the b2b social media tune-up: how to build effective social media accounts

B 2 B M A R K E T I N G E B O O K

How to Build

E�ectiveSocial Media

Accounts

■ 93% of US adult Internet users are on Facebook.2

■ 1 out of every 8 minutes online is spent on Facebook.3

■ 49% of people use Facebook to share content.4

■ More than 1⁄ 2 of active Twitter users follow companies, brands or products on social networks.5

■ 79% of US Twitter users are more likely to recommend brands they follow.5

■ 67% of US Twitter users are more likely to buy brand they follow.5

K E Y S TAT I S T I C S

Social mediaampli�es your content, your website and your brand.

■ More than 1⁄ 2 of active Twitter users follow companies, brands or products on social networks.

■ 79% of U.S. Twitter users are more likely to recommend brands they follow.

■ 67% of U.S. Twitter users are more likely to buy brand they follow.

■ LinkedIn generates more leads for B2B companies than Facebook, Twitter or blogs individually. Yet only 47% of B2B marketers say they are actively using LinkedIn vs. 90% on Facebook.

■ 93% of U.S. adult Internet users are on Facebook.

■ 1 out of every 8 minutes online is spent on Facebook.

■ 49% of people use Facebook to share content.


It allows for you to establish and foster a more personal relationship with your potential customers, and when done correctly, can generate website tra�c, inbound links, and leads for you. Social media hasbecome a major part of consumer culture, and it is time for you to capitalize on it.

Social media produces almost double the marketing leads of trade shows, telemarketing, direct mail, or PPC.

PPC

direct mail

telemarketing

trade shows

social media

8 10outof– –

Social media sitesand blogs reach

U.S. Internet usersand account for

of all timespent online.

27%

■ Social media ampli�es your reach, improving your Internet presence and reputation.

■ When set up properly, your Twitter and Facebook pages can become effective pieces of your lead generation strategy.

■ Social media is one of your most powerful content distribution channels.


Social mediaIn fact, social media comes last – you need to discover your voice through blogging and have a key word strategy �rst. Social media assumes you have content to share or something to say, so consider your overall inbound marketing process before you focus in on your social media marketing strategy.

is a powerful tool, but cannot stand aloneas an internet marketing solution.

By creating an interactive and entertaining socialenvironment, your social media pages will driveengagement with your current and future customers.

■ Star your customer’s best testimonials and put them on your “favorites” tab.

Direct people who have questions about your company or product to your favorites page.

■ By answering questions about your industry directly, you increase your credibility.

By answering their questions, they are 59% more likely to follow you.

■ Any requests or complaints for support should be responded to promptly and accordingly.

■ You can generate 4x more retweets simply by requesting for them.

50% of retweets contain links.

■ Set up a separate event sign-up pages for any events that you want people to tweet-up for.

■ The average twitter user sends out 22 tweets per day. ■ Tweet links to:

Landing pages.

Blog posts.

Promote new tools and apps


Business responses can establish a relationship with the person askingthe question. When businesses respond to someone’s Twitter question,that person is likely to follow the business and more likely to makea purchase.

Follow Back

Your followers should be able to easily share whatever reactions they have about your blog posts, o�ers, and company news so more hype and tra�c start to buzz around these materials.

Your

presence should be transparentand convenient.

12%

29%

59%

Likelihoodof Following

You

As Likely

Less Likely

More Likely

12%

24%

64%

Likelihoodof Purchasing

From You

As Likely

Less Likely

More Likely

■ Twitter users who �ll out their bio have over 6x as many followers than those that do not.

■ Use non-diminutive words such as “expert” or “guru” that show your authority and expertise for your job description.

People who use these kinds of words for their job description average 100 more followers than those people that use business jargon for job description.

■ Set up a page that lists all twitter handles of employees in your company.

■ Those who put links to their blog, company website, and other social networks on their twitter have 6x more followers than those that don’t.


It is important for you to establish a relatively casual

atmosphereon your twitter account;it will create a more informal, yet personable and comfortable relationship with potential customers that encourage them to engage with you often.

Set up your twitter handleto promote your brand.

Follow Me...

Follow Me...


■ Connect with journalists and bloggers who cover your industry.

■ Leave comments on in�uencer’s articles.

■ Use your original content as an outreach tool.

■ Do not follow too many people at once.

■ Your following: follower ratio will look imbalanced.

Following thought leaders will help you

�nd the inspirationfor your own content creation,while also providing you with the chance to getin touch with active consumers in your industry.

Twitter has a strong presenceof early adopter who tend to

be the �rst to purchase thenewest products.

They depend on theseindustry experts to makethat purchasing decision.


■ Only 1 percent of LinkedIn users drive 26 percent of the site's traf�c, meaning is has an active community that is extremely involved and open to networking opportunities

■ While LinkedIn only drives 14% of social media traf�c compared to Facebook's 54%, the professional social network has a higher conversion rate and is more effective for B2B conversions

■ 83% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to distribute content

With an audience of

LinkedIn is the social platform for brandsto impress fellow businessmen.

