Types of Social Media Content That Work Best for Software Marketing

Leverage the right types of social media content to connect with prospects, generate leads and accelerate the sales cycle.

The success of social media marketing for software products depends on the type of content you share and how often you share it. Many B2B software businesses struggle with finding the right type of social media content that can help them reach more customers, increase brand visibility and boost sales.

Here’s the secret: Create interesting, engaging social media content that not only educates users about your software and solves their problems but also effectively promotes your product. Every social media platform has a different purpose to meet. As a B2B software provider marketing your product on social media and looking to increase engagement, it is essential that you select the most appropriate content type for each social platform.

In this article, we discuss the different types of social media content to boost your software marketing efforts, the benefits of directly connecting with consumers via social media and the significance of creating an ideal social media mix.

Benefits of using social media to connect with customers

Why should you use social media to interact with your target customers in the first place? Here are a few key reasons social media is one of the powerful tools for promoting your software offerings:

Increased customer loyalty and satisfaction. Social media allows you to connect with customers on a more personal level. By engaging with them directly and showing that you care about their experience with your product, you can build deeper relationships and encourage customer loyalty.
More effective marketing and branding. Social media gives you more control over your business’s branding and marketing. It allows you to share your brand’s story and connect with customers on a deeper level.
Greater insights into customer needs and preferences. Social media offers a direct platform to listen to your customers and understand their needs and preferences. You can use these insights to improve your product and make it more appealing to target audiences.
Focused community building. Social media allows you to build a community of customers and prospects interested in your software offerings. You can directly engage with them, answer their questions and provide valuable content that helps them make better purchase decisions.

Also read: 5 Best B2B Social Media Channels to Drive Growth for Software Marketers

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Five Types of Social Media Content for Successful Software Marketing

Knowing what type of content works best on each social media platform is essential to marketing success. The following five types of content can help boost your software marketing efforts:

1. Educational content (videos, infographics, how-to guides and thought leadership)

When it comes to marketing software on social media, one size does not fit all. The most effective way to connect with your target audience and promote your product is sharing educational content that helps prospects overcome the challenges they are facing.

For example, if you have launched a new retail and e-commerce product, creating and sharing an informative video, infographic or any type of visual content that explains how to use the product can help potential buyers get the most out of it. You can also create how-to articles or thought leadership content sharing insights on the latest trends in retail and e-commerce.

Pro tip: Be sure to align your educational content with marketing goals such as increasing brand awareness, educating users or generating leads. Post educational content on platforms such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to target buyers in the awareness and consideration stages of their purchase journey.

2. Interactive content (quizzes, polls, contests, GIFs and memes)

Sharing interactive content is another great way to capture the attention of your target audience and promote your software on social media. Interactive content is any type of social content that requires the participation of the audience to be consumed. It could be in the form of a quiz, poll, game, contest or even a GIF or meme.

Interactive content not only helps promote your product but also allows you to gather valuable data about your target audience. For example, a quiz on customer relationship management (CRM) software could help you understand what type of CRM platforms or CRM features most buyers are looking for.

Pro tip: Interactive content is perfect for lead generation and audience engagement. It provides valuable information about your product to help persuade prospects who are in the consideration and decision stages of their purchase journey. Share interactive content on all social media sites. LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram are particularly effective, as they are highly visual platforms.

3. Promotional content (product posts, influencer collaborations and quotes)

You also need to share promotional content on social media to direct people to your software offerings. The most effective way of doing this is by sharing product posts, collaborating with influencers and posting quotes and comments by industry experts.

Use product posts to showcase the features and benefits of your software as well as announce new product updates. Leverage influencer marketing to reach new audiences and generate buzz around your software. Collaborate with influencers who are in the same space and have large followers in your target markets. Additionally, share positive reviews from satisfied customers to build social proof and credibility for your software.

Pro tip: Use a mix of all three types of promotional content to create a well-rounded social media strategy — product posts for educating prospects, influencer collaborations for brand awareness and quote shares for building credibility. Post promotional content on all social media platforms, but make sure to vary the content to avoid coming across as too sales-y.

4. Connecting content (user-generated content and testimonials/reviews)

Connecting with your target audiences is crucial to successfully promote your software on social media, and one of the best ways to do that is sharing user generated content (UGC) and customer testimonials/reviews. UGC is any type of content, such as blogs, reviews, social media posts and comments on posts, created by the users of your product. This type of content is valuable because it helps build trust and credibility among potential customers.

Testimonials and reviews ensure prospects that other users have had success with your software. When sharing this type of content, be sure to include a call-to-action (CTA) button so readers know where to go next to learn more about your product.

Pro tip: Focus on sharing UGC and testimonials/reviews if you aim to build trust and credibility. These content types help build social proof and can be very persuasive in the decision-making stage of the buying journey. Share UGC on all social media platforms, but prioritize LinkedIn because it is where business decision-makers are most active.

5. Newsworthy content (latest news related to your business or industry)

Finally, you can share newsworthy content to promote your offerings on social media. This content could be the latest news related to your software industry or company. For example, if you are releasing a new feature or update, you can share this news on social media to generate interest among prospects.

Remember that it is crucial to be engaging and have your own unique perspective when sharing newsworthy content to stand out from competitors and better connect with audiences. For instance, when announcing a new software update, you can create a video that gives a sneak peek into the new features to get prospects interested.

Pro tip: Leverage newsworthy content to generate interest in your software during the key points in a buyer’s journey. For example, during the awareness stage, share news about your industry to educate prospects about the latest trends, and during the decision-making stage, share news about new product updates to help sway potential buyers in your favor.

Create the perfect social media mix

To promote your software offerings on social media, it is crucial to reanalyze your social media strategy from the perspective of creating a perfect social media mix. This means that you should have a well-rounded strategy that includes various content types to address the needs of your target audiences at different stages in the buying journey. Doing this will help you generate leads, build trust and, ultimately, close more sales.

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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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