Social media marketing for small B2B businesses continues to increase, despite it still being a mystery to some B2B companies. With buyers wanting more personal communication, they probably feel like every B2B company is alike, especially when those companies continue to run their marketing as they have in the past. If you run your B2B business this way where every buyer gets treated like another number, then you need to revise things before your buyers head to your competitors.
Even if you're already a social media presence and you're using it for marketing purposes, you have to be certain to approach your buyers strategically. Should you believe this means constantly using hard-sell tactics, you'll need to revise your marketing tactics further.
When you market to today's B2B buyer, you have to work through what's known as the “Buyer's Cycle,” or, the “Buyer's Journey” with great content. Amanda Nelson of Business 2 Community outlined it well recently providing tips to move your prospect through the the sales funnel.
What approach should you take on social media when you want to sell your products or services to prospective buyers? Recognize your buyers want information. They want content. They want facts. They want to be able to gather information about your products or services so they can compare you to others and make an educated decision. You need to develop tactics that allow you to give this information to your prospects slowly and carefully while soft selling them and moving them through the Buyer's Journey and through your sales funnel.
As you can see from these three small businesses that found success through social media marketing, you can't afford to ignore engagement there.
Initiating Contact With Prospective Buyers
The word “sales” is nearly a dirty word now in the world of social media marketing, because it so strongly denotes spam. Those who spend time on social media know all about spam and how much of it still annoyingly exists. You have to keep this in mind when you approach any prospective buyer, because any hint of doing a hard-sell, at the wrong time, will likely mean a quick unfollow.
When you approach targeted buyers on social media, it's best to start a natural conversation where you prove expertise in your industry rather than mentioning a product. You want to prove you're a leader in your field and that you understand the problems buyers face. Many of those business buyers want reliable products that use sustainable materials, plus extra durability. Just like in your every day face-to-face meetings, selling is about developing relationships with your prospects. Developing trust and credibility before you make the sale.
Other typical problems buyers face include worry about product price, and how easy the product is to use. All of these problems need addressing, so you can bring them up in any conversations you have. These conversations prove your expertise while allowing you to accumulate a steady social media following as a result.
Once those prospective buyers follow you, establish more trust by posting content that addresses the questions you anticipate prospects having. It's here where you can take on the next stage of the buyer process where you deftly incorporate your products in a natural way.
Using Your Products In Video Content
Most people are overly aware of blatant product placements, so any video you create needs some astute awareness of how buyers think. No matter if movies frequently have product placements, a marketing video you create is meant to showcase your product or service. Don't showcase other products or services in the process.
Use video to answer questions prospects have and demonstrate how your product instantly solves those issues. Incorporating a story into the video also allows your product to have a natural integration without being forced into a scene.
The Sales Process
The best part of the buyer's cycle is selling without a buyer even realizing you're selling. This comes through more content that showcases product specs so the buyer knows exactly what they're buying. Through entertaining infographics and other imagery, specs are easily displayed without looking like a hard-sell. The same tactics may be used for services you offer.
Calls to actions in your video additionally create a sense of urgency, which is a major motivator toward someone buying from you instantly. Let your viewers know that if they don't buy now, they'll have to endure lesser quality and pay more with your competitors.
B2B businesses must get comfortable with social media marketing if you want to be in business five years from now. Using tactics to move prospects through the Buyer's Journey is essential to your success.
