Mastering Social Etiquette: Dos and Don'ts for B2B Businesses

Are you new to social media for your business?  Maybe you've been posting on social media for a while, but can’t seem to get the engagement you’re hoping for. 

We have a secret to fill you in on; we have outlined the dos and don’ts of posting to help you build a successful social media presence for your business.  

Social media is a vital tool for businesses to connect with their audience, build brand awareness, and drive leads. While many discussions about social media etiquette tend to focus on B2C interactions, we are here to remind you that it's equally important for B2B businesses to understand the dos and don'ts of posting on social media. In the B2B landscape, where relationships and professionalism are paramount, adhering to proper social media etiquette can make all the difference in creating and maintaining a positive brand image and attracting valuable connections.

To make things a bit easier, we’ve built a list of some essential dos and don'ts for B2B social media engagement:

Dos:

1. Establish a Clear Strategy: Before you start posting any old thing, take the time to define your goals, target audience, and key messaging. Tailor your content to resonate with the professionals and decision-makers within your industry.

2. Provide Value-Driven Content: Share insightful industry updates and relevant blog posts that offer value to your audience. Position your brand as a knowledgeable resource within your niche.

3. Engage Authentically: Actively participate in conversations within your industry!  Respond to comments, send follow-up messages, and reply to inquiries in a professional and helpful manner. You can cultivate meaningful relationships by engaging with other businesses, influencers, and leaders in your field.

4. Utilize Visual Content:  Do you use social media in your personal life? If so, think of what catches your attention first; are you thinking of a graphic or photo? It’s important to remember when people are scrolling through their social media apps, a graphic will catch their eye before the caption below it.  Entice your audience to connect by incorporating visually appealing graphics, infographics, videos, and slideshows into your slate of posts!  Remember: Visual content can convey complex information in an accessible and digestible format.

5. Maintain Consistency: Establish a consistent posting schedule!  Consistency is key and fosters trust and reliability, which are essential for building a strong online presence.

6. Monitor and Analyze Performance: Regularly monitor the performance of your social media posts using analytics tools. Track metrics such as engagement, reach, click-through rates, and conversions to assess the effectiveness of your strategies and make data-driven adjustments as needed.

Don'ts:

1. Avoid Over-Promotion: While it's important to showcase your products or services, avoid excessive self-promotion. Instead, focus on providing valuable content that educates, entertains, or solves problems for your audience. You want to find the perfect balance of promotional and non-promotional content.

2. Refrain from Controversial Topics: Save your opinion for your personal page. Steer clear of controversial or polarizing topics that may alienate your audience or hurt your brand's reputation. Remember: This is your business profile and you want to avoid engaging in heated debates or arguments online.

3. Avoid Over-Automation: While we all love a good automation tool to help streamline social media management, you want to avoid relying too much on those tools. Nothing is better than human interaction. Personalize your responses and tailor your content to suit the specific needs and preferences of your audience.

4. Nobody Likes Spam: Don’t spam your followers with excessive posts, repetitive content, or irrelevant messages. You don’t want someone to waste your time, so respect your audience's time and attention by delivering high-quality, targeted content that adds value to their professional lives.

5. Don't Neglect Social Listening: Actively monitor conversations, mentions, and discussions related to your brand and industry across social media platforms.

   This may seem like a lot of information to take in, but once you get in the swing of it, you’ll be glad you did.  Social media success is within your grasp, you just have to reach out and grab it! By following these dos and don’ts of posting on social media, your business can use these platforms to help grow your business, foster meaningful connections and much more.