What if you found out you were sharing all the wrong content on social media? What if the assets you were investing time and money in, and then distributing, weren’t the formats that users wanted most? That’s the case for about a third of marketers.
You might be doing it wrong
According to the 2015 B2B Content Marketing Trends report from the Content Marketing Institute, 92 percent of companies say they create social content, but fewer create resources like case studies (77 percent) and white papers (67 percent) that are in high demand by influencers and decision makers.
Decision makers ARE on social looking at your Tweets & Posts
A report from Eccolo Media found case studies, success stories and long-form written content are the formats that make the biggest impact on B2B buyers. The survey asked 100 professionals who are responsible for making purchase decisions to talk about the buying process, and found that 67 percent turn to social during the initial phases – sometimes even before they know they have a need for your product.
Although many B2Bs still hold onto the opinion that their target audiences don’t use social media to inform their decisions, the data suggests otherwise. It looks like decision makers ARE sifting through Twitter and LinkedIn instead, looking for proof of concept long before they’re willing to set aside time to speak to you.
Proof matters in B2B buyers’ decision-making processes
What assets do buyers look for when they’re learning about your solutions?
- 25 percent look for case studies and success stories
- 16 percent look for detailed technology guides
- 16 percent look for white papers
And conversely, half check out your ‘more engaging’ resources like infographics, eBooks, webinars and SlideShares. Does this mean these don’t have a place on social media? No. However, it does provide some perspective on why you think you audience ‘isn’t there.’
You might be sharing the wrong kinds of content. If your target audience is looking for case studies and success stories first and foremost, but you only Tweet about those once a month, prospects might ignore you.
Find the diverse strategy that makes sense for your customers
It might be wise to include these in your daily mix of social content, to guarantee that one proof-is-in-the-pudding resource is at the top of your feed when a fresh lead looks for it. In addition to links to success stories or case studies, you can share the engagement pieces that drive ongoing interaction with people who are already your fans (aka loyal customers).
This is a great reminder to think about your audience as you build your content calendar and put together a social strategy. Determine your prospects’ needs – at every phase of the sales funnel – and make sure you have something for them, whether they’re just learning about your brand or thinking about renewing their contracts.
