B2B buyers are increasingly turning to social media for making purchase decisions. Today, 40% of B2B buyers use social media to help inform their purchasing decisions. That’s why B2B marketing leaders are devoting an average of 12.2% of their marketing budgets to social media, according to Gartner (full research available to Gartner clients).
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5 Best B2B Social Media Channels to Drive Growth for Software Marketers
June 21, 2022
Contributor: Shubham Gupta
Connect with the right audiences, generate relevant leads and grow your brand using the top B2B social media channels.
For software marketers who want to expand their product's visibility, social media is one of the most effective channels to reach prospects and generate more leads. However, with so many B2B social media platforms to choose from, it can be hard to identify which ones to focus on.
In this post, we’ve listed the five key B2B social media platforms so software marketers like you can invest your time and resources in the right places.
Top 5 B2B social media platforms for software marketers to leverage
If you’re a software marketer looking to focus your efforts on platforms that have the most impact, look no further. This list of the top B2B social media platforms will help you get started and see results.
1. LinkedIn
If you’re into the B2B space, LinkedIn should be your go-to social media network. With more than 830 million members (and counting), LinkedIn is a platform for professional networking and lead generation. This has earned LinkedIn the reputation of being one of the most trusted social media platforms for software marketers.
In fact, 40% of B2B marketers say LinkedIn is the most efficient tool for generating high-quality leads. If you’re a B2B marketer looking to connect with prospective buyers and nurture them throughout the software buying journey, here’s what you should consider when leveraging LinkedIn:
Who is LinkedIn ideal for?
LinkedIn is ideal for those who want to connect with high-level decision-makers such as C-suite executives, vice presidents and directors.
What are LinkedIn’s targeting capabilities?
LinkedIn offers various options that allow you to target prospects based on their job title, job function, company name, company size and location.
What types of content work best on LinkedIn?
Content offerings that provide valuable business insights and advice to target audiences could work well on LinkedIn. For example, if you’re targeting CIOs, your content must include information on how your product or service helps improve IT for their organizations
Boost your LinkedIn strategy with these best practices:
- Use LinkedIn Groups to build relationships and connect with potential buyers.
- Use LinkedIn Ads to generate leads and drive traffic to your website.
- Publish high-quality, original and helpful content on LinkedIn Pulse.
- Use LinkedIn’s targeting features to find potential customers.
- Connect with thought leaders in your industry.
2. Twitter
Twitter is another powerful social media channel with over 465 million monthly active users (and counting) that allows anyone to participate in real-time conversations. This makes it an ideal platform for software marketers to connect with prospects in real time and build relationships.
In fact, 54% of B2B businesses have incorporated Twitter into their social media marketing strategy to nurture prospects and turn them into loyal customers. As a software marketer, if you’re planning to leverage Twitter, here are a couple of things you should consider:
Who is Twitter ideal for?
Twitter is ideal for those who want to connect with a large audience in real time, engage in relevant conversations and offer practical insights.
What are Twitter’s targeting capabilities?
Twitter offers many targeting options such as interest targeting, behavior targeting and lookalike audiences to help you hone in on your target audience.
What types of content work best on Twitter?
Anything that offers insights, advice or news in real time increases engagement on Twitter. For example, if you’re attending a conference, you can tweet live updates. This will help you connect with your audience and position yourself as a thought leader in your industry.
Boost your Twitter strategy with these best practices:
- Use relevant hashtags to reach a broader audience.
- Listen to your followers and competitors.
- Provide individual responses and honor engagement.
- Use Twitter Lists to segment your audience and target them effectively.
- Use Twitter Ads to drive traffic to your website or landing pages.
- Focus on trends that fit your niche and retweet.
- Use Twitter Analytics to track your performance.
3. Facebook
Facebook is the largest social media platform, with 2.9 billion monthly active users (and counting). It’s a decisive marketing tool that allows businesses to empathize with prospects, understand their pain points and connect with them on a more personal level.
Since Facebook is not primarily a B2B social media platform, software marketers often overlook it. However, it offers several features and targeting capabilities such as lead capture forms, custom audiences, lookalike audiences and dynamic ads that B2B marketers can leverage to reach and engage their target audiences. Here are a few things to consider if you’re planning to leverage Facebook for B2B marketing:
Who is Facebook ideal for?
Facebook is ideal for those looking to connect with prospects and customers on a more personal level to build stronger relationships.
What are Facebook’s targeting capabilities?
Software marketers can target users by location, interest, demographic and behavior to reach the right prospects at the right time.
What types of content work best on Facebook?
