Shaheen Samavati recently met with Kate Busby, the Barcelona-based global social media manager for IWG. Kate brings her diverse experience in art, content and management to her current role, in which she oversees online communities across the world. In this interview, Kate shares valuable insight on tapping into social media for B2B marketing, balancing global branding with local communities, and bringing legacy companies into the social media era.

You can watch the full conversation in the video above or on YouTube, listen to the podcast on Apple and Spotify, and read our recap below.

Key takeaways

  • If you’re not online, you’re not visible.
  • For B2B companies, LinkedIn remains the primary social network, but Twitter and Instagram are increasingly valuable platforms—as long as you can effectively adapt them to your company’s goals and resources.
  • Social media is the new corporate currency, providing significant leverage for partnerships and growth… and taking advantage of it is easier than you might think.
  • For a business looking to contact another business online, it’s all about LinkedIn and Twitter—but Instagram is the one to watch.
  • The social currency is social media; you can’t do without it if you’re a business. And when you’ve got it and it’s working, it gives you an enormous amount of leverage for partnerships and opportunities to grow.

The most important thing I learned along the way is that you should never stop learning, and you should never define yourself too strictly.

Rapid-fire recs

Who’s a marketing influencer in Europe that you recommend?

I really look up to Mark Ritson, a no-nonsense British marketer. Every time I read anything by him, I’m in hysterics.

See also: 8 inspiring content and marketing influencers to follow

An app or tool that’s essential in your job?

I’ve developed a healthy dependence on Percolate, a highly adaptable content management system. I also really enjoy Ubersuggests, Neil Patel’s keyword search engine, which is such a complex and versatile tool.

See also: Top 10 apps for content and marketing professionals

A valuable networking resource in Europe?

Facebook groups like The Content Mix and Content Creators Barcelona offer European job postings, networking opportunities and all kinds of events. They’re really active and helpful!

See also: 7 online networking groups for content marketers on Facebook & LinkedIn

Connect with Kate on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and visit her website.

Connect with Shaheen on LinkedIn and learn more about her company VeraContent.

This post was edited by Melissa Haun, a freelance content creator based in Lisbon.

To see the full transcript, click on page number 2 below. 

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