Why B2B companies should stop using Facebook in 2016

There are better methods for achieving long-lasting results with PR

How many customers have you acquired as a direct result of your Facebook presence? If you don’t immediately know the answer to this question, spending time on Facebook is likely a waste of your resources.

Upon its inception, college kids were quick to jump on the Facebook bandwagon and businesses soon followed. However, most did this because they heard it was the thing to do, without taking the time to think about what they would really gain from such a colossally time-sucking activity. For B2B companies, there are better ways to attract business, increase visibility and grow your company, and PR can help.

Why Facebook is not practical for B2B companies

Facebook requires lots of effort and offers very few results. For example, proper promotion of your Facebook content is crucial, and is an area where a lot of B2B companies miss the mark. You must use tools such as email and newsletters to drive traffic and encourage interest in your Facebook posts, but this all takes a significant investment of time that most B2B companies simply can’t afford.

Facebook does not offer lasting results. Once the post is gone from the news feed, people are likely to forget about it (which is also true for advertising, by the way). With tools such as blogging and website updates, the content you create is visible until you choose to remove it.

Most of your target audiences are not using Facebook for business. Studies have shown that more than 70 percent of adults who are active on social media also use Facebook. However, these people usually don’t use it during business hours, nor do they typically visit business pages. This means they are not engaging with your content, so it is less likely that your number of likes will increase. Without a large number of likes, your content will not spread or appear in Facebook news feeds.

Facebook does not affect your search engine results. Though Twitter has an arrangement with Google which allows its users’ interactions to appear in search engine results, Facebook doesn’t. Consequently, all that work you’re putting into the perfect Facebook post does not lead to a higher position on Google search pages and does little to move a prospect through the sales cycle.

What your company should focus on instead of Facebook

Keeping a company journal: When your employees feel respected and valued, it reduces turnover, which reduces the investment you must make in finding, hiring and training new employees. A company journal can ensure that employees can voice their opinions. You can save it in the cloud or in Google Drive so that everyone has the ability to participate. You can ask for ideas for growth, reminders of accomplishments, inspiring quotes, etc. It is a very effective method for seeing what’s working, recognizing patterns and making sure you implement good ideas instead of letting them fall through the cracks.

Getting in front of key stakeholders: Electronic communication is fine, but nothing beats actual face time. For instance, instead of only blogging about helpful tips for your customers, consider hosting a series of seminars or interactive webinars where you can really meet and converse with other business decision-makers. You can also invite media to your offices for interviews or host a job fair at a local college to attract recruits.

Other social media platforms: Sites such as LinkedIn and Google+ are better suited to serving businesses and professionals as opposed to friends and family.

Improving your website and landing pages: If you are fortunate enough to generate interest on social media sites, the goal is generally to steer the traffic to your website for conversions. When people get there, it is vital to provide engaging, user-friendly information and strong calls to action using inbound marketing techniques.

Attracting more earned media: Research has proven that consumers give more consideration to third-party news stories than any other form of message delivery. Consumers view the information you distribute about yourself as biased, whereas they see news as being independent and more truthful.

Finding the right PR firm: Building relationships with your target audiences requires the right balance of patience, determination and smart communication strategies. At Axia Public Relations, we can show you how to achieve maximum advantage from your social media efforts and help you dedicate valuable resources where they will do the most good. Contact us today or download our e-book The Essential Social Media Management Guide for more tips and advice to grow your business.

Lisa-G-Color-SM Lisa Goldsberry is a writer for Axia Public Relations with more than 15 years of public relations experience. She specializes in business, higher education and technology PR. Connect with Axia Public Relations on Twitter @axiapr.