Social media management is one of the most talked about roles on LinkedIn. If you do a quick search, you’ll find a wealth of content that amuses, intrigues, and sometimes cuts a little close to home:
- Parody posts about the sometimes excessive list of responsibilities that get bucketed under “social media”.
- The occasional fun jab at leaders who think social media posting is just a part-time gig.
- Genuinely insightful posts about the impact of B2B social media marketing on brand awareness and even lead generation.
The fact that this trend is happening on LinkedIn shows that social media is a central part of conversations about B2B tech marketing. B2B companies are active on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, X, and even TikTok, creating content to engage their target audience and reach potential customers.
1: Set clear, measurable social media goals
Every post should contribute directly to one or more measurable goals. That could be driving brand awareness, lead generation, or nurturing customer loyalty.
Track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that matter
Common KPIs include engagement metrics like likes, comments, and shares, which indicate how well your posts resonate with your audience. For lead generation, you can track click-through rates, form submissions, and the number of qualified leads you capture through social channels. Each KPI should map back to a specific business objective.
Balancing short-term wins with long-term goals
It’s easy to get excited when a post goes “viral” (it can happen, even in B2B tech), or follower numbers make a sudden jump. But it’s important to strike a balance between these “vanity metrics” and actual long-term relationships building. This takes longer, and it’s less glamorous – but it’s where real results come from.
Action step: All the goals you set should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. Start by identifying one primary goal that meets those requirements for the next quarter. For example:
- Increase brand awareness by 20%.
- Generating a specific number of leads.
- Add 15% new followers on LinkedIn.
These are all clear, with easily defined victory conditions to evaluate at the end of the quarter.
2: Identify your target audience and buyer persona
B2B decisions are typically made by teams of stakeholders and decision-makers, each with distinct priorities. You need to know who these decision-makers are.
Buyer personas: the main characters in your B2B sales story
Buyer personas help determine what type of content to create, which platforms to focus on, and the messaging tone you should aim for. Segment these personas by role, industry, and engagement level to ensure you’re addressing specific needs.
Once you identify these personas, flesh them out by understanding their pain points, and how your products or services help them. Are they struggling with inefficient workflows, scalability challenges, or compliance issues? Your content strategy should address these pain points directly.
Action Step: Develop 2-3 key buyer personas. Focus on the most important decision-makers in your sales cycle. Think through their challenges, and what drives their choices.
Are you talking to the CTO looking for innovative tech? Or do you need to engage the procurement officer who’s worried about costs? The answers to these questions are the starting point for any successful B2B social media strategy.
3: Choosing the right platforms for B2B tech engagement
LinkedIn is, of course, the place to be for every B2B tech company. It’s a space where professionals actively seek industry insights and engage with thought leaders. It also has a range of features that enable you to target decision-makers by industry, role, and company size.
But should you be casting a wider net?
Other social media channels to consider
Beyond LinkedIn, platforms like YouTube and X (formerly Twitter) can help broaden your reach. YouTube is ideal for product demos, webinars, and case studies demonstrating social proof. X is useful for timely updates and building a thought leadership presence. It’s also frequented by software developers, which makes it a must-have for cybersecurity and AI/ML businesses. Slack communities can also provide engagement within niche industry groups.
Platforms like Reddit and Quora are excellent for niching down even further. They host in-depth discussions where you can position your brand as an expert.
How about Instagram and TikTok?
These might not be the first choices for most B2B tech brands. But some companies perform surprisingly well on these platforms with the right approach.
Cybersecurity firms can use TikTok to create short videos about common security pitfalls. Cybersecurity is a relatable and often urgent topic, so these educational clips can build brand awareness and trust.
SaaS companies that provide workflow automation or project management tools can use TikTok to showcase real-life productivity hacks or creative use cases of their software.
Another great fit for TikTok is AI or robotics companies. They can create visually appealing content that showcases the technology behind their products—such as robots in action or AI-generated results.
Action Step: Use a combination of audience and competitor research to find out where your audience is most active. Start with 1 or 2 at first, before expanding.
4: Creating social media content that decision-makers care about
Before you create a single post, develop a defined number of pillars: different content types and formats to deliver your messaging. Depending on your B2B vertical, you will need a mix of long-form content with short, actionable insights.
Also consider the way that your audience likes to consume content: some audiences engage with regular webinars, others prefer product demos.
