With more than 2.4 billion users worldwide, Facebook has long been a popular platform for brands both B2B and direct-to-consumer looking to creatively and effectively showcase their products and services.
Facebook has released scores of new features over the past several years that have not only helped it remain among the most-used social media platforms — despite facing well-publicized challenges over the past several years — but also increasingly to become a destination for professional business users, and users looking for a social experience markedly different from LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram.
With Facebook having launched so many new tools for brands to maximize their engagement on the platform, let’s take a look at how five large primarily B2B companies are creatively connecting with audiences through pages, groups, communities, and several other methods Facebook provides.
#1 — Canva
https://www.facebook.com/canva/
1,359,228 followers
Since arriving on the Web graphic-design scene in 2012, Canva has seen its numerous creative tools adopted by more professionals every year, with company valuations hitting $2.5 billion in 2019.
With its recently-launches Canva Enterprise design platform targeting brands by offering features including digital asset management and multi-channel campaign management, Canva counts among its B2B clients Pfizer, RE/MAX, and others.
As a firm catering to creative professionals, it’s no surprise that Canva artistically uses its Facebook presence to engage with its community of some 1.3 million page followers, using entertaining video, informative image-rich posts, and coverage of events such as its recent Canva for Enterprise launch New York Times Square billboard.
Canva regularly asks relevant questions of its Facebook community and actively responds positively in emoji-rich comments, such as a recent color and hue-related post which inquired “How are hue feeling?”
Canva hosts several Facebook groups including a Canva Teachers Community, a Canva Design Circle, and a Canva Nonprofits Community, utilizes Facebook Events to promote its real-life events such as its recent “Design School After Hours: Branding your Business” workshop, and actively engages with Facebook fans in its page’s community section.
#2 — Airbnb
https://www.facebook.com/airbnb/
16,152,571 followers
Airbnb has skillfully utilized its Facebook presence to build a sizable following of more than 16 million fans, and with initiatives such as its Airbnb for Work program targeting business — used by companies including Salesforce and PayPal — the firm is a fine example of how B2B audiences can be engaged and nurtured on Facebook.
Native video posts centered around relevant holidays, such as Airbnb’s recent “Welcome to Cisco. Population: 1” initiative — part of its “spooky stays” program — encourage Facebook fans to share and take part.
#3 — Mailchimp
https://www.facebook.com/mailchimp/
405,208 followers
For email marketing and automation firm Mailchimp, Facebook serves as an important social media platform to communicate with and inform clients and potential partners.
Sharing marketing advice, studies, reports, contests and more, Mailchimp’s Facebook page thrives by helping both established B2B firms and new businesses with actionable insight delivered in entertaining and visually enticing stories.
Facebook also serves as a platform for sharing news from Mailchimp’s many initiatives, including its original podcasts such as “The Jump with Shirley Manson.”
#4 — Boeing
https://www.facebook.com/Boeing/
1,433,349 followers
Boeing uses its sizable Facebook following to share behind-the-scenes video glimpses into the firm and its many programs around the world, such as a recent “Have you ever wondered?” look at how it goes about capturing the oftentimes breathtaking aerial footage it features on the page.
Boeing also regularly encourages its Facebook fans to take part in a variety of corporate social responsibility efforts, such as a recent two-way conversation program for Disability Awareness Month.
#5 — 3M
https://www.facebook.com/3M/
4,666,707 followers
3M* cleverly uses a variety of video, image-rich, live-streaming, and other types of Facebook posts to actively share news and information about its many global programs, such as a recent “3M Young Scientist Challenge” call for votes.
At TopRank Marketing we are B2B influencer marketing specialists, and have recently worked to feature influencers in our client 3M’s Champions of Science series of podcasts.
Recent industry experts appearing on Champions of Science have included geophysicist Mika McKinnon, Professor Stephen Curry, Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London, Dr. Suze Kundu, Materials Chemist and Science Presenter, Chris Gammell, Principal, Analog Life, LLC, and Matt Hartings, Associate Professor of Chemistry at American University.
Using podcasting can be a great way to improve customer experience game, and we’ve published several in-depth looks at how B2B marketers can promote podcasts, and have also gathered together an industry-leading list of top marketing-related podcasts, which you can find here:
- 10 Crucial Steps for Launching Your B2B Podcast Into the Wild
- 5 Unexpected Content Marketing Benefits of B2B Podcasting
- How to Promote Your B2B Podcast
- 20 Podcasts To Elevate Your B2B Marketing
- 10 More Marketing Podcasts To Boost Your Business
Finally, 3M was the only firm in our list which automatically opens a Facebook chat window to instantly begin communications if desired.
Delivering a Solid & Sustainable Facebook Strategy
It’s clear from the varied examples we’ve looked at here cleverly implemented by Canva, Airbnb, Mailchimp, Boeing, and 3M that there are numerous methods for successfully building a solid and sustainable Facebook brand strategy.
* 3M is a TopRank Marketing client.
