Brownstein Hosts Interactive Webinar for Green Building United on the Evolution of Social Media for B2B Brands

It seems that just as soon as a brand has their social media strategy figured out, something changes – a new channel is launched or new methodologies emerge. The PR & Social Media teams at Brownstein Group (BG) are constantly monitoring these updates and regularly brief clients and industry professionals on the latest best practices. Which is why on December 5, senior leaders from BG hosted an invitation-only webinar that provided insight for B2B Professionals working in the sustainability/green building industry about the evolution of social media strategy, including tactical recommendations for how to ensure investing the right time and resources in the right places.

The one-hour webinar was presented in partnership with Green Building United (a nonprofit that informs and engages individuals and organizations to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built, and operated) and hosted by BG Social Media Director Kathleen Celano and BG Public Relations Account Director Mallory Horshaw. After a quick refresher on the fundamentals of the most popular social channels for B2B brands (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn), BG went on to discuss the myriad benefits of developing a strategic social media program, including:

1. Positioning firm/partners as thought leaders
2. Supporting content distribution
3. Targeting potential clients/support lead generation
4. Networking with like-minded professionals
5. Driving traffic to the firm’s website

BG also spoke about how historically social media has been treated as an add-on, but that now it was important for brands to develop social-specific content that will drive bottom-line results. The most effective channel for doing that? It turns out to be LinkedIn, which has emerged as the most popular method for content marketing professionals to connect with their target audience. 78% of B2B Marketers surveyed by B2B Content Marketing Trends reported favorable results using LinkedIn, compared to 48% for Twitter and 42% for Facebook.

The webinar noted that brands must continuously re-evaluate their social media strategy to remain effective, and that good benchmarks for LinkedIn content should involve:

• 2-4 posts per week (ideally on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays)
• Posting company news, industry articles and thought leadership pieces
• Developing engaging content that showcases innovation and company culture via video, imagery
• Including CTAs (calls to action) in all content and sharing links to blogs, webinars, courses and eBooks
• Encouraging employees to post LinkedIn articles that can be shared from a firm’s page

Unlike other social channels, LinkedIn users have a professional incentive to keep their profiles accurate and up-to-date, and companies can use real member-generated demographic data to reach the right audience. The webinar got into how to use specific paid tools on LinkedIn (like sponsored content, dynamic ads and text ads) to further target their audience, and the team discussed how nuanced the channel has become for reaching large or niche groups.

Overall, the webinar stressed that most brands create very little content specifically for social media, and pointed out all of the incredible opportunities for companies to use these channels (especially LinkedIn) to drive revenue, acquire/retain talent, showcase missions and values, and/or expand their industry thought leadership. In order to do this effectively though, brands must maintain consistent vigilance, regularly measuring and tracking performance to ensure optimal content and paid spend.

Interested in working with Brownstein Group to maximize your investment in social media? We’d love to hear from you! Please email Kathleen Celano (kcelano@brownsteingroup.com) or Mallory Horshaw (mhorshaw@brownsteingroup.com) and continue to follow all of our industry updates at www.brownsteingroup.com.