New year, new trends; what B2B marketers need to know about social media in 2024

It's that time of year again! Marketers will be inundated with reports, blogs, and posts all about social media trends to watch and what to prepare for in 2024 based on what the platforms and algorithms are doing. And let me assure you right now - this is not one of those posts.

Here's the deal - trends are just that. TRENDS. They change as fast as Kansas City weather (and if you've never lived in Kansas City, take my word for it that it changes fast and unexpectedly). There's a place for trends in building your social media strategy for the year, but it ain't at the top of the list. (Yea, I live in Kansas City but I'm from the South - and yes, I said 'ain't' in a LinkedIn article targeted to top level marketing execs.)

Which brings me to my first point:

Authenticity wins. Forget the trends. What the data has been telling us for two years now is that audiences are fed up with fake realness on social media. B2B marketers looking to connect with key decision makers need to focus on creating content that is authentic to the brand.

One of the things that makes social media stand out as a key channel for B2B marketers is its ability to build relationships, which we know is paramount. To do that, business leaders need to be able to connect with the brand on a deeper level. So, skip the white paper posts and links without context, and start getting real with your social media content campaigns. Which brings me to point number two...

Limit your use of AI. I'm pro AI as a marketer. It's effective in helping me in a ton of different ways, but what it is not, is a replacement for the human touch. And while the business buying process leans more toward logical than emotional, the human factor is still key in creating effective social media campaigns.

Can AI help you come up with creative ideas for your campaign? Sure. Should you replace your graphic designer and let AI create your content? Nah. And if you must, then at least make sure you give it a thorough review and edit. There are certain nuances in writing copy, creating graphics, designing storyboards, etc. that AI just hasn't conquered yet, and it kills that whole authenticity factor we're shooting for this year.

Content is King - but Engagement is Parliament. Let's talk about the algorithm for a second. It likes for you to post - sure, but what it really likes is for people to spend time on the platform. Which means your strategy needs to include spending time on the platform, engaging authentically on relevant content from your business brand's profile (and yours, too, if you're using your personal brand for business purposes).

So here's why this matters so much. Content is great, but great content that doesn't get seen is...pointless. And just posting content doesn't get it seen. What engaging does, is gets people interested in your brand, brings them back to your profile, where they tend to explore a bit - whether they leave clues they've been there or not. This time spent on your profile signals the algorithm that you have the ability to keep people on the platform, and as a thank you it starts to push your content out more.

Here's the real kicker. If you have amazing content that is also relevant to the people who are coming back to your profile, they'll likely engage with it. Another signal to the algorithm to showcase your brand.

Get personal. I work with B2B brands so I know that getting executives to focus on personal branding for social media is like climbing Mt. Everest. And don't even get me started on video. But incorporating personal branding into the overall strategy for key execs will go a looonnnggg way in boosting your overall ROI on social media. People love to get a sneak peak at the person (or persons) behind the curtain.

It doesn't need to be an extravagant process, and it doesn't need to go too deep into their personal lives. Tie the personal brand to the business and sprinkle in that personal touch of their perspective on industry topics, their career path, their passions relative to the business etc. Make it doable and keep it light to start, and then let the results speak for themselves to get full buy-in.

There will be a lot of moving parts on social media like always. Short-form content, long-form content, carousels, infographics, videos, lives, etc. All of that is relative to a good, effective strategy that is designed to integrate with your overall marketing plan.

Keep the three things mentioned in this article at the forefront when you're developing your strategy and let everything else naturally fall into place. And if you need a little help with that - I happen to know of this new agency that's completely disrupting B2B social media as we know it and building bomb strategies for brands focused on reducing overall marketing costs by 10% -15%, and giving marketing teams tangible business results through social media.

Okay, you got me...it's my agency. Ask me about it sometime.