Mastering B2B Social Media Content: How to Capture Attention and Stay Top of Mind

When the subject of B2B social media content comes up, I immediately think of stock images, boring me-too content, and clickbait. 

That’s sad because social media should be a vital part of your B2B marketing strategy since it’s one of the best ways for B2B marketers to connect with their target audience. This is due to the huge shift in the way B2B buyers actually discover, research, and decide who to work with. 

Five years ago, B2B decision-makers didn’t use social media sites like LinkedIn or engage in communities to connect with peers and stay up to date with their industry, but today, they do. 84% of B2B buyers now use social media platforms in their purchasing journey. 

However, to win your prospects’ attention, you must create engaging B2B social media content that resonates. This article delves into tactics for developing a strategic B2B social media content plan aligned with your overall strategy—a strategy tailored to different buyer journey stages and optimized for engagement.

What type of content resonates best with B2B buyers?

Precise audience targeting is crucial for successful B2B social media marketing. Tailor content to your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) needs using various formats, such as videos, infographics, or user-generated content. Buyers value easily digestible insights, shareable content, real-world use cases, and persuasive material to impact B2B buying decisions.

Aligning Social Media Content with Your Overall Content Strategy

Think of it this way. Social media channels are primarily for information distribution, similar to email. However, social media channels come with rules of engagement. 

These rules begin with the user’s objectives while on the platform. Unlike Search, where users search on a topic and expect to click on another site, social media users scroll and passively absorb content. They interact through comments and DMs with peers and connections. They don’t want to click on your website. They want to stay on the platform.

From a social platform perspective, format matters. Some prefer video over static content (Instagram/TikTok), while others encourage you to mix it up. For example, on LinkedIn, when you leverage three or more formats (video, image, documents/carousels), you’ll see a nice boost in engagement. 

The key is to provide relevant information your audience wants and tailor your content to the social channel where it will be shared. This is why your B2B social media content strategy should be part of your overarching content strategy, not something different. 

Building winning social media content involves understanding your target audience, their pain points, and how and where they consume social media content.

Social Media Strategy: Defining Your Content Pillars 

I won’t go into too much detail in this article on how to build an effective content strategy because we’ve already written a lot on the topic. However, it’s essential to understand that the foundation of B2B content marketing is developing 3-5 content pillars.  

Why? Marketing is an exercise in memorization. If you write about too many topics, you will confuse your audience. Content pillars provide guardrails to focus on the key themes or topics your brand wants to be known for. 

With clear content pillars, you can consistently provide valuable, relevant, and engaging B2B social media content that connects with your target audience and positions your brand as an industry thought leader.

Here’s how you can build these pillars effectively

• Define Your Brand Identity – Start by asking, “What do we want to be known for?” This will help you focus and carve out a niche in your industry to attract the right audience. For example, here are our key pillar themes for this year. 

• Identify Your Narrative—Every brand has a unique story. What’s yours? Pinpoint your narrative, position, or point of view around each content pillar theme. This is more than what you sell—it’s about conveying your brand’s philosophy and unique perspective on your industry and the solutions you provide.
• Understand Your Audience’s Pain Points—Content resonates when it addresses your audience’s challenges. Understanding these pain points allows you to tailor your content to meet their needs, provide solutions, and establish trust. By putting the customer first and creating content that addresses their needs and concerns, you can build stronger connections and drive better results.
• Develop Targeted Content Topics—By clearly understanding your brand identity and audience’s challenges, you can develop topics that interest your audience and drive engagement and conversions. This ensures your content strategy remains focused and effective.

With established and clear content pillars, you can be confident that all content created aligns with your brand’s objectives and deeply connects with your target audience. This strategy not only positions your brand as a trusted authority but also amplifies the impact of your content.

Atomize Long-Form Content & Customize for Social Media Platforms

Once you have established content pillars and topics, develop comprehensive, long-form content for your website. Your B2B social media content can come from atomizing and repurposing critical concepts from the long-form content into formats optimized for each platform. Your social media content will then become a satellite that supports and amplifies essential messages you want your audience to know about your company and the problems you solve. 

When atomizing your content for social media, remember that each social media platform has unique characteristics, audience demographics, format, and engagement best practices.

For example, LinkedIn is a top choice for B2B content, attracting a professional audience seeking industry insights and thought leadership. Social media posts with impactful headlines, engaging visuals, and clear calls to action do well. Engaging with others who comment and share your posts and engaging your employees will help amplify your content.

Conversely, X/Twitter is perfect for sharing concise, snackable content such as quick tips, news snippets, or event promotions. Incorporating hashtags and joining discussions with other users can amplify your reach.

