Dear B2B Business — A Love Letter from Social Media

Dear B2B Business,

I understand it’s easy to be dismissive of social media as a manufacturing/medical/ company and that I may not seem like the most attractive or alluring marketing strategy to you. You think, “How could social media possibly help my business? I’m in a B2B industry, and social media is just that stuff that my kids use to send selfies to each other.” But just hear me out, because I swear we are meant to be together. Cross my heart and hope to die.

I see all of the good I could do for you. Yet, you still roll your eyes every time your in-house marketing manager hints that you should give me a chance.
Let me tell you why we should be together:
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LinkedIn
Let’s just get the obvious one out of the way. Having a strong presence on LinkedIn is crucial for any business, especially B2B. LinkedIn is the premiere networking platform where you will have the most direct path to engaging with decision-makers in prospective client companies and have the ability to research everything about them professionally. For you bottom-line and ROI-minded, LinkedIn boasts the highest lead conversion of any social media platform. Their visit-to-lead conversion rate is 2.74%, three times higher than Facebook (0.69%) and Twitter (0.77%).

To experience the value of LinkedIn, best practices suggest that you should set up a company page if you haven’t already, bolster your own personal profile, and then begin engaging and posting content in groups relevant to your industry.
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Google+
I know what you’re thinking — “Who uses Google+?”

Ok, fair point. But with Google+ it’s not about using it the way you would other social media platforms like LinkedIn and Facebook — it’s about improving your SEO. The information you put into your Google+ profile will improve your listing in search results, making it more dynamic and informational for users, and therefore more likely to be clicked on.
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Facebook
Now, don’t be discouraged after what I told you about Facebook’s ROI. The real value here is in SEO, customer service, and brand awareness.

Google’s algorithm is now giving more credit to social media as a ranking factor. High levels of engagement with your owned content (blogs, videos, etc.) that you post on your company Facebook page will make Google see you as a more relevant page to display for users’ queries. The content posted can also redirect users to your website, driving traffic up, which again Google sees as positive and in turn ranks you higher in searches.

Also, don’t overlook the recent phenomenon of “social search.” Growing numbers of users are searching for business pages on social media in the same capacity as they use Google and Bing. Customers expect to be able to find your page and get all of the same information from it that they would find on your website. So even if you can’t be convinced to invest in a robust content schedule, you certainly need to be present on Facebook and post up-to-date information about your company.
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Twitter
Twitter is the new place for information and news on the Internet. There are conversations happening about every topic imaginable, including about your industry. Twitter is the avenue for you to impress potential customers with your expertise, insight, and knowledge about your industry. So, similar to LinkedIn, find where the conversations are happening, track relevant hashtags, and push your helpful content to customers. It is also the best medium to participate in local events and happenings. You know, if looking like an upstanding member of the community is something you’re into.
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So you see B2B Business, I have so much to offer you. I can help put your website on the front page of searches, improve the reach of your advertising at a fraction of the cost of traditional media, and improve your brand awareness with the upcoming generation of management. So, what’s not to like?

Love always,
Social Media