Tips for Using Social Media to Generate More B2B Sales Leads

It's estimated that 74% of adults use social media, according to the Pew Internet Project. While many people use it strictly for personal purposes, social media offers a powerful platform on which to generate B2B sales leads. So if you're looking to generate more commercial leads, check out the following social media tips.

Post Photos of Equipment

Corporate buyers and decision makers typically want to see what a new piece of equipment looks like before buying it, which is why it's a good idea to post photos of your equipment on social media. You don't need any special photography equipment, you could use something as a simple point-and-click digital camera – or your smartphone's camera – will suffice. After taking some photos of the products you sell, upload them to Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, Google+, LinkedIn, Instagram, and any other social media accounts set up for your brand.

Encourage Customer Reviews

Customer reviews go a long ways in encouraging others to purchase your equipment and products. If a potential client is contemplating whether or not to make a purchase, he or she may seek reviews from past customers to help make their decision. Assuming these reviews are positive, it will likely convert them into a paying customer. In addition to allowing customers to post reviews on your website, you can also enable this feature on certain social media networks. Facebook, for instance, allows users to post reviews on business pages, as long as those pages are created under the “local business” category.

Display Contact Information

Because B2B sales are generally large, prospects may seek to contact the seller before making a purchase. Perhaps they want to know more about the equipment, such as how it works, why it's a good choice for their respective business, or what type of manufacturers warranty it comes with. You can ease prospective clients' worries by making yourself readily available and publicly displaying your contact information on social media. Don't just include your business's name and address, but also include your phone number and email address.

Publish New Content Regularly

Social media networking is only beneficial if you have a strong following of active users or if you are regularly involved in "groups" where your prospects spend time. If no one follows your profiles and pages or you are not contributing to discussions, it's not going to prove helpful in generating B2B leads. The secret to achieving a strong following on social media is to publish new content regularly. Content is the driving force behind every successful brand's presence on social media. Try to get into the habit of posting at least one piece of new content every couple of days to your social media accounts, using relevant #hashtags for greater visibility and user engagement.

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