B2B spending on social media has substantially increased in the past 12 months, and it will go higher.
CMO survey August 2021
Social media is, unquestionably, one of the most rewarding marketing tools being used by companies everywhere. While B2C companies may have a larger and more instantaneous reach through their engaging social media campaigns, more and more B2B companies are nailing their social media strategies.
Take the Live Test Series campaign by Volvo Trucks for example. The global truck manufacturer released a video featuring actor Jean- Claude Van Damme. The Double Impact star performs an unbelievable split while balancing on two Volvo trucks. The feature displayed was the stability of Volvo Dynamic Steering. This ‘Epic Spilt’ went viral and has been viewed 114 million times till date. Furthermore, it drove up the company sales by 24% the year the campaign was launched. Most importantly, it transformed the way a layman viewed a truck manufacturing company and made it very appealing.
Another exemplary campaign was launched by Price Waterhouse Cooper titled #BallotBriefcase. The company decided to use its role of counting the ballots for Oscar to create a buzz around its brand. The ballot briefcase became a celebrity and PwC became the talk of the town. Moreover, the campaign created 136 times more impressions on Twitter for the company than ever before.
While these campaigns helped their companies to become an online sensation in the past, here are 5 B2B brands that currently created a stir on the social media platforms with their marketing stunts.
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#1 #BossIt2021: Sage
The technology brand Sage championed the course of launching a B2B marketing campaign on TikTok and did a great job! The software company made its debut on social media via a contest on TikTok.
The company focussed on their clients and prospective customer pool, the small and medium sized business owners. It encouraged them to upload a creative video showcasing how they overcame the economic obstacles posed by the pandemic like a boss. Hence the #BossIt2021. (P.S. Coming out stronger from adversity is something to be definitely proud of and worth sharing)
The winning entry attracted a cash prize of up to £10,000 and some additional perks. The TikTok community loved it. #BossIt2021 received over 1 million video entries and 5.2 billion video views (and counting) in its first week. The company’s web page received thunderous traffic that viewed the promo video 27.7 million times. Additionally, Sage’s TikTok followers have largely increased.
They hit the ball out of the park with the choice of platform and the theme of the campaign. As TikTok is all about challenges and well placed contests are always rewarding. Sage empowered its customers and made them feel heard and supported. Moreover, they deservedly won Best Use Of Social Media, 2021 at B2B Marketing Awards.
#2 #TeamEarth: Salesforce
Salesforce was an OG (first of its kind) in viral marketing
Alex Lieberman
From its inception, the software giant has been an active advocate of using business as a platform of change. To this date, it continues its commitment to sustainable business patterns, equity, and creative campaigns.
Most recently, the world leader in Customer Relationship Management (CRM) partnered with Matthew McConaughey and unveiled a campaign #TeamEarth to inspire businesses to work towards a sustainable future together.
In this video, we see the Interstellar actor donning an astronaut suit and staring in space when he suddenly realizes that the Earth is what needs our assistance. It is an indirect jibe at the meaning of the phrase ‘a new frontier’, which was originally aimed at Metaverse.
“#TeamEarth is a rallying cry we hope will inspire people and companies to use their platforms for change,” said Sarah Franklin, President, and Chief Marketing Officer, Salesforce. “Guided by our core values of trust, customer success, innovation, and equality, we are shining a light on how businesses and people can come together to build a better future.
The video was uploaded on YouTube and was viewed 1.1. million times within the first two months of its launch.
Salesforce and its dedication to its social responsibility resonated with the audience. The campaign was impactful and routed huge traffic to the Salesforce website. It was shared across other social media channels and created a thunderous buzz among the users.
The smart move to partner with well-known personalities adds to the campaign’s attractiveness. An upcoming Salesforce collaboration is with Formula 1, which should add another feather to their marketing cap while generating excellent engagement with fans of a larger demographic.
#3 Virtual Background Contest: Zoom
Zoom Corporation exemplified the proverb ‘hitting the iron when it’s hot.’ With the onset of COVID-19 and the advent of work from home, Zoom saw a tremendous rise in the number of its users.
