Free Tools for Curating B2B Social Media Content
by MGB2B
There’s no question of whether or not your B2B company needs to be on Social Media. Your customers and prospects are finding compelling social media content from trusted industry resources and – eek! – your competitors. How can you keep pace and provide relevant B2B social media content?
In addition to the good content you’re likely sharing already such as your company’s new product announcements, resources and downloads, and updates from events and trade shows, you should incorporate relevant content into your content calendar.
The prospect of going out and finding this content, especially when it means looking outside of your usual industry blogs and trade publications, can seem intimidating. But luckily, there are plenty of tools out there to help you curate interesting, relevant B2B social media content that your audience will enjoy and share.
Here are 5 of my favorite (free!) tools for curating B2B social media content without breaking a sweat:
- Twitter lists. You can use Twitter lists to view content from select accounts all in one place without having to follow them. This comes in handy if you want to keep track of what your competitors are saying so you can share similar content, or to see what influencers in your industry are talking about so you can share their updates. Lists can be public if you want users to know they’re a part of your list, or private if you don’t want users to be notified. You can also save any Search you run on Twitter by selecting “More Options” then “Save this search.” This will help you stay on top of what people are saying about the topics you’re interested in.
- LinkedIn groups feed. LinkedIn recently revamped their Groups feature to include a Facebook-like feed. This is a HUGE time saver as it lets you easily scan updates from all of your groups at once and find interesting content to share right there on LinkedIn or to any of your other B2B social media channels.
- Pinterest. This might sound like a strange recommendation for finding compelling B2B social media content, but the truth is that a lot of B2B companies are dipping their toes into visual social media channels like Pinterest and Instagram (for some awesome Instagram tips, click here). Not surprisingly, Pinterest is a great resource for finding visuals like infographics and charts. Plus, its ever-improving search tools make it easier than ever to find what you’re looking for in a snap.
- Feedly. While not as visually appealing as the first three, Feedly is a very helpful (and, of course, free) tool for discovering relevant B2B social media content. I use Feedly both to help me find interesting blogs and articles from the publications I’m already familiar with by adding them directly to my “Feed,” and to discover content from new sources by searching for specific terms. Once you have selected some sources and added them to a collection, Feedly generates a stream of stories either from that publication or based on your topic in chronological order. This keeps you informed and your content fresh.
- BONUS: Trello. My love for Trello might stem from a mild obsession with flashcards and PostIts. I just can’t live without little notes reminding me of an idea I had or inspiration for a blog post. Trello is a free “note card” organizer that you can divide into Boards, Lists, and Cards. A Board might be dedicated to one division of your company, while the Lists and Cards within can focus on topics and specific notes, respectively. You can comment and add links to Cards, and even invite others to join your Boards.
If the prospect of gathering B2B social media content from unfamiliar sources, but knowing that you need to mix up your posts, is keeping you up at night, rest assured that these tools can get you on the right track. Ready to take your social media strategy to the next level? Drop us a line.
Tags: B2B social media strategies, B2B social media tools, best social media tools, curating B2B Social Media Content, free content tools, social media content tools