John Burson  edited Monday, May 8, 2017

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B2B Social Media Marketing: Smart Ways to Generate Leads

Learn smart ways to make social media an integral part of B2B marketing strategy. Define social content map, goals and budgets.

Originally Published: mengonline.com/.../

Author: Jasmine Sandler
Author’s Twitter handle: https://twitter.com/Jasmine_Sandler
Author’s Linkedin Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/onlinebranding

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Many B2B companies, marketing teams, and senior level executives struggle to drive bottom-line business impact from their own efforts in Social Media Marketing.  

Most successful entrepreneurs, CEOs, COOs, and CFOs would agree that without proper planning for any type of business marketing initiative, you might as well just throw your money in the garbage can.  When it comes to planning for B2B Social Media, the first place to start is the organization.

Define social media roles within team

B2B Social Media roles and responsibilities must first be designated.  Whether that includes outsourcing to a social media agency or a social media consultant for the heavy lifting, the internal accountability of social media marketing is a must when looking for achieving a Social ROI.  Internal roles related to B2B social media vary based on the size and makeup of the organization. In general, the following social media role types can apply:

• Content Producer—This can be anything from a subject matter expert to a video professional whose job it is to produce effective content according to a Content Marketing Plan.

• Social Voice—This is the person who responds to media interviews and whose language supports the brand voice online.

• Social Media Manager—This is a person with real B2B social media management experience who is responsible for driving the ongoing social marketing direction and managing weekly reporting.  

• Social Media Coordinator—The coordinator is responsible for the day to day social postings and online community engagement.

Make social media content plan

A critical piece of Social ROI planning is the planning for content marketing.  A content plan, as in an editorial calendar, needs to outline the types of topics and content that will support an ongoing online branding market position.  It needs to also take into account content production resources, SEO strategy, and online campaigns.

Define social media goals and budget

Budgeting and having real social media goals are an integral part of social planning, but it’ a piece many B2B companies ignore. This is why engaging a Social Media Trainer to educate key executives on how to start planning for social marketing goals is a smart move. Further, having a real budget for this practice is a commitment and positive results will be likely.

View social media as lead generation driver

Finally, viewing social media marketing as online branding fuel to drive lead generation is a must for B2B companies.  A clear vision of a funnel needs to be established. A B2B organization needs to first take account of their current online properties and digital marketing investments.  These will give an indication on how social media marketing can support these programs to drive results.