New report reveals key trends shaping B2B social media strategies

A new report from Oktopost highlights the latest trends influencing B2B social media strategies, providing actionable insights for marketing and sales teams looking to optimise their content for both engagement and lead generation.

By analysing thousands of social media posts, the report uncovers how B2B brands can balance visibility with performance marketing, ensuring their content strategy aligns with business goals.

Link posts vs. engagement-driven content

B2B organisations use social media to build brand awareness and drive measurable outcomes, but content format significantly impacts performance. While link posts remain crucial for lead generation, with 21% of engagement actions leading to link clicks, posts without external links drive 60% more engagement. This suggests that brands should maintain a mix of engagement-focused content and direct lead-driving posts.

What content formats perform best?

• Image galleries achieve 4x the impressions and 10.8x more engagements than other link-free formats, making them the most effective for visibility.
• PDF attachments outperform all other formats for linked content, generating twice the impressions and 6.7x more engagements than standard posts.
• Short text posts with a single external link perform 1.8x better when the goal is to drive clicks.
• Text-only posts provide strong engagement even without links, delivering 2.7x more impressions and an average of 171 engagements per post.

When to post for maximum impact

• Weekends drive engagement: B2B audiences are 2.3x more likely to engage with posts on Saturday and Sunday, particularly on LinkedIn, as professionals interact with easy-to-consume content during downtime.
• Midweek is best for lead generation: Wednesday posts see 47% more clicks on average than posts launched on other weekdays, making it the optimal time for conversion-driven content.

Company size and seasonal trends

• Mid-sized companies (501-1,000 employees) outperform larger enterprises in lead generation, achieving 5.6x more clicks than organisations with more than 10,000 employees.
• January emerges as a peak month for engagement and lead generation, suggesting that brands should plan key campaigns at the start of the year to capitalise on heightened activity.

With social media playing an increasingly strategic role in B2B brand building and lead generation, understanding the nuances of content type, timing, and engagement drivers will be essential for marketers looking to optimise their strategies in 2025.