Communication channels for B2B

According to a study by McKinsey & Company, omnichannel in sales has taken on new dimensions after the pandemic. B2B customers now regularly use ten or more channels to interact with suppliers. To reach the target audience as deeply and efficiently as possible, you can focus on the updated PESO model, combining all available communication channels and tools.

We’ll talk about the main ones below. 

• Your website. High-quality content on a company’s website works for the brand and provides it with better visibility in search engines. Therefore, it is worth contacting an SEO specialist who will help you customize your website and offer content solutions that will make it more visible. This will make it easier for a potential client to find you and evaluate your offer. Expert and analytical articles, research, webinars, etc. are very effective. Superficial articles, even with the correct use of the semantic core for SEO optimization, will not give the desired result.
• Email newsletters. The approach to email campaigns should be as structured and personalized as possible. The first step is to segment and select offers that are interesting to the audience. The B2B segment is unique primarily because there may be very few customers, both potential and existing, but they will be larger than in the B2C segment. Save time, and try to write clearly and to the point, without unnecessary digressions. Consider the circumstances and be flexible. Sending your offers during missile attacks is not the best option. 
• Video and audio platforms. Webinars, online courses, and video guides provide additional value to the audience by increasing their awareness and allowing them to communicate with the speaker in real-time and address pressing issues.
  Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular, and experts are already calling them the main marketing and PR channel of 2024. You can create your podcast or integrate your offer into existing ones. 
• Industry exhibitions and conferences. Participation in various offline events is still one of the main channels for expanding networking. Brand recognition and personal acquaintances are classics that remain relevant despite the war and other circumstances. It is also a great opportunity to agree on partnership collaborations. Such projects can be beneficial for different brands, as they help not only to increase the audience but also to create unique offers for customers. 
• Social media. You can find your way to a customer through social media, and the B2B segment is no exception. Let’s talk about how and through which social networks to communicate.

SMM in B2B: a way to build trusting relationships

Social media in the business segment is still an unpopular practice among Ukrainian companies. Many businesses still prefer classic communication channels, focusing on branding and media presence. However, SMM can be an effective tool for building trust with the target audience in B2B. According to Meltwater‘s estimates, as of January 2024, 5.04 billion users were registered on social media worldwide, which is 62.3% of the world’s population. In Ukraine, the number of social media users reaches 24.3 million, or 64.9% of the population. So you can find almost anyone.

The main principle of successful B2B communication on social media is to realize that you are not communicating with an abstract company, but with a real person who represents it. CEO, founder, or manager – these people come to social media primarily for recreation and entertainment content. Therefore, it is important to generate content that resonates with their interests and needs.

Building a community and engaging an audience requires a combination of different types of content:

• Entertainment content helps to attract attention and build a community around the brand; 
• Expert content demonstrates your understanding of the pain and problems of your target audience – not just those related to your product; 
• Product content directly promotes your solutions through the prism of consumer benefits.

To have a successful presence on Facebook and Instagram, you should make the most of all available content formats: static and carousel posts, reels, stories, etc. Particular attention should be paid to video content, which can directly affect lead generation, website traffic, and sales and has gained considerable popularity. For example, 90% of marketers say that video content has given them a high ROI, 88% say that it has helped users improve their understanding of products or services, and 90% say that it has increased brand awareness (according to a Wyzowl report).

Despite its entertainment nature, TikTok can also become an effective platform for B2B communications. According to the Digital 2024: Ukraine, in the last year alone (from early 2023 to early 2024), the reach of TikTok ads increased by 3.5 million, or 26.6%. In total, at the beginning of 2024, TikTok had 16.47 million users aged 18 and older. 

However, this network requires a creative and unconventional approach to content creation. It’s not about demonstrating products, but about building a holistic communication strategy around the needs of your audience. The target audience should not be limited to a narrow circle. For example, if you provide services to coffee shops, you shouldn’t limit yourself to coffee shop owners. In this case, it is better to target both people who have already started their own business and those who may start one or have other influence on the business. 

LinkedIn is considered the most suitable network for B2B due to its audience of professionals, although it is only beginning to gain popularity in this segment in Ukraine. 

News about company achievements, insights, participation in exhibitions or conferences, and success stories are best converted on LinkedIn. To increase your influence on LinkedIn, it’s important to develop the personal brand of your company’s influencers. According to Sprout Social, 70% of consumers said they feel more connected to brands whose leaders are active on social media. 

But regardless of the platform, you shouldn’t forget about building communities on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok through interaction in the comments. This allows the company to show a unique tone, demonstrate ownership, and maintain audience engagement.

Thus, B2B SMM has a huge potential for building trust and loyalty with business audiences. However, to realize this potential, a strategic and human-centered approach is required, using a variety of content and active interaction with communities.