B2B organisations have accepted the importance and power of social media, especially the most fast-paced network of them all: Twitter. A staggering 83 per cent of B2B marketers now use the platform, according to the Social Media Examiner.
However, being present doesn’t necessarily mean B2B brands are doing Twitter marketing well. So, to help you excel on this network we’ve searched high and low for the best examples of B2B companies on Twitter. While we were originally searching for a top five, competition was so fierce and so, with a split decision in the judging panel, we decided to include a sixth entry.
These six entries are not just brands acknowledging the importance of being part of the conversation, but pushing their marketing a step further. Whether it’s in terms of regional engagement, CSR or measuring metrics, professionals can learn something new from the profiles below:
Agree with the list? Or did we miss anyone out? Get involved in the discussion @MarketingB2B using the hashtag #TopB2BTwitter.
Followers: 30.5K
Why it rules: Regional engagement
The B2B technology giant’s Twitter presence proves maintaining multiple social media accounts doesn’t necessarily dilute a brand. Cisco has chosen to create regional content hubs (with their own social profiles) to connect with specific audience segments. This is a bid to make its relationships with followers more personal, while allowing the corporation to be more reactive to the latest events.
The UK and Ireland Twitter handle is a great example of its success. The marketing team has chosen to trial a more casual tone of voice on the account, steering away from link-filled updates and instead sharing more exciting content their audience will enjoy. The main aim is not to increase web traffic from social media, or sell, but fuel engagement.
Cisco has increased interactions and conversations by focusing on wider subjects, linked to both the brand as well as its customers interests, such as sci-fi and innovation. The marketing department creates specific social content around these themes. Their stream is filled with a ton of visual content from short video clips about conversational tech, to colourful, snappy gifs illustrating the journey towards the driverless car.
Lucas Betés, digital marketing and brand manager at Cisco UK & Ireland, stresses the importance of putting social content first. He says: “There’s no denying that social media is a key part to any content strategy. When you look at our storytelling pieces, videos and so on, a lot of the content we produce is actually designed for social-first, as opposed to thinking about it afterwards, which used to be the norm. When you look at the digital journey, social media is often one of the first points of contact. And when it is, if you fail, then your audience will never progress further down the funnel – it’s a vital piece of the puzzle.”
Followers: 7.57 million
Why it rules: Repurposing content
First things first. If you’re marketer that wants to stay ahead of the latest social developments as well as receiving a ton of useful tips, Hootsuite is well worth a follow.
The social analytics platform’s Twitter feed showcases the brand’s humorous personality, while offering links to a range of useful articles regarding social media marketing. The links tend to be to BuzzFeed-style blogs that allow its audience to learn something new in a matter of minutes. Plus, the company underlines the power of visuals by attaching images, gifs and videos to all updates to make them stand out (and get clicked).
However, what makes Hootsuite social marketing great is how it translates its social media success across its other digital channels. For example, Hootsuite hosts a successful weekly #HootChat, allowing its audience to discuss a range of interesting subjects, such as ‘connecting with the next three billion people on social’. After the hour-long chat is over, the brand compiles its favourite answers on a dedicated blog (hootchat.tumblr.com) for its audience to look back through.
B2B marketers should consider the different ways their brand can crowdsource content and repurpose it across their portfolio. It’s a quick and easy way to create additional marketing materials, while initiating a conversation with your following.
Followers: 662K
Why it rules: Brand advoacy
The inbound marketing platform’s vast Twitter presence spans multiple accounts, with dedicated profiles for everything from support to product development and research. Across the handles the company maintains a friendly and casual tone of voice that at times will get you giggling through cheeky updates such as:
Yet, it’s HubSpot’s employees that ensure its Twitter marketing shines. The organisation is successfully deploying an impressive brand advocacy programme, with everyone from the CEO to marketing executives tweeting in force. Twitter bios are used to highlight the handles of the person behind the account. These employees humanise the brand, and allow customers to interact directly with a person, rather than a logo. Copy and pasted robotic updates about the company’s latest product release are nowhere to be seen. Instead, staff are given the freedom to share what they want, when they want, including their quirky personalities.
