Did you know that B2C businesses aren't the only ones who can use social media? Most companies that make things and work with metal don't seem to care about social media, according to my research. They believe that LinkedIn is the only site where they need to be present.

But the truth is that social media is a great way to improve your B2B SEO and make your business more well-known online. From what I've seen with my clients, let me explain how these two things fit together.

Your search visibility is affected by social cues.

They may say that Google doesn't use social signals as a direct ranking factor, but I've seen something interesting with my customers. It tends to do better in search results when people share their information a lot on social media.

Why does this take place? Because more people see your work when people share it. More people will visit your site when more people see it. Google starts to understand that your content is important when more people from different places visit your site.

It's not hard to see, but a lot of B2B companies don't make this link.

In search results, social accounts show up.

Have you ever used Google to look for a business name? What turns up? Most of the time, it's their website first, then their social media pages.

In other words, your LinkedIn, Facebook, or even Twitter page is often the second thing people see about your business. You're missing a big chance to control what people see about your business online if these pages are blank or out of date.

Someone I know who works in business-to-business SEO always tells me, "Your social profiles are free real estate on the first page of Google." Why would you leave that blank?"

Getting your content out there helps your SEO.

When I write a case study or industry report for a manufacturing client that is very specific, I make sure that they share it on all of their social media sites, not just LinkedIn.

Social media might bring you visitors at first, but other websites in the same field will really gain from SEO in the long run if they see your content and link back to it. In a roundabout way, this is how social media grows your backlink profile.

Social media helps people connect with authors in their field.

A lot of business-to-business companies don't know this. There are a lot of editors and writers for trade magazines on social media sites like Twitter and LinkedIn.

Building relationships with these people on social media sites makes it easier to get mentioned in their publications in the future. A lot of the time, these mentions and features come with useful backlinks that have a direct effect on your SEO.

I've helped clients get their work published in big trade magazines by helping them build relationships with editors on Twitter before they even made a pitch.

Your social presence makes your brand more trustworthy.

People who are looking for providers don't just look at your website. They check out your social media accounts to see how trustworthy and well-known you are.

Having an active social media presence where you share industry insights, material that shows how your products are made behind the scenes, and answer customer questions builds your credibility. People are more likely to refer to your content and talk about your brand online if they trust you more, which helps your SEO again.

How to use social media as part of your B2B SEO plan

I've worked with industrial clients before, and this is how you can use social media to help your SEO:

  • Do not just share your blog posts and case studies on LinkedIn. Share them on all platforms that are important.
  • Join talks and groups in your field. Don't just promote your material; add something useful to conversations as well.
  • Get in touch with writers and journalists in your field. Before you ask for something, share and comment on what they've written.
  • Make material for social media that gets people to visit your website again. It's good to have short movies of how you make things or quick tips.
  • Add social sharing buttons to all of your blog posts and case studies to get them shared.
  • Always track how your brand is mentioned on popular social media sites and interact with people who are talking about your business or goods.

For B2B, these are the social networks that matter

For B2B companies, LinkedIn is clearly important, but don't forget about these other sites:

You can connect with journalists, share news about your business, and join conversations on Twitter.

YouTube is a great place to show how goods are made, how they are demonstrated, and how to make educational videos that can show up in both YouTube and Google searches.

A lot of Facebook groups have active communities for special industries where you can build your authority.

For B2B companies that want to show off their products or manufacturing methods visually, even Instagram can work well.

In the end

SEO and social media are both ways to sell your business. Together, they help you become more well-known and trusted online. When I work with clients in production, I always make sure that their SEO and social media plans are in sync and help each other.

When you use social media in a smart way, you can not only make your site more search engine friendly, but you can also build brand power that makes people trust you before they even contact you. That trust is very important in the business-to-business world.

Don't think that social media isn't for serious business-to-business (B2B) firms. If your rivals know about this link, they already have an edge over you.