The social media landscape has been through the mangle in the past two years. Elon Musk obtained and transformed Twitter to X, and Meta launched Threads. Bluesky and Mastodon debuted. and let's not forget Meta opening up to the open-source world of the Fediverse.
Currently, studies show that over 40% of consumers prefer to find brands on social media rather than traditional search engines, so B2B public relations professionals must find their way through the changes and have a clear social media policy.
B2B buyer behaviors have changed significantly over the past few years as well. Gone are the days of sales representatives talking directly to potential buyers from the get-go. Apart from anything else, there’s a new wave of Gen Z B2B buyers who favor conducting their own research. Against this backdrop, B2B PR pros now need to effectively position their brands to be recognized by these potential buyers. This is where social media can play a key role in helping communicators show off their brand equity, thought leadership, and subject matter experts to potential buyers.
So, what are the biggest developments B2B PR pros need to be aware of to refine their social media strategy?
Is LinkedIn’s B2B Social Media Crown Slipping?
First, practitioners need to understand where their target audience is. For years LinkedIn has been crowned the king of B2B social media with 80% of B2B PR pros worldwide using the platform. In fact, LinkedIn now boasts an impressive 1 billion-plus users from over 200 different countries, but is the platform capable of constantly updating and evolving with the ever-changing B2B social media landscape?
There has been a lot of movement recently in the B2B social media landscape with Meta introducing an advertising program for targeting multiple platform audiences for a fraction of LinkedIn’s price. Bluesky continues to grow in light of the X exodus, and currently sits at 32 million users. The introduction of paid subscriptions, reduced analytics tools, and being named one of the biggest sources of fake news and disinformation could be the main reasons behind this downfall, which has seen nearly one fifth of its daily users drop off the platform.
So far, no other platform has been able to knock LinkedIn off its B2B social media throne, but it’s definitely something for PR pros to keep an eye on.
The New Kid on the Social Media Block—Enter the Fediverse
Elsewhere, Mark Zuckerberg rocked the social media world in 2024 when he announced that Threads was joining the Fediverse. The Fediverse is an open-source and decentralized network of interconnected social media platforms that has amassed over 200 million new users. By operating on a decentralized model, the Fediverse offers users increased control over their data and interactions as there is no central authority governing the platform.
When leveraged correctly it’s a great opportunity for both users and PR pros to follow, like, and engage with experts and B2B buyers of similar interests and industries, no matter the social channel.
Now is the time for communicators to react early and consider joining the Fediverse. With the future of other social media platforms up in the air, (take TikTok’s ban/reinstatement in the U.S. as an example) could we soon see a mass movement of organizations entering the Fediverse?
Zero in on Zero-Click Content
Have you ever tried to find information online and ended up clicking on links to find the answer only to never actually get the one you’re after? Enter, zero-click content. As the name suggests, it refers to content that requires zero clicks as the information is presented to the user in one place without them having to leave the page.
B2B PR pros should take note of the importance of zero-click content due to its growing popularity among users and with the social media algorithms of LinkedIn and X. Witness its rise on LinkedIn, with over 50% of posts now created as zero-click due to the platform offering in-house blog and article publishing features. These posts are getting on average six times more reactions compared to posts with external links, as algorithms are increasingly designed to keep users on specific platforms without venturing to external sites. So, it’s up to communicators to create content that fits with these algorithms to experience the payoff of greater engagement and brand visibility.
Zero-click can apply to not only social media but SEO as well, with search results now showing a snapshot of content before users click through. Content needs to be precise, engaging and informative.
From SERPs to Social Media—the Power of SEO
SEO is already a staple tactic in B2B marketing to stand out in search engine results pages (SERPs). But with 31% of social media users now using social platforms for search instead of traditional search engines, it’s making headwind in the social media world too. Social media SEO involves utilizing traditional SEO strategies such as keywords on profile pages and posts to increase traffic and opportunities to connect with target audiences.
Witness the new trend on LinkedIn to optimize your profile for LinkedIn SEO—a strategy geared towards increasing visibility on LinkedIn and its search results. First, practitioners need to understand what their audience is searching for when it comes to likeminded LinkedIn profiles and how, and then it’s about optimizing social media content, pages and profiles.
But remember, it’s not just LinkedIn that this is applicable to—take the example of TikTok increasing their video captions from 300 to 2,200 words, or Pinterest actively encouraging users to use the right keywords to affect content distribution positively. It's important consider the keyword selection.
Social Listening in B2B Isn’t Helpful—It’s Essential
Even with all the recent changes across social media, in 2024 social media users surpassed the five billion mark and increased by 266 million compared to 2023. It’s now harder than ever for brands to keep tabs on their position and reputation across the ever-widening range of social channels. This is where social listening comes in.
Social listening is often a term more regularly associated with B2C brands for analyzing consumer conversations, but it’s now essential for B2B brands as well. This strategy helps companies monitor social media conversations and gain insights on key customer pain points, market trends and brand narratives. B2B brands can also track and analyze competitors and industry influencers, and their own views, issues, and customer reactions to help position brands in a positive light.
Brand equity is a growing influence in the B2B landscape, with over 90% of B2B buyers completely or somewhat trusting peers in their industry. Through social listening, B2B brands can tailor their content to ensure it hits customer pain points—addressing customer concerns identified from social conversations, and building a stronger brand image across all social channels for potential B2B buyers to see.
Social Media is Tricky to Manage, but It’s Worth It
The social media world is a turbulent place, and a difficult one for B2B PR pros to navigate, but the payoff is well worth it for those that can adapt their strategies. By ensuring content is suited to social platforms, communicators can improve brand equity and stay ahead of the B2B competition.
Jamie Kightley is Head of Client Services at IBA International.