Finding efficient and effective ways to engage with your target markets is an important part of any marketing strategy. Each year, it becomes more and more difficult to drive the same results from traditional advertising methods. Because of this, it is critical that you test and identify new tools and techniques to drive leads for your business.
One valuable tool that should be front and center in your digital marketing strategy?
Social media marketing that is integrated into your efforts to reach targets through search marketing, email, display and other digital tools of the trade. There are many reasons why now is the right time to incorporate social media into your lead generation strategy.
- Its not just for B2C
Most industry research focuses on the impact of social media on the consumer journey in B2C industries. However, there is also significant data to support social media being a prominent part of the B2B consumer journey as well.
Consider the IT industry - not only is this an industry that employs highly connected people who have multiple touchpoints in their purchasing behavior, they also tend to be younger and more heavily engaged in newer platforms like social media.
The path to success for B2B success via Twitter, LinkedIn and other social platforms becomes much clearer when layering your CRM data for targets into the strategy.
It's not just the IT industry that is ripe for this marketing outreach.
- The Social Buyer is calling the shots
A few things to keep in mind about the Social B2B Buyer:
- They are part of a team of decision-makers; outreach will need to consider everyone who impacts the decision.
- Social media needs to be part of an integrated approach to reach them. They are still accessible via email, search and other channels.
- Social media encompasses a multitude of platforms - LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr (and other blogs), community forums, etc.
- Social platforms allow for hyper targeting
The targeting capabilities on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook are super granular.
These capabilities include highly targeted segmentation like job function, age, location, interests.
Segmentation targeting has become sophisticated enough that Twitter can align tweets with television viewing and create tailored audiences of consumers who have already connected with your brand when they log in to Twitter using the email address in your CRM system. It's quick and easy to connect this information without PII (Personally Identifiable Information) to remarket to your targets in a more meaningful way.
A little over a month ago, LinkedIn also announced a new targeting capability that allows brands to share targeted content with specific B2B targets. This capability is important because it removes the 'catch-all' approach from the effort and allows brands to function as a member of the community in a more authentic manner. They have also added functionality that identifies similar prospects to your selected target and amplifies the reach of your content by including it in theirnewsfeedsas well.
- The SEO benefits are real
Still not sure if incorporating social media into your lead generation strategy is right for your business?
Consider this - social media has an impact on where your website appears in organic search results.
The more people engage with you in social media, the more value Google assigns to your brand. And, because paid search works better when your brand is also present in the organic results, social media represents an opportunity to make your overall digital marketing efforts more successful.
The interdependency of the three advertising channels demands an integrated approach to customer engagement.
Your customer is in multiple channels consuming information. Being in the right channel, with the right message, at the right time, will help drive deeper connections that drive more leads and sales for your business.