15 B2B Social Media Content Ideas for an Engaging 2023
To be a successful business-to-business company, more than just good branding is needed; excellent branding will attract prospects.
You will grow your company’s reputation faster and better if you use social media as your marketing channel. There’s been a surge in social media usage lately, which gives you an edge in connecting with your audience. The business-to-business marketing process may take a long time since companies need to create a distinct market and customer base and there needs to be a demand for their products or services. B2B marketers can use social media to get started by gaining an audience and establishing connections with the right partner.
If you want to succeed in marketing with social media, you need content that captures your audience’s attention. To give you a better idea, here are 15 content ideas you can use in your B2B company.
1) How to plan content ideas
Content ideas that are 100% focused on your audience may do well, but what about a mix of 20% personal and 80% business? One thing to keep in mind is that social media isn’t just about where you post. It’s a culture of interactions, sharing, and value. You can use Social Media Content Ideas to build relationships with new customers, build brand credibility with prospects and current customers, attract interest from partners and vendors (or recruit candidates for open positions), or even shift your organization into more of a storytelling company as opposed to pure b2b sales/marketing/PR firm. The possibilities are endless when it comes to what you can create.
2) Explainer Videos
Explainer videos help educate your customers on your products and services. When you’re trying to convey complex information, explainer videos can be a compelling marketing tool. They allow you to explain your value proposition in less than two minutes while they still have viewers’ attention (that’s often all they have). According to our friends at Unbounce, most of their landing page visitors spend 20 seconds or less scanning a page before making their decision to stay or move on. An engaging video will hold a viewer’s attention long enough for them to absorb key points and increase conversions. We’ve seen conversion rates skyrocket when we implement explainer videos across different pages on our websites.
3) Write a list of what you want to achieve
I want to build my client’s company brand and reputation through social media. With that, I want to create interactive content and buzz around their social media handles. The content will include: How to videos, information about industry trends and related topics on their industry, product or service ads posted on their social media handles, and infographics on various topics including tips from experts in regards to how it applies to a specific brand/industry, humorous pictures with a caption that would relate/relate to my clients’ industry or brand and lastly (and most importantly) questions asked by customers of my clients’ company that need answers which may range anywhere from customer service questions – do you have a question we can help you with?
4) Identify your target audience
In addition to building a solid personal brand, one of your main priorities as a social media marketer should be providing value to your target audience by educating them about relevant topics and issues. To get started, do some research to figure out which interests and values are most common among people in your target audience. Once you know what they’re interested in, you can start creating relevant and informative content that will generate engagement from both your target market and other people who share their interests. You’ll also want to look at how other companies with similar brands are engaging their audiences on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn. When posting and sharing content online, always remember that brands need effective branding on all major social media platforms to gain momentum online.
5) Understand the goal behind each channel
Successful B2B social media content should be purpose-driven, which means understanding your objectives before diving into any content. Many marketers don’t spend enough time researching buyer intent and expectations which are key to determining how you will use each social channel. And a lack of research here can also lead to a lack of return, as I once discovered when I created a thought leadership Twitter campaign that fell flat because I hadn’t taken enough time to learn more about my audience’s challenges. The more time you put into defining your goals and objectives, including what success, looks like in each channel, you’ll ensure higher engagement across all your channels and touchpoints.
6) Define your messaging model
The messaging model is what helps you organize your customer experience on social media. It gives structure to how your company will engage with its customers, and it should be defined before you begin posting on social media. Some companies use their website as a messaging model, while others create one based on industry best practices or customer surveys. The exact process depends on what works best for your business and can vary greatly from company to company. Still, it’s a worthwhile step toward making sure that every social media post is aligned with your brand message.