Facebook is an excellent social platform for sharing content that is easy to understand and ready to consume. In terms of average interactions per post, posts with multiple photos perform best on Facebook, outperforming single photo posts by 67%, according to Gartner (full research available to clients).
Boost your Facebook strategy with these best practices:
- Share case studies, how-to guides, videos and other long-form content.
- Maintain a balance between marketing pieces and informational pieces (for educating customers).
- Use hashtags to broaden the reach of your posts.
- Use Facebook ads to target a specific audience.
- Post regularly and be consistent with your messages.
4. YouTube
YouTube is a video-hosting and streaming site with over 2 billion monthly active users (currently). It’s not just millennials who are glued to YouTube, even B2B brands are turning to this platform to reach and engage their target audience.
Software marketers can connect with their target audience, build trust and generate leads by creating informative videos on YouTube. In fact, 67% of marketers plan to increase their YouTube video marketing efforts over the next 12 months. Keep these considerations in mind if you’re planning to leverage YouTube for B2B software marketing:
Who is YouTube ideal for?
Since video content allures everyone, YouTube is used by people of all ages, from all walks of life and all corners of the globe. This makes it one of the best channels for all types of software marketers.
What are YouTube’s targeting capabilities?
YouTube offers various targeting options to specifically target audiences based on location, age, gender, interests and even behavior.
What types of content work best on YouTube?
Educational videos that address your target audience's queries perform best on YouTube because viewers go to this platform for learning purposes. While creating videos, keep in mind that they should be helpful, informative and engaging.
Boost your YouTube strategy with these best practices:
- Optimize your videos for SEO.
- Promote your videos on other online channels.
- Create interesting thumbnails that encourage clicks.
- Have a compelling video description with a decent length.
- Include a call to action in your videos.
- Use analytics to measure your video performance.
5. Instagram
Instagram is one of the more modern social media channels with over 1 billion monthly active users (and counting). The platform is no longer limited to personal use; brands are now using Instagram as an influential marketing tool to target, reach and engage prospects.
Software marketers can use Instagram to increase brand awareness, drive website traffic and generate leads by sharing behind-the-scenes content on company culture and offerings. If you’re a software marketer looking to connect with prospects and nurture them throughout the buying journey, here’s what you should consider when leveraging Instagram:
Who is Instagram ideal for?
Instagram’s audience includes people who enjoy visual content. The platform is highly suitable for businesses that are interested in building a strong visual brand identity and connecting with potential customers through stunning visuals. Examples include fashion brands, luxury brands, food and beverage brands and travel brands.
What are Instagram’s targeting capabilities?
Instagram’s targeting capabilities are based on user interests, demographics, behaviors and even specific keywords to help you zero in on potential buyers.
What types of content work best on Instagram?
Visual content such as photos, videos and infographics work best on Instagram. These content types are more likely to capture the attention of users scrolling through their feed. Software marketers can leverage these visuals to show their product in action and a lot more.
Boost your Instagram strategy with these best practices:
- Get active in relevant communities and hashtag groups.
- Use Instagram Stories to showcase your products or services.
- Reach out to influencers to promote your offering.
- Use geotags and hashtags to reach a wider audience.
- Use calls to action in your posts to encourage user engagement.
- Use Instagram ads to promote your content to a wider audience.
Create a strong B2B social media strategy to drive growth
As a software marketer, if you want your product to reach the right audiences, you need to be where they spend most of their time. By creating a targeted B2B social media marketing strategy, you can ensure you reach prospects when it matters most.
Here’s how to develop a viable B2B social media marketing plan:
- Establish your goals and objectives. Without a clear idea of what you want to achieve, you won’t be able to measure your success. Define what you want to accomplish through social media marketing and set realistic goals.
- Do your research. Take time to research your audience, their online behavior and the social media platforms they use. This will help you understand how you can reach them better.
- Create a content calendar. Once you know what type of content you’ll be creating, map out a content calendar to ensure a consistent flow of information. This will also help you keep track of your progress.
- Set up social media accounts. Create social media accounts on the platforms your target audience uses. Make sure you have a complete profile and include relevant business information such as website URL, contact information and address.
- Post engaging content. Create content that is relevant and engaging, and post it regularly. Remember to mix things up to keep your audience interested.
- Monitor your activity and results. Keep track of the number of likes, comments, clicks and shares your posts receive. This will give you an idea of what’s working and what’s not.
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Shubham Gupta
Shubham Gupta is a Content Writer at Gartner Digital Markets who ideates and creates purpose-driven content to help modern technology businesses achieve their goals. Outside of work, he enjoys reading thriller novels and Urdu poetry, as well as spending time with his dog. Connect with Shubham on LinkedIn.
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