Creating Content for Each Stage of the Buyer’s Journey 

One-size-fits-all B2B social media content doesn’t work in social media. Buyers have different needs at different stages of their buyer’s journey. From capturing attention and initial interest to nurturing leads and closing deals, you must build content that resonates with your audience at each crucial stage. Let’s explore how to create impactful content that guides prospects seamlessly through the decision process.

Top of the Funnel (TOFU): Your goal is to attract potential customers who may not yet know your brand or solution. These buyers are often in an educational mindset, looking for information to help them better understand their challenges and potential solutions. 

Types of TOFU content that works well on social media includes:

• Industry trends and news articles
• Thought leadership pieces showcasing your unique perspective
• Educational infographics or videos
• Promoting your category 
• Challenging norms

Middle of the Funnel (MOFU): At this stage, buyers are aware of your brand and are considering whether to prioritize the problem you solve and if your solution fits their needs. Content at this stage should focus on building trust, demonstrating your expertise, and helping buyers evaluate their options. 

Effective MOFU content for social media might include:

• Case studies or customer success stories
• Product comparisons or buyer’s guides
• How-to guides or tutorials
• Webinars or live Q&A sessions

Bottom of the Funnel (BOFU): At the bottom of the funnel, your content should be laser-focused on giving your prospects a plan forward, validating that you are the best option, and converting leads into customers. Buyers at this stage often evaluate specific vendors and are close to making a final decision.

 High-converting BOFU content for social media includes:

• Customer testimonials or reviews
• Product demos or free trials
• Personalized consultation or assessment offers

Best Practices for Creating Engaging B2B Social Media Content 

Humanize Your Brand—It’s easy to sound too corporate or salesy on social media. Companies tend to create content that feels like a stuffy suit or corporate brochure. Buyers want to be entertained and connect with authentic, relatable, and human brands. 

Adopt a conversational, friendly tone in your social media copy. Use “you” and “your” to speak directly to your audience, and don’t be afraid to inject some personality or humor when appropriate. Remember to actively monitor and respond to comments and messages on your social media channels. This is a key part of being ‘human’ on social media. 

For example, Cognism’s post below uses humor effectively to highlight a common sales pain point: hitting call targets without reaching decision-makers. The post captures attention and conveys a key Congnism value. The blend of humor and social media marketing smartly communicates the brand’s proposition, engaging the audience effectively.

Highlight Your Differentiated Value—Social media is a level playing field. Your customers have easy access to you AND your competition. Identify what sets your company apart from competitors for your niche customers. Communicate this differentiated value proposition consistently across all marketing channels, aligned with your content pillars. Establishing a clear, differentiated brand identity can attract the right audience and build long-term loyalty.

Leveraging Visuals & Multimedia—Social media posts with images, videos, or infographics tend to stop the scroll better and have higher engagement rates than text-only content. When creating visual content for social media, aim for eye-catching, high-quality visuals optimized for each platform’s size and format requirements. 

Utilize bold colors, clear text, and simple designs that viewers can easily understand. Try experimenting with video content such as Lives, product demos, customer testimonials, or thought leadership interviews.

For instance, this video post by Vende Digital uses a clip from a recent webinar. This approach creates social media video content and expands our reach to a larger audience on social media channels like LinkedIn than webinar attendees. Showcasing our CEO as an authority boosts credibility and trust with viewers. Cohesive branding and visuals reinforce brand identity, amplify content influence, and bolster lead generation and customer interaction.

Mix in Zero-Click Content—Zero-click content on social media is about delivering value directly in the post itself without requiring users to click elsewhere. By embracing this approach in your B2B social media strategy, you can effectively engage your audience and strengthen brand relationships. Providing valuable content directly in the post increases engagement and visibility, positioning your brand as a trusted resource and boosting reach on social media platforms.

Rand Fishkin’s post below exemplifies zero-click content, which delivers value directly on social media feeds. This content boosts engagement by removing barriers and offering immediate insights absorbed in a single view.

Experiment with Humor & Memes—Injecting humor and pop culture references into social media posts can forge a deeper connection with your audience. Ensure your content aligns with your brand’s tone and image. 

Take a cue from Gong’s post with basketball star Caitlin Clark, blending humor and relatability to engage the audience. This approach humanizes the brand by tapping into shared frustrations, making the content more engaging and memorable.

Leverage Employee Advocacy—Employees are your best influencers and the best source of user-generated content. Employee advocacy in B2B social media marketing involves using employees’ personal social media presence to boost the brand’s visibility and trust. Sharing content, engaging in industry conversations, and showcasing expertise can significantly impact. 

Employee advocacy benefits include increased reach, credibility, and authentic voices. Start by encouraging employees to share their perspectives along with your content. To succeed with employee advocacy, identify active employees, provide training, empower personal branding, reward consistent engagement, and involve executives. This social media strategy expands reach, builds audience trust, and adds authenticity to the brand’s social media presence.

