How to Select Lead-Generating Social Media Marketing Channels for B2B Target Group and Sales Improvements?

In “Business-to-Business” (B2B for short) – that is, the trade between two companies – the customer approach and thus the entire online marketing differs from that with end customers. But where are the differences and what does that mean for the social media strategy in B2B companies?

Whether business customers or end consumers, the goal is to increase product/brand awareness, retain customers, generate more website traffic, and finally convince customers to make a purchase decision at the end of the customer journey. In B2C, this often works with advertising campaigns that evoke emotions among consumers. The customer is shown why need for a certain product: to make life easier, to save the environment or simply to be part of it. Now there are only a few clicks and the product are in the shopping cart.

B2b Market Challenges

The challenge for business customers, on the other hand, is that, they don’t buy quickly online. Above all, there is a major reason why companies often find it harder with B2B customers. The majority of Marketers have no precise idea of their customers. They don’t know their target group well enough. In the B2C environment, however, the wishes, needs and ideas of customers are better known. Admittedly, it is easier to put yourself in the minds of consumers. On the other hand, who already knows the exact wishes of business customers?

But it is precisely the individual people in the company who need to be addressed: decision-makers, buyers, internal and external influencers, users and selectors. The target group-specific customer approach is the success factor – also in B2B marketing.

Create target group marketing personas

But how can you get an idea of exactly these people who are behind the functions? With the creation of personas. In contrast to target groups, which are usually demarcated by demographic factors, personas are fictitious users who help you to understand your customers better.

In the persona definition, characteristics are transferred to individual fictitious users. The personal description does not only include demographic characteristics such as age, gender and origin. Above all, it also includes characteristics such as media and buying behavior, professional goals or preferences up to quotations. A photo to illustrate the person is also included. You end up with a handful of personas that represent your target audience.

If you succeed in describing personas specifically enough, you will also succeed in generating target group-specific content and placing this content on the right channels. This also includes knowing which social media channels customers are travelling.

The following list provides an overview of the five most important channels for the B2B area.

• Be part of the social media giant: Facebook

Why should you use a Facebook business page for your company? Among other things, to be there. With currently 1.6 billion active users every day, Facebook still offers the largest social media platform. Use a Facebook business page above all to place news, targeted advertising and events.

• Reach brand fans with Instagram

Instagram is the platform when it comes to increasing your brand awareness. It is 10 times easier on Instagram than on Facebook. 80 percent of users follow at least one brand account here and a majority of the state that they can find out about new products on the platform.

• Networking on LinkedIn

Networking is the be-all and end-all in sales. On LinkedIn, you can search for and address people, build trust and do social selling. The business networks are moving ever further away from the “digital resume” and personnel recruitment towards Facebook for the professional context. From events to technical articles to stories (LinkedIn), everything is now possible and good for your visibility, because the results appear on Google.

• Share Winning Explanatory Videos on YouTube

With the second largest search engine in the world, you can position attractive content and present yourself as an expert – at the same time you have a good chance that it will find you on Google. B2B companies in particular have the opportunity here to market their content through various video formats. The target group is wide and diverse, just like the application.

• Post the latest news on Twitter

The short message service is particularly suitable for content marketing and as a customer service platform. Since the service is often used by customers to clear up satisfaction or dissatisfaction, it should not be ignored in some cases.

Wondering why social media channels like Instagram are relevant for business customers?

Put yourself back in the target group: The buyer from an industrial company does not turn the lever after work and switches to “private mode”. The customer continues to use social media during working hours. At a time when we also identify with our profession, our media consumption also merges.

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