When fit into a larger strategy, Twitter can play an essential role in B2B social media marketing plans. For example, 82% of B2B content marketers use it, according to recent research from The Content Marketing Institute. And its reach is incredible; 500 million Tweets a day are sent by 186 million daily active users across the world.
The key to making effective use of its potential, though, is understanding how people use it and where you’re likely to make an impact. Here are some ways to use this network to capitalize on new partnerships and customer relationships.
First of all, don’t assume you need a large following to participate
As GANDT CEO Remco Livain explains, “For me, one of the primary uses for Twitter is to communicate with potential clients or to position yourself in a certain way.
The thing is, there is generally not a lot of interaction that happens on Twitter, so unless you have a massive following or touch upon a topic that reaches millions and millions of people—the odds are you’re not going to get a direct response. At the same time, it is a means for anyone to pull information regarding your thoughts, your company, or your positioning.”
So regardless of whether you have a large following or not, Twitter does have the potential to influence how others see you and can definitely lead to the acquisition of new clients or opportunities.
Grow and maintain brand awareness
To help build brand awareness and establish your identity on Twitter, keep your target audience in mind and put out bite-sized pieces of content that are likely to capture their attention.
As Remco sees it, “Twitter is basically a push medium for a lot of brands. They don’t wait for the interaction to happen, but they use it to put out smaller statements regarding things they believe in, how they see the world, or how they think others should perceive them. And this makes it quite powerful. Twitter is a cheap and efficient way to communicate your opinion. And for brands also to position themselves in B2B marketing. This is one of the tools where you can present a relatively quick overview of what you think. It is a place where brands can convey what they stand for or what they do.”
Build community
Once you’ve established your presence on Twitter, you can start reaching out to expand your community and make direct connections. Community building has become a core aspect of digital marketing – even for B2B marketers. In the current climate, one-to-one conversations, whether they’re via comments or DMs, have the potential to make a big difference when approached thoughtfully.
Many social media marketers now report that most of the sales and real business they engage in is accomplished through these one-to-one communications. Twitter’s new Communities feature is a useful way to identify accounts that may be worth reaching out to. The tool makes it easier for people to find “their tribe” on the platform and allows Twitter to give its users a way to define the conversation they want to have with their audiences.
Refining your unique B2B marketing strategy
Of course, some research is needed to see how much your target audiences use Twitter and how much time you should put into cultivating your presence. However, for the typical B2B marketer, the data suggests that it is usually a worthwhile investment. Whether you’re generating brand awareness or positioning your company as a thought leader, it’s vital to take advantage of this extensive network within your overall social media plan.
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