Get Your Head in the Social Media Game

Get Your Head in the Social Media Game

If you’re a large company not using social media for all that it’s worth, you’re missing out on customers and business.

We know that the majority of businesses participate in social media — in fact, a dominant 88% of B2B marketers report using these platforms as part of their marketing programs. Large corporations, small businesses, and those in between are promoting their brands and engaging with customers online. Even companies within the logistics and supply chain industries are reaping the benefits of social media marketing.

The truth is, if your company is not participating in social media, you are at a disadvantage. Your customers, your employees, and your competitors are taking advantage of these technologies to conduct business in new, more efficient ways.

Content Marketing Institute’s new report on B2B enterprise companies (companies with over 1,000 employees) shows that large corporations are also jumping on the social media bandwagon. Here are some stats:

  • 87% of B2B enterprise companies use LinkedIn
  • 81% use Twitter
  • 77% use YouTube
  • 74% use Facebook

But when asked about the importance each of these channels to their organization’s content marketing success, 87% felt that email is still the most effective tool for distributing content.

What does that say to you? These enterprises are using social media for content distribution, but their heads aren’t in the social media game.

So, why should their social media efforts be turned up?

Let the numbers speak for themselves:

Businesses are using social media, so if your B2B enterprise company isn’t, you’re already behind the eight ball. Social media is a great way to distribute information to a vast audience in a quick, cost-effective manner.

Social media also allows you to get to know your audience in a more personal way. After a few weeks and months of committing to your content marketing strategy on social media platforms, you’ll know what your target audience likes and what they’re interested in. The more time and effort put into your social media campaign, the more refined and effective it will become.

And we can’t ignore that your competitors are already out there, happily exploring the online market share.

Social media platforms have already proven their worth and most companies, big and small, have embraced their value. If your enterprise company hasn’t, it’s time to get your foot in the game.

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Not participating in social media?  Here are 4 reasons why you need to start – today

Not participating in social media? Here are 4 reasons why you need to start – today

Social media marketing

There is much more than meets the eye when it comes to social media marketing. From expanding corporate communications to learning valuable information about consumers, social media has benefits that help businesses grow and expand their reach.  Here are four powerful reasons why your business needs to incorporate social media into your marketing strategy:

1. Sharing Educational Content with Consumers

Leveraging social media as a tool for educating customers is a B2B marketing strategy that many businesses miss out on. Build your social media channels and develop thought leadership by providing objective, educational content that is relevant to your customers’ business problems. Become a resource of industry-related information through your original content and content curated from across the Internet. When potential customers are beginning their buying process, they gravitate towards companies with whom they are familiar and perceive as industry experts. According to Sirius Decisions, 70% of the buyer’s journey is complete before they ever contact a sales representative. Socially sharing educational content will increase your visibility to buyers during the sales process. Buyers are more informed than ever before, and businesses need to strive to be a resource for their customers on social media.

2. Improve Your SEO Ranking

Inbound links and social shares are two key performance indicators (KPIs) to be mindful of throughout the SEO process. Inbound links and social shares are two increasingly important factors that are taken into consideration during website indexes. These increase what Google refers to as Author Authority, and the more authority, the more SEO weight your website gains. Bottom line: the stronger your presence on social media, the higher your search engine page rank will be.

3. Generate New Leads

Social media can be used to help businesses build robust marketing campaigns to support lead generation, often with little to no cost. The plethora of social media networks and websites can seem overwhelming, but popular networks like LinkedIn and Twitter are a great place to start using social media to generate qualified leads.

LinkedIn is an ideal space for businesses; the community of professionals is a great resource for networking. LinkedIn supports businesses with community pages, company pages, groups and discussion boards for users to share ideas, content and talk to like-minded professionals. LinkedIn is also a useful tool for leads by gauging interest in products and services based on conversations. Additionally, Twitter is another free platform that users can use to drive lead generation efforts. According to Inside View, B2B marketers who use Twitter generate twice as many leads as those that do not.

4. Stretch Your Marketing Dollars

Even if you do chose to upgrade your social media toolkit and pay for premium benefits and services, the cost of implementing a social media marketing campaign is significantly lower than using many traditional mediums. The real-time data and analytics received through different social platforms provide users with valuable insights and the opportunity for businesses to pivot campaigns and tactics as needed in order to have the highest possible impact. Moreover, you be flexible with your marketing strategies, campaigns and tactics.

What have been some of the biggest benefits that your organization has seen as a result of their social media practices?

 For more information on the benefits of social media, check out our white paper.

 

Not participating in social media?  Here are 4 reasons why you need to start – today

Not participating in social media? Here are 4 reasons why you need to start – today

Social media marketing

There is much more than meets the eye when it comes to social media marketing. From expanding corporate communications to learning valuable information about consumers, social media has benefits that help businesses grow and expand their reach.  Here are four powerful reasons why your business needs to incorporate social media into your marketing strategy:

1. Sharing Educational Content with Consumers

Leveraging social media as a tool for educating customers is a B2B marketing strategy that many businesses miss out on. Build your social media channels and develop thought leadership by providing objective, educational content that is relevant to your customers’ business problems. Become a resource of industry-related information through your original content and content curated from across the Internet. When potential customers are beginning their buying process, they gravitate towards companies with whom they are familiar and perceive as industry experts. According to Sirius Decisions, 70% of the buyer’s journey is complete before they ever contact a sales representative. Socially sharing educational content will increase your visibility to buyers during the sales process. Buyers are more informed than ever before, and businesses need to strive to be a resource for their customers on social media.

2. Improve Your SEO Ranking

Inbound links and social shares are two key performance indicators (KPIs) to be mindful of throughout the SEO process. Inbound links and social shares are two increasingly important factors that are taken into consideration during website indexes. These increase what Google refers to as Author Authority, and the more authority, the more SEO weight your website gains. Bottom line: the stronger your presence on social media, the higher your search engine page rank will be.

3. Generate New Leads

Social media can be used to help businesses build robust marketing campaigns to support lead generation, often with little to no cost. The plethora of social media networks and websites can seem overwhelming, but popular networks like LinkedIn and Twitter are a great place to start using social media to generate qualified leads.

LinkedIn is an ideal space for businesses; the community of professionals is a great resource for networking. LinkedIn supports businesses with community pages, company pages, groups and discussion boards for users to share ideas, content and talk to like-minded professionals. LinkedIn is also a useful tool for leads by gauging interest in products and services based on conversations. Additionally, Twitter is another free platform that users can use to drive lead generation efforts. According to Inside View, B2B marketers who use Twitter generate twice as many leads as those that do not.

4. Stretch Your Marketing Dollars

Even if you do chose to upgrade your social media toolkit and pay for premium benefits and services, the cost of implementing a social media marketing campaign is significantly lower than using many traditional mediums. The real-time data and analytics received through different social platforms provide users with valuable insights and the opportunity for businesses to pivot campaigns and tactics as needed in order to have the highest possible impact. Moreover, you be flexible with your marketing strategies, campaigns and tactics.

What have been some of the biggest benefits that your organization has seen as a result of their social media practices?

 For more information on the benefits of social media, check out our white paper.