When you hear the word organic, what pops into your head? Now, as a marketer, my brain should immediately jump to organic social media strategies but, if I'm being totally honest, my first thought always drifts to food. In that sense, it’s food that’s natural, grown with care and that’s, ultimately, good for you. Fortunately, the very same principles apply to organic social media.
The key lies in knowing exactly which B2B social media marketing tactics to employ. Not all approaches deliver the same levels of impact, so understanding which ones will likely make the biggest impression is essential.
In this blog, I’ll share my 5 favourite organic tactics that I promise will superpower your B2B social media marketing.
We’re all busy, and B2B buyers are especially time-constrained. That’s why short-form updates perform so well on social media. At Pod, we like to call it ‘snackable’ content (is it any wonder I’ve got food on the brain…). Essentially, it’s a quick bite of B2B goodness rather than a full-blown marketing meal, which can be difficult to - ahem - digest when you’re an in-demand decision-maker with a seemingly never-ending to-do list.
In fact, short-form videos (typically those between 10 and 60 seconds) reportedly enjoy a massive 250% more engagement than their longer counterparts.
It’s a tactic we’re actively testing and seeing great results for on Pod’s social channels. For example, check out this recent LinkedIn post where our Web Developer, Peter Brazier, quickly breaks down five steps to improve webpage speed. With research showing that every second of delay can impact sales by as much as 20%, this update is practical, informative and, most importantly, fast for time-strapped marketers.
Your workforce is your secret weapon. You should think of them as your biggest champions - your most authentic cheerleaders and your most trusted supporters. Tapping into their power can deliver amazing results for organic social media.
This tactic is called employee advocacy; when your team members become brand champions that actively promote your company. It’s basically word of mouth for the digital age. Collectively, your employees have a far greater reach on social media than your brand alone, with LinkedIn reporting that employees average 10 times more connections than companies, so there’s huge potential here.
If you’re interested in employee advocacy for your B2B social media marketing, you should definitely consider a conversation with our Head of Digital, Raven Wheatley-Hawkins. Not only is she super cool, she’s also super passionate about this area, and would no doubt love to share some top tips.
When it comes to content formats, it absolutely pays to embrace variety. Don’t just stick to images and text. Instead, get creative with how you represent the vast knowledge, insights and experience that your brand possesses.
For content that boosts your B2B buyer’s brainpower, consider formats like a top-tips series, FAQs, engaging listicles or intriguing ‘Did you know?’ queries.
If your aim is to entertain (an often underrated but powerful approach in B2B), employ storytelling and personalised perspectives, or perhaps behind-the-scenes footage that gives a glimpse of all the hard work that goes into your brand when the curtain’s pulled back.
Or if you want to excite and inspire, infuse content with your team’s passion, share meaningful thought leadership and your CSR initiatives that go above and beyond the day-to-day business.
The real magic happens when you bring all of these together. Different types of content will resonate with different people, which is why a healthy mix is always advised. Test everything and see what formats work best, and then adjust your organic social media strategy accordingly.
Just like broader employee advocacy, people want to hear what your business’ leaders have to say. They’re in positions of influence and authority, and by placing them centre stage, you instantly humanise your brand and build trust.
One report found 82% of business leaders agree there is a wider reward for the company if their leadership team is active on social media. Even more compelling, users trust a CEO who engages on social media up to 9 times more than one who remains silent.
So, whether you're expertly weaving the unique voices of your senior leaders into your company’s core organic social content, or actively supporting them with tailored posts they can confidently share directly from their personal accounts, this is a powerful organic social media tactic.
This is something we consistently recommend to brands at The Marketing Pod. We've seen firsthand the impact of crafting thought-provoking posts and articles on the hottest industry topics for our partners' senior leaders – on everything from decarbonising the gas network to addressing unconscious bias across the utilities sector. It truly helps position them as influential voices in their field, and sees organic social media results skyrocket.
There’s one thing AI will never be able to do as well – authenticity. And as AI-generated posts pop up more and more on social media, authentic content and online interactions will become even more crucial.
Don’t just think about what you’re saying, but how you’re saying it. Don’t just post updates in an echo chamber, but start conversations and respond to comments. And don’t always strive for perfection; it’s those moments of sincerity and honesty that will cut through. Especially for B2B brands.
We’ve supported some of the biggest brands with their B2B social media marketing efforts – drop us a line to arrange a discovery meeting, so we can do the same for your business.