Tag: Social media

It's A B2B Comms Thing

Is social media a waste of time for B2B business?

Anyone involved in comms and marketing will be spending a chunk of time on social media but, with mysterious algorithms to contend with, it can be a frustrating and unpredictable strategy.

Ayo Abbas, Emma Drake and I discussed whether social media is a waste of time for B2B businesses in a LinkedIn live stream

So is it worth the time spent? This is what Ayo Abbas, Emma Drake and I discussed on a LinkedIn Live stream recently, and these are some highlights from that conversation.

If you want to watch the video of the full discussion, including audience questions, scroll to the bottom of the post.

Is social media all it’s cracked up to be?

Emma: I think people don’t often get a lot from it because they’re perhaps not using it well or effectively.

And the algorithm makes no sense, it’s not one thing you can solve. It is continually changing and morphing, and that is a huge challenge.

So anyone who tells you that they understand the algorithm on a social media platform is lying.

I had a post on LinkedIn that had multiple likes and shares, but it got under 300 impressions. I’ve had a post that had two likes and got over 2000. Go figure.

Social media can be really useful, but you need to have a plan.

Me: Yes, you are at the whim of the algorithm. Some platforms are ‘pay to play’, and they’re promoting content that has been paid for.

So you have to go in with your eyes open and realise there’s no silver bullet with social media.

Continue reading “Is social media a waste of time for B2B business?” →
Uncategorised

How to make social media work for B2B businesses

Social media is a big part of many businesses marketing strategy, and it can be really effective if used well. But if it isn’t, it can be a huge drain on time and resources with minimal return.

Screen shot of LinkedIn Live session. Ayo Abbas, Stacey Meadwell and Emma Drake are on screen. Banner across the stop says It's a B2B comms thing - How to make social media work in '22

In the latest It’s a B2B comms thing LinkedIn Live with fellow B2B comms professionals Ayo Abbas and Emma Drake, we discussed using social media for B2B business, what’s hot, what’s not and how to use it effectively.

Here are some edited highlights, and you’ll find a link to the full discussion, which includes audience questions at the bottom of the post.

Why are you and your business on social media?

Emma: I see lots of businesses chasing social media accounts with no real idea of what they’ll share or are trying to achieve. I use LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

I use LinkedIn for finding interesting people and engaging with them, connecting after or before meetings and events, and keeping in touch – it is really good for that.

Twitter I use pretty much solely for [promoting] podcast content, and I’m a bit more cheeky on there. I think we all feel we have to be a bit better behaved on LinkedIn for some reason.

But it’s completely different people engaging on there, and it’s good for generating traffic to my podcast.

I do have a Facebook page for the podcast, and their analytics are really good for directly targeting people.

Me: I only use LinkedIn for business. I have a work Twitter account as a hangover of my days as a journalist, but I don’t really use it.

I’ve fallen out of love with Twitter over the last few years. And if I’m going to be on there, I need to invest a lot of time, and I’ve just not got the time or energy.

Continue reading “How to make social media work for B2B businesses” →
Uncategorised

Why B2B thought leadership content is worth the effort

Whether you call it thought leadership, opinion, comment or insight, if you are a B2B business, there is huge value in taking the time to write and publish articles.

First and foremost, it’s a great way to demonstrate your knowledge, expertise, understanding of the market and wider issues.

Photo by Mihai Dogaru on Unsplash

It can demonstrate your understanding of your clients’ needs, what challenges they face and the pain points.

And thought-leader articles could help to reinforce your company’s brand values and help develop trust and authority.

As part of a content marketing strategy – and regular publishing – writing thought leader content can help build an audience and relationships with new clients, particularly if you allow comments.

Getting a bit more technical, it’s good for SEO. Google checks your website regularly for fresh content, and it is also looking for dwell – time spent on site. Alongside a good keyword strategy, it can help to drive traffic to your website.

Extra value

The time spent writing B2B thought leadership content carries extra dividends.

Continue reading “Why B2B thought leadership content is worth the effort” →
Uncategorised

Why engagement is an important part of content marketing

priscilla-du-preez-623040-unsplash
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Producing meaningful and engaging content doesn’t just mean writing native posts but also what you share and how you comment on others content.

Content helps with visibility but so does engagement with what others are producing and the two need to go hand in hand, particularly here on LinkedIn.

Liking and naked sharing – sharing without comment – will only get you so far as will writing ‘empty’ comments on posts.

There is a place for saying something encouraging or congratulatory, of course.

Missing a trick

However, if you are sharing and commenting without qualifying the reason for the share or adding value with your comment then you are missing a trick. Continue reading “Why engagement is an important part of content marketing” →

Copywriting, Social media

The accidental freelancer: Thoughts on my first year of self-employment

MIPIM 2019 - CONFERENCES - UK: REGENERATION & WATERFRONT DEVELOPMENTSIt’s coming up to a year since I started out as a freelance and what a career change it has been.

I say started out, I’m more of an accidental freelancer as when I left property magazine Estates Gazette after 20 years, my plan was to take my time exploring different options and ideas before deciding which direction to go, but I’ll come onto that.

My time as a property journalist and features editor taught me lots of things not least that the best time to catch people in the industry is either before 8.30am or after 5.30pm.

Starting out

When I started out we didn’t have laptops and there was one brick-like mobile phone to share on the features desk. If you were lucky enough to get use of the mobile you soon learnt that it never actually worked.

It was the days of long, often boozy lunches and Friday afternoons in the pub (remember those?).

The lack of technology made working life less agile and less productive but in some small way, I do miss those days of being able to get on a train to go somewhere for work and just read the paper.

Fundamental changes to journalism

Mobile phones, digital and social media fundamentally changed ‘storytelling’ and the dissemination of information. It also changed the way journalists interact with their readers.

My skill set broadened considerably. I went from writing and editing for a print publication to a canvas which included digital editions, web content, infographics, podcasts, video, Twitter and Instagram.

The evolution was exciting and exhilarating.

Continue reading “The accidental freelancer: Thoughts on my first year of self-employment” →