Is Social Media Necessary for Manufacturing?
Think social media is for b to c marketing only? Not in 2016. It’s rapidly changing. Social media has quickly become a great tool for b to b businesses to connect to new customers and increase sales. Furthermore, businesses are tuning out more traditional outlets like tradeshows and tuning into the Internet to catch a wider audience. And, companies are performing all their initial research online to narrow down prospects. Knowing all this evidence in favor of social media, which channel is best to use?
Facebook? No, this is best left to b to c.
Instagram? Again, better suited for b to c.
LinkedIn? Yes, this is where you need to be if you are a b to b manufacturing company. Why? According to Statista, LinkedIn has 450 million users as of Q2 2016, this is up from 433 million in just one quarter! (Q1 2016). Plus, a May 2014 survey of the most popular LinkedIn features found 59.78 percent of users liked the ability to share status updates with company followers. Another popular feature, with 57.88 percent of respondents, was the ability to review company followers. Armed with these stats and features, it’s time to join and utilize LinkedIn for business:
- Create Personal LinkedIn Profile: If you’re not on LinkedIn, it’s time to join. Simply go to LinkedIn, create an account and start connecting to people you know personally, professionally and search for companies you’d like to do business with. Plus, think outside your initial network like connecting with fellow alumnae. The more you connect, the wider your potential prospect reach.
- Create Business LinkedIn Page: In addition, you want to create a business page for your company. Whether you are a b to b products or services manufacturer, a business page is key to formulating new leads. Once your page is updated, you’ll need to join groups relative to manufacturing. Also, join in discussions and position yourself as an expert within your industry. Plus, you’ll want to share blog posts within in these groups and on your page that show your expertise and highlight aspects of your business offerings.
Bottom line is a social media strategy is vital in today’s manufacturing industry. In order to stay competitive, create new leads and appear on top in Google searches, LinkedIn is where you want to build your online presence.
Want to get started? Call Autumn Consulting. We’re excited to show you the benefits of LinkedIn within the b to b manufacturing industry and create a personalized digital marketing campaign.
