B2B social media content that attracts decision makers

Key takeaways

B2B social media content attracts decision makers when it helps them make or defend a decision. Senior buyers want evidence, risk reduced and a clear view of cost and effort. Five post types do this: the costed example, the comparison, the lesson learned, the process and the point of view.

• 95% of B2B buyers are not in the market at any one time.
• 5 post types help a senior buyer decide.
• Write for the buying group: user, budget holder and approver.
• Posts from named people outperform faceless company updates.

What makes B2B content different?

Business-to-business (B2B) content differs because the purchase is larger, slower and made by several people. The reader is often not buying today. They are forming a shortlist for later, or looking for material to convince a colleague. Content must be useful to keep and easy to pass on.

• How to create social media content that attracts the right customers
• B2B vs B2C social media platforms: what actually differs

What do decision makers actually read?

Decision makers read content that saves them time or reduces risk: real figures, comparisons of options, what went wrong elsewhere and how long things take. They skip slogans and celebration posts. Research from the LinkedIn B2B Institute suggests about 95% of business buyers are out of market at any time, so being remembered as useful is the goal.

• Reaching B2B decision makers on social media

Which post types work?

Five post types work for most B2B firms. Each gives the reader something they can use in an internal discussion, which is how B2B content travels: forwarded privately to the person who needs convincing.

• Costed example: what a project involved and its range.
• Comparison: option A against option B, with who each suits.
• Lesson learned: a mistake seen and how to avoid it.
• Process: what happens in the first 30 days.
• Point of view: where you disagree with standard practice.

• Turn a case study into social media posts that sell
• Thought leadership for small businesses, minus the waffle

How do you write for a buying group?

Write different posts for the three people usually involved. The user wants to know it will work day to day. The budget holder wants cost, return and risk. The approver wants reassurance on compliance and reputation. Rotate between them, and say in the first line who the post is for.

• User: 'What changes for your team in week one.'
• Budget holder: 'What this costs against doing it in-house.'
• Approver: 'How data is handled and who is accountable.'

• Ideal customer profile for social media: define yours

Should posts come from the company or from people?

Both, with people leading. Buyers respond to named individuals with expertise, and personal profiles generally reach further than company pages. Publish the substance from a founder or specialist, and use the company page to collect proof, case studies and announcements.

• LinkedIn strategy for UK small businesses
• Employee advocacy for small businesses done properly

What are the limits of B2B social content?

The limits are time and attribution. Results arrive slowly, and buyers rarely enquire from a post, so the effect shows up as inbound interest months later with no clear source. It also cannot replace direct sales activity. It makes that activity easier by warming the people you approach.

• B2B social media when the sales cycle is long
• Dark social: the enquiries your analytics never show

What does this look like in practice?

A pattern we see with UK B2B firms: the company page posts awards and event photos, and the founder's considered views stay in private conversations. Moving those views onto the founder's profile, once a week, is usually where inbound interest begins.

• See client work
• Social Media Marketing for UK businesses
• The right-customer content scorecard for social media

B2B content checklist

Check last month's posts.

• At least one costed example.
• At least one comparison or lesson.
• Posts addressed user, budget holder and approver.
• A named expert posted from a personal profile.
• Each post could be forwarded on its own.
• Each has one next step.

Next step

Write one post this week for the budget holder: what your service costs against the alternative, with a real example.