How to Use Social Media as a B2B Company

This article shares tips on making your B2B social content less boring and creating a marketing strategy that drives positive results.

Social media marketing has become a necessity in most businesses' toolkits today. And B2B companies are no different.

If you’re saying, “But we sell to other businesses, not individuals, why do we need to practice social media marketing?” remember there’s still a human behind every B2B purchase, too. Numbers tell the same story:

75 % of B2B buyers use social media to make buying decisions
60 % of B2B marketers say social media is the most effective channel for driving revenue

That said, there are key differences between how you formulate a B2B social media strategy and a B2C social media strategy. This article will highlight those and help you create a solid social media strategy for your B2B company.

B2B social media marketing isn’t the same game at a different level; it’s a different league altogether. Here’s why:

B2B social media marketing is more complex. B2B social media is less straightforward by the very nature of its products. While B2C products are usually not technical, B2B social media requires an in-depth understanding of complex topics and features.On the flip side, this complexity is also what keeps things interesting — ensuring your social media marketing efforts are always fresh. In B2C, social media marketing can start to blend after you reach a certain threshold of success.
B2B social media marketing has a much longer sales cycle. Almost all B2B purchases require either multiple decision-makers or an extensive evaluation by an individual. This is because the average order value of a B2B purchase exceeds B2C averages (sometimes by a mile and more).Consumers can purchase mascara on a whim, but they won’t casually drop hundreds of dollars for a yearly subscription to a B2B tool.
B2B social media marketing creates a wider impact. A B2B purchase is rarely for just one person; a whole team uses the tool. This means that while B2B social media marketing is hard(er) work and a long game, the impact is also wider.
B2B social media marketing attribution is tougher. Since sales cycles can run astronomically long in B2B purchases, it’s difficult to attribute direct purchases via social media marketing in B2B. For example, a company might’ve discovered your B2B product via social media, but closing them might’ve taken one year — making it nearly im