How to create a B2B social media marketing strategy

Social media is one of the most used channels for B2B marketing strategies. Interestingly, it’s also one of the newest.

This, as well as consistent algorithm updates from the frequently used platforms, means that social media strategies are ever evolving. In-house social media teams may find some solace in the fact that agencies are always toying with their strategies to figure what works best for their clients. 

In essence, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to social media marketing. However, the B2B social media marketing team here at Extramile has compiled these tips for generating growth in an extremely competitive field. 

Identifying social media opportunities

While there are many platforms for B2B success, one platform stands out best for businesses targeting businesses – LinkedIn. According to LinkedIn themselves, 97% of B2B marketers use the platform in their social media efforts. 

Frankly, you’d be silly to fall into the 3%. That’s because the platform offers a full range of analytics and data-driven insights that can push forward the visibility and recognition of your brand. LinkedIn has a three-pronged benefit package: a/ a brand awareness tool, b/ a lead generator through paid ads and c/ an informational session driver for your website.

TikTok user numbers increased by 100% from 2020 to 2022, this seismic growth continued through both 2023 and 2024 too. TikTok can be a powerful B2B tool if done correctly. 

If your target audience is between the ages of 20 to 35, TikTok will work for B2B growth, even in manufacturing and engineering niches. Creatives like graphic designers may be looking to use a new piece of software in their business and TikTok can help reach these people efficiently. 

TikTok works as a fantastic ‘behind the scenes’ platform which gives your audience a feel for the people behind the product. Showing a personal element can help influence a potential client’s purchasing pattern and decision making. 

The Meta platforms, Facebook and Instagram, can also have a strong impact on social media marketing results for businesses. The two platforms offer an extremely broad reach for both organic efforts and through paid reach. 

Leveraging specifically business-to-business influencer marketing on Instagram can be a good way of reaching relevant businesses through a trusted source – as long as you have video content to share. Video content is prioritised by Instagram, heavily and is the preferred content type for a viral reach on both Meta platforms. 

Using communities on Facebook can be an effective way of reaching businesses who are actively looking for products or services similar to what’s on offer.

Twitter/X is an efficient tool for customer service questions and talking with existing customers. So, while not a brilliant lead generator, X is worth maintaining.

Creating SMART goals aligning to business goals

SMART goals provide a clear and measurable framework for success, not just in a social media strategy but in anything they’re used in. Here is one example of a SMART goal in social media marketing for businesses:

Specific: Grow the reach of a LinkedIn newsletter.

Measurable: Increase the number of newsletter subscribers by 20%. 

Achievable, how: Create one newsletter a week and get employees to share with their follower base. 

Relevant: Each topic must be linked to a commercial aspect of the business, to assist growth.

Time-bound: The deadline for this is six months. 

Setting each of these to any social media campaign or effort helps to bring your internal team into focus. The goals are laid out (specific, measureable & time-bound) and the top level strategy is set (achievable & relevant). 

Shout about your people, not just your service

Using employees as brand ambassadors is a perfect way to sell your business without the reliance of selling services over and over again.

Your team are your experts and every team member has their own area of expertise. It’s important to recognise the potential of using invested staff in social media strategies. 

Using videos of people in a LinkedIn strategy, for example, helps boost your engagement considerably. People are more likely to connect with content that features actual humans. The authenticity of using staff in posts makes your content more relatable and reliable. 

Working people into a social media B2B video strategy not only boosts the reliability of your presence but it can help keep posts visually appealing. Video content has a considerably higher engagement rate than static content due to its shareable nature. In a webinar, Extramile is exploring how to use video in social media marketing for B2B businesses.

Listen to the data

What makes social media so powerful for businesses is the sheer amount of data available from source. With the dwindling accuracy of Google Analytics data due to cookie policy updates, the importance of reporting directly from LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook, for example, is at its highest. Each of the major platforms provide valuable insights into the success of brand awareness posts, lead generating adverts and networking opportunities. 

Source reporting shows the direct engagement with posts and the number of website link clicks. The only thing it fails to show, of course, is how these website visitors act on your website, you’ll have to use Google Analytics data to show the average engagement rate of people who’ve accepted cookies. 

Using this data provides marketers with the opportunity to make informed decisions about the success of their social media efforts. 

It’s important to remember that organic social media for B2B businesses is primarily a brand awareness tool aiming to boost the integrity of your brand image through relatable people-first content. When the strategy turns to sales, conduct research thoroughly and make informed decisions based on data before creating paid campaigns. 

Need Help? Contact Our Social Media Experts

If you are struggling with rolling out a cohesive social media strategy for your B2B company, speak to our team of experts today.

We are a dedicated B2B digital marketing agency with extensive experience in improving brand awareness through social media marketing. 

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