A recent 2016 Social Media Impact report looked at the ways in which B2B companies use social media, and how each platform and industry fared. This revealed some interesting findings, so read on to see what we made of the results. 

Unsurprisingly, LinkedIn was still shown to be the most popular platform, with B2B brands typically having their largest followings here. It’s arguably the best place to connect with industry-related communities, share expert content, and communicate in an email-style format via the site’s InMail feature. Examples of some of the top brands using LinkedIn effectively include financial services company BlackRock, who have amassed over 250,000 followers. Their approach includes regular posts on industry news, guidance and expert advice, which, according to the company’s Global Director of Social media, has helped drive over $17-18 million dollars in revenue. Likewise, IBM is a LinkedIn heavyweight, with a following of over 2.8 million followers. Their strategy is again based on providing insightful news and expertise within the technology sector, and highlighting their corporate events.

However, while the report revealed LinkedIn to be the favourite channel, it also found that Instagram usage resulted in the highest amount of engagement. In fact, the average engagement ratio for B2B companies on Instagram was 22.53, compared to 15.88 on Pinterest and 5.99 on Facebook. LinkedIn, it seems, was deemed one of the worst, with an engagement rate of just 1.09, while surprisingly Twitter, showed a meagre ratio of 0.86. The findings are certainly unusual, as we have generally found Twitter to be one of the best forums to converse with peers in our industry, and especially when joining live chat sessions.

However, a platform like Twitter certainly requires more effort to consistently engage than Instagram, which is where B2B marketers may be falling short. An effective strategy should really be about both communicating with potential clients via direct message and retweets, while also frequently posting articles and comments centred around industry news. If a good balance isn’t achieved, followers can certainly be turned off- especially as there isn’t as much of a visual aspect to rely on.

So where Twitter leaves a gap, B2B companies have instead been turning to Instagram to showcase all areas of working life, from their employee team events, to fun everyday situations in the office. For instance, fellow digital agency Vayner Media uses Instagram to show off its employees, with images and videos revealing what they get up to both in and out of the office. Not only that, but the company also shares expert advice, with employees sharing their predictions and thoughts on the current and future digital landscape. Email marketing company MailChimp approaches Instagram in a similar creative manner, with posts introducing followers to its staff, sharing innovative design work, and using the comments section to post helpful advice. Clearly, Instagram is the best platform on which B2B companies find that they receive the most reaction, and in turn, this should help to create brand advocacy.

What do you think of the findings? Which platform do you think is the most effective for B2B businesses in terms of engagement and influence? We’d love to hear your thoughts, so please tweet to us @PracticeDigital and share your comments on our Facebook page.