A Complete Guide to Successful Social Media Marketing for a B2B Product Launch

A B2B product launch includes many moving parts – from planning to execution and post-launch analysis. While there are a variety of elements to include from start to finish in a new product launch, there is one that should be included in all plans and strategies: social media. The digital-first and digital-focused ways of doing things have pushed B2B marketing leaders to concentrate on digital marketing activities, especially social media. Plus, what better way to promote your new product than on constantly visited social media platforms? With the multitude of information on how to best utilize social media for a B2B product launch, it can be difficult to know what tactics are most important.

We’ve put together a thorough guide to social media marketing for a B2B product launch, aimed to boost awareness, increase engagement and drive more leads and customers to your new product.

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Understand Activities in the Product Launch Timeline

Before your team can begin to think about planning social media for a product launch, it is key to have an in-depth understanding of the B2B product launch timeline. Here are some things that are essential to know:

• Duration of Pre-Launch Activities: What is the duration of pre-launch activities? Will it be over a 6-week or 6-month span? Knowing this will help in accurately planning the timing of activities.
• Additional Marketing Activities: What other additional marketing activities are planned? Are there email marketing campaigns in queue? Are there any paid ads in progress? Knowing all marketing activities planned will ensure there is minimal conflict with social media activities.
• Launch Day Activities: What activities are planned for launch day/week? There are often many promotions across marketing channels, so coordinating with other departments to understand what they have prepared will help you appropriately plan for social media.

Identify What Social Media Platforms to Use

Social media planning for a new product launch starts with identifying what platforms to utilize. In some cases, the more platforms used, the better. But, it is most important to reach the correct audiences and make an impact with your content. To do this, it will require an in-depth understanding of the product itself and who the audience is for the new product. For example, if the target audience is the decision-makers of small- to medium-sized banks, consider what platforms this audience tends to frequent most. For most B2B organizations, LinkedIn is the go-to social media platform, especially when reaching those in leadership positions. Ultimately, choosing platforms is determined by your overall goals and target audience demographics.

Here is a breakdown of what each social media platform is best used for to help get you thinking as to which match your product launch goals:

• LinkedIn: Best for B2B audiences, networking and reaching various industry groups.
• Twitter: Best for reaching younger generation audiences and utilizing hashtags and multimedia can increase reach.
• Facebook: Best for reaching a mix of audiences, can target topic- or industry-specific groups and focus on personable aspects to increase engagement.
• Instagram: Best when looking to use images or short videos for the main post content and can reach a wide audience using hashtags and tagging abilities.
• YouTube: Best when using videos and looking to reach niche audiences.

Prepare a Social Media Calendar

After choosing what social media platforms to utilize, the next step is preparing the posts. The most optimal way to do this is to create a social media calendar. The calendar should clearly outline what posts will be used on what days, at what times and on what platform. Planning posts for leadership or executive team members can also be useful if leveraging their networks is part of your social media strategy. Remember to keep in mind the timing of other product launch marketing activities as this can impact the timing of your posts. Here is a short checklist of the elements to include in a social media calendar:

• Platform (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)
• Post date
• Post time
• Post content
• Link (to any articles or websites)
• File name or link to an image or other media element that goes with the post
• Who the post is for (company account, leadership/executive team members, etc.)

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Generate Awareness and Engagement Through Different Social Media Tactics

When creating product launch social media posts, there are a variety of tactics you can utilize to maximize awareness and engagement. Here are a few that will make an impact on your target audiences and generate a positive buzz:

• Create a hashtag: Creating a hashtag to use across all posts related to your product launch can help keep everything easily accessible in one location; through the hashtag. This can also encourage others to talk about your new product and include the same hashtag.
• Preview the product: A sneak peek at something new gets people excited. Previewing the product through creative images or a series of posts with clues about the product is a fun way to get people talking.
• Countdown to launch: A countdown can also be a unique way to generate awareness. Creating posts that highlight how many days are left until the new product launches can give people something to look forward to.
• Engage with audiences and followers: There will likely be conversation surrounding your launch, so it’s critical to engage with your followers. This can be a great way to show your attention to customers and even pose as an opportunity to weave in special offers or other deals to those who show a heightened interest.

Take the Success of Your B2B Product Launch to the Next-Level Through Social Media

Social media can be a huge difference-maker when it comes to generating awareness, engagement and interest, all of which help with lead generation efforts. Through detailed social media planning and the implementation of creative tactics, social media can help take the success of your B2B product launch to the next-level.

Ready to boost the impact of your product launch marketing efforts? At Launch, a B2B technology marketing firm based in Austin, we help organizations with a product launch marketing plan to generate key results and revenue success. Contact us today or request a free marketing consultation to get started.