• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, July 18, 2018

According to recent research by Content Marketing Institute, reported by Chris Richardson, 83% of B2B marketers use social media networks for traffic/client generation, making it the No. 1 preferred tactic.

And, from the same research, the average B2B organization is present on six social media channels. Also, 80% of the B2B marketers possess a specific strategy when it comes to their social media marketing attempts, yet only 32% have actually documented their strategies, says the report.

Here are some simple yet effective ways to improve your social media marketing performance, from the report. The key is to understand the simplicity of your strategy and to offer it your 100% willpower, discipline and care, writes Richardson.

• Know your audience well – The No. 1 rule in business (B2B and B2C) is to know your customer. In B2B marketing, your audience is made up of professionals who clearly know what they’re doing. Ensure that you know exactly what type of professionals you’ll approach.

• Create buyer personas – To optimize your audience establishing process, you should create buyer personas as your ideal future customers. Though these are imaginary, your social media marketing strategies should be aligned with their mindset, needs, problems, desires, circumstances and personal characteristics.

• Analyze your competitors – To thrive in your niche marketplace, play smart and get insights on your biggest competitors’ marketing strategies. Pay attention to your competitors’ strategies: content marketing, SEO, influencer marketing. To speed up the process, leverage competitive analysis tools.

• Feature your employees’ voices – If you have employees, make sure you use their voice to improve your brand’s awareness, influence, and trust. This strategy is called employee advocacy, says the report, and it’s the perfect strategy to humanize your company and demonstrate competency at the same time.

• Don’t be afraid to invest in social ads – In the B2B environment, you can’t expect to be one of the top figures unless you’re truly dedicated and resourceful. If you dare to develop and activate an out-of-the-box ad campaign, says the report, (no matter on which network), you are likely to see amazing results.

• Improve your content’s quality – To impress your future clients, your content must be exceptional. Some of the aspects that come into mind include:
• Relevant and concise
• Simple language
• “Real Value” (A unique value proposition) 
• Don’t commit deadly grammar and spelling mistakes.

• Diversify your multimedia content – When you distribute your content on social media, diversify your content and offer your followers a chance to indirectly tell what they like (through engagement, says the report). 

Leave your valuable opinion on breaking news – As long as your online platform has a decent brand awareness and reputation, you will be treated as an authority in your field. Whenever breaking news get published, ensure that your brand’s name is always present in the comments, ensuring that value & quality answers and opinions have been provided.

Author Chris Richardson is also a professional content writing expert in such topics as career growth, self-improvement, blogging and technology innovations.