Embrace storytelling—We all need to become master storytellers and work hard to engage audiences emotionally. Use storytelling techniques in your social media content to make your brand more relatable, memorable, and compelling. By weaving narratives around your products, services, and customer success stories, you can create a deeper connection with your audience.

Continuous Improvement Through Testing and Iteration 

B2B social media success is an iterative process. What works today may not work tomorrow, and what resonates with one audience may fall flat with another. Continuously test and measure marketing efforts to identify what works and what doesn’t. Use data-driven insights to optimize your content, messaging, and distribution channels to improve ROI and drive better results over time.

Adopt a culture of testing and experimentation. Regularly try out new content formats, topics, and tactics, and use A/B testing to compare the results. For example, test two different headlines for a blog post shared on LinkedIn or experiment with different visuals or calls-to-action on a product demo video. By continually measuring your results and making data-driven optimizations, you can ensure that your social media content stays fresh, relevant, and impactful over time.

In B2B Social Media Marketing, It’s Value Over Virality

B2B social media marketing is all about providing value, not chasing virality. Crafting impactful social media content for B2B audiences requires a strategic, personalized approach. Align your content with key pillars, develop tailored content for each buyer journey stage, and leverage best practices for engagement and optimization to amplify your social media impact and drive significant business outcomes. 

Success in social media hinges on consistently delivering value and nurturing genuine connections rather than on fleeting viral successes. Focus on your audience’s needs, test new strategies, and continuously refine your approach to position your brand as a reliable resource and remain top of mind when your buyers are ready to act.

The key to successful B2B social media content is consistently providing value to your audience and building genuine connections. Focus on creating content that informs, engages, and inspires your audience, and you’ll be well on your way to mastering social media for your B2B brand.

Ready to take your B2B Social Media Marketing to the Next Level? 

We have two ways for you to explore this topic further and improve your social media marketing strategy. 

Download our comprehensive 2024 B2B Social Media Playbook – designed to help you navigate the ever-changing landscape of social media marketing. This actionable guide has proven strategies, real-world examples, and insider tips to help you create a winning content mix, master organic and paid distribution, and craft irresistible LinkedIn ads that drive results. Don’t let your competitors get ahead – download the playbook now and transform your approach to social selling in 2024 and beyond. Download the 2024 B2B Social Media Playbook Here.

Watch our on-demand webinar replay: Mastering B2B Social Media. During the webinar, we share how we’ve grown our pipeline using social media and real-life examples of successful B2B campaigns. Your business can quickly adapt these strategies. You’ll learn how to:

• Capture and hold the buyer’s attention
• Nail your message
• Master your formats
• Set the right goals
• Tips on how to leverage AI to get more done in less time 
• Access the On-Demand Webinar Replay Here 

 Key Takeaways: Mastering B2B Social Media Content

1. Align your overall content strategy with your social media content strategy. Ensure your social content aligns with your brand’s messaging and is tailored to the social media channels where you will share it.
2. Develop 3-5 content pillars that define your brand identity, unique narrative, and audience pain points. These pillars will help you create focused, relevant, and engaging content that resonates with your target audience.
3. Atomize your long-form content and repurpose it for different social media channels. Customize your content to suit each platform’s unique characteristics, audience demographics, and best practices.
4. Create content for each stage of the buyer’s journey (TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU) to address your audience’s specific needs and concerns at different points in their decision-making process.
5. Humanize your brand by adopting a conversational tone, injecting personality, and actively engaging with your audience through comments and messages.
6. Leverage visuals and multimedia, such as eye-catching images, videos, and infographics, to capture attention and increase engagement on social media.
7. Incorporate zero-click content that delivers value directly within the social media post without requiring users to click through to another site or piece of content.
8. Experiment with humor, memes, and pop culture references to forge a deeper connection with your audience and make your content more memorable.
9. Encourage employee advocacy by empowering your team to share their expertise and perspectives on social media, amplifying your brand’s reach and credibility.
10. Continuously test, measure, and optimize your social media content performance. Try out new formats, topics, and tactics regularly, and use data-driven insights to refine your social media strategy over time.

How Can We Help?

At Vende Digital, we understand B2B marketers’ challenges when creating engaging social media content that drives results. That’s why we’re offering a complimentary social media planning session with our team of experts. During this session, we’ll review your current social media strategy, identify areas for improvement, and provide you with a fresh perspective on maximizing your social media efforts. Our team will work with you to develop a customized action plan that aligns with your business goals and target audience, ensuring you get the most out of your social media investment. Don’t miss this opportunity to take your B2B social media marketing to the next level – schedule your planning session with Vende Digital today!