Creating Effective B2B Social Media Strategies for Your Startup

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Social media should be part of every startup’s overall marketing strategy. During the first quarter of 2020, 4.2 billion people were active on social media, and internet users spent an average of 144 minutes per day on social media. Businesses are paying attention, as 75% of B2B marketers include social media posts in their marketing strategies.

However, social media marketing is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Your strategies and content will vary according to the social media channel. The effectiveness of your B2B social media strategy will depend on how well you tailor the message to the channel. While there are many social media channels, it’s important to focus your marketing where your target audience spends time. We’ll focus on four key social media channels: Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.

Let’s dive into how to create B2B social media strategies for your startup.

Quick takeaways:

Join the right groups and create video content for Facebook users
Develop your voice and tweet in a timely manner on Twitter
Publish informative content and create a company page on LinkedIn
Create Stories and Reels and share customer success stories on Instagram

Facebook

Facebook has a large audience, although many people use the social media site for less serious matters, often seeking a diversion from their day. However, many users are looking for communities with solutions to their business issues.

Join the Right Groups

Facebook users can join groups relevant to their industry, interests, and passions. They spend their time discussing their interests, planning events, and chatting with friends. Join groups within the industries or niches where your audience spends its time and provide them with value. Your strategy should include:

Engaging in conversations with other professionals
Posting timely content about what is happening in the industry
Answering questions from group members to demonstrate your expertise

Create Video Content

Video marketing is effective as a marketing medium and growing in popularity. People want to see video content from businesses they support. Your strategy should include:

Facebook video ads: Run videos as standalone to increase views or in an advertising format
Facebook Live: Engage with followers by creating webinars, live product demonstrations, instructional videos, and Q&As
Facebook Watch: Create a video content series (e.g., interviews with industry CEOs) to build your audience

Twitter

People go to Twitter to find out what is going on with people they know, in their industry, and around the world. Users follow people who have something to say, and they will pay attention to and develop relationships with influencers. Twitter supports real-time connections between brands and their audience.

Develop a Distinct Voice

Craft a specific brand personality on Twitter that matches your overall brand voice. Your followers should come to recognize your tweets as coming from your account. To develop your brand voice:

Focus on your audience: Write to a specific person (persona) when composing a tweet
Pay attention to tone: Match the tone of your tweets to your company’s tone
Add keywords and visuals: Use relevant colors, imagery, messaging and response copy in your tweets

Post Regular, Timely Tweets

Twitter success depends on immediacy. Reaching the most potential leads and maximizing engagement depends on tweeting at the right time. To get better results:

Use Google and Twitter analytics to track traffic and engagement
Follow and comment on important events and trends when they happen
Put time into crafting solid comments on others’ tweets

LinkedIn is a professional networking platform. It enables users to look for jobs, network, check status updates, and read articles. It’s also the most popular social media channel for B2B marketers because it offers numerous opportunities to generate leads.

Publish Updates with Documents and Articles

LinkedIn enables you to post links; upload documents, videos, and photographs; and publish and repost LinkedIn articles. This creates searchable content that makes it easier for people to find you and helps establish you as an expert. To get the best results from your content:

Publish consistently (weekly / monthly) to build your audience
Include rich media to break up text and make the content visually attractive
Promote your posts on other social media channels

Optimize Your Company Page

Every company on LinkedIn should have its own company page. It’s another way to promote your business and establish your presence as an expert in your market, as you can publish useful articles and blog posts, links to events, and other informative content. To optimize your company page:

Write a clear description of what your company does
Use attractive banner images to show off your team and products
Include a call to action to drive visitors to specific pages

Instagram

Instagram is visually focused, as the platform is very image-forward. It’s also effective as users are greatly influenced by brands that put effort into their visuals. People discover new products and make purchasing decisions based on what they see. Setting up a business profile enables you to include analytics on posts and stories and add call-to-action buttons.

Create Stories and Reels

In addition to posting photos to your Instagram page, make use of the channel’s two native features to expand your brand’s organic reach:

Stories: Post casual, less-polished content that humanizes your brand and promotes more interaction with your followers
Reels: Create short-form videos that enhance your visibility and attract users with more creative, behind-the-scenes content

Share Client Success Stories

A great way to promote your business is to show how well your clients are doing. Testimonials and case studies that put your clients in a positive light will benefit you by:

Building trust with your audience
Using social proof to show your capabilities
Creating attractive content featuring your products in action