It’s no surprise that B2B brands are often slow to jump on board the latest marketing tactics, often lagging far behind their B2C cousins. But after so many years of social media establishing itself as a branding essential, it is a surprise that so many B2B companies are still reluctant to embrace it.

Your B2B audience is craving content from your firm. In fact, 96% of B2B buyers want content with more input from industry thought leaders.

B2B companies sometimes forget the fundamental concept that they are not marketing directly to companies; instead they are marketing to individuals within those organizations. The eyes and ears of your B2B audiences are still individual consumers, and it’s time for the late adopters in the B2B world to up their game in the social media space.

There are countless different areas B2B organizations need to focus on when guiding their B2B brands through social media. Here are five of the most important questions B2B brands should be asking themselves:

  1. Do you have a strong presence on all social platforms? This includes LinkedIn and Twitter (the obvious B2B platforms) but also Instagram, Facebook, Google+ and potentially even Snapchat and Pinterest. Recent studies even suggest that Instagram can be 20 times more effective than LinkedIn when reaching B2B audiences.
  2. Are you following all of your competitors on each platform? This is an important step that many people often forget about. Checking out the competition is an easy step to figure out what kind of person they are going after. If the process is working, it can even give you ideas of techniques you could start using for your own business.
  3. Are you following your clients on all channels? This is important to do as soon as you begin working with someone. It’s crucial to understand the tone of their messages and how they portray themselves and their brand personality through social. It’s also important to realize that not every audience member will be on every single social platform. That’s why it’s crucial to know where your target audience spends the majority of their time online so you can reach them there.
  4. Are you engaging with your followers? (Contributing thought leadership, sharing industry news, asking provoking questions, engaging with posts, etc.) Customers want brands to interact with them; a personable attitude on social media will benefit your brand. For many B2B companies, social media interaction is rapidly becoming their most effective marketing channel.
  5. Are you tracking metrics? If you are driving people to your website via your social media posts, make sure you have some way to measure who is coming to the site and if they are a potential lead for your business. Google Analytics is the perfect tool for this. The data will be incredibly useful to you in adjusting your approach and provide the insight you need to ensure you are truly reaching your target.

We get it — it can be a bit overwhelming to stay up to date on the latest social media trends and adjusting to the constant changes in the social media environment. We love discussing issues like this and are here to make sure your brand presence is strong across all critical channels. Click here to start investing in your brand today.