Media Benchmark Report” shows that three out of five B2B companies approach their social media activities spontaneously rather than strategically. The trick is therefore to react spontaneously and quickly to social media, but at the same time not to lose sight of the company’s social media strategy.

From Jacqueline Althaller