In our series of articles looking at social media and its use for B2B marketing, we have already explored Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and TikTok. Next up is Facebook, should you be using it for B2B marketing?
Facebook is a global giant, coming in with over 2.9 billion active users every month[ref1] . As I’m sure you are all aware, Facebook is a social networking platform that essentially, allows users to connect with friends and family, post comments, photos and videos. Over time, the site has become more than just a place to connect with friends. Users can connect in groups, follow pages of interest and even sell in the Facebook marketplace.
With billions of users, it’s up there in the heavyweight category. Is Facebook useful for B2B marketing and is it really the place to be seen?
Let’s take a look at the demographic in a bit more detail.
Main demographic of Facebook – a quick overview
Facebook is the number one most used social platform in the world. 36.8% of the world’s population are monthly users.[ref2]
Sceptics may view Facebook as not the right place for B2B marketing, are they right?
Other platforms like LinkedIn may take the lead on cornering the B2B market, but is it wise to discount the sites for B2B marketing? Surely being the most populous platform means the highest potential for advertising reach?
Facebook is the favourite platform for users between ages 35-44, and research suggests that 25% of Gen Z users plan to spend less time on the platform in 2023[ref3] . This is something for marketers to consider when looking at their marketing demographics. Are the decision makers in your industry going to be Facebook users?
There are articles that sing the praises of Facebook being a B2B marketing platform. And, we don’t disagree that businesses have a place on there; but does it suit some businesses more than others?
Can Facebook make you stand out from the crowd? Here’s what the site can be used for.
How can Facebook be used for B2B marketing?
Like other social media, there is an array of options to use Facebook for. Options include posting stories, photos, live videos, and adverts. Additionally, you can create and join groups with common interests, have a business page, marketplace, and instant messenger. The options are varied.
As a B2B business and the array of options, you would need to spend time deciding which features would work best for you. Is Facebook more suitable for B2B businesses connecting locally? If you’re a business needs to reach out to a larger audience, there are probably more suitable platforms.
In recent years, the trend of posting videos and going ‘live’ have appeared across many social media platforms. As mentioned in previous articles, businesses connecting in a more human way is becoming increasingly popular in B2C and B2B marketing
One of the more enticing choices on Facebook for B2B marketing is pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Unless users already know your brand, the likelihood of connecting with you is minimal. To find potential new clients and connect with a relevant network, investing in Facebook adverts could work for some businesses.
New to Facebook adverts? Let’s look at them in a bit more detail.
Facebook Adverts.
The best practice for using ads on Facebook could have an article entirely to itself. Possibly an entire brochure. We are just going to touch on some of the key points to consider.
Facebook ads have a headline, an image and a click through link which takes the user to a website, Facebook page or app. They can appear in feeds, in-stream video, the marketplace, articles, stories and the right column of your activity feed.
Having a click through link on an ad provides a business with a route to gain potential client information. It’s a quicker process than the traditional method of entering information manually on a website. This could potentially gain businesses a higher rate of prospects for their email marketing.
Advertising examples
Here are a couple of examples of where ads can appear on Facebook and how they work.
- Sponsored stories – if you’re promoting a new service or product, you can create a sponsored story. Stories appear on friends’ and followers’ newsfeeds.
- Right column ads – there is no social interaction such as reactions and instant messaging on a right column ad. If the ad is clicked on, it sends users to a Facebook page or an external site.
To make the most of Facebook ads, doing research is helpful. It is beneficial to understand the different types of campaigns available and work out which one aligns best with your marketing goals.
Another thing to consider with advertising on Facebook is the cost. Costings can be based upon:
- cost per click (CPC)
- cost per 1000 impressions (CPM)
- cost per like (CPL)
- cost per download (CPA)
This is just a snapshot of Facebook adverts, if it’s an appealing option for your business then continuing your research would be helpful.
Going live is a popular trend, is there any benefit for a B2B business,? Let’s take a look.
Going Live
Going live is essentially streaming a live video from wherever you are, followers can engage in the moment by commenting and reacting to the content. Live videos can be repurposed to other platforms like LinkedIn and YouTube as well as being cut into shorter clips for posts on Instagram.
Facebook also allows users to upload pre-recorded videos using associated apps and schedule them to play as if live. This gives you the flexibility to plan and record to your own schedule and keep control over your content.
Is going live suitable for a B2B business? It’s debatable. Videos are a great marketing tool, but you want to target the best audience at the best time and there are better ways to do that.
Final thoughts on using Facebook for B2B marketing
Facebook has many channels to explore with regard to B2B marketing. Like many social media platforms, the site uses algorithms to collect usage data which is useful for businesses to plan and target future content for their audience.
The most attractive part of Facebook for any business is its popularity and global population reach, however, finding your audience in such an expansive network could be a challenge.
We hope this article has been helpful and given you insight into what Facebook could provide. Check out our other blogs in the series.
For more information on Facebook and other social media advertising, get in touch.
[ref1]https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-statistics/#Facebook_user_stats
[ref2]https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-statistics/#Facebook_user_stats
[ref3]https://blog.hootsuite.com/facebook-statistics/#Facebook_user_stats