In order to succeed in today’s cutthroat marketplace, your company must always be one step ahead of the competition. One strategy for doing so is to take advantage of the buzz surrounding social media marketing in order to connect with and acquire new customers.
Keeping up with the latest developments in B2B social media marketing can be difficult due to the dynamic nature of the field. Therefore, instead of providing a step-by-step guide on how to make the most of the latest trends, we want to talk about how B2Bs can continually explore, evaluate, and employ ever-changing trends.
TikTok is the most popular social media app
Social media platforms come and go, with TikTok being the most recent success story. As such, it’s important to keep in mind that the platforms themselves are always changing, and that the popularity of a given platform doesn’t necessarily indicate that it would be a good fit for your particular business. Building a profile where your target consumers spend their time is essential if you want to be seen by those who will value your brand’s products and services. If done properly, these individuals will feel compelled to tell their friends about their positive experiences with dark social.
However, let’s get back to TikTok: many B2Bs have yet to adopt this platform, and with good reason: B2B buyers aren’t terribly active on TikTok—yet. You may feel safe in your current field, but that doesn’t mean the next big thing can’t come along and change everything. Because of the importance of experimentation, data analysis, and a willingness to try new things in marketing, businesses are beginning to see the value of TikTok. In 2021, only 3% of marketers saw value in using TikTok to accomplish marketing goals; by 2022, that number had risen to 24%, an increase of 700%. There’s always a shiny new platform ready and waiting for your business, so there’s no reason not to experiment with a few of them to find the ones that work best for you.
Don’t be afraid to branch out and try something new; even B2Bs can benefit from the next big thing in social media.
Memes are nothing to be alarmed at. In the end, it’s just a different tongue
Truth be told, memes are a bit offbeat. They’re similar to a slang or code, and outsiders have a hard time deciphering them. Yet, worry not! You can use memes to great effect in your business-to-business marketing strategy if you can overcome your biases against them.
Memes are an excellent tool for reaching out to your target demographic, stimulating participation, and generating buzz about your product or service. It’s a fact that a whopping 74% of millennials send memes in an effort to make others laugh; this demographic has a golden opportunity here.
If business-to-business (B2B) companies (and their marketers) want to thrive in today’s social media environment, they need to become fluent in the lingo of the platform’s users. Memes can be viewed as a distinct language or mode of expression. Code-switching (using different languages or dialects depending on who you’re talking to) is a useful tool for illustrating this.
Acquire some new lingo
New words appear frequently, much like memes. New entries for “selfie,” “bitcoin,” “twerk,” “emoji,” and “internet of things” were added to the online edition of the Oxford Dictionaries in 2013. If you want to use slang or jargon in your digital marketing, make sure it fits with your brand’s personality and purpose. Consider if these were the words a real person would use to describe your brand.
The marketing strategies of B2B companies are rapidly becoming more like those of B2C firms by using more approachable language and methods. As a result, the lingo may shift, but the general pattern will continue to develop. Learning to incorporate current slang and industry jargon into your messaging at the appropriate times can make the difference between being relatable and relevant, and being ridiculous and risky.
Find the contemporary expressions for familiar ideas
You’re probably familiar with the concept of “celebrity endorsements,” in which famous people are featured in commercials proclaiming their enthusiasm for a certain brand. The theory goes like this: if you see a person you respect and admire endorsing a product, you’ll feel more inclined to purchase that product yourself.
Before the advent of social media, A-listers dominated the global spotlight. They were featured prominently in print, online, and broadcast media. The fact that they were so pervasive made them ideal spokespeople for companies looking to attract new customers interested in their products.
However, with the rise of social media, anyone with a smartphone and some social savvy can become famous overnight. Celebrity endorsements have evolved to include social media influencers. Influencers create content showcasing their preferred brands’ wares, share their opinions on those brands’ offerings, and ultimately sway the opinions of their followers.
Just don’t get too silly
Last but not least, you need to make sense to the people you’re trying to reach. The old adage that “logos on everything” holds true: no. However, this does not excuse you from being interesting. In B2B marketing, creativity is an essential but often overlooked factor. Memes and slang may seem too off-brand for your company, but it is your job to find a way to bridge the gap between your company’s serious mission and your communicative tone. For content to effectively represent your brand, it needs to sound like it was written by someone at the company. Incorporating a consistent tone of voice and identifying features into the text itself are also necessary components of branding.
Businesses selling to other businesses should keep in mind that their customers are educated, affluent adults who can handle reading a financial report or sales pitch written in dry language if necessary. To get them excited about your product, however, you can’t bore them with a boring sales pitch or financial analysis.