Last August, Mashable released a list of the 10 most engaged brands on Facebook. Coca Cola was at the top of the list, which is not very surprising. Other toppers included Samsung Mobile, Disney, Walmart, NBA and Bud Light.

But here is someone who I would NOT have expected to see on this list: Intel! This was a pleasant surprise as I deferred that it would likely be consumer packaged goods and retailers, more than anything, that would make this list. Intel is the world’s largest semi-conductor chip maker and predominantly operates B2B by providing technological components for computing products.

Despite this, Intel wisely does not ignore it’s indirect market of consumers. By extending further and including a more holistic view of its entire customer base (businesses and consumers), Intel is able to build a much stronger brand and play this strength strategically. Think about it this way: if Intel is all the hype amongst end users (consumers), it is likely that corporations that make products that require semiconductor chips (e.g. PCs) will have no choice but to buy from Intel in order to satisfy their consumer demand. 

Coming back to the Mashable article, I can see that one way Intel builds brand with its indirect customer base (consumers), is through it’s Facebook page! Intel has a huge following on Facebook of over 23 million likes, and according to Mashable, a lot of these users are engaging with Intel, or at least enough to deem it the sixth most engaged brand on Facebook. It’s content strategy is awesome and shows a clear understanding of the types of consumers that appreciate Intel. Intel creates a lot of it’s own content which emphasizes  quirky, geeky but fun facts that demonstrate Intel’s technological expertise in a human way. Some of my favorites are posted below, directly sourced from their page.

Clearly, a lot of time and money is invested into this content creation strategy, but this seems to work well for Intel and other companies could definitely take notes. Social media is a huge opportunity for B2B corporations as it allows them to humanize their brand and find a way to resonate with their indirect, but ultimate customer base.

*Note – Intel also operates B2C with its various product lines, but what it is know for, more than anything, is microchips, hence the perspective on this piece that Intel is in the ranks of a B2B firm.