Social media has finally stopped being an afterthought for B2B marketing.
Embraced enthusiastically by the B2C community initially, and indeed digital marketing services was not seen as a good fit for the B2B sector. Many felt the platforms didn’t lend itself to interaction with B2B decision makers who may be active on them or be influenced.
But in the past few years, things have changed – today nearly four in five B2B marketing teams (83 percent) utilize social media.
Social Media – Now An Important Part B2B Marketing Toolkit
Engaging with customers remains a top priority for marketers.
Social media platforms have a great advantage in providing opportunities for brands to interact and build audiences, which B2B companies are recognizing.
They are also realizing that the sales funnel benefits. The addition of into the lead generation process is said to slash marketing costs by 45% and boost revenue by 24%.
This is because, customers including ones of B2B sector, are increasingly looking towards digital channels including social media for pre-purchase inputs or information, making social media marketing vital for a robust pipeline.
Instagram and B2B Marketing – An Odd Idea?
One of the hottest trends in is making clever use of Instagram.
Instagram has raced to become only of the most popular platforms, primarily because it is visual in nature and mobile-oriented.
Naturally, B2C are making full use of its features to reach out and engage with users.
And surprisingly enough the platform is great for B2B digital marketing as well. B2B brands get 20 times more engagement on Instagram than on LinkedIn according to research by Trackmaven.
Why Instagram Stories?
The Stories feature was modeled on Snapchat but now has more active users than it. The defining characteristic of Instagram Stories is that posts made using it last for just 24 hours and then gets destroyed automatically.
Some of the reasons why Instagram Stories is a great option for B2B marketers
- Showcases Visual or graphic design content that draws attention
- Shows up as soon as users log in
- Flexible enough to create ad stories
- Allows easy addition of CTAs via linking/tagging
Up Your Brand Power with Instagram Stories
With a little imagination, Instagram stories can become a vibrant and powerful platform for engaging with customers and generating leads
For B2B companies, straight-forward product-focused content may admittedly be seen as boring. That’s why digital marketing services need to look beyond the run-of-the-mill ideas to get the best out of the platform.
Here are some ingenious ways to tap into its power:
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Customers Go Backstage
Give customers a behind-the-scenes look at your company or your product using Instagram stories. This could be of a special event, a launch or team outings, even your stand at industry conventions!
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Showcase company culture
Provide an exclusive peek into what your company is all about with a story. Perhaps give previews of new products or services or a glimpse of a team outing/event.
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Host exclusive contests, flash deals, giveaways
Special offers can be a great way to draw in customers and to generate leads. Given the brief life of Stories messages, there is a sense of urgency which can add to more interest.
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Host a takeover
Bring over respected, interesting guests via a takeover and collaborate with them. In a takeover, your audience is able to see your brand from the point of view of an influencer.
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Share valuable/exclusive content
Create exclusive content like tutorials or product demonstrations that customers will find valuable and share them via social media marketing including Stories.