Top 5 B2B Social Media Trends for 2023 - VantagePoint

Top 5 B2B Social Media Trends for 2023

Top 5 B2B social media trends for 2023

B2B social media trends and tactics can be a bit complex for marketers. B2B marketing requires a different sort of lens when developing approaches that are measurable and drive positive outcomes and translating that to social can sometimes be a challenge. As we charge toward a new year, several emerging trends can boost social media B2B advertising efforts and lead generation with the potential to net lucrative results.

Take a look at our picks for the top five B2B social media trends to follow in 2023.

1.  Best social media channels for B2B advertising

Millennials and GenZ consumers are now becoming decision makers for B2B businesses and will soon account for the main customer base for most companies (read more about B2B marketing for millennial buyers.) Their familiarity with trending social channels and online purchase preferences are causing a ripple in how these decisions happen. It makes sense to follow these trending channels and carefully evaluate the potential reward for a foray into unchartered territory.

TikTok

It might sound difficult to believe, but TikTok hit one billion monthly active users in 2022. As a comparison, it took Instagram 7.7 years from launch to hit the one billion user mark. Those are some incredible numbers you don’t want to pass over because of uncertainty.

The TikTok platform is not yet oversaturated, but don’t hesitate too long, or you might miss the curve. It has extremely easy-to-use features for creating videos even without editing experience.

TikTok tip:

Sprout Social offers some great insights and examples of how to use TikTok in B2B social media advertising.

Snapchat

What started as a teen trend has now morphed into something amazing: Snapchat advertising has achieved greater reach than television ads. It is definitely worth thinking about whetherUtilize snapchat in B2B social media marketing strategy Snapchat advertising would mesh with your brand.

Snapchat can be an excellent way to bring your brand into everyday casual conversations, often making a stronger impact than traditional advertising routes. Use it to showcase behind-the-scenes peeks into life at your organization.

Snapchat Tip:

LinkedIn

Although it has been around for quite a few years now, LinkedIn is still the ultimate powerhouse for B2B social media advertising. Buyers come to this platform prepared to network and B2B marketers agree LinkedIn nets the best results for paid promotionobtain information related to business or careers, and research products or services. LinkedIn needs to be placed high on your advertising to-do list!

Did you know that 79% of B2B marketers agree LinkedIn provides the best results for paid content promotion? With more advanced algorithms than its competitors, LinkedIn provides the best audience targeting for B2B. It provides the ability to deliver that audience your solution to a work-related problem. LinkedIn offers a variety of ad types, such as sponsored content, follower ads and boosted posts, using a variety of asset options.

LinkedIn B2B advertising tip:

  • When utilizing B2B LinkedIn ads, you can target anything from job roles, departments, level of seniority, skillsets and company size, as well as other traditional demographics. The options are nearly endless.

2.  B2B company ambassadors/influencers

According to a recent HubSpot survey, 30% of consumers now report influencer recommendations are one of the most important factors in their purchasing decisions, compared to 27% for family or friend recommendations. Influencer campaigns can provide authentic professional credibility that can help provide answers to the pain points of your target audience. Utilize B2B company ambassadors or influencers on social media

Rather than selling directly to a big group, you can inspire, hire or even pay market influencers to promote what you have to offer. It is essential to find innovative ways to target those with deep industry knowledge.  Seek individuals who can influence corporate buyers and seamlessly tap into key business-to-business conversations.

Tips for utilizing influencer campaigns:

  • Doing the right kind of research is the key to influencer marketing success — utilize tools such as BuzzSumo, followerwonk and Semrush to find who’s right for your brand.

3. Short-form video marketing

It might not be surprising to hear that 81% of consumer internet traffic in 2021 was video traffic, and this number is only expected to grow. Short-form video is a powerful way to quickly capture the interest of your audience and visually show or explain the advantages of your product or services.

The use of video content will stimulate interactions, is dynamic and more often ends up on explore pages as suggested content.

Tips for short-form video marketing:

  • You can generate “micro-content” by breaking long-form content into smaller, mini-sized pieces. Full-length videos can be dissected into smaller clips that can thenShort form video is a valuable social media trend for B2B marketers be posted cross-channel, ideal for social media.
  • Utilize product demos, how-tos, behind-the scenes peeks or FAQs.
  • Short-form video works well on Instagram and TikTok with additional “story” features that boost both platform reach and engagement.

4. Employee advocacy or ambassador campaigns

According to a Nielsen Trust in Advertising report, consumers are 92% more likely to trust a recommendation from people they know. Employee advocacy, or a brand ambassador program, allows you to reach an entirely new audience of potential leads that are more likely to be familiar with your products or industry — through a trustworthy source.

If you’re not utilizing the power of employee advocacy, you need to be!

Tips for cultivating employee advocacy campaigns:

  • Train your employees on the power of social media likes, shares and comments.
  • Run internal contests to motivate employees or brand ambassadors to social channels.
  • Use real, “in-the-moment” photographs to peek behind the scenes.  Showcase your company’s culture in a casual or creative manner while personalizing your brand.

5. Outsourcing via a B2B social media agency

Outsourcing might appear intimidating to small businesses with a tradition of keeping social media campaigns and advertising in-house. Yet, utilizing the talent of a marketing agency can make a lot of sense.  Research by Gartner shows that more than half of marketing managers and CMOs strongly depend on agencies and external parties. Only 19% keep all marketing activities in-house.

In most cases, outsourcing can bring in sector-specific expertise that your internal team doesn’t necessarily possess, as well as knowledge of emerging trends. This serves to help you hit the ground running — in the right direction, the first time!

Tips for successfully outsourcing B2B social media:

  • Do a little research. Most agencies have a specialty or sector focus and will have case studies or testimonials from previous clients available. It never hurts to ask for references!
  • You can create a hybrid model where your internal team is supported by an outsourced agency. This way, you can reap the benefits of doubling or tripling the impact of your marketing efforts.
  • Carefully define the scope of your marketing goals, as well as the assets and resource materials you already have in-house. This can help reduce some of the costs associated with outsourcing.

Get creative with B2B social media trends

Social media marketing for B2B businesses provides an ever-expanding wealth of options. If you are new to the social arena, don’t cast your net too wide to start. Select a few platforms and begin the testing process to determine what works for your brand and your culture, and most importantly, your buyer.

Experiment with creativity and pick a trend or two to explore along the way. Track metrics fastidiously. Then, run analyses to determine where your buyers frequent and what they react to as they travel along that decision-making journey.

If your workload is a limiting factor, outsource via a B2B social media agency with the knowledge and experience necessary to launch a campaign swiftly and with maximum results. VantagePoint can assist you in harnessing the power of B2B social media marketing in your own niche, from brand strategy to demand generation and lead nurturing. Let us help you make an impact!