This is an interesting question. Not on the level of “How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop?” But similar in its elusive answer.
On one level, it’s actually gotten more difficult to gain organic reach on social media over the past few years. Yet at the same time, many new doors have flung open to create a lot of opportunities.
Start with the Established Channels
These are the old school platforms. These wizened dinosaurs (anything over ten years old) still offer reach. But simply spamming these channels doesn’t work anymore. So now you need a new approach.
Aside from being able to create customized messaging to a highly targeted audience and having powerful analytics to make whip-smart decisions, Facebook is the largest of the dinosaurs.
There are around 1.55 billion users on Facebook. And over 1 billion of them are active each day. So yeah, your audience is likely on Facebook.
Even if you don’t use Facebook for lead generation, not being on Facebook means NOT showing up in the largest social-media conversation on the planet. So there’s that.
While many groups have disappeared, those that are established are still going strong and offer solid visibility. Plus, its publishing platform also has potentially good visibility - depending on the publisher’s profile.
And if you have a blog (and you should), you can syndicate content you’ve already created to save time. It’s a "two for."
While it may not bring as much engagement as Facebook or puppies and kittens being friends on YouTube, Twitter is still
It’s can also be good for building relationships with micro influencers in your industry. This means visibility from the right people.
It’s a good idea to keep an active stream of valuable content on Twitter.
YouTube
If you generate content in formats that fit on this channel, it’s going to continue to be effective because, come on, it’s YouTube.
So that’s the big four of the old school platforms. And you might be content to stick with those for now and leave the newer platforms to those millennials.
But You Might Want to Consider the Newer Platforms
Especially if the goal for your B2B company is to make your company seem cool and playful - the sort of place that understands the fun of peeing on a spark plug.
Although B2B audiences are generally not hanging out on Instagram, it does offer visibility and loads of engagement if you’re in an industry that focuses on brand awareness or public perception.
In fact, one recent survey found that even though B2Bs are still more likely to choose LinkedIn, 53% are now active on Instagram.
Quora
This question and answer platform offers visibility with specific target audiences. So if you can offer up an impressive answer, it can help to establish you as an authority.
And if your website is relevant is the question and will actually add some value, you’re allowed to add a link to it.
Medium
Like with LinkedIn, you can reuse content on Medium from your blog. That means less work for you. And that’s good because Medium can be a little work intensive.
But it does offer big readership and visibility. And you can even choose it to host your blog. Cut out the middle man (or woman).
SnapChat
Though generally considered a younger person’s game, Snapchat has demonstrated the staying power that makes it worthy of consideration.
Let’s face it. The workforce is growing younger and younger. That means your audience increasingly lives on non-conventional channels. Channels they understand way better than you do.
Yeah, we get it.
If you’re not an internet native, then making headway on Snapchat or Instagram can be challenging. But what isn’t these days? It’s just like with any other platform - you’re looking to build relationships with your audience.
And since more and more B2B companies are seeing they have plenty to gain from these popular networks, they’re getting on board.
Blending the Old and the New
It comes down to understanding what you’d like to achieve and whom you’d like to reach. From there you’ll figure out the right approach and networks for your B2B company.
Adjust how you use those established channels. Try one of the new ones. Or both.
Gary Vaynerchuk puts it best when he says, “Behind every B is a C.” Of course, if you’re being silly, C could stand for any number of things. But what Gary’s saying is that even though you’re a B2B company, you need to remember that you’re really not marketing to another business. You’re marketing to a human decision-maker behind the business.
If those decision-makers are hanging out on Instagram or Snapchat, then start getting familiar with them. If not, maybe just stick with the classics for now.
There’s something to be said for cozying up with dinosaurs.
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