LinkedIn Is the Most Powerful Social Channel for B2B—Here’s Why

In today’s connected world, it can seem like a new social channel is always on the rise. 

From TikTok to Twitter, Facebook to Snapchat, the list of social media sites a brand must seriously consider grows longer every year. 

Not to mention, some social media channels just don’t make sense for certain brands. 

McDonald’s would more than likely see no decrease in its sales if it nixed its Pinterest account tomorrow, and Lysol’s Instagram account—with just seven posts—seems sadly underwhelming for a brand boasting an annual revenue of $25 million.  

There is, however, one essential social channel that is often overlooked by brands. 

Based in the United Kingdom, Social Tree Global is a high-level B2B social media agency that helps specialized brands, such as tech vendors and financial firms, reinvent their social strategies. 

From a creative perspective, Saward-Anderson told RETHINK RETAIL that working within these sectors can be especially challenging due to their high levels of regulatory compliance.  

Fortunately, Hannah and Saward-Anderson discovered that marketing these brands doesn’t have to be as rigid as it once was, just as long as companies take into account the “three pillars” of good social media. 

“Good social media takes place across many different channels,” Saward-Anderson revealed.“Marketing communications is the first pillar. The second pillar is corporate communications and the third pillar is HR.”

Hannah went on to explain that many brands tend to hide behind their name, while numerous studies show that people no longer trust brands—they trust people. 

“People buy from people — so it’s about putting your sales reps and brand ambassadors at the front of your business,” Hannah told RETHINK Retail. “This is something many brands don’t feel comfortable with, but they need to empower and skill staff to do social selling effectively.”

That’s where LinkedIn comes into play. 

Built for professionals, LinkedIn tends to be more agnostic than other social media sites. The average user has a net worth that is higher than those on other social media channels and there is a culture among its users that requires personal accountability. 

Saward-Anderson told RETHINK Retail that LinkedIn has been a valuable tool for its clients, like Splitit, a card-based installment solution provider, for example, because it allows both their sales reps and marketing teams to target their ideal customer and interact with them in a more personalized way. 

LinkedIn is also an incredibly intricate platform that delivers an unparalleled wealth of data and analytics. 

Melanie Vala, vice president of marketing at Splitit, revealed that connecting through social media sites like LinkedIn has helped Splitit learn what’s important to its clients and enabled the company to support its customers beyond a transactional relationship. 

“Social media transcends marketing in our strategy and plays a big part in connecting our online and offline engagement with both existing and prospect customers,” Vala said. “Whether it’s via marketing, business development and sales, or by way of our customer support teams, we are now engaging in conversations with our customers where they are.” 

At the end of the day, Social Tree Global says it’s this core concept that makes the most impact: Instead of a monologue, solution providers must learn how to have a dialogue with its prospective clients. 

“Instead of B2B, we like to use the term ‘B2H,’ which is business-to-human, Saward-Anderson said. “Ultimately, everyone’s a human, so we’re still selling to humans—and it’s completely transitioning the way clients interact through social media.”