The video conferencing company made the most of the opportunity and instantly modernized its features. The company created tutorial films and flooded its social media with How-To training videos, as well as blogs and posts explaining its installations and uses.
However, it hit the nail on the head when it launched a virtual background contest. Therein it asked its users to upload a video/photo with the most creative background while using Zoom and in turn awarded the best three submissions every month. The prizes were worth the user’s time and effort, and the campaign was a huge success.
Zoom exponentially grew into a million followers on Twitter and 116,000 followers on Instagram, driving up engagement substantially. Lead generation was a success as more than than 50,000 people signed up for the contest, and Zoom witnessed a huge rise in the number of new users. The contest was a creative way to engage the users and get them involved with the company. The year the contest was launched, the annual revenue of Zoom grew to $2.6 billion from $623 million the previous year.
#4 Ask The Expert: Intuit Quickbooks
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Quickbooks is the world’s leading software for financial management and it is dedicated to helping small businesses thrive. When the pandemic hit, Quickbooks was quick to adapt their social media strategy. They concentrated on the most critical need of the businesses, reliable and timely information on a variety of topics at hand.
Therefore, Quickbooks started a daily live-streamed video series ‘Ask The Expert’ wherein business leaders and health experts answered questions of the audience. The campaign was launched on YouTube and was made available on demand on Facebook as well as other social media platforms.
‘Ask The Expert’ reached 8 million small business owners and received more than 15 million views. The campaign, further, increased the average engagement by 11.7 times. Additionally, Quickbooks received 31% more Youtube subscribers as a direct result of launching the campaign.
Along with being a reliable source, the series were informative and engaging. They provided genuine and useful content to their users. Hence, they became a marketing phenomena and went on to receive ‘Best Use Of Social Media’ at B2B Marketing Awards, 2020.
#5 Hey World: Upwork
“Upwork is a vibrant, expressive brand that’s contagiously optimistic about the potential of freelancers to solve big problems and drive the evolution of business,” said Michael Lemme, chief creative officer, Duncan Channon. “The ‘Hey World’ campaign has some fun, but is serious about the idea that talented freelancers can get stuff done for people who need stuff done, including some brands, artists, institutions and pop culture figures you know.”
Through this worldwide freelancing platform, you can hire a pro for any skill or job requirement. The company created a campaign around their freelancers and how they can get any job done, be it for NASA, the President, or Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson.
Upwork released a series of entertaining videos titled Hey World wherein they posed direct questions at notable figures and organizations, offering them freelancers for their assistance. For example, “Hey Mr President, need a social media strategist? Or “Hey Amazon, need help selling literally everything in the world?” If so, hire our freelancers.
The campaign was launched on YouTube and was widely shared across various social media platforms in 2018. The total revenue of the company for 2018 increased by 25%, while the company witnessed a 22% increase in the number of core clients.
The catchy phrases and playful animation appealed to the audience. Additionally, the quirky tone of the ad films added a fun element to the campaign.
How did they do that? (Actionable Takeaways)
After studying the campaigns by these B2B companies we can surely say creativity has no limit. Whether it’s B2B or B2C, anyone can create buzz on social media with the right strategies and triggers. Here are some actionable takeaways from these campaigns:
- Thrill and excite your viewer through your campaign
- Run contests with attractive gifts to engage with your audience
- Come up with social media campaigns that bring people together over a common cause
- Ride on the fan following for television shows/ iconic movies/ characters
- Know your target audience and choose the primary social media of your campaign launch accordingly.
- Create some major buzz around your brands by collaborating with well known personalities and organizations that appeal to your audience to tap into a wider audience
- Take into consideration social responsibility to drive people’s emotions and help them see your company as an empathetic human
- Create fun and original content
You may well have realized that a key ingredient for a successful online marketing campaign for any company is great content. We, at Concurate, strive to do just that. We curate the best content as per your company’s requirements and philosophy because we believe in the power of meaningful information. For any of your content marketing needs let’s connect over a short call. Block our calendar today!
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