Does your B2B public relations strategy include Facebook? Many B2B companies dismiss Facebook because of its simple beginnings as a friends and family network. Yet, Facebook has evolved to become a prime opportunity in the B2B space.
Facebook, when wielded correctly, can put a face to your B2B PR efforts and deliver results. It can be used to…
- Engage prospects
- Generate more B2B leads
- Establish thought leadership
- Engage current customers
- Promote your products or services
- Attract more traffic to your website
- Create awareness around your brand
Would you like a piece of this action? Let’s look at how you can develop a strong Facebook presence that puts you in the driver’s seat of your PR.
9 Elements to Help You Bring Your Facebook A-Game to Your B2B Public Relations
1. Start with Clear Goals
An effective PR strategy—on or off Facebook—requires clear goals. Before you go any further in your Facebook development, lay out what your goals are. I guarantee it will make the journey to successful B2B PR that much easier. Your goals might include:
- B2B lead generation
- Customer engagement
- Brand awareness
- Increased website traffic
Whatever your goals are, make sure your team is on the same page, everyone working toward the same end result.
2. Pick a Brand-Appropriate Profile Picture
Make your profile picture count. Steer clear of any photo that could cause confusion or blank looks. Since this is the first item your audience will see, it should be brand-centric. If possible, use your brand’s logo. Remember, this will show up on everything — besides your posts, comments, and any other activity.
Notice the following examples, in which Coca-Cola, SAP and Zendesk use their profile pictures to advantage with their brand logo.
3. Write a Killer About Section
This appears right under your profile picture, and is your brand’s introduction. It requires forethought. If you don’t write anything here, it’s a wasted opportunity. Use this space to write a clear and to-the-point introduction that inspires confidence and motivates prospects to engage with you. Stay away from boring facts, and focus on what gives your brand its personality.
For instance, if you’re a technology brand, you want to show that you’re at the forefront of the digital era. If you’re a financial institution, you want to create a sense of trust right off the bat. Consider the following:
Working hard to bring innovation and technology to life for the modern business.
We use our industry knowledge and expertise to fight the financial battles, so you can concentrate on your business.
These are short and quippy but deliver a clear message to all visitors.
4. Leverage Your Cover Photo to Promote Your Current Company News
Your cover photo is valuable real estate, and should never go stale. Change it often and keep it fresh according to what’s happening within your company. Have you recently participated in a community fundraising event? Create an image that shows it off. You could use this to promote:
- Prestigious industry award
- Product launch
- Press coverage
- Promotion in the C-suite
- Philanthropic act
Once you’ve created a cover photo for your news, include a pinned post with a link to more information.
5. Visual Content Is a Must
Social media is all about visual content. One study showed that Facebook posts with images received 2.3 times more engagement than those without images. It is well worth your time and resources to promote visual content creation. This includes images, infographics, charts, videos, and more.
Since the fairly recent addition of Facebook Live Video (and other networks following suit), we’ve seen evidence of just how much video counts in social media engagement. Customers want to see new developments as they occur within your company and to have the sort of transparency that builds trust. Live video does just that. One study showed that Facebook users watch live video three times more than traditional video, which is evidence of the power behind this feature.
IBM is a great example of leveraging video (both live and traditional) in its Facebook strategy. Take this one, showcasing IBM’s role in the movie, Hidden Figures. It tapes IBM’s archives to show how it contributed to the historical accuracy of the film. It’s a great, behind-the-scenes explanation that skillfully leverages the popularity of the film to shine light on the company.
6. Use What’s Trending
Ever notice the Trending Topics section in your Facebook’s dashboard? Don’t dismiss it offhand—it gives you valuable information you can use to your benefit. In fact, Facebook gives priority to posts that are about these trending topics. Want a higher place in your audience’s feed? Then craft a post that touches on one of these trending topics, while still remaining relevant to your brand and audience. It’s a great way to work your way up the social ladder.
7. Don’t Push Ahead Blindly
There are no hard and fast rules about what works and what doesn’t on Facebook. You will have to discover yourself the perfect cocktail of Facebook engagement for your B2B company. Facebook Insights is a wonderful measurement tool to see which posts receive more engagement, and which you can skip. You can also consider using tracking codes such as Bitly to see what people are clicking on.
In the end, you need to find out what works, and stop what doesn’t.
8. Get Your Timing Right
Timing matters — it can make the difference between high engagement and crickets. It can take a while before you find the right timing for your audience, so don’t be afraid to play around until you get it right. Monitor which days and what time of day your posts perform best, and stick to that schedule.
9. Engage, Engage, Engage
Facebook is all about engagement. People will comment on your page for all sorts of reasons — to ask a question, get support, and even file a complaint. Answer all of these as soon as possible. When you practice this, it creates loyal customers and builds your brand’s reputation as a reliable B2B company.
Examples of Real B2B Companies that Are Killing It on Facebook
IBM
IBM is a great example of using your cover image to promote your PR campaigns. Right front and center, its image promotes its diversity initiative, as well as its role in the recent box office hit, Hidden Figures.
HP Business
HP Business is not afraid to leverage everything that Facebook has to offer — with a rich collection of photos and videos that engage its audience, and an informative About section that builds confidence in its expertise.
Salesforce
Salesforce, a customer success platform, is not afraid to show its B2B company’s personality throughout its Facebook page. Posts skillfully lead back to its website, but also include curated content that promotes the company’s industry expertise.
Key Points to Keep in Mind…
- Use your cover image in conjunction with your B2B PR campaigns
- Leverage images and video as much as possible throughout your Facebook experience
- Use topics that are trending to rank higher in your audience’s news feed
- Amp up your engagement by always responding to comments, questions, and complaints made on Facebook
When done right, Facebook can become an integral part of your B2B public relations strategy. To get deeper into the reeds with your B2B PR, download our ebook to gain insight into 11 Lessons that PR pros need to learn in a digital world. Try it for yourself, and you won’t be sorry.
