It may seem like using social media marketing in the B2B space is virtually useless. But since 2020, the use and need for social media marketing skyrocketed. The truth is, using social media can boost any company's SEO ranking across several campaigns and building a brand presence online is a necessity today. Three years later, the online space keeps evolving with the fast-paced treadmill of trends underneath us. We've found these trends to be next in line for you to try this year for your B2B efforts.
1. Short-form video content
Fine, maybe our attention spans are shrinking. But you can use this to your advantage. Short-form video content via Tikok and Instagram Reels is becoming standard practice. In fact, Wyzowl already reported that for 2023, 91% of businesses market with videos and garner a positive ROI.
Watching a short video is easier for many online users to get to know your business, and they’re actually easier (and cheaper) to produce. It doesn’t have to be on Tiktok or Instagram to do well, but following the 20-60 second formula is best practice.
If you don’t know what videos to make for B2B, here are some:
Product demos
Industry or company news
Event announcements
Interviews
Success stories
How do I use TikTok for B2B marketing?
TikTok has its own benefits as well. Don’t worry, you don’t have to come up with a new dance move to get views. More businesses are using TikTok to market from a B2B side. Though it seems like a platform only skewed toward videos with an emotional angle, this is more important for B2B than you think. This is a great way for your marketers to better show the humans behind the business; you can share your company values, showcase office culture, or display all the fun parts of your work day.
2. Try influencer marketing
Brand advocacy is a top way to get more leads to engage with your business. Influencer marketing is growing in the B2B space, and the predicted spending on influencer marketing continues to rise. Working with established influencers in your industry will boost your credibility and overall brand awareness. That’s trust in your company built upon the advocacy of an influencer or creator they trust. Their opinion matters and speaks volumes about your brand when they promote it.
Gather with your marketers to find influencers with engaged followers that target decision-makers in your area of expertise. Seek out influencers with SEO-optimized content with a high-quality and relevant appearance.
Before you do influencer marketing, get acquainted with the creator you want to work with and ask for their rates, as you keep doing this kind of work you’ll get to know the average rates.
Keep track of the ROI for each influencer you work with, measuring if it’s worth it to pay for their advocacy again.
3. Display brand values
More prominent now than ever, brands will openly support a specific cause or community cause. Authenticity can seem difficult to get across, though social media is a top medium for businesses wanting to express their views or use their platform as a voice for a cause.
In the B2B realm, businesses are often more eager to work with a company that holds principles and values that they themselves uphold. They want to maintain the integrity of their business, so it’s a good idea to be transparent with your company’s views.
It’s more than an “about us” page on your site. For sharing brand values on social media, consider posting thoughtfully about how you believe in keeping a supportive work environment, and recognize holidays you want to show support for or affirm diversity in the workplace. Transparency and being open about your values go a long way and show the humanity behind the work you do.
4. Cut long-form into bite-sized content
Re-purposing content is nothing new, but it’s something that you could apply to these other social media trends. If you have a podcast, cut out a riveting clip and put it on your social accounts. Got a great blog with a list? Turn it into an eye-catching carousel post.
You don’t have to bombard your audience with overflowing text posts, breaking down the info into bite-sized pieces will do infinitely better on social media.
Scrolling through social media has made most of us process what we’re reading and seeing at a heightened pace. The key is conciseness; engage the audience in 2 seconds flat and boom, they’re engaging with your post.
5. Get creative with LinkedIn Creator Mode
It’s no secret that LinkedIn is the best B2B social media marketing tool and it just got better. If you want an easy tool to improve your business’s visibility, LinkedIn’s Creator Mode is one you’ll love. We at Hounder definitely do.
This offers the ability to put out a newsletter completely within the bounds of LinkedIn itself, and helps you come up with original content ideas based on your audience.
You can broadcast even more through the live streaming feature “LinkedIn Live” or use the short-form video feature. This is cultivating the sweet spot on the internet for B2B video marketing content.