7) Set KPIs based on goals and objectives
Setting KPIs is a key part of marketing success. Whether you’re setting specific social media goals or developing larger business objectives, it’s important to look at how you want your brand to be represented and where you want to go with your social media efforts over time. For example, if your goal is to generate leads, one KPI could be lead conversions. If your goal is to increase revenue, another KPI could be increased sales revenue from direct leads. Setting KPIs will give you something specific to track and ultimately measure against as you develop additional social media content ideas in 2023.
8) Create your editorial calendar
Editorial calendars are super valuable. They help you see where you’ll be publishing in advance, which helps you make sure all your posts are consistent with your corporate branding and that they’re on topics that your customers will care about. For example, if all of your articles have a certain voice or tone (determined by your corporate brand), you don’t want to include something random that doesn’t match it; consistency is key to making sure each piece helps reinforce your overall message and values. These calendars also help keep social media organized so that none of these ideas get lost or forgotten an easy thing to do when there’s so much content being published daily across social media platforms.
The two most dominant social media channels are Facebook and Twitter. You can take these as a given, but we know there will be a lot of growth with emerging social media channels in the coming years, particularly with Pinterest and Instagram on the horizon. If you’re looking to create content on multiple social media channels at once, start by breaking down each channel into its area of expertise. Our example would mean four areas:
Within each section, you’ll want to create sub-sections (or tasks) related to creating content on that platform.
10) Look for inspiration from other influencers who have succeeded before you
One way to determine how to create content is to look at other influencers in your space and do some research. You can also use tools like BuzzSumo and Google Alerts that provide insight into what other people are writing about. This research will help you learn what’s working in your industry and give you ideas of content ideas that are already resonating with your audience. From there, you can decide whether it makes sense to expand on existing trends or try something new.
11) Clients’ Testimonials
It’s not enough to tell potential clients that you’re great. You have to let them know memorably, especially on social media. Listing testimonials of happy customers will establish your credibility and make you more likely to score new business. With so many businesses using social media, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd, but well-crafted testimonials from real customers go a long way toward proving your value in a crowded marketplace.
12) Hiring Announcements
This is a content strategy you can use to your advantage if you’re growing, create a public hiring announcement. Be as specific as possible, outlining what skills and qualities are most important to you and why. Hiring announcement listservs are common in both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) settings. Plus, with so many jobs going unfilled, taking control of who enters your company can be a smart move from both branding and process perspectives.
13) Holiday Content
For marketers, it’s not all about inbound marketing. Giving your customers something of value when they need it most like during a holiday season can be a smart way to stand out from competitors and get you thought of as a brand that cares. No matter what time of year it is, there are always holidays or special days on your company’s calendar; there are also likely holidays celebrated by your audience. It can be as simple as sharing content relevant to these dates or using them as topics in social media posts. But really, any reason to engage is better than none at all. Even sending customers a card with a discount on a specific day can go a long way toward building positive relationships with them.
14) Tips and Tricks
One way to come up with content ideas is to think about what you’re already doing on social media and ask yourself if there are any opportunities to make it better. Take a look at your most popular posts and see what can be done differently or improved upon. If you’re looking for some fresh inspiration, try following influencers in your industry on Twitter and see how they’re using their platforms. Go through old tweets and examine them more closely than before. Have a little patience, as well; coming up with good content often takes time, so don’t feel like you have to strike gold overnight!
15) Office Event Content
Corporate events are a great opportunity to share your brand with colleagues, but it’s important to keep in mind what those peers want from their social media experience. While some would rather be left out of office get-togethers, don’t miss out on content by not posting about these events. Showcase photos and videos you took during team-building activities and more. Make sure your company culture is visible both online and offline.
Wrapping Up
Content is king in marketing, and social media makes it easier than ever to make an impact. Gone are the days when a marketer could make a big splash with just one post or video. Keeping engagement high across all channels is tough, but there’s no doubt that social media content has staying power: According to Pew Research Center, 92% of Americans use Facebook and 71% of U.S. adults use Instagram and those numbers continue to rise each year. If you take your time planning out your posts and are creative with your topics, you’ll stay relevant for years to come.