Action step: Create a content calendar for the next month focusing on key pillars.
5: Best practices for LinkedIn engagement in the tech sector
Here are 4 key strategies to maximize your presence on the premier social media platform for B2B:
1. Optimize your company page with an engaging summary, relevant keywords, and high-quality visuals.
2. Actively participate in relevant LinkedIn Groups to build authority, share insights, and connect with key industry figures.
3. Encourage employees to share company posts and industry insights. Employee advocacy extends your organic reach and adds a personal touch to your brand.
4. Sponsored Content and InMail campaigns can effectively target decision-makers. Tailor ads to specific industries or roles and offer valuable content to nurture leads.
Action Step: Engage with LinkedIn groups relevant to your industry to enhance networking and boost authority.
6: Building a consistent posting and engagement schedule
Develop a schedule for regular posts, ensuring a steady flow of valuable content. Automation can be a powerful tool for consistency, but it’s important not to sacrifice genuine engagement. Automated posts should be complemented by real-time interaction to maintain authenticity.
Action Step: Implement a social media management tool for scheduling to keep your posting regular and organized.
7: Leveraging thought leadership to build trust
Creating articles, research papers, and interviews positions your company as an expert and a trusted industry voice. Amplify your reach by partnering with important figures in your sector to share and endorse your content.
Action Step: Publish one thought leadership article on LinkedIn to showcase your expertise and start building trust with your audience.
8: Tracking and measuring success on social media: step-by-step
Social media can be a high-ROI activity. But like any investment, you have to plan and then measure everything you’re doing in order to know what return you’re getting.
- Create gated content: valuable resources like whitepapers, webinars, or case studies that require users to provide their contact information. Share targeted posts and ads on LinkedIn to encourage your audience to access these gated resources.
- Capture leads: Use that content to collect contact information in exchange for an ebook or other type of asset.
- Nurture leads: Engage captured leads with relevant social media content to guide them through the sales funnel.
- Measure engagement metrics: Clicks, downloads, and social media interactions indicate how well your campaign is performing.
Action Step: Set up a lead generation campaign on LinkedIn using a free resource to capture and nurture leads.
Common pitfalls to avoid in B2B social media marketing
Here are 3 of the biggest mistakes that B2B tech companies make with their social media:
Overemphasis on brand awareness without clear objectives
Keep focused on metrics like lead generation and customer engagement to ensure that the resources you’re investing are yielding results that advance your business – not just your image.
Neglecting LinkedIn
Every B2B business needs to be making use of the opportunities that LinkedIn offers for networking, thought leadership, and direct engagement with decision-makers. Treat LinkedIn as your starting point before branching out to other platforms.
Inconsistent posting schedules
Posting inconsistently can result in a loss of visibility, causing audiences to lose interest or forget about your brand entirely. Maintaining a regular posting schedule helps to build trust, stay top-of-mind, and improve engagement.
Action Step: Audit your current social media strategy for these common errors. Ensure your efforts have clear goals, you’re leveraging LinkedIn effectively, and you’re maintaining a good posting cadence.
Case study: a winning B2B social media strategy in tech
Tadiran Indoor Air Quality, with the support of Inspired Marketing, successfully introduced their innovative air purification solution, TADIRAN AIROW 3™, to the US market. Targeting the B2B2C HVAC industry, Tadiran needed a partner to craft a standout marketing strategy tailored for North America.
Inspired Marketing created a comprehensive social media strategy featuring engaging graphics, videos and thought leadership post to build brand authority and attract distributors. This approach resulted in a 330% increase in LinkedIn followers, a 282% surge in clicks, and impressive growth in likes and shares. The collaboration between Tadiran and Inspired Marketing exemplifies how effective, tailored content can expand brand presence, even in a saturated market.
Leverage the Inspired blueprint for social media success in B2B tech
As a strategic partner for leading B2B tech brands, Inspired Marketing delivers tailored social media strategies that drive real business outcomes. By combining data-driven insights with creative content, we create impactful campaigns that expand brand presence and nurture lasting customer relationships. Whether it’s breaking into new markets, establishing thought leadership, or amplifying product visibility, Inspired Marketing is dedicated to turning ambitious goals into measurable success.
Download our complete guide, “B2B Social Media Marketing Mastery: A Comprehensive Guide for Marketing Managers,” for actionable insights and strategies you can start implementing today.