Best Social Media Platforms to Engage a B2B Audience

We believe that social media can be a key marketing channel for B2B companies to drive engagement, gain exposure and distribute their content. However, knowing which platforms to use for your own business is key - especially if you have limited resources. The best social media channel is often unique from business to business. However, there are some clear winners in the B2B space. Here, we’ll take a look at four of the best B2B social media platforms to help drive engagement with your B2B audience.

Number 4 - Slideshare 

Slideshare is a lesser known platform, and not one immediately thought of by those looking for social media sites to promote their services. This platform has been described by Forbes as ‘the quiet giant’ of content marketing. Many marketers still have not used slideshare at all, and many who have used it still haven’t optimised it fully. This platform receives over 500% more traffic from business owners than any other platform (according to Slideshare) and Google actually indexes all of the presentations found here/ 

So, what can you do to utilise Slideshare for your B2B marketing efforts? You can use this platform to share your presentations, videos, webinars, and infographics. You can also add lead forms to your presentations, and make it easy to visit your site by linking to your site. Analytics are a must to see what you should continue doing and what needs to be dropped - and Slideshare offers free analytics reporting.

Number 3 - YouTube

Another platform that has dropped in popularity with B2B marketers, but still one that is worth using, is YouTube. This is still one of the most important content distribution channels and a fantastic video search engine. If you choose to distribute content via YouTube, make sure your videos are optimised so that they show up in the Google search results. This will help you to expand your reach, share your expertise, and let people know that you are a pro at what you do. Educational and how-to videos can help you to explain your business's unique value proposition, as well as show off the unique personality of your business and team. Optimise titles, keep them concise (three minutes or less), include relevant keyword tags, and include a corresponding transcript for inclusivity and easy navigation. Making use of the annotations you can add to the video can help you direct people to your site and offers, too. 

Number 2 - X

Did you know that 77% of B2B content marketers use X? (The Content Marketing Institute) X usage dropped in the last few years, but it’s still an effective platform to distribute your content - it is second in the list of top social media platforms. X is a great way to spread your message, and you can use tailored audiences and remarketing to reach prospects who have previously shown an interest in your business. You can also aim to target mobile app visitors by using X. Using the limited number of characters to share your expertise and unique voice will help you to develop influence and show your thought leadership in your industry. 

Number 1 - LinkedIn

Studies have shown that 80% of leads sourced through social media for B2B marketers come from LinkedIn. There are over 675 million professionals on LinkedIn, and this makes the platform the best out there for B2B marketers and their content marketing strategies. LinkedIn users are often viewing useful articles and converting to leads, so using LinkedIn to distribute your content and to spread your message is a must. 

LinkedIn has the ability to drive more traffic to B2B blogs and websites than Facebook and Twitter put together. Using employee advocacy will supercharge your efforts, and you can also reach your target audience through paid ads.

But what about Facebook? 

Although Facebook is very much seen as a non-work-related social networking platform, it has a highly engaged audience that is more likely to share, comment, or like a post - but is this likely on Facebook? 

B2B decision-makers are still actively using the platform, and numbers speak for themselves. Facebook has 2.38 billion monthly active users and 1.56 billion daily active users. However, the success of Facebook very much depends on your strategy. Using Facebook to pitch salesy messaging is likely to fall flat. Tapping into communities and groups as well as video production can yield higher engagement. 

It can be hard to decide which platforms to use thanks to the constantly changing landscape, but every B2B marketer should prioritise LinkedIn and experiment with other platforms to bolster your content marketing efforts. 

It won't matter which channel you choose if the content isn’t quite right for it. We’ve outlined our top B2B social media mistakes here.