In 2016, it’s projected that more than 68% of internet usage was attributed to social media platforms. This is a staggering number and one that cannot be ignored for all companies. I’ve heard time and time again for business owners that they don’t see the ROI in social media for B2B. I’ll be honest, at […]
In 2016, it’s projected that more than 68% of internet usage was attributed to social media platforms. This is a staggering number and one that cannot be ignored for all companies. I’ve heard time and time again for business owners that they don’t see the ROI in social media for B2B. I’ll be honest, at one point that was myself. But things have changed as I now understand that social media is the state of the current internet. It’s changed how we get news, how we communicate, how we learn, and so many other things.
Social media for the IT channel has been hard to figure out for the vast majority of VARs & MSPs. Let’s face it, creating content about tech infrastructure and services isn’t the sexiest thing when you’re competing for attention with social savvy B2C companies. But when done correctly, B2B companies can drive significant leads and traffic through campaigns by leveraging social media.
I’m not trying to hurt your feelings – but prospects generally just don’t care about what you do. Anyone who has read “How to Win Friends and Influence People” knows that the key to someone’s heart is an individual’s favorite word – their name. It starts with them, and what THEY care about.
Too many VARs & MSPs generate social content about their offering and why they are better than the competition. While this is fine for bottom of the funnel content when a lead is considering purchasing your product, it’s not going to drive anything as far as attracting new prospects through social content. Go back to your personas, and figure out what problems they are trying to solve. Help them solve this, and by doing so, you’re proving your value.
Social media was previously viewed as a valuable channel because it was free for the most part. Brands spent a ton of time and money to gather a following with the idea that they could communicate to them whenever once they followed their page. This is no longer the case. With Facebook, your organic reach can be significant if your following shares your content, but this isn’t going to always happen.
Don’t view this entirely as a bad thing. Facebook ads allow you to get targeted to the absolute most detailed level – which is great for marketers and businesses everywhere. At the same time, companies who are doing it right are providing content to specific personas based on stuff they actually want to view and read. This is generally not perceived as a sales ad, and you can easily add new prospects to your funnel.
Okay – most overused phrase in marketing ever. But it’s true. Being able to target a specific job title within a particular industry is great – but if the content is garbage, you’ve thrown money away.
The easiest way of addressing this is to be very specific. It’s easy to write about a general topic, but that usually appeals to the masses. When you’re trying to appeal to a very specific persona (which you always should), you need to get specific with the content you create for them.
The biggest key is getting started. It can be very tempting to want to have everything perfect before starting to leverage your social accounts. As a business owner, I’ve done it myself, wanting to focus in on every micro detail. The reality is that getting started is half the battle. Once you start, you’re going to make adjustments anyway to better results.
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