Furthermore, HubSpot launched a customer ambassador programme in 2015. ‘HubStars’ allows its ‘best, most passionate customers and superfans’ to connect, while spreading the business’ key messages (on platforms like Twitter). The initiative has resulted in a 200 per cent customer reference attribution, helping towards the company’s 53 per cent revenue growth last year. The results underscore the power of nurturing both internal and external brand advocates.
Followers: 4,449
Why it rules: Social-centric campaigns
It’s not only the B2B giants that are excelling on Twitter: smaller companies can also use the 140-character platform to their advantage. Conference call provider Powwownow is a great example of this. The brand recognises the power of being part of the conversation, so rather than broadcasting updates to its followers, it focuses on response time and engagement.
Candice Choo, content marketing executive at Powwownow, explains the importance of brands being reactive on social media: “People are quick to jump to Twitter if they want an instant response, so we always have TweetDeck open all day, everyday. If someone has a question about something – a customer query, a complaint, or a comment about our campaign – we’re responsive because that is what social media is about.”
Powwonow uses Twitter to highlight its approachable personality and is consistently rolling out social campaigns to get its audience talking.
Currently the brand is focusing on the benefits of flexible working by sharing a range of useful content, including facts and stats from its newly published research report. The activity aims to show both businesses and individuals that flexible working is not just for big corporates, but for everyone aiming to maintain a positive work-life balance. To encourage its audience to get involved in the conversation, the company is running a social media competition asking their followers on Twitter and Instagram to share the best aspects of flexible working using the hashtag #FlexibleWorkWin. Offering prizes for the best entries, Powwownow hopes to gather some great crowd-sourced content (like the photo below).
Followers: 1.21 million
Why it rules: CSR
LinkedIn’s presence on Twitter showcases the variety of ways brands can really use this social network. The company uses its competitor platform to highlight its vast social media knowledge, while putting customers first.
The company deploys an array of Twitter accounts to achieve different goals. For instance, @LinkedInMktg aims to inspire professionals to succeed in business and their careers. @LinkedInPulse offers daily news from the organisation’s publishing platform. Additionally, its impressive customer service handle (@LinkedInHelp) offers instant advice to those experiencing issues with the platform.
But it’s the brand’s CSR Twitter handle ‘LinkedIn for good’ that is really interesting. The feed aims to connect professionals with not-for-profit or charity opportunities which impact the world. Twitter is a simple and effective way to carry out this mission, while highlighting the good work LinkedIn is doing by connecting people. The feed is filled with interesting stats about the sector, as well as various volunteer, employee and donor opportunities from across the world.
B2B brands should follow LinkedIn’s lead and not shy away from using social networks to highlight their own CSR programmes. This allows followers an insight into company culture and is a great way to celebrate success.
Followers: 434K
Why it rules: Measuring metrics
Seattle-based marketing analytics software, Moz, uses its Twitter presence to create a vibrant online marketing community that actually impacts company success. This means the team focuses on drilling down and monitoring the metrics that matter in order to really understand their audience.
The organisation uses Twitter to achieve numerous marketing goals, including increasing brand awareness, building relationships, and gaining feedback about products and events. Additionally, it provides customer support on the platform. Moz ensures its social media marketing efforts have real impact by linking key metrics to business goals.
Jen Lopez, director of community at Moz, explains: “Since social media is pretty top-of-the-funnel, you’ll often have goals around increasing engagement and traffic to your site, or growing community and improving customer service, and not as much around increasing sales or subscriber numbers. Moz has always been a very customer/community-centred organisation, so while the community team will always be focused on customer service and expanding the community, on a quarterly basis we additionally focus on helping to meet the goals of the marketing team as a whole.”
As a result, the team keep a close eye on its monthly engagement stats as well as referral traffic. The latest graph can be seen below:
B2B marketers can learn from Moz’s commitment to proving how social impacts company success. Simple things like considering how business goals link to your latest social campaign, carrying out yearly audits and monthly reports to discover what’s working (and what’s not) is a great start.
Interested in learning more about how B2B brands can harness the power of Twitter? Check out our Beginner’s Guide to Twitter for step-by-step practical guidance on effective Twitter marketing, from everyday management tips through to creating an effective strategy.
