Thought you were set because you already have social media accounts? Think again.
The digital space is saturated with content and competition. In order to grab the attention of your target audience you need to begin to think strategically.
To achieve maximum impact takes planning and time. But it is worth it in the end as your produce greater results.
So whether you are already active on social media or are at the very beginning, below are four effective tips to help your B2B company make the most of social media and achieve your goals.
Set your goals
The first step to improving your social media traction is to set goals. Setting goals may seem daunting, but they’re important when measuring your impact and ensuring that you are on the right track.
S.M.A.R.T. goals are a great place to start.
To ensure that your goals are realistic and in line with your company objectives, create a list of goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound (S.M.A.R.T.). One example of an appropriate S.M.A.R.T. goal would be to increase your engagement on LinkedIn by 10% within the next two months.
S.M.A.R.T. goals will act as a benchmark to measure and achieve your marketing activity in line with the business goals.
Regular measurement helps to continuously improve your strategy.
Identify your target audience
Before posting any content, it’s important to pinpoint the target audience that you are trying to reach; this will help when deciding on the type of content to create.
Identifying these personas is important because it enables you to tailor effective messaging that’s relevant to your audience.
When developing the personas to target, try to note a few attributes including: job role, goals, motivators, pain points and challenges. This information will help you tailor your messaging to resonate with your target audiences pain points.
Check your stats
Creating and distributing content is one thing, but making sure the correct content is actually reaching your audience is another. All social media platforms have free analytics that you should be utilizing, if you aren’t already.
Regularly reviewing your social media performance is vital to a successful strategy. By monitoring engagement and analysing trends you will begin to identify what needs to be done to make the incremental changes that will improve your strategy.
Take advantage of trends
Another way to improve your social media presence is to incorporate hashtags into your social media posts. Hashtags are a great way for users to find posts on a specific topic all in one place.
It is also great to use industry hashtags or event-specific ones. This will increase the chance of being seen or shared by other accounts.
For example, commonly used industry B2B hashtags would be #OilandGas or #TechTuesday and general B2B hashtags would include #MondayMotivation, #TBT (throwback Thursday) or #ICYMI (in case you missed it). Hashtags are useful in gaining impressions and engagement, but it’s possible to go overboard and use too many. For best results, we recommend sticking to 2 to 3 hashtags per post.
If your company is promoting a specific event or campaign and none of the common trending hashtags strike your fancy, you can always create your own unique hashtag for your audience!
On the right track but need a few more pointers? Read 5 ways to revamp your B2B social media.
Or if you want to chat about your social media strategy get in touch.
