B2B social media strategies Archives - Mascola B2B Marketing Blog, B2B Advertising Agency

B2B Myth of the Week: Instagram for B2B Marketing Doesn’t Work

Myth: Instagram is Only for B2C Brands

Fact: Using Instagram For B2B Marketing Is Not Only Smart, It’s Necessary

So how do you go about this? Where do you begin?

Answer: Instagram for B2B marketing.

We have officially progressed into an era of marketing based on likes and followers. As much as the B2C community dominates this field, the approach of reaching users through visual content includes you too. As content continues to flood our phones by the millisecond, grabbing your audience’s attention effectively is an essential aspect of social media marketing. You must cut through the competition’s noise and shout from the rooftops, “Look at our content! Learn how we can solve your problems! And we’re engaging and relatable to boot!”

Instagram Personifies Your Brand

If you’re unfamiliar with the term Instagram-worthy, it’s a new “kids-these-days” way of describing something aesthetically pleasing. But don’t be fooled, this isn’t only applicable for trendy food pictures. Your brand has the opportunity to provide personal, visual hooks to reel your audience into your newsfeed and furthermore, your company.

Not every photo will encapsulate the mantra of your company’s motto or the services and products you provide. That’s okay; maintaining an excessively professional social media presence can be off-putting. Establish an unfiltered look at your company culture and you’re guaranteed to grant your audience a sense of familiarity that in confidence says, “This is who we are.”

[Take a look at Google’s Instagram account. There is nothing regarding search engines or computer software. Instead, you’ll find happy puppies, happy consumers, and colorful creations of the Google logo made of Fruit Loops. This may constitute as B2C branding, but as any consumer can see, Google is a bright, user-friendly company with a feed that associates happiness to their name — a universal message that will reach both consumers and businesses alike.]

We’re All People

Instagram reminds you over and over of the ‘real person’ on the other end of the content you consume, and it’s essential to establish that sense of personal presence. I’m here to remind you that in this case, that real person is you! It’s extremely important to appeal not only to the receiving business’ standards but their personal inclinations as well. Sure you’d like to maintain a professional appearance, but weekly newsletters and a well-designed website can tow that line. Using Instagram for B2B marketing is your opportunity to sell your company with personality and a purpose to please. Creating a unique hashtag, communicating directly with followers, and publicizing your employees with ear-to-ear smiles will show your business to recognizes the importance of authenticity.

Stay Up to Date on Niche Trends

Businesses want to work with other businesses that appeal to their priorities and present themselves in an approachable manner. Many times, pictures do a better job of this than words. How do you maintain this as an effective and relevant Instagram feed? By staying thoroughly active in the social media-verse. There’s nothing more impressive than scrolling by a professional account referencing a popular trend. Understandably it’s not your first priority in selling your brand, but it’s important to remind your audience that your company is keeping up with the times and in relation, holds the capacity to deliver time-relevant content for all consumers.

Stay Buyer-Focused

At the end of the day, you’re still selling — so be mindful of your target audience. What are their goals? Their pain points? What do they need? Then answer these questions, but not just in terms of your products and services. Here’s where the human connection can come to play once more. Consider their values, lifestyles, and visions and think about how your services can echo them.

The story-telling strategy behind B2C marketing is becoming increasingly applicable in the B2B space. Instagram now has 1 billion users worldwide. If you think they’re all millennials, think again. Over fifty percent of Instagram users are between the ages of 34 and 64. In the coming years, this trend will only grow, so it’s important to start testing the waters now.

If you’re still unconvinced that using Instagram for B2B marketing is worth your time, take it from these companies that continue to nail it!

B2B Monday Myth: A Persona Is the Same Thing As a Target Audience

by MGB2B

The Myth: A Persona Is the Same Thing As a Target Audience

The Truth: A Persona Is Much More Detailed and Personalized

For years, marketers have created “target audiences” for their brand or product. That means they’ve put large groups of people into one category, and labeled them. But today’s digital marketing world has become very personal. Brands now reach out directly to individuals. So, it’s time to take things one step further. If you want to give yourself a clear picture of the audience you’re attracting, you need to craft audience personas.

The difference between the traditionally defined target audience and an audience persona is that a persona is a narrative that describes a very specific type of person. It’s highly detailed and provides enough information that you could actually pick this fictional person, your buyer, out of a group.

Your buyer is a real person, so they should be identified as one. And every last detail you give is a potential clue for how you can most effectively target them. This means constructing a clear picture of your customer – including what will resonate with them both personally and professionally.

Some examples of questions you should answer as you’re writing personas for B2B brands:

What is their position? Their day-to-day responsibilities?
What are their personal and professional communication methods?
What media do they consume? What’s their information source?
What is their education background?
What challenges face them? How can you help solve them?
What do they value? What are their goals?

A traditional target audience might just read “head of marketing at a mid-size company.” But an audience persona will be more like a narrative, encompassing everything there is to know about this marketing head.

Let’s take James Smith, for example:

James Smith is 41 years old and the head of global marketing at mid-size insurance company. He is a “decision maker” who works above a team of about 25 marketing professionals in the Hartford, CT office. His main responsibilities include overseeing the development of new marketing initiatives and coordinating these efforts with the company’s overall business plan. James has the most say within the communications division of the company, but he still struggles to prove the worth and ROI of marketing to the top executives of the company. His top challenges include optimizing the work of the marketing team under a small budget and gaining approval up the ladder for new initiatives.

At the beginning of every day, James reads the New York Times, and sometimes browses through Forbes and the Wall Street Journal. He also reads several trade publications, like AdWeek and Direct Marketing News, in his free time. His goal is to prove the marketing team’s value by having the ability to quantify and measure leads for the sales team. He is most frustrated by stagnating sales productivity and work that is not measurable, and he is most motivated by recognition from executives and his peers. James also spends several hours a week maintaining his personal Twitter account, where he often engages with industry content.

There are an endless number of benefits that come from writing several of these personas. A target audience description can only generalize, and therefore deliver the same generic content to varying types of people. In comparison, a audience personas can identify opportunities for personalized content and solutions.

Putting a face to different audience segments conveys to your buyers that you’re tailoring specifically to them. Personas can determine how your content is written, what kinds of images should be used, and where advertisements and media should be placed.

The biggest benefit from taking the time to write personas for B2B brands? When you learn your audience inside and out, sales will naturally follow.

Mascola B2B Marketing Blog, B2B Advertising Agency Tag Archives: B2B social media strategies