Meta: Want to promote your B2B business on Instagram. Find the best ways, tips, and examples of Instagram for B2B to use in your business.
For too long, marketers have thought of Instagram as solely B2C territory. It's time to dispel this misconception.
The truth is that Instagram is a goldmine for B2B. This can help differentiate your brand, grow your audience, and increase customer loyalty. In short, B2B brands need to be there.
If you're still unsure about Instagram for B2B, get ready for a change of perspective. Keep reading for all the evidence, strategies, and tools you'll need.
Is Instagram good for B2B?
Most marketers want to see the data before making any strategy adjustments. Luckily, there is a lot of research out there that supports the effectiveness of B2B Instagram marketing strategies. Here are 3 quantitative reasons why your B2B brand should appear on Instagram:
Your customers are on Instagram
Consumer use of social media is on the rise. According to Sprout Social, over two-thirds of intergenerational consumers (71%) are using social media more than ever before.
All that time spent on social media isn't just for connecting with friends and Instagram influencers. People also use social media to connect with brands. In fact, over 50% of consumers follow brands on Instagram, making it the second most popular network used to track businesses.
Whether you're working with a single customer or a team of 10, chances are you're talking to an active Instagram user. A strong online presence can secure your place in their minds from the awareness stage to the signing of a contract.
Visual content supports every stage of the buying process
Marketers rank videos and images as the two most valuable content formats to achieve their social media goals. Short, digestible content is the secret to expressing your value proposition in a way that is memorable.
You might see this and think it's skewed towards B2C brands. After all, they have more flexibility in product demos and user-generated content on Instagram. But this couldn't be further from the truth.
A recent study by Forrester found that short videos play an important role in the B2B buying process. It can even help brands get into the coveted supplier list.
Between video posts, videos, and live streaming, Instagram can support every step of the B2B buyer journey. This puts a heavy emphasis on the use of video marketing strategies in your B2B business.
Instagram ads are changing the brand awareness game
Half of all B2B marketing content is created to build brand awareness. With Instagram ads, marketers can use compelling content to reach new audiences.
Instagram advertising campaigns provide a recall rate that is twice the Nielsen standards for online advertising. A consistent Instagram advertising strategy can ensure that potential customers remember your brand when needed.
Examples of b2b companies using instagram marketing right
Now that you know why your brand should be on Instagram, let's move on to how to do it. There are some Instagram B2B best practices you should know. Fortunately, there are many creative B2B marketers you can turn to for inspiration when developing your Instagram marketing strategy. If you don't know who to turn to, check out these four brands that have mastered the art of Instagram for B2B marketing:
1. Drift
Dialogue marketing platform Drift produces five different podcasts that cover everything from the art of business negotiation to performance. Each of them publishes new episodes several times a month, they constantly release high-quality content.
Luckily, they figured out how to repurpose this content to live outside of its original medium. The Drift social team cuts podcast recordings to use as clips for posts in the Instagram feed. This allows them to promote their shows on the new platform, creating an almost endless mine of content on Instagram.
Takeaway: In addition to sales sheets, case studies, white papers, and other marketing activities, B2B brands have a wealth of content to work with. Understanding how to use this content to support Instagram's strategy can help brands scale their online presence without putting too much strain on resources.
2. Litmus
Email marketing platform Litmus uses Instagram to share their experiences. When dealing with complex topics such as email deliverability and performance analysis, this is easier said than done. However, their team manages this with Instagram carousels.
This particular post packs a ton of value into a 1:1 square. In just nine tiles, they share 18 email subject line tips. They may even include advice from team members and subject matter experts.
All of this information helps position their brand as a leader in the space, providing subscribers and potential buyers with high-quality information.
Takeaway: According to socialinsider.io, carousel posts provide higher levels of engagement than standard posts. This is a huge win for B2B marketers, who can use the extra space to break down complex topics without sacrificing quality.
3. Unbounce
If anyone knows anything about conversions, it's the Unbounce team. When it comes to converting traffic on Instagram, the landing page solution provider relies on the of Instagram story highlights.
Unbounce publishes highlights that cover a range of topics including new product information, employer brand position, and content promotion. Because highlights can be reordered, removed, and added at any time, they can keep their profile updated to keep up with them.
