How to Create a B2B Social Commerce Strategy

 

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Is it possible to incorporate a social commerce strategy into a B2B marketing plan? It may seem like a relatively new concept, but the underlying principles are very basic. Man is after all a social creature that survives in a community setting – a community that you can easily build through social media. It doesn’t matter if you’re selling to businesses, or straight to consumers, a social commerce strategy may just be what you need to survive the current digital marketing scene.

It’s really about knowing what your target consumers are looking for. Don’t focus too much on driving traffic to your landing page to finalize a sale. Shift your attention to creating content that will not only inform, but also engage your target consumer. It’s a surefire way to build trust in your brand and develop affinity to what you stand for.

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How do you develop a social commerce marketing strategy that will fit your B2B market? Just follow the 3 steps and you’ll be done before you know it.

Set your objectives

First, you need to have objectives. What do you want to achieve with your social commerce marketing plan? Are you doing it to increase your reach? Or do you want to create brand advocates from the customers that you already have? Once you determine your goals, it will be much easier for you to create a plan that will support those goals. The rule here is to focus on actionable metrics that support your overall business strategy.

Create promotions

Let’s say you’ve already established yourself as a social media brand. What next? What’s the best strategy for getting more followers? Create promotions that will draw in your existing client base, and attract new ones. The most effective strategy still is the referral marketing strategy so start working on those promotions. By constantly engaging with your customers, you’ll be able to build a personal relationship with them that is grounded on emotional ties. Offer new deals and promos every once in a while to show them that you care about them, and you appreciate their support. In no time, you’ll have a few brand advocates that will help you build your online presence. Offering incentives is always the best way to go, especially if you’re part of a saturated market.

Build Thought Leadership

Since selling to B2B clients is different from selling to consumer clients, you need to establish thought leadership to show that you have what it takes to serve them. What is the most effective way to do that? By creating content that will help develop your authority. By maintaining a blog or social media platform and updating it with fresh content regularly, you’ll be able deliver valuable information that establishes your credibility. The more that they trust you and look at you as a leader, the easier it will be for them to choose you. Just make sure to offer relevant content and not just anything under the sun.