200 million users,With over 28 million unique monthly visitors, LinkedIn is the most business-focused social media platform for professionals. Since LinkedIn fosters an atmosphere conducive for networking, professionals and brands should optimize their pro�les for business-to-business conversions.

You Are Not AloneOn social networking sites

like Facebook, your friends andfamily are your main audience.There is incredible potential tonetwork with new businesses

and in�uencers on LinkedIn.

25%

On LinkedIn, coworkers only

account for

of your pro�lepage views

75%

The other

are industry professionals,recruiters, networkers,

and much more!


■ 61% of LinkedIn users use it for industry networking; 55% use it for networking with co-workers.

■ 55 million. Number of LinkedIn users in the US; 22.5 million are aged 35-64.

■ 326 million. Number of minutes spent on LinkedIn each month by U.S. users.

Your strategy for LinkedIn should not focus solely on who will be viewing your B2B company pro�le, but optimizing your brand presence for the who’s who. LinkedIn has more educated professionals than any other network. High tech, �nance and manufacturing sectors comprise the biggest worldwide presence.

strongestsocial media channelLinkedIn is the

for driving pageviews

1 4in– –professionalshas a presenceon LinkedIn

59%

male41%

female

LinkedIn usersare typicallycollege educated,middle- to upper-class and with no kids.WHO are LinkedIn Users?

■ Create and treat your welcome page like a landing page.

Push for a “like” or an email address.

■ Set up Custom Tabs for resources (email newsletters, blogs, etc.) using the FBML application.

Shares company info in a more compelling way.

■ If you are a single location business, set up a “places” page.

Can use “place” page deal feature.

■ Add useful applications such as Discussions Boards and YouTube Video Box.

More interactive and engaging.


The format of your page should �rst be focused on creating an engaging environment for your fans, which when executed properly, will result in generating and collecting more information about your leads. Be as creative as possible, and determine which activities or apps would best supplement your company’s brand.

People have pro�les;brands have pages.

pages must be as inviting as possible.

■ To increase your Facebook exposure, you need to design offers and content that will motivate people to “like” or share your page.

90% of consumers trust peer recommendations.

■ Posts with the word “video” in them are shared 30% more on Facebook than posts that do not.

■ Posts that use buzzwords or business jargon like “optimize” signi�cantly decrease the number of fans for a Facebook page.

These pages have 100 fans, as opposed to the average page with 624 fans.

■ Posts with digits in the title tend to be shared more often.

■ Lists using words like “top” make tremendously successful Facebook posts.


Getting Activewith a Brand(Percent of Respondents)

they will need enticingmaterials and regular posts.

For your customers and prospects to �nd

engaging,your Facebook page

24 %

Percent of those whoproduced content inorder to participatein a contest held by

a brand

23.6%

Percent of people whohave downloaded a

branded app on theirmobile device

70%Percent of those who

participated in abrand-sponsored

contest or sweepstakes

■ The most frequently used activity for young Facebook users is wall posts.

Focus on social aspect (invites, graf�ti, etc.)

■ The older Facebook demographic is more interested in using Facebook for themselves.

Most frequent activities: liking pages, using apps, etc.

■ Share original content

60% of links shared on Facebook are published content.

Additional 36% of shares were embedded content.

■ Put like or recommend buttons at the top of the blog article.

Community will build up a reputation for the article by “liking” the content.

■ Post articles on the weekend.

51% of American companies block Facebook at work.


By encouraging discussions on your Facebook wall, you will be fostering a community in which your newest visitors interact with your most dedicated and loyal customers. In doing so, your existing customer’s excitement to share and interact with your material and page could impact your more casual fans’ decision to purchase your product.

Your Facebook page should be the

launching pointto your B2B website,blog, and conversion o�ers.

T E E N S T W E N T I E S T H I R T I E S F O R T I E S F I F T I E S

Number of Friends

Number of Wall Posts

Number of Interests Listed

Number of Quotes Listed

Number of Books Listed

Number of Television Listed

Number of Activities Listed

FACEBOOK USER TRENDS BY AGE

Need an Inbound Lift?If you’re looking for an agency that can get your B2B content marketing ideas o� the ground, look no further.Give Billy Mitchell a call at 800-265-1244, ext. 227, or reach him online at @mltcreative.com.Hurry up, though. We can’t wait to get started.

The MLT Creative team brings decades of B2B marketing experience to building your brands and business. We craft winning programs with results that matter.

MLT Creative is an Atlanta-based B2B marketing agency. Founded by partners Billy Mitchell and Glenn Taylor, we are known as the Idea Launch Pad™ for B2B marketers. MLT Creative services include B2B Content Marketing, B2B Marketing Strategy, B2B Digital Campaigns, and B2B Design / Branding.

4020 East Ponce de Leon AvenueClarkston, GA 30021www.mltcreative.comPhone: (404) 292-4502Fax: (404) 292-4480