Social media marketing: why it matters and how to do it well

Social media isn’t only for consumer brands. Business buyers look up the company and the people behind it before they reply to an email or book a call. A quiet or out-of-date profile raises doubts; a steady stream of useful posts from people who clearly know their field builds trust before the first conversation.

Why does social media still matter?

• Trust before contact. Buyers check your company page and your leaders’ profiles to see whether you are credible and active.
• Reach the right people. Platforms let you reach specific roles, industries and interests, organically and with ads.
• Conversations and referrals. Comments and messages start relationships that turn into leads.
• Search and AI visibility. Social posts, profiles and discussions are among the sources AI assistants and search engines draw on. See SEO for AI search.
• Customer service and community. Customers ask questions and share experiences in public.

Which platforms should you use?

Go where your buyers are:

• LinkedIn: the main platform for B2B, professional services and recruiting.
• YouTube: explainers, webinars and demos that people search for.
• Instagram and TikTok: consumer brands, retail, hospitality, media and employer branding.
• Facebook: local businesses, communities and consumer audiences.
• X, Threads and Bluesky: news, tech and some professional communities.
• Niche communities: industry forums, Reddit, Slack and Discord groups where your buyers ask questions.

Pick one or two, do them well, and add others only when you can sustain them.

What content works?

The trends of the last few years point the same way:

• People over logos. Posts from founders, experts and employees reach more people and build more trust than company page posts.
• Short video. Quick explainers, behind-the-scenes clips and customer stories.
• Practical advice. Specific, useful answers to questions buyers ask, with examples and numbers.
• Opinion with evidence. A clear point of view on your industry, backed by experience.
• Proof. Customer outcomes (with permission), project stories and lessons learned.
• Formats native to each platform. Document carousels on LinkedIn, vertical video on short-form platforms.

Repurpose one strong idea across formats: an article becomes a carousel, a short video and a few posts.

How do you build a simple social media plan?

1. Define the goal: awareness with a specific audience, leads, recruitment or community.
2. Choose the voices: company page plus two or three people who will post regularly.
3. Set themes: three or four topics you want to be known for.
4. Plan a rhythm: for example, two posts a week per person, one longer piece a month.
5. Engage daily: reply to comments, comment thoughtfully on others’ posts, answer messages quickly.
6. Review monthly: what earned conversations and leads, and what didn’t.

Where does AI help?

AI can draft posts from your notes, suggest hooks, repurpose long content and summarise performance. Keep the ideas, opinions and examples human; generic AI posts are easy to spot and easy to ignore. See AI prompts for business teams.

How do you measure social media?

Track:

• Reach and engagement within your target audience, not overall.
• Profile visits and follower growth among buyers.
• Conversations, messages and meetings that started on social.
• Website visits and leads from social, and pipeline influenced (ask “how did you hear about us?” on forms and calls).

Where to start

Social media works best as one part of a connected growth plan. Our AI-Era Growth work connects content, social, search and follow-up so attention turns into customers. See also our digital marketing strategy guide.