Top 5 Social Media Trends B2B’s Should Be Paying Attention To

Wake up. Grab phone. Check social. It’s the way most of us start our days in 2021 and, for B2B Marketers, social should be seen as an opportunity to bridge the gap of a new customer experience. Social media has become such a huge part in all of our lives and “levels” the playing field for B2B companies, B2C companies, and customers themselves because on social media, we’re all just users. The key component to making that statement true is authenticity. If a B2B manufacturing brand is on TikTok just because, their content won’t be authentic and therefore they will see little engagement.

Let’s take a look at the top 5 social media trends that B2B brands should be paying attention to when developing their marketing strategy and budgets for the remainder of the year and next year.

1. Live Streams

Instagram stories, Twitter stories, Facebook live, LinkedIn cover stories — each major platform allows users and businesses to share through live streams 24/7. Live streams or ephemeral content is growing daily due to changes in the way people like to consume content. Short, engaging, and addictive content that disappears adds some “purpose” behind watching this content before it’s gone. According to a recent study from Hootsuite, 64% of marketers have already incorporated Instagram Stories into their social media strategy backed with the knowledge that there is a major correlation between engagement and presence through this tactic.

B2B marketers can use ephemeral content to answer FAQ’s and save to their Instagram highlight, “go live” from trade shows, host Q&A sessions with customers, and demonstrate authenticity by giving their audience a look “inside” of their organization.

2. Video Content

Video is the clear winner when it comes to content “type” on social media. Whether short-form content like a > 15 second video or a long form product tutorial on YouTube, videos are the future of social media content. It’s predicted that by 2022 82% of all online content will be video content.

So what does that mean for your brand? Video content production needs to be added as a line item to your yearly marketing budget. Working with your internal team or agency to develop organic social media campaigns that focus on video content production is key to success across platforms and you cannot start too soon.

3. Platform Changes

The major social media channels are changing to better align with the demands and behaviors of their users and there are some key changes you should be aware of. Across all platforms, enhanced geo targeting will provide brands with the ability to further tailor content to their audience. For example, if you are promoting an event at a local distributor, you’ll now have the option to only post to users within a certain geographic region vs. creating “waste” by posting irrelevant content to all of your followers. Social communities will also see a significant increase across platforms in the future with small groups designed to align on a specific topic and share insights, brand recommendations, etc. Brands becoming thought leaders in these groups will be essential to their success whether that is managed through key employees / contacts or the brand itself. You can also expect the “death of likes” to occur slowly over the next year. This is a reaction to user demand for more authenticity and transparency from their social networks and won’t affect algorithms but will affect your social media reporting if you are using likes as a specific KPI. User generated content and social listening will continue to be key elements to success for B2B brands across channels.

In platform specific news, Twitter is making a hard shift to being a “news” specific platform so it’s important to assess your current use of the platform in order to optimize to fit its purpose for users. Instagram will allow you to send voice messages via DM in the next few months, providing a way for you to contact key customers directly through the platform and establish and grow relationships. LinkedIn is anticipated to revive with other platforms gaining the reputation of being places of division. LinkedIn will continue its focus in providing an opportunity for brands to connect with stakeholders and customers in a meaningful way through social media.

Micro Influencers are another “shiny object” for B2B brands to explore. Influencers aren’t just for consumer brands targeting millennials anymore — micro influencers have small followings compared to some of the “viral” players in the game but you can find a brand ambassador that has a strong presence in your specific niche that builds trust and affinity for your brand on your behalf.

4. AR / VR Integrated with Social Media

We expect to see major platforms begin to adopt augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) into their platforms. This is another user driven change based on their demand for more immersive experiences. Facebook has already introduced a new virtual reality world, Horizon, where people go to play games, connect, and explore.

Brands can see this as a chance to deliver virtual experiences to their customers without a requirement to leave their home or office. Imagine giving users the “product experience” that they would typically get from visiting a showroom or distributor but doing so directly within their preferred social media platform — pretty cool, right?

5. Increase in Use of Social Media for Customer Service (Chatbots)

Social media users are often using a platform to meet their need for instant gratification. Brands will see that come to fruition most frequently through customer service questions and requests. Having a team member dedicated to responding and engaging with customers across social media channels allows your audience to feel heard while building relationships and empowering the brand to speak for themselves, addressing concerns and questions in the moment.

Chatbots and instant messaging across platforms are a great way to utilize the best of social technology while providing a private avenue to communicate with your users in real-time. This personal connection builds the authenticity that users demand and give you a chance to “make it right” in the case a customer had a negative experience or push them towards a purchase by answering their questions directly vs. relying on them to select your brand over the competition through their own research.

So what’s next? Take action by examining your current social media presence through the lens of your target audience and identify where there is room for improvement using these trends as a map. Use key metrics in order to gauge your performance today in order to measure optimization after a strategic shift into these social media trends.

To talk more about navigating the world of social media for B2B brands comment below or shoot me an email to chat. kelly@ammunition.agency.