Gone are the days when social media was just for consumer brands. With platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and even TikTok evolving rapidly, it’s becoming a promised land for B2B brands looking to actively engage with chefs, buyers and decision-makers alike.

But what are they really looking for? With 75% of B2B decision-makers using social media to guide purchasing decisions1, getting your social strategy right is no longer optional – it’s essential. Here’s how to set your brand up for success:

Getting your social strategy right

Whether you are setting up a new B2B account or looking to refine an existing one, it’s important to set clear goals. What are your business objectives – brand awareness, lead generation, thought leadership? This will help to shape both the content you create and the platforms you prioritise.

In food and drink marketing, LinkedIn remains a B2B powerhouse, but don’t ignore the influence of Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. These are all key platforms where chefs are looking for product inspiration, discovering new recipes and engaging with trends.

But it isn’t just about posting content – your social strategy should align with broader marketing goals. For example, if you are focusing on sales, make sure your content includes a clear call to action with an easy customer journey that guides your audience to purchase. Whatever your business goals, consistency is key. Using a content calendar will help you to maintain consistent posting and ensure you stay relevant.

Know your audience

A strong social strategy starts with your audience. Start by looking at your audience personas – job titles, roles, industries, motivations and challenges. Your product should be positioned as a solution – something chefs and decision makers need in the kitchen.

A powerful social listening tool like our SENSE platform digs deep into your audience, discovering when they are most active and who they are following. This can help to ensure you are posting at optimal times, on the right platforms and with the right voices. Whilst influencer partnerships are a powerful tool for raising awareness and building credibility whilst extending your community reach. Find out more about jellybean SENSE here.

Types of content that appeal to B2B audiences

Once you understand your audience, the next step is using the right content to appeal to them and keep them engaged. In the B2B food and drink space, your content should be valuable and distinctive, helping you to stand out from the competition.

With 58% of marketers rating their content strategy as only moderately effective2, here’s how you can adjust your content strategy to resonate with chefs, buyers and decision makers:

  • Trending recipes

Stay relevant by tapping into current food trends. Show that you understand what chefs and consumers are looking for, and what they might be missing out on.

  • Thought leadership

Share expert insights and trend forecasts to showcase your thought leadership. This can help to build trust and credibility.

  • Case studies and testimonials

Show how your product can deliver real results. This especially works in video format that feels authentic (check out our blog on video case studies here)

  • Behind-the-scenes content

Show the people behind the brand. This helps to build connections and is a great option for those working with a limited influencer budget.

  • Educational content

Create useful content that can help solve real kitchen challenges – think how-to guides or chef hacks.

Once your content is right, it doesn’t just fill your feed but creates value – giving your audience a reason to follow, engage and purchase your products. Always stress test any post with the question – what is the ‘so what?’ for my audience?

How influencers work in the B2B space

As mentioned, influencers are key in helping brands with awareness and growth – especially in the food and drink industry. Our chef research shows that nearly 60% of chefs use word of mouth recommendations when choosing what products to use in their professional kitchen3, showing just how essential both trust and credibility can be in driving purchasing decisions.

Choosing the right influencers for your brand is important to your overarching social strategy – look for content creators with both engaged and relevant audiences. Chefs, buyers and decision makers are more likely to be influenced by respected chefs in the industry than popular content creators or celebrity chefs. Look for influencers that align with your brand values and create high-quality content. Want to learn more? Check out our blog on how influencer marketing can help your brand here.

Measuring success in B2B social media

Understanding your business objectives is key to measuring the success of your social media activity. In B2B marketing, we are typically looking at smaller and more specific audiences than B2C brands, so it’s important to go beyond impressions and reach.

Focus on performance metrics such as:

  • Website traffic and click-through rates
  • Engagement rates vs industry benchmarks
  • Follower quality and relevance
  • Share of voice and competitor benchmarking

B2B social media marketing is all about building communities with the right audience. This means actively engaging with key accounts and responding to comments and DMs to build relationships. With 58% of marketers struggling to measure ROI of their social media efforts4, it’s clear that performance analytics are central to your strategy and can help ensure you are hitting your business goals.

Here to help

If you’re a food and drink brand and need help with social media marketing, why not get in touch with us today?

With our experience and expertise, we can help:

  • Manage your social media and content planning, as well as provide in-depth reporting and analysis
  • Develop standout content
  • Plan a strategy for video content, with our know-how on watch times, formats and best times to post
  • Find and liaise with influencers that work within your marketing budget and will help you reach your target audience

To learn more and get a feel for who we are and what we do, follow us on Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok!

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1 B2B Marketing, The role of social media in B2B buyers’ decision making, 2025

2 Content Marketing Institute, B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets, and Trends: Outlook for 2025, Oct 2024

3 Jellybean, Chefs on Social Report, 2023

4Chief Marketer, B2B Marketers: Misaligned Goals, Measurement and Budget Are Obstacles to Proving Marketing ROI, February 2024

Alvina Tysall
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