Facebook shouldn’t be the only go to in your B2B brand’s social media plan

For better or worse, Facebook tends to be the go-to social media marketing tool for B2B brands. And while Facebook is important, it’s not the only tool in the toolbox.

If your B2B brand doesn’t leverage social media platforms beyond Facebook, you could be missing out on opportunities to reach your prospects. Consider other options while they’re still hot.

Why Facebook Is So Popular for B2B Companies

Even though Facebook wasn’t the first social media platform (let’s take a moment to remember the good old days of Friendster and MySpace), it’s a behemoth. Just as Kleenex means tissue and Google means search engine, Facebook is synonymous with social media.

Facebook also boasts the highest number of users — 2.8 billion worldwide! And these users span demographic groups. As a result, B2B marketers (and marketers in many industries, for that matter) think it’s the place to reach all sorts of people.

Why else do businesses flock to Facebook? Because Facebook makes its advertising platform seem accessible, even to non-social media experts. In fact, once you’ve created a Facebook business page, you’re inundated with prompts to get your paid ads going in a few “easy” steps.

A quick aside: we put “easy” in quotation marks because strategizing for Facebook advertisements isn’t actually all that easy — if you want to do it effectively, that is. But that’s another topic altogether.

Anyway, back to why everyone seems to stick to Facebook. It takes time and resources to learn how to use new social media platforms. Your boss already knows how to use Facebook, which usually translates to a self-involved view of “This is the only platform that matters.” Of course, that’s far from the truth.

Why Your B2B Brand Should Expand its Social Media Presence

Don’t get us wrong, Facebook is a great option. You should have a business page for your B2B company, and you should absolutely advertise there.

But again, Facebook should not be your B2B brand’s only social media presence.

On average, people actively use four to six different social media platforms every single day. If your prospective customers are using more than just Facebook, you should be using more than just Facebook, too.

Think of it this way: Each social media channel you participate in is another opportunity to get eyeballs on your B2B company’s branding and advertising materials. Those eyeballs eventually turn into conversions.

Additionally, while it’s true Facebook has the largest audience, that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the right audience for your B2B brand. A lot of younger people, for instance, have boycotted Facebook in favor of TikTok and Snapchat (more on this below).

In short, this means you might reach fewer people on a different platform, but they might be better prospects who are more apt to choose your B2B brand.

Consider Adding These 5 Social Media Platforms to Your B2B Brand’s Rotation

Ready to explore your B2B company’s social media options beyond Facebook? Budget and audience permitting, add some or all of these five to your marketing menu:

  1. Instagram. Facebook owns Instagram, so it’s an obvious next step, especially to target the millennial crowd. In fact, you can manage your Facebook ad campaigns on Instagram and vice versa. This lowers the barrier to entry because you won’t need as much help if you’re accustomed to Facebook advertising.
  2. YouTube. A lot of people don’t consider YouTube a social media channel, but it totally is. And it’s awesome! First off, video ads see a ton more engagement than their text-only counterparts. You can even run live video streams, which is a cool way to stand out from your Facebook-only competitors.
  3. TikTok. Although TikTok is relatively new on the social media scene, it’s blowing up, especially among younger generations. If your B2B brand is trying to reach Gen Z, there’s no better place than TikTok. You might even go viral!
  4. Twitter. For the most part, Twitter isn’t the first choice for B2B brands. That said, it can serve as a good customer service option.
  5. Snapchat. This one could be worth it for the filters and geotags alone! Give it a try, especially if you target younger consumers.

Set Your B2B Brand Apart by Branching Out Beyond Facebook

One last thing about many social media sites we didn’t mention: They’re visual-first platforms perfect for showcasing your brand’s product.

No matter where you decide to post your pictures (and other updates), know that you’ll stand out from your Facebook-focused B2B competitors when you go beyond what’s expected.

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