“Like” It or Not
Many B2C businesses have had success promoting themselves with Pinterest and Instagram, but those in the B2B space are starting to see the value in these social platforms as well. Images, video and audio are great ways to give social media programs a boost because of their unique storytelling opportunities. These techniques give businesses a chance to better explain how something works by showing it, and they add personality to what may sometimes be more complex brands.
According to Experian Marketing Services, almost all brands (94%) display or promote social networks in their email marketing efforts. Facebook and Twitter lead the pack, but in 2013 Pinterest and Instagram gained ground with 64% of brands promoting Pinterest and about two in five brands displaying Instagram.
The most common way of displaying or promoting social media in emails is in headers or footers (96%), however research shows that emails containing social sharing buttons have higher click-through rates, and pin it buttons are used by more brands (35%) than tweet this buttons (21%), although both trail like buttons (43%).
Posting attractive images and helpful information will get you pins and repins making infographics a great way to effectively use Pinterest and Instagram. In the infographic titled “How to Get More Pins and Repins on Pinterest” by Dan Zarella, taller images are more repinnable, and infographics are usually tall. Helpful documents, such as ebooks, guides and white papers are also great tools, and by adding attractive cover images you can make them more shareable.
The primary focus of social media should be to engage fans and get them to share, comment and like. By responding to comments you can build relationships with your fans and eventually convert them to customers.
Have you used Pinterest or Instagram to promote your B2B business? We would love for you to share any tips you may have. Visit our Pinterest page and let us know what you think.
Bullets
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Sixty to 70% of B2B marketing content goes unused, and only 42% or B2B marketers think that they are good at content marketing.(marketingpower.com)
- Only 50% of B2B marketers are satisfied with their mobile efforts, compared with 70% of B2C marketers, according to a September 2013 study of 300 brand marketers by the Internet Advertising Bureau. (marketingpower.com)
- When consumers see that a brand has addressed the reason for a negative review, responding to the customer in question, their overall opinion of the brand and their intent to purchase more than doubles, compared with when they see a negative review without a response. (marketingpower.com)
- Some 45% of brands in 2013 used pop-up windows or layovers on their websites to collect email addresses, double the proportion from 2012. (marketingcharts.com)
- Three in 4 brands sent promotional mobile campaigns with coupons and discount codes, while 33% sent location-based messages. (marketingcharts.com)