Social Media & Your Startup: Part II

Social media can be a great way to reach your target audience. In my last post, I broke down how to conduct a simple audit of social media strategies, themes, and your competitors. Once you have a handle on the social media landscape in your ecosystem, then you are ready to craft a social media strategy that will drive the outcomes you want to see for your business.

For B2B businesses, LinkedIn is often the best place to get started with posting organic content (content you don't pay to promote or advertise). You can effectively use a content marketing strategy on LinkedIn to build awareness of 1) key news and business developments, and 2) showcase the culture of your firm. Now, let's break those down further:

1. Sharing key news and business developments will provide a steady drum beat of progress for your firm. I find it helpful to think about this type of content in two specific ways: 
    
   1. News item posts that tout specific activities, like a patent or a new business partnership. Here, potential customers, investors, and partners will learn of your firm's technology, regulatory, financial, business, and product developments, often in conjunction with press releases or earned media coverage.
   2. Thought leadership posts that position your firm and/or its leaders as driving the conversation in your ecosystem, signaling your firm's leadership position. Examples here include posts with outtakes from panel discussions at industry-leading conferences, or downloadable white papers.
      
      
2. Now what about company culture? Bringing to life the distinct, people-focused culture that you have built will give both potential partners and potential employees a sense of what makes your firm unique. This type of content can be particularly engaging for potential hires. Video content can be particularly compelling to bring company culture to life.
    
   1. Mission and values posts give your audience a sense of what your firm holds dear, and the role that purpose plays in both the workplace and the work of the company. 
   2. Workplace features, team-building events, and celebration posts give your audience a peek into the inner workings and the "vibe" of your startup. Posts can be as simple as featuring your startup's Hawaiian shirt day or student intern presentations.

For B2C businesses, the above approach will be useful in cultivating the business relationships that you will need to grow your company, but in order to reach your end consumer, other social media channels will become more important to your social media strategy. Depending on your company's market and categories, different channels will deliver different benefits and results. It is also important to understand the demographics and the number of active users of any social media platform that you consider.

As a general rule, I often advise Instagram as a good place to start with B2C social media for firms based in North America. Instagram's visually-oriented platform and its easy-to-use features, such as videos (reels) and commerce, are conducive to driving engagement and are easily integrated with other marketing activities.

In terms of building a community on Instagram, the playbook will be more varied, depending upon your business and products or services. Schedule a free consultation if you would like to discuss your goals and potential social media strategies for your B2C startup.

All-in-all, a strong social media strategy can be a powerful driver of business progress for both B2B and B2C startups.