Social Media Influence on Thought Leadership Marketing

Social media is transforming the entire B2B marketing structure on a global scale.

Universal ownership of a smartphone allows us to connect from anywhere through social networks.

However, social media is evolving from platforms for sharing personal thoughts, opinions, and updates with family and friends to platforms that are marketplaces and entertainment hubs.

Should social media play a significant role in your company’s thought leadership marketing strategy? Consider these statistics:

●??????84% of C- and VP-level buyers check social media before making a purchase

●??????92% of B2B buyers are turning to social media as a way of connecting to industry thought leaders

●??????67% of the buyer’s journey takes place digitally

From these statistics, B2B buying behaviour is fast modelling B2C buying because of the availability of mobile devices, digital resources, and an increasing number of millennials on the decision-making teams.

If you’re not leveraging social media as part of your thought leadership strategy, you miss many opportunities.

How Social Media Impacts Your Thought Leadership Strategy

Your company profile on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter lets you share content, communicate with your prospects and customers while giving followers a glimpse under the hood.

A presence on social media helps your company foster a sense of community around a specific brand, service, or product. It’s not just content that is influencing buyer decisions.

Your interactions with customers on social media may also influence buyers actively researching your solution!

Online reviews are also part of the social influencing circle. Many B2B buyers are turning to review sites to find authentic reviews about various B2B services and products.

Do you know that 92% of buyers are more likely to purchase your service or product based on a trusted review?

Positive peer reviews help your audience feel more confident while moving through a complex decision-making process and sifting through different sources' data.

How Influential is Social Media?

Social media is merging the fields of entertainment and commerce. They are now hubs for mass consumption, selling, and buying.

This is not only limited to business-to-consumer (B2C) alone. The social networks we frequent are a vital touchpoint in business-to-business (B2C) too.

Leadership teams and C-level management to marketing teams value using social media to research and find products for the workspace.

Decision-makers are spending 74% more time on the social platform Facebook than the typical internet user. They dedicate a portion of this time to business-related purposes.

Creating a comprehensive thought leadership B2B marketing strategy can help your company reach people authentically. It also ensures that tactics you employ in the social context work together to amplify and enhance your overall goals.

The social media aspect influences the purchasing process of business in several ways.

Fosters a Sense of Community

Word-of-mouth is an excellent tactic to increase awareness around brands we represent and grow them.

Over 84% of your prospects are likely to choose your product when they get a recommendation from a source they trust and know. This is something we shouldn’t neglect. It means B2B companies should foster a collective sense by actively engaging with the relevant communities and discussions.

Supports Content Development Through Social Posts

Content development is critical for any thought leadership strategy. Attracting more B2B buyers through content involves incorporating different content depending on the platform you are working with.

However, thought leadership content is not about selling your products or services. Instead, we focus on creating content that offers value to your B2B buyers. For instance, educational content about a common industry pain point and how your products help the buyer overcome it.

Each post should be a story . Even consider featuring your team in posts and allowing them to share their relevant industry knowledge via a published interview.

Using social media to drive your thought leadership content helps humanize your brand and drive a sense of community.

Gets You Discovered Through Social Ads and Hashtags

Over 52% of brands get discovered in social feeds!

Paid social ads allow us to amplify organic posts and target social media users that don’t directly follow us. In addition, social media platforms provide us with a host of ad formats and types geared towards achieving specific thought leadership goals.

Paid social ads provide brands several benefits, including:

●??????Amplifying thought leader’s voice reach

●??????It’s a cost-effective way to market yourself and your brand to other businesses

●??????Help improve your targeting approach

Social media presents us with one of the most potent tricks – hashtags. In a social platform setting, the humble hashtag comprises a word or phrase without spaces and special characters. It’s preceded by a “#”, and it can be your most profitable and powerful addition to your thought leadership marketing arsenal!

Develops Relationships

Effective communication requires trust between the buyer and seller.

Communication helps prevent misunderstandings while bringing the buyer and seller closer. Social media allows the personalization of communication to help your brand build stronger relations with current and potential customers.

LinkedIn states that 62% of B2B buyers will respond to a company that approaches them with relevant opportunities and insights. This calls for tailoring your thought leadership message to your target audience.

However, take time to understand what your ideal customer persona stands in the buying journey. Find out if they are finding out about your brand to make little personalization. However, returning customers will require a higher level of personalization.

Helps the Ongoing Review and Optimization of Thought Leadership Marketing Campaigns

Like any other marketing campaign, paid and organic thought leadership marketing via social media should evolve and change based on performance.

Social media provides a powerful channel that can help track your campaign and report on performance so you refine accordingly. Again, most social media platforms have tools that make this task easy and automated.

Your Ideal Buyer Persona is on Social

Social media is no longer the arena for B2C marketers only. B2B thought leadership marketing is shifting towards engaging in social media.

These platforms are also effective business communication tools. Make the most of social media by providing value and engaging in social media discussions and communities to open more doors.?