Let’s face it, it’s already a crowded market out there. At this stage, your business is far from the top and competition for clients is tough. With large scale businesses like Walmart and Amazon dominating the market, smaller companies need to get crafty on social media to gain an edge in the market. You can try lowering your prices, but the only real way to survive is by developing a well-organized strategy with other businesses. See our infographic with 6 marketing tips to start building your brand today.

Why Should Businesses Team Up?

In order to make an impact in your industry, you (as a business owner) need to lose the ego and team up with other small scale business owners. Your business could potentially thrive when teaming up with other businesses as partners, instead of competing with them as rivals. Building a healthier overall environment is beneficial for all business-minded people…wouldn’t you agree? Strive to create a b2b social media strategy to keep your organization afloat in an everchanging market. Just don’t forget to continue building your own brand credibility.

Ways to Combine Forces with Other Small Business Owners

There are many ways you could successfully team up with other businesses:

Join a group of owners to network

Start crafting your social media strategy by socializing and finding new referrals in person or online. LinkedIn is a great resource for businesses looking to find individuals already in their network. There are numerous groups out there that focus on helping entrepreneurs share advice and build relationships with fellow businessmen. Try searching for groups on Meetup.com, by reading the bulletin board at your local coffee shop or by following up with those event emails you never read.

Join an online community or forum to widen your prospects

There are some people who are not at ease when it comes to in-person events or can’t seem to find the “whats happening” in their area.  If that is the case, join an online forum where social networking usually takes place.  This is a great b2b strategy to support other business owners with their companys’ external growth and development. Establish yourself as an expert on one of these platforms and you’ll be receiving messages from all sort of people interested in your insights. You may also market yourself on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn where you could connect to numerous entrepreneurs instantly.

Hey @webworksagency thanks for connecting with us! We always enjoy meeting new Los Angeles based companies.

— QUIKSNIP (@QUIKSNIP) August 17, 2015

If you are not a self-centered businessman, try to help others by providing them sound advice and effective strategy for staying relevant in their industry.  In return, other business will do the same for you.

Build your own network

Creating your very own network of trusted companies and working together with them will definitely solidify your place in the marketing world.  It can be as simple as guest blogging on their websites’ or referring your customers to their service or products. This is best done via a social networking site like Facebook or Pinterest. Connecting with other businesses brings more value to your customers by giving them the opportunity to engage with the partners you already trust.

The Right Approach to Social Media

More and more businesses are turning their attention to the use of different types of social media networks to build their target audience.  We all know that social media is about exhibiting your enterprise, engaging your audience and adding value to your brand.  The question is how can you ensure your message doesn’t fall on deaf ears? The answer: Share creative content.   Follow Quiksnip’s board Market Your Brand Today! on Pinterest.

Engage Your Audience

Find your target audience, then associate with them by posting great content and answering their questions. This is the best way to find out what your consumers NEED and what your consumers WANT. Q&A sessions is great strategy that top businesses use to establish authority in their niche. These sessions promote the exchanging of information and ideas that will be very helpful in the growth of a business. Have you ever tried hosting one?

Track Your Progress

Of course, we want to know how people are going to perceive us.  This is why businesses often use social media tracking tools, such as Google Analytics, to measure online influence. We often use these metrics to compare ourselves to other companies and find out whats working and what needs improvement. Take advantage of these tools in your marketing campaigns and share your experiences with your network.

Take Time to Prepare

We also need to create social media calendars to schedule what we are going to share, say and comment. This is a difficult and time consuming task that may not be worth it for a busy entrepreneur. But don’t let your customers find out you’ve been slacking on social media…you’ll be limiting your reach to potential clients! If you need help managing your brand reputation or social media activity, hire a digital marketing assistant today!

Share Related Content

Great content exists all around the web: Via trusted sources such as the Social Media Examiner or even smaller sites such as Swaggerbrand. Try curating content related to your niche and sharing your findings with your network. Sharing updates from other businesses can be a powerful tool, especially if they decide to share one of your posts back. The extra publicity is great! Your customers will benefit and so will your conversions. Knowing the right approach will lead your business on a path to success.

“It’s important to be confident in your brand before you display it to the masses” – @swaggerbrand #marketing101

— QUIKSNIP (@QUIKSNIP) July 20, 2015

The Risks Involved in B2B Social Media

Every b2b social media strategy has problems which can not be easily determined or recognized.  This pitfall greatly affects marketers when building their brands.

Here are some tips to prevent those risks:

• It should not be a one-man team.  Everybody should contribute and participate in planning and facilitating a social media strategy that could extend to different geographic and economic regions.
• Do not allow the wrong person to handle it.  It simply means, leave the job to people with experience and knowledge in that field. Would you want your design intern handling your company’s finances?
• Identify your social media goals.  There are many different platforms that companies already use.  Just think how many leads can be turned into loyal customers. Choose 3 and you’ll have a better chance at reaching those individuals.
• Be patient.  Building a brand through social media takes time, so you have to be more patient and more creative to build a successful business reputation.

Business is a give and take relationship.  Just be consistent and actively engage with other businesses to develop a solid social media strategy. Your consumer network will thank you later. Let us know your thoughts by reaching out to us on Facebook and Twitter.  If you are interested in partnering with Quiksnip to reach your own business goals, hit the contact button below to schedule a short call today.