B2B advertising: 5 examples of terrific B2B social media ads

The year is 2020 and humanity has all but survived what could be described as the worst international disaster since The Great Depression. The silver lining for B2B companies considering digital marketing at this time in history is this: people have been spending a BUNCH of their time during the lockdown on social media. Marketing industry thought-leaders agree that social media is going to be an extremely important platform in the “new normal”. So, here’s how planning can lead to B2B social media marketing success, the best platforms to use for paid advertising, and examples of superb social media advertising skills in action:

Strategy + creativity + testing

B2B advertising isn’t as simple as uploading a picture, writing a few lines of copy, then waiting for the leads to roll in. Highly-creative adverts certainly are eye-catching to the news-feed scrollers, but creativity alone does not a hot lead make. It takes a combination of excellent strategy, high creativity, and data to succeed in the competitive B2B marketplace.

Platforms to advertise B2B

So, where are B2B marketers advertising? A study conducted by industry thought leaders, Social Media Examiner, examined B2B content marketers who used social media to distribute paid advertising in the past 12 months. Below are the most common social media platforms used by B2B marketers, and percentages of marketers that use them for B2B paid advertising:

LinkedIn:  76%

Facebook:  66%

Twitter:  29%

Instagram:  17%

YouTube:  11%

It is evident from the above that more than two-thirds of digital B2B advertisers utilise LinkedIn, making it the most popular choice for anyone looking to start B2B marketing on a platform that seems to be working for others. While these stats might convince you that LinkedIn and Facebook are the only two social media presences you’ll ever need – we recommend you them all out at least once, track the campaign performances, and choose the ones that work best for your brand.

Brilliant social media advertising examples

1. In case you missed it

    

If there’s a post that you uploaded previously, and it has garnered better-than-usual engagement, consider re-posting this as an “in case you missed it” (ICYMI) advert. This is one way to increase the visibility of the specific posts you want people to see.

2. Leverage influencers
   

Who are the celebrities in your industry? Are there any that live in South Africa? Influencers are recognised individuals who can help by spreading a B2B message to an even greater audience. IT is important to partner with an influencer that is somehow associated or relevant to your industry.

3. Show your team
   

When last did you have a staff photoshoot? Have you EVER taken professional photographs of your staff? Your B2B customers probably deal with the same people every time, and they probably know these people by now. Use your recognisable staff members on your B2B ads to make them relatable.

4. Powerful checklists
   

The B2B world is fast-paced and filled with people who don’t really have the time to read long multi-page articles. This is where checklists enter, and they have shown to be way more popular – especially among B2B followers. A checklist gives the reader actionable insights that they can start using immediately.

5. Products in action

This B2B digital advertising tactic uses a visual representation of the product/service in action to demonstrate to the viewer what they can expect should they decide to make use of the service providers. Some products or services will be easier to depict in adverts, but that’s where creative marketing professionals come in!

Honing social media for advertising purposes is different from business to business. A sound knowledge of fundamental social media marketing can launch an advertising career in the “new normal”.

Get in touch with the Digital School of Marketing

Have a look at the National Certificate of Advertising from DSM, and if you’d like to learn additional information about the exciting world of digital marketing and advertising – contact us!