Yes, everyone on social media is, technically, a consumer. That said, there are many B2B brands today who are active and successful through social media.

Why? Millions of people on social also have jobs, professions and business associations. If those intersect with your business vertical, these social users may find your brand and its social content relevant, useful and shareable.

If you’re managing social for a business brand, these tips can help you check your approach. And, they might give you a few ideas.

Add value for your followers with a content mix based on best practices.
The Content Marketing Institute’s Content Mix Pyramid is featured in the embedded video here. It shows you how strong content programs are based on a foundation of relevance first. Know what you’re aiming to do with the content you plan, create and share. And, at the core: Focus on your priority audiences and what they find valuable.

Build brand awareness and relationships via social first. Then sell.
Imagine you’re having a business lunch with a salesperson you just met. Does this person start the “hard sell” as soon as you sit down to eat? I doubt it. Typically, they first introduce themselves and their business… They ask about your interests and values… maybe even your family or hobbies… In short, they work to build rapport with you before they propose key business offerings they’re selling.

Keep this in mind when you evaluate social selling. If you haven’t built a foundation of awareness and relationships first, you risk followers tuning out because they don’t trust you.

Post about more than what you sell.
To build social community, plan to share about more than your products and solutions. Broaden your content scope so you’re not treating your social channels like billboards.

For ideas on content ratios, google the 4-1-1 rule or the 5-3-2 rule. Both suggest you keep content that features you or your brand in check with content that features others or content by others.

In addition to your original, about-you content, create and curate useful content that’s a step removed from your actual products and solutions. It could be useful research, trend stories, how-to information or innovation angles that affect your industry.

Engage.
Remember that social media is not a one-way communications avenue. In addition to planning, creating and posting content, be sure you listen and monitor your social channels actively and respond to your followers.

And, reach out yourself. Set aside time every day (or at least every weekday) to check in and engage proactively with priority audience members. When you do, don’t ask for anything – especially if it’s the first time you have connected directly.

Tell stories visually.
You’re likely to have a better time reaching your engagement goals if you pair your posts with compelling photos, graphics or video.

According to HubSpot, tweets with images receive 150 percent more retweets than those without images. Facebook posts with images receive 2.3 times more engagement than posts without them. And, over 60 percent of B2B marketers rate video as an effective marketing tactic.

Leverage native video.
Now that Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and other platforms allow you to post native video, you have the opportunity to draw the attention of your followers with more than text and a static image…

Short, simple video that’s compelling with or without sound is a good idea for any brand looking to add value and drive engagement. Keep it relevant to your audience, and remember it’s more than likely to be viewed on a smartphone.

Know and stay engaged with your stakeholders.
Just like knowing your priority publics and audiences is critical, so is knowing and staying engaged with your stakeholders. These will be different people and groups depending on your brand, business and industry.

Once you have identified them, plan to audit them on key social strategies and content programming. Present your plans and listen to their feedback. Establish consensus so that what you bring to life for the brand is aligned — or at least harmonious — with business goals of Marketing, Sales, Media Relations, Diversity and Inclusion, CSR and other areas that are critical to the business.

You can find more social tips in the social media section of this site. Or, if you have B2B social tips, feel free to share!