Takeaway: Instagram Stories are full of additional engagement features like polls, links, quizzes, and more. With Stories Highlights, B2B brands can exceed the 24-hour engagement limit while getting the most out of their creative efforts.
4. Chili Piper
Chili Piper helps sales teams streamline their day with an inbound sales solution that provides advanced qualification, routing, and booking software. Their product meets the needs of sales professionals, just like their Instagram content.
If you look at Chili Piper's Instagram feed, you'll see posts about counseling, remote work, and productivity. While these topics may not have anything to do with software for sale, they do affect the interests of end users.
Takeaway: B2B Instagram marketing is about more than driving immediate sales. It's about building relationships with potential buyers. To prove that your account is worthy, share content that hits buyers' pain points and goals.
6 Tips for Using Instagram for B2B Marketing
You are almost ready to start developing your strategy, but there is still a lot to learn. Here are the Instagram B2B marketing tips you need to know before planning new content:
1. Clarify your goals and audience
Note that both are plural. You can use Instagram to support multiple B2B marketing goals beyond awareness. For example, you might try to connect with potential employees using the web as an employer branding tool. Or you can focus on conversions and experiment with methods to increase website traffic.
Regardless of how you plan to use the network, you need to know who and what you are aiming for in order to be successful. Once you determine this, you can work on creating the right mix of content to achieve your goals for B2B Instagram Marketing.
2. Create a link in your bio
Instagram business accounts can include links in stories, but they are still not allowed in captions on Instagram. To get around this, you'll need a link solution. Many brands rely on links in biotools to create web pages that mimic Instagram feeds so that people can access links that match specific posts. This is very important for increasing the conversion of traffic on the network.
Sprout users looking to bring all their metrics together on a single platform can use our bio link, SproutLink. Once set up, marketers can access pageview information from the Sprout platform for quick and easy reporting.
3. Dust off the latest content audit
Rolling out your Instagram B2B marketing strategy is an opportunity to take a fresh look at your content. As you browse through your marketing content library, imagine how existing resources can help you create new content on Instagram. Here are some ideas to help keep your mind moving in the right direction:
- Sales sheets can be used to create educational Instagram stories that talk about the value of your product.
- Blogs and white papers can be redesigned into carousel posts for maximum Instagram engagement.
- Case studies make great testimonial graphics.
- Your own research can contribute to the creation of countless infographics.
Another suggestion from us would be using a social media scheduler tool such as Planly. Planly is a TikTok and Instagram scheduler. It brings the user full automation and an advanced interface. With it you can store your media, schedule posts, carousels, reels, and more - all without any hassle.
4. Describe a paid strategy
You need to experiment with paid marketing to get the most out of Instagram. According to the 2021 Demand Gen Report, 32% of B2B buyers notice ads and get a positive impact from them. Understanding and identifying the role of pay in your Instagram strategy early on can help you scale your online presence faster.
As you build your organic strategy, keep an eye on post-level performance data to see what drives the most impressions and engagement. You'll want to start with these posts when it's time to invest in your work.
5. Be aware of timely trends
Memes thrive on Instagram, especially topical ones. Cultural moments can inspire an abundance of relevant content before the moment is even gone, and for good reason. These moments generate engagement.
While these moments may present opportunities for fun and frivolity, they can also come with risks. Before jumping into the hottest trend of the day, be sure to use a sentiment analysis tool to understand how people actually feel about the topic.
6. Test and learn
The only constant in social media is change. There will always be new features, tools, and Instagram algorithm adjustments, so your strategy will never be completely complete. To stay ahead, you need to use creative testing.
Regular A/B tests can help you determine what your audience expects from your brand. Spend some time testing new creatives, copy, and Instagram hashtags to see what drives your performance the most.
Soon you will be able to use Instagram analytics to become the next standout B2B brand on Instagram.
Instagram is the place for B2B
Pun aside, you need to use Instagram for B2B marketing. Instagram's diverse content formats support discovery and admiration throughout the buyer's journey, enhancing your brand's appeal and engagement.
Now that you know why and how Instagram B2B marketing works, you're more than ready to create a strategy that supports your overall marketing goals. If you need more help, use this B2B content plan worksheet.
This will help you plan and create compelling content that leads potential customers through your marketing funnel all the way to signing a contract.
