Social media isn't just fun and games — it's a powerhouse for boosting brand awareness, generating leads, and growing your organization. Nowadays, buyers are turning to social media to guide their purchasing decisions. Social selling is not a 'should-do' or 'could-do' but rather a 'must-do' for all the salespeople.

Statistics show that 78% of salespeople who use social media marketing are more likely to outsell those who do not. The case is not any different for B2B selling either, 51% of B2B marketers experienced lead generation and sales growth upon using Social Media Platforms. 

B2B agencies not using social media miss a significant opportunity for brand awareness and lead generation. With 75% of B2B buyers turning to social platforms for purchases, it's a crucial channel to leverage.

Why do you need to leverage social media?

Studies have found that after engaging with a brand on social media, 91% of consumers visit its website. Your B2B social media platform serves as the first point of contact for the majority of your potential leads. To top it off, setting up a social media page virtually costs nothing. it is essential to have a full-proof B2B Social Media Marketing plan to attract and engage with your potential customers.

Dedicated B2B social media posts can be one of the best methods to rightly address the target customer's pain point, feeding them with interesting content to raise interest in the brand. No wonder, 67% of the B2B companies are already trying out social media content marketing.

But a mere presence on social media does not guarantee enough value addition that can result in significant lead generation, neither will the posts unless they are strategically curated.

Here are a couple of questions you need to find answers to, to find the right direction for your B2B Social Media Marketing strategies.

Which platform would be perfect for your B2B Social Media Marketing?

If you start naming all available social media platforms, you will lose count. Effective social media marketing begins with selecting the appropriate platform, considering your target audience and content preferences.

While LinkedIn is considered to be the best, 80% of the B2B marketers reported that their social media leads come through LinkedIn, there is no harm in exploring other options. Of all the paid social media targeting, Facebook has the highest conversion rates. At the same time, YouTube and Twitter are also used frequently for B2B social selling. 

What do you want your B2B Social Media platform to reflect?

The power of social media comes from its ability to form connections, connect people, ideas, opportunities, and everything in between. Your B2B social media page should make use of that connectivity not just to address the pain points of the potential clients but to make them feel heard and understood.

To do so, the page has to hold a personality that best reflects your brand. Yes, the end goal is to promote the product or the service you are offering but humanize the platform. Hook your potential leads, share interesting insights, shed light on your employees, and show behind-the-scene titbits so that they feel connected with your brand. Don’t forget to share success stories demonstrating that your company is providing the best value.

How often do you want to post?

Although different social media platforms use varied algorithms to curate content feeds, consistency is key on all platforms. Regular posting is crucial for maintaining audience engagement and effectively attracting your target audience.

After you have picked your platform or platforms, try to crack the algorithm. Research those pages that have already figured it out, and experiment around to find times and days that generate maximum traction for you. 

How frequent is frequent enough? 

There is no definitive number set, but it is always good to have your set standards. Assess the resources you have, how many posts can you create per week with the resources you have on hand? Start with trials, find an optimum number, based on resource efficiency, and stick to it.

Remember, it is not the quantity that counts, but the quality.

Sounds overwhelming? This is where purposeful planning comes in.

Purposeful planning will allow you to accommodate your business as well as marketing strategies better by clearly laying out what to post and when to post. The first step towards purposeful planning would be setting a content calendar aligning with the business calendar so that your posts are relevant enough. Also, it would help in keeping track of what and when.

Another concern most creators have is what if they run out of content ideas. A defined plan fixes that as well. 

For example, if you have long-form report content, you can break it up into bite-size pieces and spread it over numerous posts. Again some purposeful planning would allow you to do!

Will organic reach be enough?

Your content is visible to your followers and a limited audience suggested by the platform's algorithm. Organic reach increases when your content resonates with the algorithm. Cracking that algorithm can be extremely time-consuming and would require a lot of effort. Even then, you cannot be completely sure that you are reaching your target audience.

Alternatively, major social media platforms allow organizations to purchase ads. Paid advertising is particularly effective for generating leads, offering diverse targeting options to ensure your ads reach the specific businesses you want to convert.

The way forward

If you have answers to the questions above, Congratulations! You are already halfway through developing a successful B2B Social Media. Putting these answers together would allow you to create a mind map for effective social selling. 

Over 4 billion people are on social media, and the opportunities for businesses to sell through social sites are limitless. Here's the kicker: over half of buyers are on the lookout for a compelling story from companies. Only with the right planning your company can stand out and grab the attention of these savvy buyers.

Find the right direction and enjoy the invaluable growth B2B Social Media Marketing has to offer.