In the B2B community, manufacturers without an effective strategy for digital marketing find themselves falling behind the competition and missing out on revenue opportunities. A marketing plan that incorporates social media for manufacturers leads to increased exposure and sales.
Key Takeaways:
- With social media marketing, businesses rely on social media platforms to interact with the market and consumers.
- Industrial and manufacturing companies often benefit from using platforms like YouTube or LinkedIn to share video content and direct connections with CEOs, senior sales personnel, and other qualified buyers.
- Effective social media marketing takes consistent effort and continuity with the brand’s message in other marketing channels.
Reasons for Investing in Social Media for Manufacturers
As a manufacturing company, you stand to gain a lot from incorporating social media marketing into your operations. These include:
- Brand awareness
- Lead generation
- Customer service opportunities
- Sales promotions
- Reputation management
- Website traffic
- Social proof
A social media presence builds your company’s exposure to potential buyers. Showing videos, posting photos, sharing content, and linking to product reviews help create public trust in your brand. Increased exposure and trust lead to increased sales.
Source: NBS on YouTube
Platforms Used in Social Media Marketing for Manufacturing Companies
There are a number of platforms to start your social media marketing journey, but a few are a better fit for B2B manufacturing companies. Manufacturing companies offer webinars or virtual courses, short posts or articles, and video as the primary forms of content across these platforms:
- YouTube
More manufacturing companies are moving their resources toward social media marketing to develop brand recognition and generate leads because it is so affordable.
As a marketing tool, social media is very easy to adapt and can quickly reach a wide audience. However, for these campaigns to be successful, your company should have a very specific consumer in mind and tailor your social media marketing to them.
Steps for Successfully Using Social Media for Manufacturers
It’s common for people to think of companies operating in manufacturing as boring and out-of-touch. This is true even in the B2B world and can make it hard to connect through traditional marketing channels. With social media marketing, your company becomes relevant and reaches potential consumers where they are comfortable.
Before you can start coming up with creative social media posting ideas, you need to know the guideposts of a successful social media marketing strategy. This isn’t an exhaustive list, but it gives you a strong foundation for getting started.
Listen to Your Target Audience
Before you launch into a blitz of posts or sharing content, spend the time to find out what your target audience is already doing. Determine what kind of content they are engaging with or the things target businesses or buyers are posting.
This sets a baseline for the content your prospective buyer would both notice and take interest in. Check out competitors’ pages to see what their content focuses on.
Don’t Limit Your Content
Too many businesses feel they need to be completely original to attract attention. While it is important to be a fresh voice on the B2B manufacturing scene, consider the benefit of sharing existing information relevant to the industry and your target audience.
You could share legislation changes, supply chain information, current event articles, or interviews with leaders in the field. When you branch out with your content marketing, you develop a stronger reputation in the industry.
Take Advantage of Influencers
It’s easy for a manufacturing company to appear faceless and impersonal outside of the occasional trade show event. By connecting with social media influencers, you can give your brand a better visual and differentiate yourself from the competition.
B2B influencer marketing is definitely a new concept, but it has the potential to bring significant value. Finding a celebrity or other well-received individual to endorse your brand through a product review video can grow your brand awareness by millions of views.
Stay Informed on the Latest Trends and Tools
Given the speed at which modern technology is moving, what you do today may not be quite as effective in a few months. Pay attention to the ways consumers are interacting and the new techniques available to connect and reach out. Social media marketing for manufacturing companies is a process that is dynamic and ever-growing.
Practical Ideas for Posting on Social Media for Manufacturers
There are plenty of ways to share your manufacturing business online. Rather than trying all of them, it’s important to craft a strategy that fits your business objectives and addresses the needs of your target audience. Here are three creative ways to get started.
Share Quality Photos of Your Products
Customers want to see exactly what they’re getting, and a picture is worth a thousand words. Sharing high-quality photos is a great way to show off complex machinery, custom-made parts, or your products in action.
You have plenty of options when it comes to images. You can share pictures of specific parts, products throughout the manufacturing stages, other versions or models, your factory, and much more.
You can also use images to make an important event or date stand out. Graphics can highlight details without taking up a lot of space.
Live Stream Important or Engaging Content
Live streaming is incredibly popular among consumers, with people often preferring to watch a live stream instead of video-on-demand or reading a blog post. You can live stream a Q&A about your company or products, give away a special deal or price, or present a preview of an upcoming event.
Live streams are a way to stay connected with both current and potential customers. However, consistency is paramount when working with live video content.
Introduce and Recognize Your Team
The inner workings of your company are important to your customers, and you can use team-focused posts on social media for manufacturers to highlight your staff. Employees are the heart and soul behind your company, bringing quality products and services to your customers. Use blog posts or photos to give them recognition or to share promotions and advancements.
Including employee achievements and upgrades will help humanize your company. It puts additional faces on the brand and makes your business relatable. It also demonstrates that your company values its team members and cares about their contributions.
Expert Guidance on Social Media for Manufacturers
You can successfully navigate the changing and complex world of social media marketing by working with a partner with a full understanding of what manufacturing companies need. At Shanahan Strategy, we specialize in giving industrial and manufacturing companies a custom strategy to meet their business objectives.
This brief guide to social media for manufacturers is enough to get your feet wet with digital marketing strategies. For a complete marketing strategy experience, contact our team and get your plan underway.
