Article Highlights
Each member of your team should be a social media thought leader and influencer. How do you go from social media novice to industry guru? In this article, you’ll explore:
- How to tell a story with your social presence
- Keys to developing a content strategy that delivers value
- Tactics for establishing social relationships that become business opportunities
Hubspot reports that 47% of buyers view 3-5 pieces of social media content before contacting a sales rep. This means that B2B brands must develop their social strategy to stay competitive. The key is establishing each team member as a social media thought leader and influencer.
How do you go from social media novice — or reluctant participant — to industry guru? Here are three principles to guide you as you begin.
Tell a story with your social presence
In the digital world you’re always telling a story. If you neglected to fill out your bio, haven’t posted since 2017, or have 13 followers and your avatar is a random picture from your phone, your story isn’t off to a compelling start.
When someone searches your name, your social media accounts will likely be some of the first items to appear in the search results. Being active on social media shows you are working to remain current and relevant. Your profile can give someone a more complete view of who you are and the role you play in your organization.
Your bio is the first thing people notice. Many executives are busy running successful organizations but have failed to create or update a short social media bio. If you don’t tell people who you are, they will fill in the blanks themselves — or be left with lingering questions like, “If they don’t fill out their profile, will they do a good job if I hire them? If we buy from their company will we get the attention to detail we expect? Is their leadership current with the latest trends?”
Fill out your bio completely. It shouldn’t just say what you do. Instead, think of your bio as a place to show people the value you bring to your organization and could ultimately bring to their business as well. Think of what a prospective customer might want to know about you, your role, and your solutions. Use targeted keywords and sprinkle in some personality.
Action Items:
- Update your social media bios.
- Select an appropriate profile picture. This may vary platform to platform — a professional headshot on LinkedIn with a more casual shot on Facebook or Twitter. Whatever picture you choose should clearly show your face.
Establish a content strategy that delivers value
Social media is an incubator for trust. To establish yourself as a valuable source of industry information instead of a salesperson, share a mix of third-party content like thought leadership articles and news with content that promotes your business solutions. This strategy is called content curation.
The great thing about this approach is you don’t have to create every piece of social content yourself. Valuable content is being created by teams and individuals every day. All you have to do is share it.
If you want to take your strategy a step further, you can begin to develop and share your own thought leadership content.
Action Items:
- Develop your content strategy. What kind of content do you want to share? What topics are valuable in your industry?
Turn social relationships into business opportunities
In a competitive market, trust and interpersonal relationships with decision-makers can be the edge that gets you business. But first, you need to cultivate an audience.
To grow your influence you will need to connect to more than friends, family, and peers. A comprehensive audience includes narrow market prospects and broad targets like industry experts, influencers, and the people who follow those people. You should also include current customers, vendors, and stakeholders.
Each of these groups brings a different value and purpose to your social presence. Some may do business with you in the future. Industry experts who connect with you help your profile and content rank higher in searches and reach new audiences. And, every follower with interest in the topics you share means more engagement.
Remember, each time your post appears in a prospective customer’s feed you gain an advantage over a competitor doing cold outreach.
Action Items:
- Follow relevant industry persons and profiles. Seek out social connections with your professional network, industry publications, and other thought leaders. Share content from their feeds you feel is valuable to your audience.
- Begin posting regularly. Pick a cadence that is manageable for you. Slowly increase your cadence as social media becomes a habitual part of your business strategy.
Overwhelmed? Try starting with an executive audit.
If building your social presence feels overwhelming, you don’t have to do it alone. An executive audit and social strategy consultation can save you valuable time and resources. A professional agency will review the profiles and social feeds for your key leadership and team members to see what prospective customers are seeing. Then, recommendations for improvement and a strategic social content strategy can be made accordingly.
Contact Stoke to request an executive social consultation today.