B2B Monday Myth: Social Media Advertising for B2B Brands Isn’t Important
by MGB2B
The Myth: There’s No Need For My B2B Brand To Advertise On Social Media
The Truth: B2b Advertising On Social Media Has A Number Of Benefits Which Encourage Prospects To Move Through The Sales Funnel.
B2B brands have finally come on board to social media, and many boast a large posting presence. But when it comes to social media for B2B brands, this is often where the buck stops. It’s a misconception that social media advertising is a playing field for B2C brands only. Unfortunately, that type of thinking keeps new leads from getting into your prospect stream. Now more than ever, there’s compelling reasons why platforms like Facebook offer serious lead generation simply from social advertising. The number of benefits of social media advertising for B2B brands is undeniable – and we’ll break them down for you.
B2B Buyers Are On Social Media
It takes a number of touch points before a buyer is ready to make purchase decision. The more visibility your brand has, the better. These B2B buyers are absolutely present on social media. If you want to place your brand in front of your target audience, this is where you need to be.
If you ignore social media advertising, you’re missing out on a crucial chance to interact with your audience. Remember that behind every social media account is an actual human, and emotion goes much further into the B2B buying decision than you may think. While promoting business value may seem like the logical angle to take, you may find that other strategies that create a personal connection could reign supreme when reaching people on their own networks.
Targeting Options
There are robust capabilities across every social media platform that allow your brand to reach relevant audiences. The nature of social media allows us to analyze different behaviors and actions of users. Then, we can target our ads to those who do what we want. While there are different tools on each social platform, most allow you to segment your audience by age, location, gender, and occupation.With Facebook, you can even target by events, which is helpful if your brand is participating in a trade show or conference. And Twitter allows you to advertise based on intent, using interest and keyword targeting, to create meaningful campaign insights.
It’s Cheap
Social media advertising for B2B allows you to set your own budget, so you can spend exactly what and where you’d like. Whether you choose a long-game strategy or short-term bursts, you can customize your social media advertising campaign to fit exactly your budget.
Flexibility Of Message
When you release a print ad, you’re stuck with what is published. Not so with a social media advertising. Change your message as frequently as you’d like. This is especially helpful if your campaign is evolving, long-term, or if you’re unhappy with the insights produced from your original ad. Plus, with the many audiences active on social media, you are able to change your message for different targeted segments.
Social media advertising for B2B brands is just as necessary as it is for B2C. Utilizing platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn allows businesses to reach and segment their target audience, maintain message flexibility, and stay within budget. Not only does this build brand awareness, but also generates new prospects.
Continue ReadingTop 10 Types of B2B Lead Generation Content
by MGB2B
Have you ever experienced “writer’s block?” Sometimes instead of not knowing what to write, the trouble is figuring out what form to write it in that will entice new leads to engage. This is a content rut and it happens to everyone.
Fear not, because Mascola B2B has compiled a list of the top 10 performing B2B lead generation content pieces. Say goodbye to your tired content calendar and hello to your list of fresh, new leads!
- White Papers. Tried and true, white papers are a standard for offered-value. People download them because they are authoritative, detailed, and informative. When you’re looking to pack a punch with your offering, a white paper will do just that.
- Podcasts or Videos. If you have the time and bandwidth, audio and video content are two great ways to engage your audience. They’re opportunities to put a voice to your brand and allow your team to show their creative side. When it comes to generating leads, be sure to include a form fill so your listeners/viewers can subscribe.
- Contests. Who doesn’t love to win something? Contests are great for driving engagement, growing your reach, and, most importantly, generating leads. Contests also adapt to many online platforms like your website, lead gen landing page, and social media channels.
- Ebooks. Like white papers, ebooks provide a comprehensive look at a specific topic. Ebooks tend to be a little more creative, so be sure to inject a combination of information and creativity into yours.
- Checklists. Unlike many content formats, checklists are short, simple, and easy to generate internally, while simultaneously offering unique, digestible content to your readers. Include clear headers and keep copy brief.
- Templates. A template is a strong offering because it provides the reader with a usable tool for creating an original piece of their own. Templates can take many forms such as calendars, outlines, plans, or worksheets. And each time your downloader wants to create a new piece, he or she will be reminded of you upon returning to the original template.
- Original Data & Research. There’s no offering more unique or informative than original research findings from your company. One of the least expensive ways to curate original data is to conduct a survey and share the results via a downloadable report or infographic.
- Demos. You’ve hooked your reader with a few blog posts, a podcast, and perhaps a white paper. Now they’re ready to give your product a try. Create an enticing free offer with language reinforcing the highlights of your product. Also, make sure it’s seamless to schedule a demo.
- Tool Kits. If you have a bunch of related pieces of content lying around, a tool kit is a great way to re-purpose them into a meaningful, cohesive collection. This can be a great follow-up method for connecting with past customers or readers who have downloaded a few pieces of your content.
- Webinars. A webinar is a useful format for combining an authoritative tone on a topic with the personality of your company’s leadership. However, a successful webinar can take a lot of work. Try partnering with your industry’s leading trade publication to produce a sponsored webinar and let the pros handle the hard part, while you get to play host and collect the leads.
From templates to white papers to podcasts, there are endless types of B2B lead generation content out there. The key is finding the right mix of what works for your business while keeping your audience alert and engaged with new topics and formats.
Still stuck in a content rut? Mascola B2B is here to help.
Continue ReadingB2B Monday Myth: Social Media Does Not Generate Quality Leads
by MGB2B
The Myth: Social media does not generate quality B2B leads.
The Truth: B2B companies are finding (and converting) leads on social.
Contrary to popular belief, social media is not limited to social interaction alone. It serves as a useful marketing tool for managing and enhancing lead acquisition. B2B businesses can use social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, and even Facebook to interact with potential customers and generate leads. And once B2B leads have been acquired on social media, they are 13% more likely to convert than leads found by other tactics. In order to generate B2B leads on social media, follow these three tips:
- Create compelling content. Keeping your audience engaged (and growing) is crucial to generating new leads. Create and curate content for your social media channels that your audience will find useful, interesting, and/or entertaining. Running low on content ideas? Here are 5 simple ways to make your content more effective on social.
- Track what content is the most effective. While keeping a steady stream of content flowing on your social channels is important, simply publishing without analyzing could lead you to repeat mistakes. Track what content is working by looking at clicks through to your website and interactions on each channel. If long-form articles are not generating much attention, consider adapting to a form that is easier to digest, like video content, and vice versa.
- Commit to social media and be reliable. If you are connecting with potential leads one day, you cannot abandon the effort the next day. The worst thing a B2B marketer can do is go radio silent on social media. Effective social media use requires commitment and constant diligence. Make sure you respond to leads in a timely manner and post new content regularly.
With these tips in mind, you can launch into your week focused on generating new, quality leads on social media. Good luck, and Happy Monday!
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