B2B Social Media Content Guidelines

Are you following any B2B social media content guidelines to drive your social media strategy? If not, you should consider following the 4-1-1 and 5-3-2 rules.

Building an effective social media component into your B2B marketing program is critical. But, trying to make the most of your digital presence can be a complex affair. Are you struggling to strike the right balance between social media content strategies? If so, follow the rules!

The B2B Social Media Rules You Need to Follow

The 4-1-1 Rule

To be successful in your B2B social media marketing endeavors, you must know how to strike the balance between engagement and self-promotion on your social media channels.

Of course, you want to leverage your social media pages to promote your business, but is that your only goal? If yes, then you’ll lose followers one after the other.

The 4-1-1 rule provides you with a guideline for the type of content you should post, including promotional posts for your business.

Out of every six posts on your social feed, at least four posts should be informative and engaging, one can be soft promotional (press release, news, announcements, un-gated or shared content, etc.), and one can be hard promotional with a compelling call-to-action (contest, giveaways, sales promotions, etc.). The primary idea behind the 4-1-1 rule is that your social media content should be new and engaging. Your social media followers want variety. Think about it: don't you appreciate a mix with the companies you follow?

The 5-3-2 Rule

The 5-3-2 rule can help you achieve a balance with your social media posting strategy. Consider 10 posts and see how you can apply the 5-3-2 rule. Here’s how the distribution of the posts will look like:
  • Curation — 5 posts should be from different sources that are relevant to your audience.
  • Creation — 3 posts should contain original content created by you.
  • Humanization — 2 posts should be entertaining, fun content that humanizes your brand or business to your audience.

Can you spot the common point in the three stages mentioned above? All three points are audience-focused. Now, to understand each stage better, let’s explore some more details.

Curation. 50% of your B2B social media content strategy should be focused on content from different sources that are relevant to your audience and niche. Examples of such content can be news articles, blogs on other websites that may interest your audience, Quora discussions, etc. Sharing content related to your industry will showcase your expertise in the field.

Creation. The next step is creating original content, which comprises 30% of your B2B social media content strategy. Avoid hard-selling your business. Effective social media provides your audience with information and valuable content. Talk about different topics and don’t focus your efforts on similar discussions. The types of content you can create include articles, blogs, infographics, e-books, whitepapers, videos, etc.

Humanization. This is the stage where you show your audience that you are a human and not just a fancy brand. You can flaunt your vibrant personality and humor if that suits your business. It can be completely random content, contests, fun activities, or something related to your industry to keep your audience engaged. This type of content will bring your business to life.

The Best Times to Post on Social Media

Now that you know the top B2B social media rules, let’s look at some recommended posting times, according to Sprout Social. Keep in mind that these are only suggestions based on a wide range of analytics. Your best times to post will be based on your business, your audience, and your own analytics. Experiment!

Facebook and Instagram

  • Wednesday is the best day to post content on Facebook and Instagram
  • The best times are 11 am and 1 pm
  • The day with the least amount of engagement on Facebook and Instagram is Sunday
  • The worst times to post on Facebook and Instagram are every day before 7 am and after 5 pm

Twitter

  • Tuesday and Wednesday are the most recommended days for posting on Twitter
  • The best times are 9 am on Wednesday and Friday
  • The day with the least amount of engagement on Twitter is Saturday
  • The worst times to post on Twitter are between 10 pm and 4 am daily

LinkedIn

  • Wednesday is the best day to post content on LinkedIn
  • The best times are 9-10 am and 12 pm
  • The day with the least amount of engagement on LinkedIn is Sunday
  • The worst times to post on LinkedIn are between 9 pm and 3 am every day

Top 3 Types of Social Media Content You Should Create

By now, you know the social media posting rules and the best time to post on social media. Now let’s look at the type of social media content you should create to engage your customers and prospects.

Articles, Blogs, Case Studies, Whitepapers

These content types can help your customers and prospects learn more about your B2B organization. They can also help you build credibility in your industry. The best platforms for promoting these types of content are Facebook and LinkedIn.

Infographics

Infographics are the most shared content types on social media. They are extremely engaging and comprise content with visuals, making them easy to consume. Research shows that when an image was combined with relevant information, people retained 65% of the information 3 days later.

Infographics are suitable for almost all social media platforms. However, Instagram and Facebook should be your first choice. You can also promote infographics on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Videos

Videos are one of the most viral forms of content; they are perfect for social media marketing. Research shows that social videos generate 1200% more shares than text and images paired together. To increase social media engagement, ensure you add videos to your social media strategy.

YouTube is the boss when it comes to videos. Nevertheless, videos perform extremely well on Facebook and Instagram too.

Need help developing a B2B social media strategy or content? Contact us today!

This post was originally published in August 2019 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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