‘Glomming on’ isn’t just for those in B2C anymore
By Bethany Chambers | Digital Operations Manager
If you can’t tell a #TBT from a #TT on your social media feeds, it’s time to read up. Where trending topics were once a hallmark reserved for business-to-consumer (B2C) messaging, they’re now just as important for business-to-business (B2B) marketers.
To be clear, trending topics still have greater prevalence in the B2C space, where going viral and getting the attention of brand influencers are two surefire signs of social media success. And it’s true that as B2B marketers we still need to ensure the majority of our social activity or web traffic via social referrers is people within the niche markets we serve.
It’s a common trap of the B2B marketer to think of our target consumer as the person they are from 9 to 5, focusing solely on their professional persona. That will give you a one-dimensional picture of the person you’re trying to attract, a person who spends two-thirds of his or her time somewhere other than an office, factory or job site.
If we’re competing for their attentions only during business hours, we’re ignoring the reality that we’re all divided between work, family, friends, hobbies and a multitude of media channels, platforms, brands and products 24/7.
Here are some tips for glomming on:
Don’t think that your audience members don’t care about what’s hot.
They do, and they’re scanning their Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and other feeds all day long looking for it. Even at work. (Managers, sorry to break it to you.) And before you generalize, I assure you: No matter the demographic group, social media is only ever as far away as their phone.
View your social feed as a one-stop shop for your audience.
Your audience already trusts you and turns to you for information pertinent to their careers. Now you need to serve them the chocolate with their Brussels sprouts (or whatever food analogy you prefer).
Your follower is busy, with limited time to spare; if you meet them where they are (Twitter, Facebook or otherwise) and tell them what matters today — most of it business and some of it trends and entertainment — you have saved them time. And that is the most valuable service of all.
Use trending topics or hashtags to show your relevancy in the marketplace and engagement with what’s ‘now.’
Does your Twitter feed look a lot like a bunch of headlines and links with no hashtags or personality? Is the tone buttoned-up and the conversation one-sided — with your feed delivering information without analysis or engagement? If you answered yes, you have two options: Delete your Twitter account and save yourself the effort, or reimagine the platform as a two-way street, one where your brand is as multi-dimensional and fun as your reader.
Start by learning the most commonly used hashtags.
For the record, #TBT is #ThrowbackThursday (the zaniest images at least 5 years old, if you don’t want to offend the social media elite) and #TT is #TransformationTuesday, a time to show how you’ve changed over time. Pretty much every day of the week has a few go-to trending topics that you can start using right away. Make a goal to start this Friday (I’m giving you two days to plan!) with one of the following:
#FBF or #FlashbackFriday, where you show how your products have changed over time.
#FF or #FollowFriday, to give a shout-out to your current customers, vendors or partners or those you wish to start a conversation with in the future.
Check back Friday (after you’ve made your trending posts) for my blog on advanced trending skills, or how you can use free tools on the web to see what’s trending for your audience specifically.
