What type of B2B content performs best?

Red neon speech bubble. Inside is a white neon heart shape similar to a social medial like button and beside it is a white neon zero. So the sign indicates zero likes.
Photo by Prateek Katyal on Unsplash

Which type of B2B content performs best was something I was asked recently, I guess because I put out content in different formats (written, video, carousels/sliders).

And, I work with clients on audio and events.

But it isn’t easy to answer because content analytics are complex and vary from platform to platform.

You will never know how many people read your online article all the way through, for example.

Some people might read a bit, some might skim-read, and some might click on the page and get distracted by something else.

It’s similar to a written LinkedIn post. A post will clock up ‘impressions’, but that doesn’t tell you if people have actually what you’ve written.

Impressions are the number of feeds your post has appeared in, not engagement.

The more likes/reactions your post gets, the more impressions it will likely get, but again it doesn’t mean people have actually read it.

Reacting without reading

*Shock warning* Some people hit react without reading the post or the whole post.

Video metrics are a little clearer.

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Video: Making LinkedIn enjoyable and worthwhile

A short video on making time on LinkedIn enjoyable and worthwhile

Video summary:

If using LinkedIn is a chore, it will make it harder to be consistent, and without being consistent, you won’t get the full benefit of being on the platform.

To make LinkedIn more enjoyable, work out what you want to get from it. Getting business is an obvious one, but it doesn’t have to be the only reason.

You might want to build your network, learn about a particular topic, or be part of a specific community.

Once you know what you want to get out of the platform, then you can plan what actions you need to take to deliver.

But be realistic. If you want to post more to increase visibility but find coming up with ideas and finding the time to create posts tricky, then setting a goal of posting five days a week is likely to be unachievable.

Setting realistic targets to deliver the results you want will make LinkedIn more enjoyable.

Full transcript:

Two key tips for LinkedIn: Make it enjoyable and be realistic.

Now to make LinkedIn enjoyable, it helps if you get something out of the platform.

It doesn’t have to be just about getting business; that’s an important reason to be on LinkedIn and why many people are on LinkedIn. But there are lots of other reasons to be on LinkedIn.

It might be that you want to learn more about a particular topic or you want to build your network, or you want to be part of a community and be able to talk to people doing similar things to you or in the same industry.

These are all legitimate reasons for being on LinkedIn but think about what you’d like to get from the platform. And then set a strategy for how you’re going to achieve that.

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Stop the scroll: Adding value when posting about B2B events on social media

Summary of video:

A conference or panel event you attended can be a great source of social media content, but to help stop the scroll and get your audience to pay attention, add some value.

In this short video, I talk about what made me stop and read LinkedIn posts about events people in my network had been to.

All the posts added value; they didn’t merely highlight that the person had attended a particular event but talked about what they had learnt or what it was like.

Engagement – particularly comments – will give LinkedIn posts more visibility, so I finish by sharing some ideas for getting a conversation started on an event post.

Transcript of video:

Prefer to read rather than watch? Here’s a transcript:

Have you noticed any posts about events that people have been to in your LinkedIn feed in recent weeks?

I’ve noticed some great ones: great because they made me stop scrolling, great because they made me want to click through and read more, and great also because they didn’t use the word delighted, which is always a bit of a bonus.

So what was it about them that got me interested?

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People in business: How to add personality to B2B content

“We want our content to have a bit more personality” is something I often hear from clients, but when they see copy that reflects the individual, it can make them nervous.

Photo by Tengyart on Unsplash

It reads as more conversational and less formal than the traditional B2B content you normally see.

The built environment sector I work in is frequently described as a people industry, yet you wouldn’t guess that from the content that is regularly published.

A lot of it sounds quite similar, as if following a particular rule book about how you write to sound professional and authoritative.

To reflect personality in your business content, that rule book needs to be ripped up. It will read a little differently, but it can help your target audience get to know you and the people in your business. It can make you more relatable and approachable.

And content that is a bit different is good in the noisy world of the internet and social media.

You don’t have to completely change how you write or sound like an Innocent smoothie advert. There are small, subtle ways to add a sprinkle of personality to your B2B content that will make a difference.

Whether you are writing your own content or writing it for someone in your business, here are four ways of adding personality:

1. Particular word choice

Start with choosing words and phrases you would use in a real conversation with a friend, family member or peer. If you would naturally say you were ‘chuffed’ or ‘over the moon’, write that.

If you are writing a piece for someone in your business, listen carefully to the words they use. I like to record content chats and get a transcript (Otter.ai is the tool I use).

Are there any particular words or phrases they use? How do they explain their viewpoint or describe something when chatting about it?

Use these in the copy so that it sounds authentic to them.

A simple example is someone who works in the healthcare sector using the word ‘poorly’ rather than ‘sick’ to describe patients using a facility.

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How to get your LinkedIn activity growing your business

Can LinkedIn be a low-cost marketing tool for B2B businesses?

Ayo Abbas, who hosts the Built Environment Marketing Show podcast recently invited me as a guest to talk about how to get your LinkedIn activity firing on all cylinders.

Ayo Abbas and Stacey Meadwell about to go live on LinkedIn to talk about…LinkedIn

Among the points we discussed were whether LinkedIn can help you grow your business, the best approach to get traction and what to post about.

It was recorded as a Livestream on LinkedIn, and you can watch the video replay below, or it will be available as a podcast on 21 October 2022.

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