Since studies show that 69% of business to business buyers are using social networks for business development and networking, social media for business cannot be ignored. B2B businesses need to ensure they are involved in social networks and communities where customers are already engaging. With social media marketing, it is possible to share knowledge, engage prospects, build brand recognition and loyalty and increase sales. If you’re new to social media, here are a few helpful tips to remember as you begin using social media for business to business marketing.

The Value of a Facebook “Like”

Facebook, currently the largest social media site, brings in millions of people each day. Since Facebook currently dominates in social media, using Facebook as a party of your social media marketing campaign is essential. With a quality Facebook page, you can create conversations with business buyers via status updates, images, videos and more.

One of the ways businesses can engage with other businesses is to create content that encourages a “like.” Studies show that Facebook “likes” vary in value, but for many companies, a “like” results in higher profits. One study done on Best Buy showed that someone liking the brand not only spend more than $200 more money each year than people who didn’t like the brand, but those individuals were more likely to recommend the brand to other people as well.

Twitter – How and When to Use It

Business today use Twitter for many reasons, including for customer service, brand recognition, and marketing. Business users on Twitter want new information, products, ideas, and opportunities. Twitter is all about interacting with other people or businesses, making it a valuable tool for B2B businesses.

For the best Twitter results, start following people that are involved in your field, connect with relevant users and use the people you follow and those following you to give your business credibility. Make sure you offer more than information on products, discounts, and sales. Include engaging tweets, such as pictures and videos, and retweet positive tweets from happy customers.

Don’t Forget YouTube

When companies engage in social media for business to business marketing, they often forget about YouTube – a big mistake! YouTube happens to be the 2nd largest search engine and the main social media site for video content. Video content is a powerful marketing tool and statistics show that a huge percentage of internet users watch videos online. YouTube has millions of users that visit regularly, so if you don’t use YouTube, you’re missing out on a lot of marketing potential. Create helpful, how-to style videos and add them to the appropriate categories on YouTube. You can even set up a brand channel for your company.

Using LinkedIn for Marketing

Since LinkedIn is a social media site for professionals, it’s an excellent channel to use for social media marketing. LinkedIn offers LinkedIn Groups, an excellent venue that allows you to create dialog with other businesses involved in similar industries. Current business clients have the ability to provide your business with recommendations on your company profile, which increases credibility for your business. LinkedIn also has a “Questions” area, which businesses can browse, offering answers to gain the trust of other users.

Google+ Continues to Grow

Google+ continues to grow, setting itself up as a competitor to Facebook. It offers similar features to Facebook but offers some unique features as well. Not only can you upload links, photos, videos and more, but you can use the Google Hangout Feature to host how-to or informational sessions. Since you can create Google+ circles, it is possible to create unique circles where you can share special offers and discounts.

Social media for business to business marketing offers a unique way for businesses to build their brand and engage with their business customers. Keep these important tips in mind to maximize the benefits social media has to offer.

Content is king. How many times have you heard or read this phrase and cringed? Although it’s a hugely overused cliché, that doesn’t change the fact that it is true. Online marketing has become increasingly competitive in recent years, and maintaining a simple blog with a splash of social media is no longer enough. Larger companies dedicate whole teams to online content marketing, so is it realistic to expect that you can achieve worthwhile results with the little time that you have on top of running your business?

Obviously, the answer is no. To make it with today’s digital marketers and still remain competitive, you need a structured approach with some qualified support. At this point you may be thinking, perhaps it would be OK if I don’t focus on a content marketing strategy and let my brand develop organically. Do not get caught up in this line of thinking. No matter how good your products or services are, if you can’t compete online, you’re throwing away a huge potential market, and this will hurt your business.

Increasing numbers of people are turning to online search to find local businesses. With the high penetration rate of smartphones, it is now possible for consumers to research your brand and your competitors from anywhere they have an internet connection, at any time. If you aren’t content marketing, then you’re essentially out of the game. What’s the solution? A dedicated marketing team that can achieve results. The good news for you is that this team doesn’t even have to come from within your own business, and outsourcing to a content marketing agency could even prove to be more cost-effective, with better results.

Effective Management Keeps a Project on Track

The four key elements of an effective content marketing strategy are effective management, outstanding content, compelling visuals, and relevant data. Management is key because no matter how well each process is performed, without the right vision, the end goal may not be achieved. Effective leaders are able to create a roadmap for any strategy. They can identify opportunities for promotions, key dates to release content and what that content needs to communicate. With effective oversight, they can also ensure that the content and graphic design elements of the marketing strategy are in line with what is needed to compete in the market. To understand what is needed, leaders take data from their analysts. Data shows how the content is performing and identify areas for improvement.

Superior Content Drives Engagement and Solidifies Brand Reputation

We come back to content is king. Without effective content, you don’t have a marketing strategy. Content can include concise marketing copy, authority-building blog posts, relevant social media, informative video scripts and direct engagement with an audience through forums and other platforms. You need strong writers, and they need to be able to communicate your brand and your message in a way that is engaging, informative and persuasive. The best writers will understand your brand, and they will understand the bigger picture, such as where your company is going and the goals you have.

Graphic Design Ensures Content is Front and Center

Content marketing needs to have substance, but it must also be visually compelling. This is especially true when you consider that many of your efforts will be on platforms where users have limited time for interactivity and relatively short exposure times. Powerful graphics, strong company logo branding, and well-designed layouts will make sure your content is seen. Modern graphic artists will understand that text is as visual as any image. The way content is presented will determine whether your audience chooses to read it or not. The right artists will understand the subtleties of a good layout for any platform, whether it’s your blog, your product pages or your social media posts.

Analysis Tells You What You’re Doing Right And Where You Need to Improve

Numbers are critical. How many people are reading your content? How engaged is your social media audience? Did your last campaign attract the right people, and was your investment in marketing rewarded with quantifiable leads and conversions? Without this data, you will run a blind strategy with success or failure determined by sheer luck.

Does a Content Marketing Agency Make More Sense?

Knowing all of this, it’s clear that your marketing strategy requires leadership and highly talented professionals. Most small to medium-sized businesses don’t have the expertise to build a marketing team from scratch or even the resources to manage the process from end to end. A content marketing agency can provide all of the areas of expertise that define an effective marketing team, with the added benefit that you reduce your own overhead and the time investment that is required for marketing.
A content marketing agency will give you access to the best writers and graphic designers, along with analytics that provides you with real campaign and growth track.

More than 61 percent of consumers search online to find information about products and brands. Are you ready for them, and more importantly, do you have the content strategy to ensure that they will find you?
At Blackstone Agency we have a deep understanding of content with more than 20 years of content marketing and management experience. We know what it takes to succeed in modern content marketing. We were producing content and developing strategies even before e-commerce and internet marketing were part of the mainstream. In short, we know exactly what it takes to get your brand noticed while building a responsive audience. With a talented team of full-time marketers, we can ensure that your content marketing strategy translates to sales success and real business growth.